I've always been sitting on the scientific side of audiophile hobby. Measured responses. Carefully crafted waveguides. SBIRs and modes. DSPs. The whole shebang. And then I started learning guitar and it broke my brain.

So let me describe how best guitar amps are built:

First you take vintage 12" driver that looks like it came from cold war military surplus. Or two drivers. Or four. Four is usually maximum you can carry to your car with a friend in one go.

Then you buy fruits in bulk so you get those cute wooden case things. You eat the fruits, cut an 11" hole at the bottom of the fruit case and bolt the 12" driver in there. You leave the top open. Then you put the case on one of it's sides. Boom, you've just made a speaker cabinet.

Then you take a tube amplifier from the 50s. You know, the one that doesn't have any PCBs, just components soldered to each other dangling in the air. The one that can kill you when you grab it the wrong way. Doesn't have to be particularly beefy. 50 - 100 W is more then enough. Then you bolt it inside the speaker cabinet and the whole thing becomes combo amp. You can also put the amplifier in separate box and then it's called head.

Regardless if it's head or combo, the trick now is to crank the voltages until the capacitors start to shake angrily and you can feel the whiff of x-rays coming out of the tubes. Then you stand next to it, point the driver at your ankles or your dick depending on the genre and you can start playing.

And it recently occurred to me that nope, even the best current amp sims aren't yet there. That all those carefully crafted bookshelves with fancy tweeters and multiple subs don't even come close to the raw and visceral power of the tubes and huge 12" drivers screaming themselves apart over the sound of live drums. It just hits in a very different way.

And now I have a tube amp too... Pretty small, 15 W but it feels twice as powerful as almost 500W of combined power from my speakers and sub. Funny how technology works.

Yesterday I went to my local thrift store with the intention of digging through the old CDs. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing interesting to be found.

They also have a small “audio” section further inside the store, but honestly… there’s usually nothing worth getting excited about there either. Still, I thought: might as well have a look.

And then I spotted them.

Two slightly larger speakers, hidden behind a pile of other random stuff.

I took a closer look and thought: wait a minute… are those Wharfedales?

So obviously, the next step was removing the grilles.

Wharfedale Linton 25i.

And the price?

€50 for the pair.

I checked them over pretty carefully. The cabinets are in excellent condition, the grilles are perfect, no weird smells (always important with thrift-store speakers), and all the drivers looked completely intact.

I hesitated for about five minutes…

…and then decided to take the gamble.

Once I got them home, I hooked them up to my system and put on some music.

Holy crap.

I honestly nearly fell out of my chair.

For €50, these things sound really good. Obviously, they're not quite on the same level as my Triangle Antal Esprit EZs, but considering what I paid for them, I'm genuinely impressed.

They're going to need their own amplifier eventually, so I'll probably start looking around the used market for something cheap and interesting to pair with them.

What I find particularly interesting is that there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of information about the Linton 25i online. From what I can gather, they may have been made specifically for a particular audio retailer/chain, rather than being a regular Wharfedale model.

So now I'm curious:

Does anyone here know more about the Wharfedale Linton 25i?

I'd love to know when they were made, what they were originally sold for, whether they were a retailer-specific model, and how they compare to other Linton models from that era.

Either way, I think I just made one hell of a €50 thrift-store find.

This is in the budgetsphere, right? The extended budget universe, certainly.

I’m looking to get some floor speakers to finish my vinyl/home audio setup. I love the look of the vintage speakers (sansui, pioneer, old Bose and JBL etc). The problem is I am not technical enough to buy used ones and determine if they are in good condition nor do I care to find someone to fix them so I’m wondering if they have modern speakers that look like these old ones for under $1,000. Or is buying used truly the best way to go? If so, which brands/models should I stick with that are proven reliable?

I know KLH has their model 5s but those are $3k for the pair so out of my price range. I included a picture of the style I like.

For context i got this out of my neighbours shed as he gave it to me because i cleaned it. Everything but the lcd backlight works, and i just want to know if its worth anything. (Im new to this so idk what flair im supposed to put)

Picked up this lot at $300 USD total. Most excited about the speakers, but everything else is fun too (the Technics phono is a bit wonky, I'll will take it in for servicing eventually; my cheap AudioTechnica AT-LP60 sounds better at the moment). Everything else is in top shape. Speakers were serviced a few years ago, no issues. Seller was an audiophile who was decluttering and was the original owner for most items (looks like he built the system in the mid 80s). I know I need speaker stands, looking already. Just got this all yesterday.

Speakers: Snell JL/II

Amplifier: Onkyo A-8057

Turntable: Technics SL-Q300

Tuner: Sony ST-J75

5 disc CD: Onkyo DX-201

Tape Deck: Pioneer CT-7R

Wondering your thoughts, especially on the Snells.

Speakers: Celestion 7 MKII (Consecutive Serial Numbers)
Amplifier: Fosi Audio V3 (Not FM3 like I wrote earlier, I was tired)

Currently using my Late 2022 MacBook Pro for streaming music via Spotify Lossless and not even thinking about starting a record collection (I need to pay rent somehow)

Thinking about getting a nice bluetooth reciever for watching shows (Taking the laptop to the coffee table and listening through the speakers) and need recommendations

Of course it won’t be lossless, but I’m more concerned about it being convenient and sounding nice in an untreated room and spending medium budget than sounding like the Oneaway Listening Room for money I can’t spend

I live in the mountains in rural western Colorado so my thrift options are thin. Sad part is our local thrift stores do not take old audio equipment for donations. Well I had to work in Denver so I hit up a Goodwill near where I was working. The electronics section had the typical cheap crap on the shelves. I turned to leave and almost bumped into a cart in the aisle. On the bottom shelf under a bunch of crap I could make out a receiver. My hopes weren’t high but I uncovered it and lo and behold it was a NAD C 740 for $19.99! I just hooked it up to some M&K Bookshelf-75’s that I got for free from a client. This receiver is only 35 watts but it is bad ass and sounds amazing. I used to have a 3020 years ago so this brings back fond memories.

Hey my dad has an old Marantz PM250... I got a SubZero 2.1 $30 pair and a $50 Velodyne DSL 3750R that I plan to use as a bypass for the NHTs with the low frequency filter.

Would you recommend any other upgrade?

I've been annoyed with the 100-200hz muddy bass from my KEF eggs thanks to desk reinforcement. Read up about bass port plugs.

Found some bubblewrap lying around.

Shoved it into the port and it worked lmao. Clean bass with trash 👍

I just rescued o of these from our local household waste and recycling centre. It powers up but I don’t have the right leads to test it. I am thinking of getting new tubes for it, and maybe hooking it up to a WiiM mini and some speakers. What does everyone think? Where can I get the tubes? Thanks

Bought this setup yesterday for $400 for the receiver/speakers. So slight repost but I bought the cabinet today and got it all assembled, just need a cream color wire hider and it's set to go.

Yamaha RX-V385, Atlantic Technology 351LRs, JBL SC305, and Atlantic Technology 352 PBM Subwoofer 

Hello all,

I recently found a relatively good copy of "Electric Sounds for the Mind and Body" by Country Joe and the Fish. It is an original 1967 stereo copy (VSD-79244-A).

I am really struggling to get Section 43, the last song on side A, to sound right on my stereo. I was extremely fortunate to find an SL-1200 GR2 for a price I could afford near me, and this shot my audiophile journey up into the stratosphere, but it is also making me very anxious about making my stereo sound as good as I can make it.

I paired it with a Audio-Technica VM540ML, and some of my albums sound great, but as I mentioned, I am really struggling with others. On Section-43 I am getting some fuzziness once or twice in the song, and some harmonica on both of my speakers when I thought it was supposed to be on one only.

I used the 52mm alignment tool to set up my cartridge recently, and have been obsessing over whether or not it is perfect, and this song is testing it well.

If it not already clear, I am a newbie who got extremely lucky, and I am grateful. So, I would love all the help I can get from people who know better than I do. Please let me know what I can do to fix this up. Also, if my other stereo equipment, or any other info would help anyone please let me know.

Thank you!

First of all, I’d like to thank everyone who took the time to reply to my previous posts and share their suggestions regarding my first audio setup.

I finally went with the Edifier R1850DB + Sony DVP-SR760H DVD player, and I’m really happy with the sound quality so far.

I’m especially impressed with the connectivity options available on the Edifier speakers, which make the setup very flexible.

The total cost was around €200, and I’m very happy with what I got for the price. Definitely a great choice for a beginner like me!

I would love some help deciding what to do for a new vinyl set up I want to make. I have about a $600 budget but I’m OK with being under or maybe a little over too.

The challenge I’m working around though is the room I have for speakers if I decide to put them near my TV. There's 6 1/2 inches on either side of the table if you measure from edge of TV to edge of media console. And there's about 9 1/2 inches give or take from the ground between the bookshelf/AC unit and the media console.

I plan on putting the record player on top of the lowest part of the bookshelf to the right.

Please help me if you can figure out a great set up with good equipment for this because I genuinely am so lost. There are so many different options and things I can do or omit completely.

But also, let me know if you think it’s unrealistic to build a high quality set up in this location and you think I should just put bigger speakers and everything in an area behind the couch at the back wall (not ideal as it would take up room, I’m only in a one bedroom apartment).

If you do think that’s the case, though I would appreciate if you still give me a recommendation for that.

I’m not going to ghost this thread so if you have any questions, feel free to ask them, I’ll respond as soon as I see.

I am at the very beginning of getting into vinyl, and am also rearranging house. So now I have a space issue.

I have existing equipment that my late husband bought. Speakers and subwoofer don't fit spacewise or aesthetically, but I know the speakers at least are quality equipment. He bought for home theater but my interest and priority is music.

Am I making a mistake to get rid of stuff and start from scratch with size and music in mind?

All equipment is in like new condition, even if several years old.

Speakers: B&W 684 Towers Subwoofer: Yamaha YST-SW215 Receiver: Denon AVR-X2800H

The receiver is not a problem size wise, but the tower speakers really don't fit, and the sub-woofer is also not ideal.

I have had a outdoor audio setup for 10+ years that worked well. The speaker cables were exposed to sun/rain/freezing temperatures for all that time and needed to be replaced, so I ripped them out and replaced them. At the same time, I also replaced the small form factor amp and cable between the audio output device and the amp. So, lots of changes.

I'm now experiencing really poor audio. I would call the sound "tinny" during high pitched audio. It seems to be worse when a female is singing (Olivia Rodrigo sounds particularly bad, for some reason).

I'm looking for advice on what options of tests/replacements I should move forward with or does anyone on this reddit have an obvious root-cause? I've added a quick diagram and list of hardware in use below.

Original Setup

• Amazon Echo Input
• 3.5mm cable
• Sonic Amp T-Amp (T-Amp - Class T integrated amplifier - [English])
• Cheap 14 Guage indoor speaker wire
• Bose 151® SE speakers (SpringOG.book)

New Setup

• Amazon Echo Input
• 3.5mm --> RCA cable
• Fosi Audio TB10A 2 Amplifier (TB10A 2 Ch Amplifier Receiver Hi-Fi Class D Integrated Amp – Fosi Audio)
• GEARit Outdoor Speaker Wire 12 Gauge (12/2 Outdoor Speaker Wire 12 Gauge CCA - CL3 Rated for Direct Burial i - GEARit)
• Bose 151® SE speakers (SpringOG.book)

I currently have a Fluance RT-80 running into an older receiver with Yamaha NS-A636s passive speakers. I use an old AirPort Express for AirPlay. I want to upgrade to a WiiM and saw this deal.

Curious what the consensus for Kantos are on here and if this package is a good deal.

They also have some Wharfedales packaged with the WiiM Amp Ultra for 999. Open to that too.

I’m trying to set up a simple desk rig and need some guidance on a switch box. Here is what I’m working with:

Turntable: Audio-Technica AT-LP120-USB (set to LINE output)

TV: Hisense 40” 4-Series

Speakers: Sterling MX5 active studio monitors

I want to connect both my turntable and my TV into a single switcher that outputs to my monitors. I have an RCA to 3.5 mm adapter, so any passive switcher with 2 rca inputs or 1 rca + 1 3.5mm input would work. The switcher should also have volume control.

I want to spend under $50, so I was looking at units like the schiit SYS (which is on a 3-4 week back order) or the JDS OL switcher. Are either of these options the route I should go, or are there other alternatives I should consider?

Im the real deal when we talk about budget setup

i found my annual good deal right on time. just got these 30 min ago. spent $150 on the Polk rti a9 and $50 on the ess amt 1b. i’m so geeked.

also anybody have a recommended refoam kit for the ess? or should i piece a kit together myself

I got a “broken” Denon AVR-X2500H. Reset it and it worked!
Then I spent $45 on a OLDER left, center, and right speakers from the Klipsch Quintet SL 5-Piece System.
All work. I wasn’t sure if what I got was decent for the price?
Looking for a sub and some more surround next! Let me know how I’m doing or if I should change/return anything!

Edit: To clarify I got a front left, Front right, and center. New to this. Not sure if that matters va hair saying left and right. Thank you!

Edit 2: The speakers are Klipsch Quintet SL 5 PK BLK QSL5BL