Your Crazy A/V Setup

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Please describe your cheap (or expensive, I guess) but creative setups. Big console TV, 4 mismatched speakers from the trash, discman plugged into a receiver/8-track combo. That sort of thing.

Mine is gigantic and stupidly complicated. I have a behemoth presentation monitor from the early 90s that'll take 2 s-video and 2 VGA sources. So I have my cable box in via svideo, and an older PC into one of the VGA ports. Good for downloaded movies, MP3s, or just the web when I'm too lazy to get off the couch.

I bought a component to VGA converter from a company in Hong Kong, so I have my DVD player and Xbox hooked up to the second VGA port. Progressive scan is way, way better than plain old svideo. It's like night and day, especially for the Xbox.

Somehow I found a sony surround sound receiver at a thrift store for $15 a couple years ago. Real dolby/DTS 5.1 surround, not the old prologic bullshit. Usually things like that are insanely expensive at thrift stores. You know how it is, they'll price a 386 at $100. The main front speakers are huge old floor-sitting Fishers, I think. They're okay. Good enough. The rears are sony or something, can't remember. Found them for a couple dollars at a yard sale. Not full range speakers, but that's fine for rears. A neighbor put his subwoofer out on the curb after his basement flooded. I picked it up and let it dry for a couple of days. Now it works fine.

I also have other misc. components that I got at yard sales. I have a second receiver that serves as a preamp for the Technics record player that I got at a yard sale. Stupid modern receivers don't have phono inputs. A tape deck and CD player, of course.

I love having all that crap in my living room, though I'm the only one who knows how to do all the switching. If you want to watch TV, for example, you have to turn on the cable box, turn on the TV, and switch the receiver to the correct input. I haven't found a universal remote that'll control the receiver or monitor yet, so there's a huge stack of remotes on the coffee table. It's okay, shows people that I mean business.

― Chris H. (chrisherbert), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 02:23 (twenty years ago)

I live in an apartment with crap walls= nice headphones and cheap ass Sony shelf system for non headphone listening. I've been tempted by wireless headphones a few times, but the 8 foot cord on my current pair works pretty well. Besides having paper walls, my place is pretty small. 8' is about all the space I realistically have to move around in.

― lyra (lyra), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 02:36 (twenty years ago)

i've got a receiver with a broken display such that you have to guess what mode it's in/station it's on

― mookieproof (mookieproof), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 02:53 (twenty years ago)

In my experience wireless headphones are way more trouble than they're worth. Your 8 foot cord might be the best option.

― Chris H. (chrisherbert), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 02:56 (twenty years ago)

I like my Sennheiser wireless headphones. Had them for 5 years now...I use them at work to prevent the cable from getting tangled in things. But yeah, no reason to use them at home.

― mikef (mfleming), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 03:26 (twenty years ago)

i have an NAD 370 amplifier, a sony 5 disc changer (used to have an onkyo but it won't play burned cds) and magnepan planar speakers. the amplifier and speakers are nice, but not as nice as you might have heard on a/v forums. at least they look nice. i don't have a TV.

the only part of the whole thing i am proud of is the speaker cables. i made them myself by chopping a 20ft insulated outdoor extension cord in half. i was going to cap the ends with gold prongs but i decided i don't want to spend the money.

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 03:31 (twenty years ago)

My dad has some Sennheiser wireless headphones. *When* they work, they're okay. But there's a lot of fiddling around with channels and myterious dead spots, even when they're just 10 or so feet from the stereo.

― Chris H. (chrisherbert), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:01 (twenty years ago)

This is a debate that has raged since the beginning of time, and will probably keep going long after the world has forgotten about Windows vs. Macintosh, but...

Is that extension cord really better than standard speaker cable? Would gold caps have made a difference?

― Chris H. (chrisherbert), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:03 (twenty years ago)

I have a really reliable Sony Dolby reciever/amp I've had for about 8 years that's never missed a beat. Ive a beaten up old semi-auto turntable (the kind you press a button to start and stop and it autocues), a sony double tape deck (just put sadly into storage - I just never use it anymore), a DVD player, and VCR all hooked into the reciver for stereo sound. We alternate the DVD player with a PS/2 or Gamecube if we're playing games as well. Cables ALL OVER the place. I blew out the turntable aux input on the reciever by plugging my laptop into it too.

― Trayce (trayce), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:11 (twenty years ago)

xpost

better? well, it's better than the monster cable i replaced it with, for several reasons: 1) it looks better (it is bright safety yellow which looks nice with black speakers and components and a pale wood / white tile / white walls deco scheme) 2) it only costs like $10 3) it is more fun to go to the hardware store than it is to go to frye's 4) it is a fun project 5) it doesn't sound any worse.

gold caps? well, gold doesn't corrode like copper and prongs are easier to plug in and out of stereos and speakers than bare wire (i like to fiddle with my stereo). it doesn't make the sound any better. they only cost $20, but since that effectively triples the cost of these cables i am not about to do it anytime soon.

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

I hate the whole phono/riaa issue. Why didn't they just put line-level outputs on turntables? I know some had them, but you'd think it would have been standard by the 70s.

― Chris H. (chrisherbert), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:14 (twenty years ago)

er i meant "it's better than the monster cable it replaced"

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:15 (twenty years ago)

I've heard that people like gold over copper cause it doesn't corrode. I've also heard that gold doesn't conduct as well as copper. Have you ever had copper speaker wire corrode? I mean, I'm not really attacking you, just wondering. Seems like a scam that has been kept going for decades.

― Chris H. (chrisherbert), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:17 (twenty years ago)

well, i live near the ocean. everything corrodes. but yeah, you can just use a bit of sandpaper to scrape off the oxidation, or you can just strip the wire back two more inches. i am more interested in having prongs because it's neat and clean.

anyway, consumer electronics in general are a huge scam.

― vahid (vahid), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:19 (twenty years ago)

armband radio/tv (audio) plugged into computer speakers

― gabbneb (gabbneb), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 04:20 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

My Crazy A/V Setup:

RCA Rabbit Ears -> Channel Master Digital Converter Box
+
APEX AD-1500 DVD player w/ modified region disabled firmware
+
Atari Video Computer System (aka 2600)

all plugged into a Panasonic AG-1970 VCR, which goes out to a Weltron "spaceman helmet" integrated amp / cassette player with matching speakers as well as an RCA TV from 1983 (MFG. BLOOMINGTON TN btw)

― tube socks and a box of krispy kreme (los blue jeans), Saturday, 6 February 2010 19:58 (sixteen years ago)

Two of these things (the TV and VCS) have artificial woodgrain

― tube socks and a box of krispy kreme (los blue jeans), Saturday, 6 February 2010 20:09 (sixteen years ago)

thread needs pics

― calzone: liberation (cozen), Saturday, 6 February 2010 20:14 (sixteen years ago)

My entire AV setup consists of a Compaq Presario S4000NX and a pair of cardboard speakers.

― 26 Mixes Focaccia (Stevie D), Saturday, 6 February 2010 20:23 (sixteen years ago)

finding "broken" audio equipment on the street is such a treat

― anita bonghit (rionat), Saturday, 6 February 2010 21:17 (sixteen years ago)

TV from 1983 is quite impressive

― Bob Six, Saturday, 6 February 2010 21:34 (sixteen years ago)

http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu241/dnvnoo/crazy_av.jpg

not doing much to discourage the stereotype of ilxors as weirdo idiosyncratic shut-ins with ikea furniture

The TV still has a really great picture, since I only watch 2 shows a week I don't mind not having HD.

― tube socks and a box of krispy kreme (los blue jeans), Sunday, 7 February 2010 03:37 (sixteen years ago)

haha I think it's a rule that all cassette storage units be adorned with faux wood trim

― dyao, Sunday, 7 February 2010 03:39 (sixteen years ago)

that's an Atari Cartridge storage unit, but that too.

― tube socks and a box of krispy kreme (los blue jeans), Sunday, 7 February 2010 03:44 (sixteen years ago)

I thought they were 8-track tapes.

― kenan, Sunday, 7 February 2010 04:51 (sixteen years ago)

There's something very lovely about that picture. It's like The Fall of AV setups: it works, has worked for years, and fuck keeping the cables hidden away.

― Bill A, Sunday, 7 February 2010 11:12 (sixteen years ago)

I used to run the audio output from my computer into a huge early 80's boombox with detachable speakers. Also I had one of those terrible late 80's integrated hi-fi systems. You could tell it was late 80's because all the controls were set at a diagonal angle so as to look "stylish" and "modern". It was given to me by a friend as non-working, but I fixed it and mainly used it as a turntable as the cassette decks and the radio on the boombox were better. Also I had a cheap VCR which I hooked up to a Casio pocket TV with a 2.5" screen.

― might seem normal (snoball), Sunday, 7 February 2010 11:29 (sixteen years ago)

three years pass...

RIP above crazy A/V setup. Now I'm all fancy with a plasma and wi-fi whatever.

My crazy A/V setup in my dorm circa 1999:
http://i652.photobucket.com/albums/uu241/dnvnoo/img007640x438_zps22968f76.jpg

― los blue jeans, Monday, 2 September 2013 23:04 (twelve years ago)

― los blue jeans, Monday, 2 September 2013 23:05 (twelve years ago)

imac
ipad mini
headphones
whatever stereo my car came with in 1999

― markers, Monday, 2 September 2013 23:09 (twelve years ago)

what kind of headphones?

― los blue jeans, Monday, 2 September 2013 23:22 (twelve years ago)

http://store.sony.com/p/Stereo-Headphones/en/p/MDRZX100/BLK

― markers, Monday, 2 September 2013 23:33 (twelve years ago)

http://solarbird.net/Livejournal/2013-04/Selector/0-radio-shack-selector-before.jpg

― not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Monday, 2 September 2013 23:37 (twelve years ago)

goes to:
http://img.auctiva.com/imgdata/1/4/2/8/0/4/webimg/672769574_tp.jpg

― not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Monday, 2 September 2013 23:38 (twelve years ago)

http://www.publicsurplus.com/sms/docviewer/aucdoc/7211.JPG

― not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Monday, 2 September 2013 23:42 (twelve years ago)

http://auction.citrus.k12.fl.us/uploaded/2009-2-21/rad00D62TVLin19.jpg

― not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Monday, 2 September 2013 23:43 (twelve years ago)

✓

― So hot in Herrenvolk (Nilmar Honorato da Silva), Monday, 2 September 2013 23:44 (twelve years ago)

i can only find pics of my components on ebay and government surplus sales sites

― not some dude poking a Line 6 pedal with his dick (sarahell), Monday, 2 September 2013 23:45 (twelve years ago)

markers those look like a good solid pair of 'phones

sarahell I salute your CRT

― los blue jeans, Monday, 2 September 2013 23:54 (twelve years ago)

nine years pass...

Hi friends, one of my BX5As shit the bed (after 15 YEARS of heavy use, mind you), so I'm looking for new studio monitors— I keep coming back to the Yamaha HS5s but reading about the poor bass response makes me a little wary.

Basically, I'm looking for a set that can deal with some pretty intense bass (whether club music or free jazz/noise) that won't absolutely send me to the poorhouse. I'm not DJing much but do plan on making mixes and using my system for similar purposes.

Any advice?

― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Monday, 20 February 2023 19:35 (three years ago)

Kali LonePine 6 are really good... I think JBL has some decent ones around the same price range...

― m0stly clean (Slowsquatch), Monday, 20 February 2023 19:44 (three years ago)

Thanks! those do look good.

― Goose Bigelow, Fowl Gigolo (the table is the table), Monday, 20 February 2023 20:46 (three years ago)

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