Behind the Scenes of Home Audio 3.0

Instead of cluttering up the last post on Home Audio 3.0 with how I built that system, I figured it would be a better strategy to do a separate piece. 

Everyone wants nice equipment, but nobody wants to go and shell out thousands of dollars all at once for it. And you guys know that I've always been a proponent of buying nice used gear and slowly piecing it together over time. In fact, over the course of the last 10+ years of me writing this blog, I've detailed how my own system (v1 to v3) has been built. It's also evident that I don't replace gear all at once, and this version change is no exception.

One continuity are the speakers. I've been using my Bowers and Wilkins DM603/S3, along with LCR600/S3, ASW675 Sub and rears for some time. So there was no money spent on those. That alone is close to half the cost of a system.

Neither did I spend any money on the main amp, a Rotel RB-976. Would I have loved to have replaced it with the amazing RMB-1095 which somebody is selling on Craigslist? You bet, but there's not that much real difference between 150 watts and 200 watts per channel my system.

No money was spent on audio cables of any sort, whether digital, analog, or speaker. That in and of itself is a hidden cost that most people forget. So yes; major changes were made but it's not as simple as going out and buying new gear. 

I can't emphasize enough that it's critical to buy (or trade for) good equipment so it'll last! While on the podium, I'm going to hammer on another point: be patient and use all your resources to search out the good equipment. 

Sure, my experience/knowledge comes in part from working in the industry, but I got that job because I knew things to start with! The information is out there, you just have to expend the time to find it and figure out what works for you. With that out of the way. Here's what I did to create the Version 3.0 system:

• Rotel RP-855 Turntable- I came across this turntable on eBay and noticed that it was a local (Dallas/Ft. Worth) seller. The price was already a decent $200, but he had a "Offer" tag, so I offered him $150. Turntables are notoriously difficult to ship, and most people no longer have the original packing materials. The guy took it and I didn't have to worry about it breaking during transport.
• Rotel RSX-1057 HT Receiver- Another eBay offering with a local seller. High-end receiver/amps are VERY expensive to ship because they are so big and heavy.  The guy wanted $140 and had shipping at $50 (which isn't out of line) for this item. However, the analog jacks for the CD input were bad (I generally use direct digital input for CDs). I offered the guy $100 and he took it. Again, no shipping or damage and I got it pretty WAY cheap for what it is.
• Rotel RDV-1040 DVD Player- Local Craigslist but the seller was in Denton (some distance north of Dallas) for $100. Missing the remote. I offered $75 and they took it. I had to go up there and get it, but it sounds awesome.
• Sum total of $325 for a major upgrade to my system!

What are the Wizard of OZ (behind the curtain) things? Here's a few.

•  When I say, "be patient", that means if it's on eBay now, it'll probably show up again. No need to pay crazy money to ship it. Wait for a local listing so you can just go get it! If the price is too high, let it go.
• Know what you want. I focused on several Rotel models which made it easier to search for and keep track of on eBay because I had done the research and I knew what I wanted and why. What features would help me and what it was going  to sound like married to my system. I already knew that those Rotel pieces would sound great with my speakers. 
• Don't wait and have to do everything at once. When I bought the Rotel amps that are in my system now, I didn't need them. But I knew that they had the ability to bridge into way more powerful amps and in my system of the future, they would be perfect for what I wanted to do.
•  Old equipment to be sold, so I should get some amount of my outlay back. My guess would be almost if not all of it back since I was able to move one of my Rotel amps to running the zone speakers which frees up the QSC commercial amp to be sold. Besides, now it won't sound like a Cessna is revving up for take-off every time I use it!
• Figure out what are good modular parts that can function and bought separately where someday in the future they can go well with the upgraded modules (see above). Case in point, the B&W DM603/S3s that I switched to 2-3 years ago. I learned in the past that Bowers & Wilkins speakers are not a match for certain amps. Over 15 years ago, I bought a sub I didn't need, the B&W ASW675. It was way more sub than I needed for the home we were in and the a/d/s/ L1290 mains I was using at that time. But I got a "Salesman Accommodation" price on it and I figured that someday I might have a bigger house and use smaller speakers. Ta-Da! There ya go!

You could say that my version 3.0 system is built on version 1.0 bones.