I recently read a review of an affordable integrated amp made by Peachtree in “Stereophile” magazine. It looked awesome but their definition of affordable is a $1200 amp, with $2200 speakers, a $5000 CD Player, and a $160 pair of cables. I only read the article in the first place because it started off being about the “search for an affordable integrated amp”, and I was tricked into believing that maybe I could afford one. As you know, a couple weeks back P and I went out to a high-end stereo shop and didn’t buy a damn thing. Affordability was the sole factor. I’ve lost a few eBay auctions since then as well, again a victim of differing opinions of value and affordability. What this all boils down to is that for a moment I forgot the mission of the FSS. That mission is basically thus; making do with equipment other people would turn their noses up at. It’s fucking punk rock not goddamn rocket science.
The other day at work I chucked the Panasonic monster that’s been fucking with me for the last few months. I moved the T-amp from my home office to my work office. And now my record player is hooked back up to the amp I’ve had since my first job at 16 (a Sony STR-D315). This all cost me roughly $115 (for the new pair of Polk T15 speakers for the T-amp). The T-amp wasn’t made for analog. It says so on the box. My old amp has a dedicated Phono stage and my records sound great once more. And at my job the T-amp is working out nicely outputting the digital audio it was made for from our JVC Sirius Receiver and our iPods. I even hooked up this Logitech Bluetooth adapter so we can keep our iPods at our desks and don’t have to get up to change albums (I got this for like 66% off from a J&R clearance sale a couple years back and never used it). So for the cost of less then one of the cables in “Stereophile” I afforded to be happy once more. Don’t get me wrong I’m still hoping to find expensive equipment to add to my setup. And if anyone on eBay or Craigslist is going to let a Marantz 2270 go for less than $200 I might bite. But until that happens I’m not complaining either. The other day when I played the new Young Widows album at home on vinyl the walls shook and it didn’t cost me a fucking dime.
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