Sony Stereo Problem.... need help fixing it...

[Gurm]

Greebe:

I wasn't suggesting that the pots detune themselves. I was suggesting that the motor could have become all FUBAR since there was never a load on it but it was spinning the entire time. (Or there was too much of a load, depending on which CD->Tape adapter he used.)

The issue here is really one of "how much is your time worth". Do you listen to tapes? I junked my (very nice, component) tape deck because my wife and I threw out all our casettes. There was nothing we had on casette that we didn't have on CD (or that hadn't worn out past the point of being listenable anyway).

So... if this takes you several hours, gas, and 50 bucks worth of parts... was it worth it? You could put in a couple hours overtime at work instead and just buy a new one. Or, better yet, shop around and find a deal on a real tuner.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[nehalmistry]

k, its not worth it.... what stereo should i buy......???

i may get sony again, better one though.......i heard the bass on that jvc boombox and it is so sweet, but i cant afford that... its about $400,

what makes of stereos get with good bass?? if i hafta i will get one of those no-name one's cos my budget isnt the best, but i would prefer something with good reputations... such as sony, jvc..

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[Greebe]

Gurm, I didn't think you were stating it did detune, but to mention that to someone that may not have the knowledge could turn a simple fix into a real mess.

Nehalm, Woofers/subwoofers produce bass. typically the larger the better.

BTW for a driver to be classified as a subwoofer it must be designed to reproduce bass only below 100Hz. Only the larger drivers have enough acoustical output at low frequencies to be considered a true sub. ie there are no true subs made that have a smaller than 8" diameter (20cm) driver.

[ayoub_ibrahim]

get a set of precision screwdrivers from an electronics shop & 1 in the set will fit. over here in uk you can get a set for about £5 at tandy

[nehalmistry]

i didnt make myself clear, when i said "what makes of stereos get with good bass?? "
makes=companies,

i meant what companies make the stereos with the best bass... ?? this is what happens when you type fast w/o thinking

i know exactly what makes powerful bass

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P5A-B AMD K6-266@300
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[xortam]

Good bass is chest pumping and clear. A larger driver will deliver more power but the clarity starts to decline at some point. I found the 15" drivers of my Velodyne sub (ULD-15 Series II) to be clearer than the 18" drivers. Some people just want powerful thumping and don't have the ear to appreciate clean bass. Most good subs have their own power amp designed to handle the high wattage and special needs of the sub. Subwoofers also have special interconnect requirements versus full-range speakers. I had my sub internally rewired with Monster Cable M1 pipe which improved its sonic qualities even further.

[Bixler]

Nehalmistry:

M'Boy, I'm a true dinosaur in the field of audio, but I don't think the basic rules of physics have changed in the last 20 years, and in the field of audio (read, Analog) there really are no shortcuts. If you want good bass, you have to move a lot of air, to do this it takes power (lots) and speaker design matters more than all other components put together and multiplied by 10.

On a $400.00 budget, you're limited, but my advice always was to spend a third to one-half of your budget there.

Past that, just listen, and buy what sounds good to you. Audition the speakers with some music you like and are familiar with, and trust your own ears.

[xortam]

I agree. I always felt the weakest parts of any a/v system were the transducers. In analog days, this meant the turntable (including stylus and tonearm), monitor (PRTV, FPTV, direct-view TV), and speakers were where one had to especially be careful. In the modern digital era, you eliminate the turntable as a factor and need to still concentrate on the monitor and speakers. Digital data streams can make even mediocre speakers sound good, but high-end speakers will still be appreciated to deliver good ambience, imaging, and stage presence. One of the biggest things you can do is pay attention to your room acoustics (proper placements of baffling and reflecting materials). I think one should buy speakers that are a little better than your ears as your ears will soon get educated and appreciate the difference. Audio is an ever upward spiraling addiction (and expense) as your ears get attuned to the ever increasing high fidelity.

[DentyCracker]

Amen, Lord xortam. That be true.

[nehalmistry]

well i listen to a lot of rap/hiphop/r&b music, which is one of the music genre that ***REQUIRES*** bass to sound good... what do you think i should get for this purpose.... should it be clean&clear bass or powerfull bass

btw, my sound card has a 4watt amp... which make my current sony personal stereo (5 watt) speakers able to shake ur organs.... literally... no joke....

------------------
P5A-B AMD K6-266@300
Matrox Milleniumm G200 AGP (oh, lets party)
Creative SB Awe32 (a classic, superb card)
Realtek 8029A NIC Card
64meg Ram
Ali V agp chipset
ICQ UIN: 24730025

[Gurm]

Nehalmistry:

Ok, honestly here is my feeling on things.

What you want to hear:

"AIWA makes really kickass integrated stereos, although they look like running shoes with cop-car lights on them. You will also NEVER use the karaoke features."

What you NEED to hear:

Graduate to the real world. Save your money. Have you got a discman? Great, run line-outs from that into a REAL tuner. Spend your money on speakers. A $150 set of Technics or Sonys combined with a $250 tuner/amp will blow ANY integrated unit to pieces in microseconds.

Seriously though. I know your budget is limited, but integrated units (boomboxes) are NOT the way to go. They are loud, but never clean. And I'm _NOT_ an "audiophile". I love good music, but my system is still Pro Logic 100Watts with a pair of battle-tested Technics speakers which, while VERY power-hungry, have proven to be the best $129.99 I ever spent, since they lasted through 5 years of college, 4 moves, and 4 kittens. And they STILL piss off the neighbors several houses over when I put in Rammstein.

I'm not trying to depress you, but you just need to save up. Start off with the tuner and a reasonable set of speakers. You should be able to get into that for $400. Later you can buy better speakers and put the first set on channel B, or in a different room, or whatever.

And try outlet shopping. You can quite often get last year's tuner for half off.

- Gurm

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Listen up, you primitive screwheads! See this? This is my BOOMSTICK! Etc. etc.

[This message has been edited by Gurm (edited 14 September 2000).]

[xortam]

Sorry to get off on an audiophile rant nehalmistry. I guess it didn't connect that you were referring to boomboxes as stereos. I've got some Acoustic Research shielded computer speakers (metal cased) that when combined with my old Sony Discman compete quite favorably over the best boomboxes. Maybe you should consider investing in the best powered computer speakers you can find and leverage those towards your new stereo system. I don't know if the ARs are still available but I'm told that Yamaha makes some decent sounding computer speakers. You already have a CD player in your PC so you're set there. Do you need the tape cassette and radio also? You might be able to feed the radio from your boombox into your sound card. If you need something portable, then a boombox may still be the way to go. I'm out of touch on what you can do on that limited budget for a real stereo (one with some power and separate speakers) but Gurm has given you some good suggestions there.

[Bixler]

As the last of the 'grizzled oldsters' to post in, Nehalmistry, I can only back up Xortam and Gurm...you are hearing the difficult truth. Based on what I (think) I can discern from your basic setup, which is a severely crippled computer (SS7) hooked up in some way to a boom box, you are in trouble when it comes to true hi fidelity.

That's OK son, No offense intended. (I had an almost identical comp last year)

Ya want Hip Hop bass??? Cheapest way there is a powered subwoofer set of computer speakers (check creative or cambridge), and let your CDROM drive do the playing. You'd probably do well, though, to listen to Xortam's advice about 'learning' and sound. You get used to cheapo's real quick. Good, well defined, well recorded audio is a thing of beauty, and will NEVER be cheap.

The rules of physics never change.

To answer your last question more directly, Nehalmistry, well defined bass is the holy grail of audio. Boomy, chest-thumping, one-note stuff can be ripped off quick and cheap, but clear, TIGHT, bass that actually can be defined on a music chart as a note rather than as an 'x' on a drummers score is another thing entirely, and until you have auditioned a really FINE set of loudspeakers in a controlled environment, you'll never know what you're missing.

One of the best sensual experiences you'll ever have (yes, there are others) is reproducing FINELY RECORDED Jazz or other ensemble music from a Vinyl "direct disc" played into a really high quality speaker system. Digital (including CD) ain't even come close...good as it is.

[This message has been edited by Bixler (edited 16 September 2000).]

[xortam]

Jazzzzz!!! Now you're talking my music.

[nehalmistry]

bixler and others: yes, i went to my friends house, who has both high quality speakers and exteremly powerful speakers (he's obsessed ), i did some so-called research, and i found that better quality sounds better than higher power, but you do need power too though .

i have heard one of those jvc boomboxes... and if you put it loud enough, you can easily crack a couple of windows, and it is outa my price range... i dont need anything that powerfull, but i would get it in a second if it was less costly

but, what i was thinking was altec-lansing, its popular, nearly everyone has those speakers/subs for computer, it sounded pretty good.... and had more than enough power (well at least the models that i have heard) ...

------------------
P5A-B AMD K6-266@300
Matrox Milleniumm G200 AGP (oh, lets party)
Creative SB Awe32 (a classic, superb card)
Realtek 8029A NIC Card
64meg Ram
Ali V agp chipset
ICQ UIN: 24730025