Money For Nothing and Your Chicks For Free: The Update

It wasn't but a week ago that I asked the question, is the bubble about to burst? And just yesterday, the news breaks that Sony will be opening their own vinyl pressing plant and begin pressing their own catalog.

That's right folks, the same company that helped popularized and mobilized cassette tapes with their Walkman and co-developed the CD format which arguably contributed to the steep decline in vinyl sales in the 90s is now wanting to press the very format it tried to make extinct just because it is profitable.

I said it a week ago regarding vinyl outselling digital formats;

"Corporations take note of this type of information. And, doing what corporations do, they figure out how to make a metric shit-ton of cash from it. As a result, we get a bigger market to pick from which is typically good for us consumers."

But, being the critical thinker I am, I also asked the questions:

"If everyone, meaning the millions of fish in the ocean, is manufacturing vinyl, how long will it be before the manufacturing behemoth produces more than the consumer can pay for? How long before the first manufacturer shutters it's doors? How long before our local record stores have more vinyl on their shelves than they can sell. How long will the consumer interest in vinyl support this micro-economy? Does it all come crashing down when our next recession hits?"

What is not known is Sony's entire business plan around vinyl. We know they are going to pressing vinyl, but what we don't know is if they will be pressing only new music released or if they will be pressing their back catalog as well.

If Sony focuses on releasing new music and music from artists that came into popularity after CD and digital formats became a super power, artists like, Katy Perry, Hillary Duff, Chevelle and others, they might do fine as the vinyl market is not flooded with the likes of Katy Perry.

But, if Sony begins reissuing their back catalog of artists that were popular, and mass produced on vinyl in the pre-1990 era, from artists, like Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Judas Priest, Paul McCartney and Santana as a few examples, they could end up destroying their business plan before it gets off the ground.

This is because new vinyl retails for between $15 and $35 (for the limited colored vinyl releases, I have seen some new vinyl as high as $80) these days. But many of the artists with extensive catalogs that were mass produced before 1990 are already saturated and available at a low cost in the vinyl market. Quality original pressings or reissues can be had for as low as $2 an album and as high as $20. Averaging, based on what paid for my collection of 800+ albums, I paid around $2.41 per album. In come cases, I paid as much as $60 (Metallica's Hardwired box set), but in a lot of cases I paid ZERO.

I got my original pressing of Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited for free, so why would I pay even $20 for it? Because it's a new? Because it's limited? Because it's RED? While I am sure there are consumers in the market that fall for that limited, colored or new is better, I am not one of them.

What the future holds in not clear. I don't know if this announcement by Sony is the needle that will eventually burst the vinyl bubble or not, as only time will tell. But I am sure of one thing; new vinyl costs consumers a lot more money than older pressings that are currently flooding the market and consumers are unpredictable and strange in their shopping habits.

Now I need to go spin my Highway 61 Revisited.

Is it Worth It?

Is it worth it?

Regardless of what "IT" is, this is the question retailers and consumers should be asking every day. The question "Is it worth it?" is something we have to ask every time, it's just that sometimes we end up asking the question after the fact; "Was it worth it?" If we are asking "Was it worth it?", chances are the answer is already "No" because we are likely suffering from buyers remorse which is why we are asking the question.

Is it worth it?

Retailers need to ask the question, "Is it worth it to stock vinyl in my shop?"

Consumers need to ask the question, "Is this album worth x-dollars of my money?"

Now I have my haunts that I go digging in. A few second hand and antique shops, a local record shop and a specialty vintage shop. I go to these places because I can get great music that I love at a great price and I can discover great new music without breaking the bank. Add to this the fact that many people are just giving this stuff away, literally, and, from my view of the world, a consumer doesn't have to spend a fortune to build a large collection. This is how I have amassed a collection of over 800 LPs and only spent an average of $2.35 per record.

When I go into shops like F.Y.E., Guitar Center, Best Buy, or even a regional department/grocery store and see them selling reissues of albums for $20, $30 or even as high as $60 an album, I just shake my head as I know I either already have that album in my collection or can get it into my collection, and in both cases far cheaper than what they are asking.

Recently at Guitar Center I saw a re-issue of Black Sabbath's first album on their shelf for $26.99. I purchased an 80s reissue of the same album from that specialty vintage shop I mentioned earlier for $10.

I was at my regional department/grocery browsing the electronics section and saw a Bob Marley reissue for sale for $29.99, the same album, but an 80s release, I was able to pick up from my local record shop for $8.00.

Another issue with dealing with retailers; I go to my barber to get my hair cut. And no matter how fantastic a haircut might be, I would never go to my barber for a vasectomy. Most of the employees at retailers can't answer basic questions about the products, like the difference between 180g pressings and 200g pressings. "Uh, like the weight?"

The selections at these retailers are typically limited to only the most popular albums from the most popular artists to ensure sales, but it is still very limited audience, because those of us who aren't in the New Collector category of consumer, won't pay that much for a reissue; typically. Sure, the retailers likely move the reissued albums, but likely to the New Collector segment of consumers, those that, for the most part, don't know any better. And it should be noted that in the case of the Bob Marley example from above, the department store started carrying these albums in November in preparation for turntable sales during the Christmas holiday season. But come February, the retailer still had a handful of albums available that were steeply discounted, as in $13 each, or half off, so yeah, they weren't flying off the shelves.

One issue many retailers have in the used vinyl segment of their store, which is typically a secondary or tertiary segment (meaning it is not the primary or secondary focus of their store's sales), is that they don't know the true meaning of value when it comes to used vinyl. They see what stuff is listed for on Discogs or Ebay, then try and evaluate the condition of the vinyl based on their own "judgement" and they price accordingly. Many retailers don't get that the highest price listed is not the true value of the record, especially in the eye of the consumer.

As a result, many of the retailers, including some local record shops (like one in my hometown), have their prices on used vinyl typically set way too high. In the case of the one local record shop, I don't do business with, won't have a price on the album. Instead the owner will look each album up on Discog at the time of checkout. This particular behavior makes for a long checkout process and makes it difficult for the consumer to know what they can get when they're working within a budget.

This type of retailer pricing behavior is likely because, they don't truly understand the real market and the players in the market.

It's not like most of these retailers are carrying hard to find, exclusive releases. I have found some hard to find vinyl, in surprisingly great condition at my local second hand and thrift shops for uber-cheap, $3 or less. Stuff like a still sealed Foreigner 4 album or a copy of The Beatles white album for free from a service like Listia.

I have scored some great finds on a regular basis.

Alan Parson's Project, The Best of the Alan Parsons Project - Free - A Gift
Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin II - $1.00 - Garage Sale
Pink Floyd, Darkside of the Moon Original Pressing - $0.00 - A Gift
Rolling Stones, Sticky Fingers (Zipper Cover) - Free - Traded for a gifted Zeppelin 4 album that was a duplicate
Alice Cooper, Flush With Passion - $0.30 - Craigs List Lot
Bob Dylan, Highway 61 Revisted Original Pressing - Free - Storage Unit Giveaway
Stevie Wonder, Talking Book Original Pressing - $5.00 - Comic Con
Boston, Third Stage - $2.00 - Second Hand Store
Toto, Toto IV - $2.99 - Antique Shop
Tracy Chapman, Crossroads - $8.00 - Vintage Specialty Shop
Daft Punk, Discovery - $13.75 - Local Record Shop

The music is everywhere and it isn't typically expensive. I can buy a Led Zeppelin II re-issue album on amazon for about $20, but I was actually able to find it for $1 at a garage sale. As a consumer, why would I pay $20, unless I was a part of the New Collector segment of the collector's market. The answer to the question "Is it worth it?", in this case, is a resounding now.

This is what the my local market looks like on a regular basis and if a retailer doesn't know this market, it is hard to answer the question, "Is it worth it?" And if you don't understand your target consumer, the answer to "Is it worth it" become exponentially harder to answer.

If a retailer is going to carry vinyl, they really need to know how to answer, "Is it worth it?"

Is it worth the coveted sales floor space for a few sales a week?

Is it worth the effort of lugging, organizing, straightening, reorganizing all that heavy cumbersome vinyl in the hopes of selling a record or two a day. Let's face it, vinyl consumers will put an album back where ever they see fit if they change their minds.

Can I make my prices competitive enough to compete in the market for the targeted consumers?

In the end, vinyl, even just a few milk crates of it, takes a lot of coveted space and in the retail world; a world where space equals money. If a product can't sell enough to pay for the overhead of the space it is consuming, the retailer will lose in the end.

If the vinyl is too affordable for the consumer, it may sell a lot, but there isn't enough profit margin to cover the cost. If it's too expensive, nobody buys it and again there isn't enough profit margin to cover the cost. There is a fine line for a retailer to walk to ensure they are capable of generating enough money to pay the overhead. A retailer can't expect to sell an album, let's say Carole King's Tapestry as an example, for $40 (the price listed on Discog's website) when I have found three of them at one of my three local Goodwill stores for $2.99, in the last two months, two of which I purchased (one for myself and another for gift for a friend).

For the most part, people don't go to a fabric store to buy a gaming system the same way they don't typically go to grocery stores to by vinyl. Most consumers go to comic con to buy comics, art and action figures... not vinyl. If it's there, you may sell some, but that isn't your target audience.

As a retailer your decision to carry vinyl may seem to make logical business sense when you simply look at just how hot vinyl sales are right now; and they are hot. But, the retailer will find out soon enough that the profit margins on vinyl's aren't as lucrative as they may seem on the surface.

I will, on rare occasion, drive sixty miles to dig for vinyl at a record store because there is a "huge" volume vinyl for me to dig through. Conversely, I won't drive ten or even twenty miles just to dig through a couple of bins at a random shop. I am sure I am not alone in that. If I happen to be at the shop, sure I will take a look, but I likely won't make it a point to add it to my usual digging routine, especially if Boz Scaggs is the best album in the bin.

Sorry... Boz is a fine musical artist, but I had to use someone as an example. And Boz is a great example. He is everywhere. In every garage sale, every flea market, swap meet, second hand bin across the planet you will find Boz. So as a retailer you need to make sure you are stocking not only the music people want, but the music that people don't have such ready access to purchase.

There was the time that I came across six bins of vinyl in a little boutique shop in the downtown mall. My wife dragged me in there and I found Houses of the Holy for $5. We purchased like six albums that day and nothing else. Would this shop become a regular stop me on my digging adventures? Likely not, as I score the six best albums they had and they aren't likely refreshing their stock anytime soon, because they are a boutique shop, not a record store.

This just goes to show that from a consumer perspective, "Is it worth it" is a lot more complex to answer.

Depending on the type, or combination of types, of collector(s) you may be, the question, "Is it worth it?" may have a different answer for numerous reasons. For a Music Collector, a limited edition pressing of an album that is $60 may not be worth it, but for the Economist Collector, it may be.

And the answer to "Is it worth it?" may change depending on when it is asked. For example; the day after payday when disposable cash flow may be in abundance, the consumer might be more willing to answer yes to an album that is $30, where the answer may be no the very next day when you find out your roof needs replaced.

Hell, there are times when my own answer to "Is it worth it?" is no for a $2 album.

There are many reason for a purchase to be worth it or not for a consumer and this adds to the complexity of the answer for the retailer to answer their own question; "Is it worth it to carry vinyl".

Did you scroll to the bottom of this posting to see how long it is? Did you do so to determine if you had time to read the whole thing? Or maybe to see if it was worth it? Or did you just starting reading to end up asking yourself, "Was it worth it?"

Well, was it?

Adding Pure Bass Power To Your System On A Budget

Sometimes you just want more bass. It may be that Daft Punk needs a little more thump or Metallica needs a little more thunderous roar or Nina Simone needs a little more soul. Regardless of why, there comes a point where a little more bass makes the music just a little more.

There is a way to not only get this deep, rich sound in your system, but do it on a budget and do it without splitting your power by splicing speakers together and without purchasing a $500 powered subwoofer.

I am here to show you how.

Here is what you need... (click on the images to see a larger version)

RCA Splitter (Male to Two Females)

RCA Cable (Male to Male)

Your Main Amp with a Passive Subwoofer RCA Output
Passive Output means you use a powered Subwoofer

A second amp.
My amp of choice is a Fisher CA870, purchased second hand for $9.99

A dedicated pair of Subwoofers

Speaker wire

Now that we have all of the needed gear, lets play.

Let's start by talking a little bit about my existing set up, before this experiment.

I already own the main amp (Technics SA-DX950) which powers speakers with 100 watts of power for each of the four channels) and I paid only $10 for the amp at a garage sale. I call it my main amp for two reasons; first, it powers my main speakers, four of them, and second, it is the destination that my other components connect; turntable, television and cassette deck. I already owned the Subwoofers (Sharp CP G20000 Subwoofers which came as a larger set of four speakers; two subwoofers and two mid/tweet speakers) for $20. You can read about my entire existing setup here.

Before this project I ran all six of my speakers from my Technics amp by splicing my subs from my Technics speakers inputs. Yeah, it split the power and doubled the resistance, but it didn't sound bad in any way, shape or form. But, it also didn't sound as great as it could have. Even though there were deep tones my system didn't roar, thump or have soul.

I wanted something more... so I tried this experiment.

In theory, all I needed to add was a second amplifier, some RCA cables and additional speaker wire. Again, in theory when completed I would have 200 watts of stereo subwoofer sound added to my already 400 watt system.

Here is what I did.

I purchased a new amp, a Fisher CA-870 from a second hand store for $9.99.

I already had all the cables I needed (RCA splitter, RCA and speaker cables).

I plugged the male end of the RCA splitter (first photo above) into the single Subwoofer output on the back of my main (Technics) amp (which you can see in the third photo above).

I ran the RCA cables from the female ends of the RCA splitter into the tuner input of my newly purchased Fisher CA-870 amp (four channels @ 100 watts per channel). This delivers a pure bass signal to the Fisher amp... so any speaker plugged into the Fisher amp other than a subwoofer would likely not fair well.

I disconnected my Sharp subwoofers from my Technics speakers and wired them to the A Channel speaker output of my Fisher amp.

I powered everything up and put on Nina Simone.

Suddenly I had soul.

I put on Daft Punk.

Suddenly I had thump.

I put on Metallica.

Suddenly I had roar.

The experiment worked. I had to tweek some of the speaker positions (something I call, sound profiling my room), some volume settings with both the subwoofer output on my Technics amp and the volume setting of my Fisher amp. After about 10 minutes I found the balance I needed for the system and I sat in my chair and enjoyed.

The cool thing about this, is even though the subwoofer output of my Technics amp is passive, meaning it needs an amplified subwoofer, the main volume control of my Technics amp still controls the subwoofer volume, so I don't have to have a separate volume control for my subwoofer volume... it is all controlled from one source. My Fisher amp just allows me to how much bass is mixed in.... once I find that sweet blend of bass to my mids and highs, I don't have to touch the volume control on my Fisher amp again.

Now there are a few warnings I glossed over here in my steps that need to be specifically called out.

In no way, shape or form should you connect any speaker that is not a subwoofer into your second amp (in my case, the Fisher amp). Doing so will likely destroy the speaker's cone.

If you have spliced speakers, like I spliced my subwoofers at the inputs for my Technic speakers, make sure to disconnect the second set of speakers at the splice, rather than just unplugging the speaker. In other words, before you turn on anything, make sure you don't have any speaker wires plugged into your amp that aren't plugged into a speaker. If those two bare wires touch, it can short out your main amp. While most amps have circuitry that won't allow your amp to be damaged if this were to happen, not all do.

DO NOT max out the volume of the second amp (the bass amp, in my case the Fisher amp) at the start of the first test. There is a lot of power happening, so start with the volume all the way down and then slowly turn the volume up. See what your subwoofers can handle, and find what you need, but test it in little increments, definitely not all at once.

But most of all... make sure you have fun.

Which are you? Audiophile vs. Audiophool

I just read the best Facebook comment ever.

I know that this sounds like something a poor person would say about a rich person, like, "Good luck affording the gas for that Ferrari." But I get the true meaning behind this. An Audiophile's first love is music. An Audiophool's first loves is the technology.
And the sonic unicorn comment... well, that had my sides splitting with laughter, not just because it's funny, but it is so very true.
Here are a few examples of how to tell when you are talking to an Audiophile versus an Audiophool:
Audiophile: "Listen the deep rich tones of the bass line in Stevie Wonder's Superstition."
Audiophool: "Listen to the deep rich tones of my sub-woofer as I play this song."
Audiophile: "Listen to the screech of the string as Santana moves his hand up and down the neck of the guitar."
Audiophool: "Can you believe how my titanium cone tweeters sounded as Santana wailed on that solo."

For the Audiophile, the focus is on the music. For the Audiophool, the focus on the conversation only casually refers to the actual music and only as it relates to the technology.
Another sign of an Audiophool is that they begin explaining their sound system in dollar amounts, especially without first being asked how much things cost: "Yeah, these speakers only cost five thousand dollars, each."
This Audiophool concept isn't something new. I knew Audiophools back in the 70s and 80s. They have been around forever, but this name is a new way to describe them.
As an Audiophile, I have a hard time connecting with an Audiophool. I, as an Audiophile, want to talk about music; albums, bands, songs. And an Audiophool wants to talk about technology; amps, speakers, pre-amps, cables, etc..

Everyone has their passions, and I respect that, completely. Some people are into the high-end audio scene and I support their journey. But many times it seems to be more about the equipment than the actual music and in more times than I care to admit, it is perceived as "My toys are better than your toys."
I don't play the "My Toys Are Better..." game. If someone wants to talk music, as an Audiophile, I can totally connect with that. If someone wants to talk about how much better their system is; well I will just walk away because honestly... I am quite satisfied with the size of my penis and I don't need to measure it or anything else of mine against someone else's to make me feel better about myself.

My daughter's new boyfriend came over, for the first time, for dinner one night. He has a bunch of expensive DJ equipment (turntables, mixers, amps, speakers, etc.). When he came over he inquired about my system. He wanted to have a listen. While he is a very polite young man, he is still young and that means he is dumb and full of cum. So I lay a vinly on my turntable, Daft Punk's Discovery, aligned the needle to drop at the beginning of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, cranked the volume to -35db, sat him in my listening chair and dropped the needle.
About halfway through the song, I asked him to get up and walked him around the room to hear the difference of sound throughout the room; where the bass dropped off, where it overpowered, etc. After the song was over, I explained the importance of sound profiling a room (speaker placement, angling, prime listening location, etc.)
He was, to quote him, "Blown away". First thing he said was that I couldn't have picked a better song as he loved that song. Then he moved on to comment on the fact that he was surprised at the power and quality of sound and said it blew his own DJ setup away in both categories. He then inquired in depth about this concept of sound profiling. He wasn't as dumb as I thought I he was, he was asking important questions.
He then asked how much it was. When I told him, he was stunned.
A month later my daughter texted me saying that the two of them would like my help putting together a system for their home. That is a parenting win in my book.

So yes, I will freely share that I only spent $90 putting my whole system together to those that ask, but my explanation of price only comes after someone inquires about it, like my daughter's boyfriend did. Furthermore I share it only to inform them that a great sounding system does not have to cost a whole lot of money. In sharing, I also share how and where I bought my components and my negotiation techniques to get the sellers down from their asking price, so they can take that knowledge with them to begin their own journey.
When I talk about my sound system or my vinyl collection, it is because I like to let people know that you don't have to sell your car to raise money a single speaker. You don't have to spend a entire tax return on a turntable and a couple of vinyl albums. I share so they know if they have patience, and persistence, they can build a sound system that sounds great and plays the music they love. If they take the time to dig they can acquire all their favorite music on whatever medium they choose for very little money. I have, over the last eight years, spent roughly $17 a month, on average, to build my sound system and my vinyl collection.
Again, it is just a matter of patience and persistence.

If you are into "High-End Audio", that's great. It doesn't make you an Audiophool. I absolutely encourage you to continue pursuing that passion, but I will also encourage you to never forget it begins with and ends with music you love.
If you aren't into the "High-End Audio" scene, for whatever reason, but want a quality system, I want you to know that there is hope.

Audio on a Budget

As you may have found during your own research; audio components can get expensive; very expensive.

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)

An amp is an important component of any system. Without a pre-amp, the amp is what drives not only sound quality, but the power of your system. And let's face it, Carol King requires a quality sound and Metallica requires some power.

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 love cassettes. While my cassette collection is small when compared to my vinyl collection, I still love casettes.

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)

Speakers play an important role in sound, obviously.

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)

For the turntable I was very picky. I just picked this (pictured right) up last spring (2016). I went to flea market and found a guy who was selling a Technics SL-1350.

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.