Expensive and cheap. Both are fun to make.

Posted by Kurt Strain on January 26, 2002 at 20:33:57

In Reply to: Adding to the post concerning direction of asylum. posted by RAYDOG on January 25, 2002 at 18:40:06:

My expensive system cost me about $40K of recycled gear, stuff in and stuff out. It ultimately became the thrill of making the best I can within my budget and a lot of priority devoted to it. Here's what it is today:

Teres Audio kit TT / VPI JMW-10 arm / Koetsu Urushi cart
EAR MC-3 moving coil stepup transformer
Homebrew phono preamp w/ 6ER5 and 6GK5 triodes
Homebrew line stage preamp w/ 27 triode and 5AR4 rectifier
Homebrew SET amp w/ 71A outputs, 01A drivers, and 5Y3 rectifiers
Oris 150 speaker kit with AER's PM4A driver and home built bass bins
Homebrew interconnects and speaker wire - yes the lousy basically free magnet wire homebrew interconnects did better than expensive cables I tried
Balanced power transformer

Total cost of this system is about $15K if you don't add in the Sony SACD player as the secondary source, and if you take away the TT and add the SACD it's ONLY about $8500. I have spent a great deal of money only later to find real value in the top high end, with a lot of my own fun labor. I find it to be right up there in the state-of-the-art, because I like it that much. You can't beat a long term commitment to custom design, IMO.

The other system is my home theater (stereo audio portion) system, consists of the following components:

Pioneer DV-414 DVD player
Eico 2036 integrated amp modified for use as preamp, bought used
Homebrew SET amp w/ Chinese KT-88 outputs and 27 drivers
Homebrew Voight pipe speakers w/ Fostex FE168S drivers
Homebrew interconnects and speaker wire

Total cost of this system, which sounds much better than it has a right to, and sometimes I prefer listening to it because the room is so nice and cozy and warm like the sound, is about $1300. How far does this system compare to the front room? About 80% the way there, and better than 99% of the systems in most people's homes.

For surround sound, I added the following:

A Denon 5.1 channel receiver/decoder
A pair of GR Research Paradox 1 kit speakers for rear channels.
A Celestion subwoofer.

This for an additional $800.

I learned that the best deals in audio for anyone are the available kits out there. They really offer so much for so little. For ultimate sound for real people it's the DIY tube route I say. If you have deep pockets and want the ultimate without building anything, then you still have to do the legwork and go to shows and dealers and listen to everything because the best isn't the most costly.

Kurt

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Follow Ups Full Thread

Topic - Adding to the post concerning direction of asylum. - RAYDOG 18:40:06 01/25/02 (23)

Re: Adding to the post concerning direction of asylum. - Corbett 02:38:22 01/27/02 (0)

Expensive and cheap. Both are fun to make. - Kurt Strain 01/26/0220:33:57 01/26/02 (0)

Re: Adding to the post concerning direction of asylum. - Tuneman 13:02:05 01/26/02 (0)

Great post! - GaryM 12:14:03 01/26/02 (0)

Re: Adding to the post concerning direction of asylum. - ggraff 09:03:07 01/26/02 (2)

Re: Adding to the post .. what he said - Joe M 09:43:22 01/26/02 (1)

Re: Adding to the post .. what he said - ggraff 02:03:33 01/28/02 (0)

900 buck paradigms 90% of hi end rigs? - Brian A 08:56:23 01/26/02 (0)

Gracias RAYDOG......(nt) [;y) - Jose Garcia 05:40:29 01/26/02 (0)

RAYDOG, YOU ROCK!!!!! - marko445 03:37:01 01/26/02 (0)

My Condolences... - Todd Krieger 01:02:35 01/26/02 (1)

Re:My Condolences...Go'CANES Number 1- DOLPHINS in there somewhere - Joe M 09:55:22 01/26/02 (0)

RAYDOG for President. (long) - Bosh 21:07:20 01/25/02 (0)

Play on brother! Sing on sister!!!! Excellent post !!!!!!nt - Dman 20:54:40 01/25/02 (0)

Boo-hoo...I spent too much - Sean H 20:17:31 01/25/02 (3)

Since I'm the Dip Sh*T you refered to, here is my answer - Edp 08:19:08 01/26/02 (1)

Re: Since I'm the Dip Sh*T you refered to, here is my answer - Sean H 09:22:05 01/26/02 (0)

What you said! - Tromatic 21:54:00 01/25/02 (0)

Well said - YRY 19:52:02 01/25/02 (0)

Re: Adding to the post concerning direction of asylum. - Frank I 19:45:34 01/25/02 (0)

Music is the judge - phenderson 19:38:17 01/25/02 (0)

Its good to hear that someone cares:) - Jeremy H 19:22:19 01/25/02 (0)

Great post!! (nt) - sjb 19:10:57 01/25/02 (0)

Follow Ups

Expensive and cheap. Both are fun to make. - Kurt Strain 01/26/0220:33:57 01/26/02 (0)

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