Onkyo Amp/Pre-Amp Score

[thekid]

Picked up a Onkyo M-5150 and P-3150V pre-amp today for $25.
Does not seem to be much info out there on either unit, anyone have an experience with them?

[Mr Peabody]

How many stereos are you going to buy? I have to admit for the prices it would be hard to pass up. How do they compare to your Kenwood Basic stuff?

[thekid]

How many stereos are you going to buy? I have to admit for the prices it would be hard to pass up. How do they compare to your Kenwood Basic stuff?

Ah.. I see you are asking the same question as my wife.......

I really am at my limit but this was one of those hard to pass up deals. I was at my favorite GW for vinyl and walked over to the electronics section just to see what they had. I have been looking for an inexpensive power amp to use as a separate for HT. I bought a Onkyo M-5100 a couple of months ago and am using it to drive my front speakers and my Pioneer VSX-815 drives the center and rears.

So I see the usual VCR's laying all over the place but then I see something with handles and look closer. There is the Onkyo amp so I tell my son to go get a cart. As I am standing there I notice the amp has a sticker that says 4-$25.25. So I look to the right and there is a pre-amp, 7-Channel Equalizer (EQ-18) and a dual cassette deck (TA-W60) with the same sticker so we load them all up and sure enough all four pieces for only $25.25!

I hooked it all up briefly last night to a pair of old Bose 201's II and it actually produced very good sound (actually got a wide range of sound particularly on the low end) out of marginal speakers. I am going to hook it up to the TF-600's today just out of curiosity to compare it to the Kenwood Basic (thank you again for your advice there!). The Onkyo amp is at least from the same period as the Kenwood (1988) but the Onkyo gear seems lighter than the Basic gear so I think long term the build quality of the Kenwood is better

I have googled the other components and have found very little which makes me wonder if these pieces were part of a rack system or did someone buy these as separates and I just got lucky. In any case I am not sure where it is going but I have a pair of Time Frame 500's I am rehabbing so it will probably be matched with those. The Sansui reciever I picked up from a neighbor is going to be driving the Genesis I's as soon as I re-foam them. I am running out of rooms to put this stuff and my house is not that big.......

[Feanor]

How many stereos are you going to buy? I have to admit for the prices it would be hard to pass up. How do they compare to your Kenwood Basic stuff?

I love the old stuff, especially the '70s models. If I had more space to put the stuff I've be all over it like a fly on butter. But I really have no place for another setup.

Right now I have a nice Marantz 1070 integrated but nowhere to put it. BTW, Marantz was an early adopter of push buttons & sliders that I've never liked as much as knobs & toggle switches. Still nice, though.

[HINT: show us pics , thekid.]


...

[thekid]

Nice photo-F

I know I owe pics...
I got to learn how to load them on this new computer......

[Mr Peabody]

I think we all have the same space problem. I have my Krell integrated boxed up I hate to sell, an Adcom gfa-5400 and a change of direction and space I went with a pair of amplified speakers for my daughter's room which leaves me with a Sansui au-9500 and a pair of Dynaudio A40's.

Onkyo was also big in the rack system biz so it's possible those components could be from one. Especially if they seem to be light weight.

I wonder if the economy would cause Audiogon to be more busy or if sales would be down across the board.

[memmakersorg]

Ah.. favorite GW for vinyl

Hi What is a GW?

I live in VA -- so I was hoping to check it out for Vinyl.

[Mr Peabody]

GW=Good Will as in resale of donated items, thrift stores. Apparently, The Kid is in a vinyl gold mine. All I find at thrift stores around here are grandpa & grandma's yard sale rejects. I was looking around at a GW yesterday, they were asking $2.00 for VHS movies, hello!, I don't think VHS is going to make a come back. All the vinyl was garbage deluxe.

[harley .guy07]

I don't know Mr. P but I check audiogon all the time and they show sold on stuff all the time. I think their sales are still ok maybe not as strong as last years but hey our economy sucks but one thing though if you have a job and this damn hobby your going to give into it at some point but I think right now is a used buyers market. People buying are trying to buy used to save money and other people are selling stuff to make their house payments. So you might do good selling in the used market right now. I am just glad I don't owe any money on anything I own for the most part. Well with my harley not included anyway.

[harley .guy07]

GW=Good Will as in resale of donated items, thrift stores. Apparently, The Kid is in a vinyl gold mine. All I find at thrift stores around here are grandpa & grandma's yard sale rejects. I was looking around at a GW yesterday, they were asking $2.00 for VHS movies, hello!, I don't think VHS is going to make a come back. All the vinyl was garbage deluxe.

I know what you are saying about the garage sale thing. I can't find anything in equipment or music that is worth a damn thing. There is one store in my town that accually has good vinyl and used cd's that are worth the gas to drive there but they can be pretty proud of their stuff especially if he knows you are a audio savy guy.

[thekid]

Hi What is a GW?

I live in VA -- so I was hoping to check it out for Vinyl.

Welcome to AR!

Not sure where you are at in VA but I might be able to help a bit. Search the Garage sale section of your local Craigslist, visit your local Goodwills, Salvation Army stores and other thrift stores which can also be great source for vinyl. If you near the Richmond VA area I highly recommend Plan 9 in the Cary town section. Their basement area has thousands of LP's starting as low as $1. These places (except Plan 9) can also be great source for low to mid-level gear at bargain prices. It takes a little patience and luck but if you learn a little bit about the hobby you will get an idea of what is good and what you need to pass on.

[thekid]

GW=Good Will as in resale of donated items, thrift stores. Apparently, The Kid is in a vinyl gold mine. All I find at thrift stores around here are grandpa & grandma's yard sale rejects. I was looking around at a GW yesterday, they were asking $2.00 for VHS movies, hello!, I don't think VHS is going to make a come back. All the vinyl was garbage deluxe.

Mr.P

You can always try laserdiscs for 8 cents a piece.........

Laserdiscs everywhere......