The ask Tin about audio thread

[95 Z/28 LT1]

[Tin]

Bad ass

[347convert]

[95 Z/28 LT1]

Thanks, getting those were actually driven in part by this thread and seeing Bob post so much help that has encouraged me to get back into this hobby (addiction).

I looked again at the Transcendent website and was looking at their forum and reading about 'The Beast'. What I see now, and it's not immediately clear, is that the kit actually includes TWO monoblocks. Going by the photos and the description it appears initially that two of these kits would be needed. For example other vendors sell their monoblocks one at a time so you basically have to double the price. I think that's not the case with The Beast.

All that being said, is The Beast the best choice for a kit type amplifier to drive these things or are two M125 monoblocks better? I want to buy/build something once and keep it for a very long time.

How often will I need to replace tubes and how much will I need to worry about being able to find tubes for these things 10 or 20 years from now?

[93 saturn sl2]

How big are those things?

[95 Z/28 LT1]

41"x25"X17". They weigh 185lbs each.

[Tin]

Thanks, getting those were actually driven in part by this thread and seeing Bob post so much help that has encouraged me to get back into this hobby (addiction).

I looked again at the Transcendent website and was looking at their forum and reading about 'The Beast'. What I see now, and it's not immediately clear, is that the kit actually includes TWO monoblocks. Going by the photos and the description it appears initially that two of these kits would be needed. For example other vendors sell their monoblocks one at a time so you basically have to double the price. I think that's not the case with The Beast.

All that being said, is The Beast the best choice for a kit type amplifier to drive these things or are two M125 monoblocks better? I want to buy/build something once and keep it for a very long time.

How often will I need to replace tubes and how much will I need to worry about being able to find tubes for these things 10 or 20 years from now?

I'd go with the M125s for sure. It uses common tubes, the same type used in many guitar amps. Truthfully, if it weren't for the musicians, tubes would be a relic of the past right now, but they kept the ball rolling when the solid state craze took hold 50 years ago. The M125s can use either EL34, 6CA7, KT88, or KT120, which are very popular among musicians. Best of all, there are many well documented mods for the Tubes4Hifi amps, so there are way more configuration options to keep you busy. Tubes last a long time, especially if they weren't intentionally red plated or over driven. The tubes in my last amp were from the 1940s and looked pretty well used when I got them, but measured well within factory spec when I put them on the tester. You'll be all good

[4Gas$]

Hey Tin, do you have any info about this "Pioneer SX-50"?
I couldn't find anything online about it. What it cost new?
are they worth anything today? How good are they rated?
What year is it?

I can't seem to find much on it. It works real nice. I just
picked it up at a yard sale. I did get the original owners
manual with it too.

%%%% Stereo.JPG

[Tin]

I don't know anything about that particular Pioneer, but it does look to be from the early/mid 1980's going by the aesthetics. It's pretty consistent with competing models of the era, but that's all I can gather from it. It certainly looks interesting. Have you hooked it up and listened to it? It may be a sleeper component. Something that sounds great but flies under the radar and isn't particularly sought after. There are a lot of those out there, but they generally don't command the same prices as 60's and 70's era components. Having said that, I can't put any value on it as I've never seen one before. If you have some speakers you can hook up, sit back and enjoy it for a spell until you find out for sure what you have.

[4Gas$]

I too thought it was 1980's vintage. I didn't think it would have
been a big dollar unit, but I've never seen one like it before.

I'll hook up some speakers & CD player and take it for a spin!

Thank you!