same system for 32 years; what next?

[mixpix20]

Hi, this is my first ever post on this forum:

I bought this system in 1977-78:

Sansui 9090db receiver & SPX 9000 speakers
TEAC A6300 (reel-reel) & A640 cassette deck
Technics 1400mkII semi auto turntable & a SONY 100 CD changer.

Actually, I am looking to either utilize the receiver for a home entertainment center that can play iPod & TV. I think I could safely get rid of the reel – reel & turntable but is there a way I can keep the cassette deck to convert the cassettes to Mp3 files?

I would like to find what people think of home theater/entertainment centers? I found on the other day that didn’t have proprietary speaker cables, which is refreshing. It was an LG LHB 953 home theater system.

So what do people think about my idea to keep a 32 year old receiver & incorporate it into an entertainment system? I don’t care about 4 channel or 5; I’m happy with 2 but also would be open to what the best play back for TV sound is? What is the best Mp3 configuration I can incorporate into this classic receiver? Is it better to pick the sound off the dock or the earphone output on the iPod?

Let me tell you, the receiver & speakers will blow you out. I don’t need the power but sure is great to know that it’s available. I would still like to incorporate what I have but I know at a certain point I won’t be able to use any of this stuff but maybe there are other ideas from this forum?

So please tell me your opinions of either home systems or incorporating the components I already have….

[atomicAdam]

mixpix20 - welcome to audioreview.

sorry I can't comment much on the 32 year old system. I'm not even that old. And not into hometheater really. But welcome, you'll find a lot of knowledge here and folks who are, well, older than I am. Some might even claim before dirt.

[02audionoob]

I'd rather have a great 2-channel system than a lousy 5.1 system...even for TV. I think that sums up the classic receiver vs. the LG system in my mind.

You could always get a cable that combines two RCA jacks to one mini plug and run your tape deck into a computer sound card. It's not exactly high fidelity, though. I'd rather just buy the MP3 files than make them off cassette. Remember, you can't "convert" analog music to MP3. You have to record it real-time and name files and such things as that. And in the end, you took a low-fidelity analog source and recorded it to a low-fidelity digital file. It's a waste of a fine receiver when you play it back.

And getting rid of the turntable but keeping the cassette? Wow...that so totally runs counter to my way of thinking. I suppose I'd never be any help. I'd sooner throw out my CD player (iPod, too) than my turntable.

My reply sounds negative, but I'll leave it unedited and just say I only intend it to be helpful. Aside from those thoughts...welcome to the AR forum. Glad to have you here.

[poppachubby]

Hello and welcome.

Firstly, NEVER get rid of your reel-to-reel. At the very least, it can make an interesting show piece. Have you thought of a budget? Figure out how much you would like to spend so we can make appropriate suggestions.

In my opinion, get rid of the cassette deck and take the loss on the cassette tapes. You can probably replace most titles on vinyl cheaply, through used LP's available all over the place. Also, you could use bittorrent and simply DL for free, if you are in moral agreement with that route.

What kind of cartridge do you have on your turntable? I think you should upgrade your cartridge if needed, and focus on vinyl as your analog medium. You have a nice table.

As far as Ipod goes, there are several options available. The best idea will be to get a dock that can then plug into the Sansui's AUX input. Are you in a position to attach your comp to the Sansui? This would be the best scenario for digital files.

Can't comment on the TV until I know what outputs your telly has. Aside from that I'm not a pro in such matters. My personal feelings are to keep TV and music seperate.

A few issues to sort out but don't fret. Lots of options at all price points. You have come to the right place...there are quite a few vintage guys here.

[JoeE SP9]

I'm not older than dirt. It was already here.

IMO:
Just about all if not all HTIB systems sound like crap. You will get better sound if you add TV sound to your current two channel system. There are ways of integrating a two channel system with a 5.1 or 7.1 surround setup. None of them are cheap or easy.

The easiest way is to add surround capability with a surround processor or receiver. You would leave your two channel system as is and use it and the front speakers/amp in a pass through mode with the surround stuff driving the rear/surround speakers.

In my setup all two channel sources go through my preamp, front channel speakers and amps. All MC/surround sources go through my surround processor. The front channels go through my preamp in bypass mode. My front channel amps and speakers are driven this way. The surround speakers and amps are driven directly from the surround processor.

With this setup two channel music goes through my preamp and front speakers/amps only

[pixelthis]

Hi, this is my first ever post on this forum:

I bought this system in 1977-78:

Sansui 9090db receiver & SPX 9000 speakers
TEAC A6300 (reel-reel) & A640 cassette deck
Technics 1400mkII semi auto turntable & a SONY 100 CD changer.

Actually, I am looking to either utilize the receiver for a home entertainment center that can play iPod & TV. I think I could safely get rid of the reel – reel & turntable but is there a way I can keep the cassette deck to convert the cassettes to Mp3 files?

I would like to find what people think of home theater/entertainment centers? I found on the other day that didn’t have proprietary speaker cables, which is refreshing. It was an LG LHB 953 home theater system.

So what do people think about my idea to keep a 32 year old receiver & incorporate it into an entertainment system? I don’t care about 4 channel or 5; I’m happy with 2 but also would be open to what the best play back for TV sound is? What is the best Mp3 configuration I can incorporate into this classic receiver? Is it better to pick the sound off the dock or the earphone output on the iPod?

Let me tell you, the receiver & speakers will blow you out. I don’t need the power but sure is great to know that it’s available. I would still like to incorporate what I have but I know at a certain point I won’t be able to use any of this stuff but maybe there are other ideas from this forum?

So please tell me your opinions of either home systems or incorporating the components I already have….

At one of the posts on my job there is a pioneer sx600 , 35 years old, sounds great.
There is a Cassette player with USB out, specifically made to convert cassette to
audio files on a computer, a USB turntable is made as well.
Sansui was a great brand, the Japanese made some incredible gear back then.
As for the technics, I have two( a belt and a direct drive), both over 25 years old, both working fine.
Abouit the only reason I could see to replace the Sansui is to get a remote.

[Auricauricle]

I've gone through quite a bit of hi-fi gear over the years, including separates (SS), tubes, an integrated amplifier, and a Home Theatre (Yamaha A-2070). At this time, I am listening to a Kenwood KA-6006 integrated amplifier (and its matching tuner KT-6007), a CD player, and a couple of other pieces thrown in. DVD's are watched by plugging the player into the Aux. jack. We have a 2.1 set-up: nothing fancy, but economical and ballsy enough to get our attention when it needs to. For now, it's just fiiiiiine.

Way I see it, if you want home theater, you can buy the amp with the switches and knobs and purty li'l lights....That's not a bad road at all. But I'll put my Kenny, circa 1974, in there and peeps here enjoy a good movie and purty awesome sound. I tried the Yammy, but all those buttons and calibrations and calculations just hurt my head in the end, and frankly I didn't think the sound was that good, anyway. I guess that's why I gave it away....

Staying up-to-date audio wise is a lot of fun, and some of the developments in technology are really amazing. If you have the budget to play in that sandbox, fine. But if you are happy with what you've got, why not just go to your local RadShack and buy some splitters and cables and see if you can get something outta the old rig? Heck, you've got the juice...

Just what I think, anyways....

[JoeE SP9]

I've gone through quite a bit of hi-fi gear over the years, including separates (SS), tubes, an integrated amplifier, and a Home Theatre (Yamaha A-2070). At this time, I am listening to a Kenwood KA-6006 integrated amplifier (and its matching tuner KT-6007), a CD player, and a couple of other pieces thrown in. DVD's are watched by plugging the player into the Aux. jack. We have a 2.1 set-up: nothing fancy, but economical and ballsy enough to get our attention when it needs to. For now, it's just fiiiiiine.

Way I see it, if you want home theater, you can buy the amp with the switches and knobs and purty li'l lights....That's not a bad road at all. But I'll put my Kenny, circa 1974, in there and peeps here enjoy a good movie and purty awesome sound. I tried the Yammy, but all those buttons and calibrations and calculations just hurt my head in the end, and frankly I didn't think the sound was that good, anyway. I guess that's why I gave it away....

Staying up-to-date audio wise is a lot of fun, and some of the developments in technology are really amazing. If you have the budget to play in that sandbox, fine. But if you are happy with what you've got, why not just go to your local RadShack and buy some splitters and cables and see if you can get something outta the old rig? Heck, you've got the juice...

Just what I think, anyways....

I'm with you on this one. Get two channel music right and add that other stuff as an afterthought.

[TheHills44060]

I'm with you on this one. Get two channel music right and add that other stuff as an afterthought.

Amen...

[mixpix20]

Thanks all for the great suggestions. I want to integrate the old receiver into the TV & know right off, sound quality for TV isn’t up to snuff so I don’t really care about utilizing a sound system to enhance TV. I don’t mind coming right off of the TV & being content.

I did order a couple of different splitters for the iPod to stereo. The 1st one was RCA to the iPod earphone jack. I connect the RCA cables to the AUX input & then the jack to the iPod. The sound comes out ummm, okay but I suspect I am missing some of the advantage of using the iPod dock to RCA?

Well, I finally got the iPod dock to RCA splitter & was excited to connect the new configuration to the Sansui 9090db but when I did, I didn’t get a peep! What is going on? Is it the old AUX input doesn’t receive from the iPod dock because of antiquation? Or is there a problem with the splitter?

Whatever it is I hope you all can educate me on my wire configurations. I would like to have this stereo playback the iPod with whatever the highest quality connection I can get. If it is the earphone to RCA, so be it, I’ll just learn to live with it.

Thanks again in advance….

[JoeE SP9]

You may be surprised by the sound quality some TV shows/programs have. I've been using my system for TV audio since the late 70's, I had a Pioneer TVX-9500 TV audio tuner connected to an old Dyna PAS-3. Of course this was before MTS TV audio and way before Dolby Digital. Even so, the HT aspect has always been an afterthought. It's really about music for me.

[JoeE SP9]

Thanks all for the great suggestions. I want to integrate the old receiver into the TV & know right off, sound quality for TV isn’t up to snuff so I don’t really care about utilizing a sound system to enhance TV. I don’t mind coming right off of the TV & being content.

I did order a couple of different splitters for the iPod to stereo. The 1st one was RCA to the iPod earphone jack. I connect the RCA cables to the AUX input & then the jack to the iPod. The sound comes out ummm, okay but I suspect I am missing some of the advantage of using the iPod dock to RCA?

Well, I finally got the iPod dock to RCA splitter & was excited to connect the new configuration to the Sansui 9090db but when I did, I didn’t get a peep! What is going on? Is it the old AUX input doesn’t receive from the iPod dock because of antiquation? Or is there a problem with the splitter?

Whatever it is I hope you all can educate me on my wire configurations. I would like to have this stereo playback the iPod with whatever the highest quality connection I can get. If it is the earphone to RCA, so be it, I’ll just learn to live with it.

Thanks again in advance….

If the connection from your iPod's headphone out to the Aux in on your receiver worked. The current problem is probably not your receiver. If the Aux input works with one output it should work with another. I would look elswhere than the receiver for a solution.

[mixpix20]

I am having trouble hooking the stuff up. I have a Vizio M3D460SR flat screen & want the set to play through the receiver, the aforementioned Sansui. I remember in the old days, the output of the device, the RCA plug wires went to the corresponding tape monitor, phono or in the case of a CD/DVD player, to the AUX.
I have only 1 AUX switch that I feed through a switch box. Normally, I call them an A-B switch, but this has 4 docks for connections, that then feed to the receiver. All I have to do is push the corresponding letter of the component & the receiver plays it. Currently I have the iPod, CD & TV. The old TV worked but this one I am having trouble because of the lack of intuitiveness for connecting digital devices.

I see some RCA connections on the flat screen, with a R(red) & L(left). I thought those were the two I would run from? Then there are 3 others including another red. There are some abbreviations on them that doesn't jive with me. There is a yellow plug, so I assume that is for video? And finally, there is a blue one; perhaps Blue Ray DVD? I don't know, I was hoping someone here could share a flow chart; I'm out of it.

[Feanor]

First off I've been in hi-fi for forty years so I remember the era. Your 32 y/o system looks great, (though I've never heard the Sansui speakers).

The Sansui 9090db is a gem with good collector value -- just keep it and use it for 2 ch. (But this isn't to say that you couldn't get 2 channel sound today for relatively less money than you paid for it back in the day.)

For HT, the Sansui receiver isn't the answer. You can hook it up to your TV, but it won't deliver the 5.1 channel sound the current day AV content demands. Get yourself a decent, current AV receiver with 5.1 or 7.1 channels and good, automated equalization and time delay system such as Audyssey. You'll also need a good subwoofer, (yes, manditory), and matched front, center, and rear speakers.

[Worf101]

If the LCD has an audio out then you're good to go. Just take the red and white out of the LCD and attach them to your receiver. If it doesn't allow stereo pass-through from all sources then you're going to have take the stereo audio out from your cable box and/or BluRay player and put them in individual inputs in the Sansui. You're going to have to manually switch the source when going from Cable to DVD or CD but you probably do that now.

Worf

[mixpix20]

Thanks Feanor, I am happy with the 2 channel.

At a certain point, I get fed up with the "climbing tech peak". Sure I could go with a 5.1 or whatever they're using these days. I am happy enough with two channels. At 125 watts a side, I don't think sound projection is a problem. The speakers are SPX 9000 and have a sensitivity of 98 or 100, whatever the measurement system is. All I know that they are more sensitive than Bose 901's; not such a tough task however. I would prefer the sound of the Yamaha NS 1000 or what they have of the equivalent?

I was finally able to get the ear jack output to work. It had to do with the setting on the Analog Audio Out to "fixed". I had thought it would be "variable", but it wasn't going anywhere.

It sounds good though! I'm stoked; just in time for NFL play off football. I probably won't have any company because the weather is excellent & my friends would rather attend the beach.

Yeah Auri, I am taking your advice. I don't see any need to go the 5.1 route. Each of those speakers have 18" or 19" woofs, 2-3 super tweets, one 6"-8" mid range & 2 horns per speaker. Like ya say, I have the juice to drive them; all 4 of them!

[JoeE SP9]

Before you decide that NS-1000's are the be all end all, listen to some modern speakers. The art and science of speaker design has advanced a lot in twenty years.