30 replies to this topic

[SammyBirdland]

There was some interest in vintage audio equipment in one of the other threads, so I thought I would start this one.

 

My dad is an antiques dealer, he let me go through one of his storage areas to see if there was anything I was interested in.

 

I found these Bose 601 Series III speakers from 1986.   They are in rough condition, pretty crusty and neglected.  They need to be refoamed, need new fabric, and the cabinets are in poor shape.  One of the goofy square speaker covers is broken too.

In good condition, people are paying between $600 and $1000 for a pair on eBay.  

 

 

I also found the original unopened paperwork.

 

[SammyBirdland]

So far I have restored one of the cabinets with Howard Restor A Finish.

 

[Mackus]

Do they still sound good?  Are all the efforts you need to make to fix them up mostly cosmetic or will you need to replace any of the electronics.

[SammyBirdland]

I confirmed that they work, but I was afraid to play them too much for fear of the foam exploding.  So, I might not know until after they are re-foamed.   

Besides, people who buy Bose don't care about actual sound quality, right?  

[SammyBirdland]

I also found a crusty old Marantz 1060 amplifier and Marantz 104 stereo tuner.   They need a complete overhaul, and they aren't high end units, so I don't know if I will mess with them.

[SammyBirdland]

Here's what happens when you play speakers with bad foam:

 

[SportsGuy]

Aren't those speakers too old for you to be an audiophile?

[Mackus]

My center channel finally showed up yesterday for the new speakers I got.  It's definitely an entry-level system, but I'm an entry-level listener so I think they sound great.  Clearly a massive improvement over my old white van system, and more than enough sound to fill up the living room area in my tiny little rowhouse.

 

I've bought these speakers and this sub.

[SammyBirdland]

My center channel finally showed up yesterday for the new speakers I got.  It's definitely an entry-level system, but I'm an entry-level listener so I think they sound great.  Clearly a massive improvement over my old white van system, and more than enough sound to fill up the living room area in my tiny little rowhouse.

 

I've bought these speakers and this sub.

 

My brother!   I just bought the exact same tower speakers and a matching Andrew Jones sub.  They get really good reviews and are supposed to be one of the best values for the money.

I also bought a Yamaha AS500BL amp, but it showed up dead on arrival.  I plug it in, then there's a click, and the power light starts flashing.  Apparently this means the circuitry protection has been triggered.  I have to send it back via an RMA today.

[Mackus]

Sweet! 

 

I've got a Denon A/V receiver that is probably about 7 years old at this point.  I only do A through it, not V (have fun with that one, Ricker) because it doesn't have any HDMI inputs but it gets the job done.  Mostly now I run all of my peripherals to the TV through HDMI and then the TV audio to the receiver through an optical cable and then just leave the receiver settings so that it puts the sound out from whatever is playing on the TV.  I still can change it up to have one of the auxiliary audio sources coming through the speakers while the TV shows something else though, I just don't need to do that very often.

[You Play to Win the Game]

Hey man, it's 2015... pride yo!

[NewMarketSean]

I've got a Klipsch 7.1 set up with an Infinity 10-inch sub. I've had it for the better part of 15 years with the rear surrounds being about 5 years old. Sounds awesome, especially when movies are actually recorded in 7.1.

 

Yamaha 7.1 receiver...I guess it's close to 10 years old now.

[SammyBirdland]

Both cabinets are now "restored" (as good as they are going to get).   I finished replacing the grill cloth on one of the speakers with new chocolate brown.   Ran out of glue, still need to finish the top of the second one.  Then I just need to finish cleaning up all the dust and they are done.

 

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[Russ]

Both cabinets are now "restored" (as good as they are going to get).   I finished replacing the grill cloth on one of the speakers with new chocolate brown.   Ran out of glue, still need to finish the top of the second one.  Then I just need to finish cleaning up all the dust and they are done.
 
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Good work, Sammy. They look great.

[SammyBirdland]

Thanks!   I'm thinking about taking them to a local new-used guitar shop and seeing what they would trade me for them.

[RShack]

Thanks!   I'm thinking about taking them to a local new-used guitar shop and seeing what they would trade me for them.

 

Looking thru batches of used guitars can be great fun... 50 of them can be crap, doesn't matter, you just need to find 1....

[RShack]

I also found a crusty old Marantz 1060 amplifier and Marantz 104 stereo tuner.   They need a complete overhaul, and they aren't high end units, so I don't know if I will mess with them.

 

But do they work?

[SammyBirdland]

I'm lefty and learned to play the guitar righty when I was a kid.  I use the term "learned" loosely, as I only know a few chords.  I've gotten the guitar bug several times in my life, but I always hit a wall because I absolutely cannot strum or finger pick with my right hand.   I just decided to start from scratch lefty, got my first lefty guitar yesterday.   It's a big cheapy semi-hollow, kind of uncomfortable to play.   I'm thinking about finding a cheap lefty Strat or Telecaster.

[RShack]

Thanks!   I'm thinking about taking them to a local new-used guitar shop and seeing what they would trade me for them.

 

On the other hand, given what kind of store that is, I'd guess they'd low-ball the speakers and high-ball the guitars... the ebay money might be more compelling for them...

 

What kind(s) of guitar are you hunting?

 

EDIT: Never mind... I see...

[SammyBirdland]

But do they work?

 

The amp is pretty roached out, very crackly.   I haven't tried the tuner yet.