This is especially true if you buy into the hype around high end audio manufacturers like McIntosh and equipment like tube pre-amps or the market-flood of new turntables. A lot of high end equipment starts at $300 and rapidly climbs to $10,000 per component.
I cringe on the inside every time someone points to their turntable and says they paid $600 for it.
I am here to show you how you can build an entire audio system for under $100. This isn't something I did ten years ago. I have been building this system over the last three years... and the last component I purchased was in January 2018.
The fact is, you can get really good sound and performance for very little money. But to do so requires three very important things; time, patience and an idea of what you want.
During this process you need to have a at least a minimum idea of what you want, but not too specific. For instance; I wanted to 70s era turntable capable of automatically dropping multiple albums, but did not specify a brand and model number. Although if you have specific model number in mind, it's not a bad thing, it may just take a little longer to find that specific model for the price point that is in your budget. And that is where time comes in.
The point is; it takes time to find these deals and it take patience to build your system one component at a time. But it's totally worth it.
So lets get going shall we.
Step 1: Getting Started ($20)
I started by buying an entry level all in one unit at my local thrift store. The goal of this was to hold me over as I assembled my true system. Something that I could play my vinyl and cassettes on.The unit I bought was an Emerson 5 in 1 vintage style unit, similar to the one in the photo on the right.
When talking quality, these are older versions of what Crosley is doing for record players; cheap ways to get started. These unit's don't sound good in any way, shape or form and usually start to breakdown real fast.
So I tested all the functionality of the unit; The speakers, the turntable, the cd player, the radio and the tape desk. I love the looks and it's compact nature, but it has issues from the get go.
First, the left channel speaker wasn't working, which is fine by me as I was going to plug in 2.1 channel computer speaker, a speaker setup that I already owned, into the headphone jack for a little extra bass kick.
Second, the CD player would play fine for a couple of songs, but would begin skipping around Track 3. I wasn't interested in the unit for the CD player as I don't listen to CDs, but it was good to know this. I really just wanted the turntable, the tape deck and the AM/FM radio would be a bonus.
Third, I couldn't test the tape player that was built into it as the thrift shop didn't sell cassettes and I didn't have one with me.
To top it off, they were asking $39 for the unit. Obviously they didn't know anything about audio equipment and I could use that to my advantage at check out.
Since the record player and radio did work, I took it to register to begin the process of socially engineering a lower price. This involves talking about the components in technical terms to make it sound like I'm an expert, which I am not, but I know enough to sound like one. And since their staff were obviously not aware that both speakers should work and that CD players should stutter, I exploited this advantage.
At the checkout counter I explained that the left channel was not "outputting sound", and that this could be the result of a blown speaker or a driver issue. I also explained the CD player didn't work and that I couldn't test the tape player.
I said I would be willing to pay $20 for the unit considering the work that had to be done on the known issues and that the unknowns would be gamble. I made it clear that I would not be paying $39.
And I bought it for $20, as is. They obviously just wanted it gone.
When I got home I put it through the real test. The left channel didn't work through the headphones either, so I opened it up and found that a single plug needed to be re-seated. I now had stereo output from not only the crappy speakers, but the headphone jack. And as a bonus, the tape deck did work after all and worked well.
So now I had a fully functional record player and tape deck. The sound wasn't great, but with the computer speakers running through the headphone jack, it sounded better, but still not good. What was important was that I could play my growing collection using it and it didn't have huge footprint.
Step 2: The Amp ($10)
I found a Technics SA-DX950 at a garage sale for $10.
This is an amp that delivers 100 watts per channel, with a Speak A, Speaker B, Speaker A+B switch. So that's is 400 watts total stereo output. And, more importantly, it has a classic phono input (one that requires a ground cable) which is important since I am aiming at getting a 70s era turntable that will have a ground cable because it doesn't have a pre-amp built into it.
While this is not the vintage amp I want, it is a capable and quality amp; one I continue to use until I find the vintage amp I want at the price I am willing to pay. And it sounds great. As a bonus, the amp has an optical input, so I can plug my television optical-out into it. Battlefield 1 sounds stellar through this with my speakers.
Step 3: The Tape Desk (Optional) ($10)
I found this tape deck, A Technics M205 at a local thrift shop. It was priced at $19.99. It is a single deck, not a dual deck, which is fine since I don't copy music from one tape to another.
I tested it to make sure that basic functionality was there; the motor turns, the buttons work, etc. But again, I was unable to put a cassette in it see of it played correctly and actually output sound.
So I socially engineered the price down to $10.
When I got it home, it played cassettes flawlessly and sounded crisp and clear. I cleaned the tape head and this is still part of my audio system today.
Step 4: Speakers ($50)
I went through waves of speaker purchases. First up were the generic black speaks on the bottom of the speaker stack. They have a 12" sub, a 4" mid and a 2" tweet in each and a tone processor built into each cabinet.
They also happen to be 4ohm speakers.
I found these at the same garage sale that I found my Technics amp at and they were only $10.
The second set, the silver ones on the top of the stack (which you can barely see in the photo on the left), I found at a local thrift shop. They are actually a set of four speakers (separate right and left channel sub and full range speakers). I originally bought the set for my garage, but they sounded so good they ended up in my room. I scored these bad boys for $20 and these are also 4ohm speakers. So I can pair them with the black speakers to match my 8ohm receiver output.
The last set of speakers, which I purchased this last January (2018), the Technics (wood), I found at newly opened thrift shop. They were priced at $39.99. But once again I socially engineered them down to $20 for the pair. Oh... and they sound amazing.
So for the entire speaker set up, $50.
Step 5: The Turntable ($20)
I asked him if it worked, he said it powered up, the platter spun, but he didn't actually hook it up and play a record.
I asked him how much, he said $30. He also pointed to a newer turntable (late 80s model) and said it was $35. I said I have $20 and that's all I would be willing to pay not knowing if the Technics was truly operational. And he agreed.
When I got it home I found it needed some work. The speed at which the turntable spun fluctuated making the record sound like it was going through a warp (speeding up and slowing down). But a little cleaning and some adjustments and it works flawlessly.
Step 6: The Sale ($10)
I sold the original Emerson 5 in 1 unit for $10 to a friend and gave him a three milk crates of records to jump start his collection. He scored big and has since grown his collection exponentially. He also sold the Emerson unit, and purchased a newer turntable, to his brother who has started collecting as well.
Final Tally:
I built a fully functional, 400 watt stereo system, that sounds great and has more than enough power to make my wife say, "The neighbors are going to complain." and I did it all for $110, which includes the original Emerson unit. Without the purchase of that unit I only spent $90.
I didn't do this a decade ago, before records were popular. I didn't do this through buying old stuff from my grandparent. I did this over the last three years buying from thrift stores, garage sales and flea markets.
It is possible in today's world of vinyl popularity to build a system with beautiful sound and ample power on a budget. Sure I could have paid $900 to $50,000 for a complete system, but it wouldn't have been the system I wanted. And the money I saved by building this was put into growing my record collection.
When I started this process my wife would just look at me with that look of, "Again?", every time I walked up with a speaker system or a tape deck. But I applied this same principal when I built her system so she could play her growing record collection. She doesn't look at me like that anymore. She just laugh and asks, "What room are you are you putting this one in?"
The key is knowing what you want and not buying the first thing you come across. Take time to find the right component and always negotiate on the price. It's like buying a car... if the seller won't budge on the price, just walk away.
