Any audiophiles here?

Ponderling · Sep 9, 2025

I have sold a few things on Canuck Audio Market.
Most of my rehabbed receivers and speakers I sell along side refurbished ham radio gear at swap meets that are termed 'Hamfests' .

Not for a ton of money, just to feel like there is room to move in the shop, and when the storage shelves in the garage are getting too full.

Although the number of folks dumping 70's receivers seems to have slowed.

But the Sansui I bought for $20 at a garage sale, but I must have $80 in parts and hours of rounds of rehab.
It sounds great on phono and CD , but the FM tuner audio chain stil has some bugaboos to hint down to sound better.
But it has a really early use of a low noise FET in the tuner RF front end. It is a dial string variable capacitor tuner, but man it is sensitive.

One system I have resotred but is sitting idle is a really sensitive Harmon Kardon digital tuner, and a David Hafler DH110 preamp and DH-200 amp. which is 100W per channel with mosfets.
I built the Haflers as final assembly kits in the early 80's, and had them freshened in the late 2010's.
Some day when my young adults still at home move out I will put this in the basement and make it feel like am 18 again.

Ponderling · Sep 9, 2025

franci said:
Sansui 9090 is a great receiver and should come in below your budget. There are a few guys on YouTube who own shops in the US that do alot of reviews and top 10 lists on vintage audio. Lots of good information. Make sure anything you get has been recapped and serviced.

Skylab is fun to watch.

Just steer clear of the DB variants.
And the 8080 has the same bones, just 2 transitors per final versus 4 per final in the 9090, and a beefier transformer and bigger main filter caps to put put the purported 110W in the 9090.

anon1 · Sep 10, 2025

JackBurton said:
Found a few Marantz receivers on marketplace. Currently eyeballing a 2225.

tml · Sep 10, 2025

JackBurton said:
It was more of a decision orr budget? Bookshelf are $900 a pair, the floor model they have jumps to $3400

Im open to all siggestions. Dont want to get hosed and tapping into others experiences can only help me in the long run.

A little confusion for me. According to Axiom's website the M5 bookshelves are $1297, and their cheapest floorstander is about $1817. Also keep in mind they only sell direct so you can't hear them before you buy at a retailer.

Here are a couple of inexpensive alternatives that you could hear in an audio shop that carries them:
1) Paradigm Monitor SE 300F----$429.99 each/ #859.98 per pair
https://www.paradigm.com/en/floorstanding/monitor-se-3000f
2) Paradigm Monitor SE 6000F----$549.99 each/ $1099.98 per pair.
https://www.paradigm.com/en/floorstanding/monitor-se-6000f
3) PSB Alpha T20 towers-----$1199.00 per pair.
https://www.psbspeakers.com/ca/alpha-t20-tower
4) Klipsch R600F floorstanders------$699.00 each/ $1398.00 per pair.
https://www.klipsch.ca/collections/.../products/r-600f-floorstanding-speaker-single
5) Monitor Audio Bronze 200 6G-----$1159.00(on sale)
https://eqaudio.ca/audio/monitor-audio-bronze-200-6g-floorstanding-speakers-pair/

Of all these the Klipsch speakers would need the least amount of amplification to play at a certain volume as they are "horn" speakers.

JackBurton · Sep 10, 2025

tml said:
A little confusion for me. According to Axiom's website the M5 bookshelves are $1297, and their cheapest floorstander is about $1817. Also keep in mind they only sell direct so you can't hear them before you buy at a retailer.

Here are a couple of inexpensive alternatives that you could hear in an audio shop that carries them:
1) Paradigm Monitor SE 300F----$429.99 each/ #859.98 per pair
https://www.paradigm.com/en/floorstanding/monitor-se-3000f
2) Paradigm Monitor SE 6000F----$549.99 each/ $1099.98 per pair.
https://www.paradigm.com/en/floorstanding/monitor-se-6000f
3) PSB Alpha T20 towers-----$1199.00 per pair.
https://www.psbspeakers.com/ca/alpha-t20-tower
4) Klipsch R600F floorstanders------$699.00 each/ $1398.00 per pair.
https://www.klipsch.ca/collections/.../products/r-600f-floorstanding-speaker-single
5) Monitor Audio Bronze 200 6G-----$1159.00(on sale)
https://eqaudio.ca/audio/monitor-audio-bronze-200-6g-floorstanding-speakers-pair/

Of all these the Klipsch speakers would need the least amount of amplification to play at a certain volume as they are "horn" speakers.

Fabulous info!!

The Mechanic · Sep 12, 2025

It boils down to two things 1 what you can afford and 2 what is pleasing to your ear. I have a modest system it’s not the newest and it’s not that expensive, but to me it sounds wonderful. I remember they had a sound show I think it was at the constellation hotel yes I know that’s many many years ago but there were a set of speakers there made by infinity they were approximately 7 feet tall and a subwoofer filled with acoustical sand. They sounded sweet I mean it filled the whole room was sound and can be yours for at that time I think they were going for $50,000. I have a Sony receiver 125 W per side and it could be turned into a 5.1 system I have a pioneer reel to reel yes I know it’s ancient but the sound from tape is something to enjoy not only that I recorded the who concert the first of the last tour concerts in Toronto that’s going back while. I’m slowly switching my CD collection to MP3s putting it onto a hard drive and then enter grading the computer into the sound system. It boils down to I like Chevys and you like???? There is no right and wrong just enjoy the sound.

xmontrealer · Sep 12, 2025

Here is a photo of my hi-fi setup.

Sony STR-DA2100ES receiver from the early 2,000's. 110 watts per channel @ .09% THD, stereo mode into 8 ohms
Bowers & Wilkins 606 S2 Anniversary Edition speakers, bought in 2022.
Apple 160 gig Classic iPod, bought in 1999.
Cambridge Audio iPod docking station for Classic iPod, for playing my iPod through my Sony receiver.
iFi Zen Blue Bluetooth high definition receiver for playing from Bluetooth sources though my Sony receiver.
Sony TMR-IF245R infrared transmitter and headphones.

Other items in the photo:
Sony XBR TV, bought in 2010
Sony Blu-ray DVD player
Boss Katana mini guitar amp
Amazon Alexa Echo Dot
Rogers Infinity TV receiver.

xmontrealer · Sep 12, 2025

Ponderling said:
- Major Edit -

I currently have an idle Denon AVR3600 av receiver I am about to discard.
It works fine, but AV video is all for SVideo.

Needs SVideo hooked to monitor out to look at video menus it puts outs out to let you do setup calibration for 5.1 speakers, digital in options,. etc.
I have a small monitor to give away to do this if this is how you want to hook this up.

I need an S-video input on my TV to view the iPod playlists from my Cambridge Audio iPod docking station on the TV.

It's getting time to upgrade my TV to at least 4K, but not sure what TV's have S-video inputs these days. (Just looked on Amazon and they have lots of S-video to HDMI adaptors...)

Ceiling Cat · Sep 12, 2025

JackBurton said:
Im looking to get back into a hi fi system. Mid 70’s ish.

Found a few Marantz receivers on marketplace. Currently eyeballing a 2225.

Anyone have more knowledge than me? I love vinyl, reel to reel, cassettes.

Any pitfalls i should be aware of in buying a 50 yr old stereo?

In the last century, I bought a complete Panasonic Technics stereo system with Cerwin Vega speakers, reel to reel tape deck and direct drive turntable. With equipment that old the capacitors are often degraded and speaker cones dried out.

Ponderling · Sep 13, 2025

Ceiling Cat said:
speaker cones dried out.

Usually those are the speakers I find.
It takes patience but not much money to make them very nice and servicable.

New surrouund foam is a few dollars, contact cement another few dollars.
Only do that if the voice coil still ohms out as being good when doig that test, and there are no tears in the spider support outside the cone back by the voice coil.

Gently peel the dust cap off the speaker middle, then form a shim out of a piece or two of paper to hold the voice coil centred about the magnet middle, and slide it in to the back of the voice coil.

Then rub old failed or failing foam residue off of the cone and surround edge.
Use solvent and a bunch of q tipe to clean up what is left.

Do the same on the surround edge of the foam.
Wait overnght for all solvent to be evaporated away.

Lay in new contact cement on the cone and replacement foam and once the cement is tacky join them up.
Then do the outside rim part of the foam and basket then push the foam into the basket surround.

Usually this is done with the speakers pull form the cabinet.
While open, pull the crossover and seriously consider refreshing the bipolar crossover capacitors.
And re-attach any filling ascoustic damping mats that you may find in the bottom of the cabinet,

Reassemble, maybe clean and reoil the veneer, and you have a great sounding rehabbed speaker that looks good as well

That is what lets old heavy sturdy wood cabinets of the sort that are not usually made any more be re-used.

Ceiling Cat · Sep 13, 2025

Ponderling said:
Usually those are the speakers I find.
It takes patience but not much money to make them very nice and servicable.

You can have the speakers re-coned.

tml · Sep 16, 2025

For the audiophiles on Terb that don't know about this, every year there is an audio show in Toronto where manufacturers/retailers exhibit their merchandise. It's called Toronto Audiofest and it is held in October. Always a lot of fun.
https://toronto.audiofest.ca/

Ponderling · Sep 16, 2025

tml said:
For the audiophiles on Terb

I take no offence to the high end audio enthusiasts in the world.

From 92-97 I lived in a shared house.
With a housemate who subscribed to The Absolute Sound.

Reading that publication
And being an electrical engineer recently out of school:

A lot of the stuff they posited made systems sound better a lot of the time made no sense,when considering the laws of physics.
And the price the systems advertised in it sold for was way rediculous $$$.

FarmerJoe · Sep 18, 2025

tml said:
For the audiophiles on Terb that don't know about this, every year there is an audio show in Toronto where manufacturers/retailers exhibit their merchandise. It's called Toronto Audiofest and it is held in October. Always a lot of fun.
https://toronto.audiofest.ca/

I was disappointed by last year's show. I realize it's cliche to say this, but the big brands ex. Focal, etc. had their gargantuan setups that played loud, but didn't play music. The year before there were more boutique brands that focused on nuance, coherence, etc. which was far more pleasing. I'm crossing my fingers for more of that.

FarmerJoe · Sep 18, 2025

The Mechanic said:
It boils down to two things 1 what you can afford and 2 what is pleasing to your ear. I have a modest system it’s not the newest and it’s not that expensive, but to me it sounds wonderful. I remember they had a sound show I think it was at the constellation hotel yes I know that’s many many years ago but there were a set of speakers there made by infinity they were approximately 7 feet tall and a subwoofer filled with acoustical sand. They sounded sweet I mean it filled the whole room was sound and can be yours for at that time I think they were going for $50,000. I have a Sony receiver 125 W per side and it could be turned into a 5.1 system I have a pioneer reel to reel yes I know it’s ancient but the sound from tape is something to enjoy not only that I recorded the who concert the first of the last tour concerts in Toronto that’s going back while. I’m slowly switching my CD collection to MP3s putting it onto a hard drive and then enter grading the computer into the sound system. It boils down to I like Chevys and you like???? There is no right and wrong just enjoy the sound.

I agree with your opening statement.

I've been in the audio hobby for a very long time and gone down numerous rabbit holes. I would caution anyone looking to get into the hobby. Reading reviews and listening to the hype machine will only put you on the perpetual and unfulfilling upgrade loop (look up the concept of audio hell). For casual audiophiles, tread into the hobby lightly and be happy there. For those who get sucked down the rabbit hole, you really need to understand what nirvana you are seeking. Each hi fi brand has it's own philosophy and therefore sonic signature (excel in reproducing specific genre's of music). Be careful matching components (don't just go off reviews and create a Frankenstein 5-star rated system) synergy between brands and components is seldomly discussed, but should not be overlooked. I swirled around in audio hell for the better part of a decade throwing away money, chasing promises that never came to fruition. My salvation started when I discovered the "flat earth" British brands of the 90s (naim/linn). That lead me to some esoteric brands that are now my utopia.

curvluvr · Tuesday at 4:01 PM

At a high audiophile level, the good thing about Marketplace is that the owners are really proud of their systems, and will take care of their stuff.
And with downsizing, there can be lots of good deals out there.
Kijiji, even though is less popular than Facebook Marketplace, sometimes has old-school people who only know how to post on Kijiji.
I haven't bought much, but I did get a decent Energy subwoofer for a decent price, and the owner was able to demonstrate that it works before I bought it.

curvluvr · Wednesday at 11:23 AM

Ceiling Cat said:
You can have the speakers re-coned.

Where can you get speakers re-coned? And will you get an exact match to the original cones?
I'm definitely interested, but I know that there are tons of different loudspeaker drivers out there, so creating a duplicate cone that won't mess up the loudspeaker's frequency response might be difficult.

tml · Wednesday at 1:10 PM

curvluvr said:
Where can you get speakers re-coned? And will you get an exact match to the original cones?
I'm definitely interested, but I know that there are tons of different loudspeaker drivers out there, so creating a duplicate cone that won't mess up the loudspeaker's frequency response might be difficult.

This place has a good reputation.
https://www.thespeakershop.ca/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Ceiling Cat · Wednesday at 5:49 PM

curvluvr said:
Where can you get speakers re-coned? And will you get an exact match to the original cones?
I'm definitely interested, but I know that there are tons of different loudspeaker drivers out there, so creating a duplicate cone that won't mess up the loudspeaker's frequency response might be difficult.

Google : speaker re-coning Toronto

Evidently it is not a very difficult thing to do yourself. Google for replacement parts.
You can get cones specific to your model and brand.

Speaker Repair & Replacement Speaker Parts | Speaker Refoam & Recone | The Speaker Exchange

The Speaker Exchange is your trusted source for speaker repair, recone, refoam & factory-authorized speaker services. Shop online for replacement speaker parts. Contact us about your speaker repairs.

reconingspeakers.com

shakenbake · Wednesday at 5:56 PM

tml said:
This place has a good reputation.
https://www.thespeakershop.ca/store/c1/Featured_Products.html

Also, Fab Audio. The owners of Fab and Speaker Shop are brothers, I believe. Fab repaired a silk dome tweeter for me and saved me the grief of having to find an unobtanium tweeter for my vintage German speakers.

Fab Audio Custom Built Speakers, Repairs & Reconing Specialists | Cobourg, Ontario (416) 414-8900

Specializing in high-end audio speaker repair and manufacturing for 35+ years. Fab Audio: Premium hi-fi equipment services at 48 Brook Rd South, Cobourg ON.

fabaudio.com

Any audiophiles here?

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