Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

I nearly spit out my coffee the other morning on my first listen of The Muffs Live at Fort Apache Studios, when instead of the usual lyrics to "In Agony", Kim Shattuck suddenly shouts "I don't have any monitors!"

Dropped the needle on the live Bad Brains LP this morning, and while that was a re-release of an old SST record, it's still an eye opener. "I Against I" was already an out-of-control nuclear reaction in the studio, somehow they upped it even more. I'm sure it was intentional to throw a reggae song afterwards, I can't even imagine how frenzied the crowd had to have been to experience that.

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

I've added a few live RSD exclusives to my collection over the years. As long as they're solid recordings - and not 'tape recorder under the jacket in the last row' quality - I'm happy. Fortunately for me, these all sound great:

David Bowie - Ready Set Go! Live London 2003
The Cure - Show (picture disc)
Duran Duran - Hammersmith '82!
Tears For Fears - Live At Massey Hall 1985
Tragically Hip - Live At CBGB 1993
U2 - Another Time Another Place Live At The Marquee London 1980

Looking forward to seeing November's RSD list and possibly adding one or two more.

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

God help me, I've bought a turntable.

I've resisted the urge for years and years, but my Gen X'er nostalgia got the better of me and I caved. I saw a new record store open up just down the road from my house (actually an established store that recently relocated from another location in town). I was driving past it frequently and thinking I should stop in and just look around. I finally did go in the other day, and started browsing the racks. I also was looking over a new turntable they had on display at the front of the store, and the guy at the counter came over and we started talking and he ended up showing me some used units in the back room. Before I knew it I'd purchased an 80s-era Pioneer PL-450. It's in good condition and works perfectly. It's pretty basic, but does have auto return/shutoff, which is something I wanted. I'm very happy with it so far!

Unfortunately, I may now need to replace my old Pioneer stereo receiver that I bought in college (as a set with a CD changer and some big-ass speakers). I knew it was acting a bit glitchy, but I thought I just needed to replace the speaker wires. Turns out it wasn't the wires (or the speakers themselves) so I'm going to see if there's a simple fix like cleaning the contacts and switches. If not, I'll probably get something new that has built-in bluetooth (along with phono, of course).

Oh, yes, this is The VINYL Thread. I've only got a few records so far. "Vital Signs" by Survivor, the "Paint Your Wagon" movie soundtrack (yes, really), the "Vacation" 45 by The Go-Gos, and Carpenters "The Singles, 1969-1973."

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

^Older Pioneer receivers are very desirable. Definitely make an attempt to get it in order.

What are the symptoms?

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

Don’t spend a lot of time trying to find a modern receiver with a phono input. Get your Pioneer fixed or get a new receiver and an outboard phono preamp.

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

When the speakers are connected to the "Front A" outputs, the sound quality is poor (scratchy) and cuts in and out. Sometimes the audio cuts out completely, and if I push the "A" speakers select button further in on the front of the receiver and hold it in, the audio comes back, but is still poor quality. If I let the button rest in its normal "on" position, the audio may go away again. The same goes for the "Front B" speaker outputs. So currently I have the speakers connected to the "Rear" speaker outputs, and I've got the receiver in "simulated" surround sound mode. It sounds okay like this, but I'm not sure if the full audio signal is being sent to the rear speaker outputs. It's a Pioneer VSX-4800 that I bought in '91 or '92. (from what I can tell it's not one of the more sought-after older Pioneer models)

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

Thank you for the advice! I did see a Sony receiver that's in my budget range that has phono and blue tooth, but I haven't done a lot of looking yet and yeah I may not want to limit my options.

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

A can of DeOxit will probably solve all your problems.

Vintage gear always sounds better than newer equipment, at for music. They don't have Dolby surrounds and DTS for movies, obvs.

For Bluetooth on an old receiver, you just need a Bluetooth adapter that you can plug into the Aux input, and you're all set.

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

Yeah, just get an external preamp and then you can just buy any receiver that seems good for you and your budget. Based on the symptoms you described, your old receiver does sound fixable perhaps and vintage is usually best for analog stuff like this.

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

Ah, yes, I thought you were referring to a stereo receiver, rather than an AV receiver.

Regardless, I agree with Paff that DeoxiT is likely to help with your problem. Only catch is how accessible the switches are to be able to get the DeoxIT into them.

Having said that, the poor quality sound, when it is working, is a bit of a concern that may be beyond DeoxIT.

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

I will give the DeoxIT a try. :thumbsup:

Re: The VINYL Thread!
 

I just used some DeoxIT liquid on the contacts of an early '70s calculator I took apart and restored. It worked great!