i joined audiokarma, probably the largest online audio forum for consumer audio, where i post under the alias 'holysocks'. check out the thread i've up posted about my audio systems here. you may recognize the re-wire portion.
what is fascinating about vintage audio is the fact that you can get very great stuff for very little money. this doesn't apply to any other type of electronics. stereo systems in the mid 70's and early 80's were being made to do one thing, sound amazing. almost every company in business at that time was making stereos with as much quality as possible. during the mid 80's however, that trend died due to the demand for more features and less demand for superb audio quality.
stereos are unlike televisions and computers for the simple fact that they aren't obsolete year over year. what would you use a laptop from the early 90's for, could it even get on the internet? a TV from the 70's? you aren't watching any streaming netflix on that puppy. but audio systems are different. our ears can only hear from 20hertz to 20,000hertz. as long as a stereo system can produce those frequencies and everything in between, you won't know if the system is 30 days old or 30 years.
so with this knowledge i've gone and started my first project, a receiver restore. after spending many hours educating myself in all things vintage audio, i found someone selling what was to be my first project piece. I found an MCS 3275 receiver about 30miles from my house listed on craigslist. after a few phone calls and a 45min drive i had my new (to me) receiver in tow.
this baby is a monster, as you can see i took a picture with my flip cam standing next to it on the table for size comparison. just look at all the aluminum knobs and switches, no plastic here. and the case is made of real wood, it's not (as often referred to on the forums) "bpc" - black plastic crap.
first thing i did was take it apart.
the second thing i did was post questions on forums about my questions. the first thread i posted about was pertaining to a capacitor issue i came across. the second thread about a lighting issue i'm having.
first of all, i love having this community of similar interest people. i ask questions, and not only get answers and suggestions, but also thanks and congratulations on my project. we're all geeking out, but it's ten times more fun geeking out with other geeks that are into the exact same thing.
i also feel that i'm being *somewhat* productive. granted all of the time i've put into this does now show in my immediate results, just another stereo. but the enjoyment factor is not to be discounted, as people spend most of their available time and money on enjoyment.
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