Category: Classic HiFi Gear

Posted on

Such a Cute Lil' Nugget!

Sony D-ES301

Another one added to the collection. (Ben has his own collections, so we're good here.)

I ordered this from shopgoodwill.com, as "untested." What attracted me to it was the fact that the case hadn't yellowed in relation to the clasp unlike so many of these units that show up on eBay. And that S2 styling! For a couple dollars more than the price of a fast-food lunch I figured it was worth the risk, and if it didn't work I could put the hours I've spent watching YouTube videos on how to service these things to use. Turns out I didn't need to. It works perfectly.

So of course I had to pop the top panel off the base and peek inside!

Yes, I am a geek.

This is rapidly becoming my favorite of the collection.

Posted on

I Don't Know How…

I don't know how I did not have this album in some format in my collection, but I didn't—until yesterday.


This is a new pressing, a reissue from 2018 that I got here.

The vinyl is flawless. The space between the cuts is absolutely silent. This is one of those records that my new JBLs were meant for.

Initially I had some misgivings about dropping the amount of coin I did on those JBLs, but after living with the L166s for a week and slowly making my way through my vinyl collection, they were worth every penny. They make (or rather, I should say allow) good recordings to shine, while bad recordings are revealed not just to be bad, but to be glaringly bad; something I was never even aware of with my old Infinitys.

Posted on

Vintage Audio Porn

Nakamichi 600 Cassette Deck

My friend Gary from high school owned one of these. Even though it had mechanical transport controls (no solenoids yet) I was definitely guilty of breaking the Tenth Commandment where this was concerned.

Posted on

You Spin Me Round Like a Record

I seem to have rediscovered the joys of vinyl. It's not like I ever stopped, but I would say conservatively that I've played more records in the last two weeks than I have during the last two years. I sensed that the format was making a comeback—especially among the next generation–but I had no idea of the actual extent of it until I started searching hashtags on Instagram, revealing a thriving, vibrant community of like-minded individuals.

This led me to other hashtags, revealing that not only is interest in classic hifi equipment alive and well, there are also many, many people out there who share my passion for the days when stereo equipment was built like tanks and made to last.