New member with lucky thrift shop hifi finds

[Shanman]

Hello Everyone,

First post here for me, happy to be here. I've been snooping here the last few months before deciding to register today after seeing the huge amount of resources and help this place is.

A few months back, I was randomly browsing a thrift store for an aquarium for my daughter and stumbled upon an Arcam AVR350 sitting on a shelf for $70. Growing up in a household of a working musician father surrounded by many high end brands of professional gear (and being a student of jazz studies for 20 years of my life),I instantly recognized the brand and realize that this was no ordinary big box store junk. I hopped on it, brought it home, and I now have a $70 beast that puts out a solid 120w RMS for my stereo listening room I was starting to set up. I purchased a pair of Elac Debut 2.0 bookshelf speakers about a week later as I started to feel the bite of the hifi bug. They rated well, and I very much like the sound of them.

Fast forward about a week later and I'm cruising through the same thrift shop, hifi fever starting to consume me. Over in the corner I see a very nice set of tower speakers, a matching subwoofer about the size of the old Velodyne stuff, and a matching center channel. My heart drops when I realize the Snell badge on all these items. I made an offer for the lot far under what they were asking. Out came the plastic, and out I walked with a speaker set I could have NEVER afforded or ever dreamed of owning. Stoked to say the least, and nearly my whole system is from a thrift shop! The only thing I have purchased elsewhere is my Project turntable, the Elac Debut 2.0's, and a beautiful old Adcom pre-amp. Here's some picks of the haul- disregard the Elac floorstanders, they got sold a week after I lucked up on the Snell set.

 

[KEW]

Don't take this the wrong way, but...
You Suck!


Welcome to the forum and enjoy that set-up!!!

 

[lovinthehd]

LOL your thrift shop must be in a pretty good neighborhood That is among the best deals I've seen cited for thrift shopping, tho (at least on the Arcam). Congrats and enjoy.

 

[Shanman]

I have a strong suspicion the whole system came from the same person (or his wife who hates him). It was too good to be true.
I can't say its all been perfect- I got the full Snell set for $600, and the sub just died about a 2 days ago unfortunately. The plate amp on the back goes into protect mode every time you turn it on now. I can't complain a single bit though! Apparently old Snell parts and stock was bought by a company called Atomic HiFi & TV. They have the NOS plate amp replacement for the sub, but want $439 for it, ouch. I'm not sure with subwoofer advancements, etc that repairing it is actually worth it when SVS/HSU/Rythmik subs can be had for the asking price of the Snell plate amp. I don't know what to do.

 

[lovinthehd]

You can use an external amp on the sub but may need one to match the dsp of the original, could be difficult to match and may cost just as much Matching same size plate amp with some dsp perhaps among the selections at parts-express.com....

 

[Shanman]

I've given a different brand plate amp some thought, thanks. I certainly dont want to start hacking away on such a beautiful matching cabinet. I did pull the plate amp to see if there were any obvious issues such as fuses, a burnt cap, etc. Nothing looked bad. Big double thick toroidal transformer on it though. The sub itself has a massive magnet with a cast aluminum basket, so it really might be worth saving? Old Snell Basis 300 literature I found online says it goes down to 25hz, and it was certainly no slouch when it was working the last few weeks. It pounded for sure, loved the top mounted backlit volume control.

I realized the Zone 2 setting on the Arcam can be utilized for bi-amping, so that has helped support the low end on the Snell towers until I either fix or replace the sub.

 

[lovinthehd]

I've given a different brand plate amp some thought, thanks. I certainly dont want to start hacking away on such a beautiful matching cabinet. I did pull the plate amp to see if there were any obvious issues such as fuses, a burnt cap, etc. Nothing looked bad. Big double thick toroidal transformer on it though. The sub itself has a massive magnet with a cast aluminum basket, so it really might be worth saving? Old Snell Basis 300 literature I found online says it goes down to 25hz, and it was certainly no slouch when it was working the last few weeks. It pounded for sure, loved the top mounted backlit volume control.

I realized the Zone 2 setting on the Arcam can be utilized for bi-amping, so that has helped support the low end on the Snell towers until I either fix or replace the sub.

Might find an electronics repair place at least willing to give it a look/estimate. More likely the driver/box are fine but the question would be in a different amp what dsp was applied, so a repair of original could well be the way to go as long as nothing major fried.

 

[Shanman]

Yes, which is the conundrum of repair the cool matching sub to the whole system, or just spend roughly the same dough on a new sub. I did contact a local place that is highly regarded in electronic instrument repair and PA repair, they also fixed an old Marantz a friend got hosed on eBay with. They basically said no thanks.

 

[KEW]

Here is the response of this sub (blue):

https://www.soundandvision.com/content/snell-acoustics-lcr7-speaker-system-ht-labs-measures

The speakers in the review above are Snell LCR7's. They look like they might be a bookshelf version of your towers!
Actually, the review might be for your center speaker used for the front 3 and the sub doesn't look exactly like yours. This is an ICS Sub300 and has a 10" driver!

 

[Shanman]

Apparently the Basis 300 I have is the follow up model to the above ICS Sub300.
avrev.com says "Snell is also releasing a forward-firing subwoofer called the Basis 300, which is said to offer nearly identical performance, but with a cabinet styled like the LCR7 and K7. The 10-inch woofer is flanked by dual ports that help the unit achieve an extended low end down to 25Hz, with a maximum output of 110dB."

Using just the towers in my current stereo set-up, am I missing out by not running a 3.0 arrangement or is this a no-no for a dedicated music system? That matching center speaker is just sitting collecting dust. I can't bring myself to set the towers and the center up in the living room for A/V. My two young ones would end up jamming a finger through the rear firing tweeter or something...

 

[KEW]

Apparently the Basis 300 I have is the follow up model to the above ICS Sub300.
avrev.com says "Snell is also releasing a forward-firing subwoofer called the Basis 300, which is said to offer nearly identical performance, but with a cabinet styled like the LCR7 and K7. The 10-inch woofer is flanked by dual ports that help the unit achieve an extended low end down to 25Hz, with a maximum output of 110dB."

Using just the towers in my current stereo set-up, am I missing out by not running a 3.0 arrangement or is this a no-no for a dedicated music system? That matching center speaker is just sitting collecting dust. I can't bring myself to set the towers and the center up in the living room for A/V. My two young ones would end up jamming a finger through the rear firing tweeter or something...

What speaker is it that you have?
This 12" sub will be back to $500 three hours from now, but I have one and I expect it is reasonably close in performance to your Basis 300 in that it does not have the ultra-low extension of a true HT sub, but it is good for ensuring a good solid low-end for music. If you are looking for an inexpensive but good sounding solution for music, this is it! If you are wanting to get a modern sub with seriously low and strong HT rumble, look elsewhere!
It is a steal at $160!
https://www.harmanaudio.com/speakers/REFERENCE+SUB+R12.html?cgid=speakers&dwvar_REFERENCE+SUB+R12_color=Black-GLOBAL-Current&utm_source=cj&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=4485850&utm_content=13565659&cjevent=e1b8fda7c34a11e980c000870a24060d#start=1

 

[Shanman]

The towers are the D7's, and the sub is the Basis 300. Center not in use is the LCR7. Thanks for the link, I don't believe I've ever owned any Infinity since my car audio days in the early 90's. I keep looking at the SVS SB 3000......but it sure is pricier.

 

[Kvn_Walker]

It's not under warranty anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to open up the sub and check for shorted or loose wires, and make sure the woofer's DC resistance isn't 0 (sign of a damaged voice coil). Sometimes there's an easy solution.

If you're not electronically inclined (and I don't want anyone getting shocked) get a friend who is to help you.

Congrats on the deals you've been getting though! I have a feeling somebody died or divorced, and the wife is just "getting rid of all his junk." It's a fate that awaits all of our cool toys, whether we want to admit it or not.

 

[Pogre]

I need to start popping into thrift stores and pawn shops...

 

[Pogre]

Just so we're really all clear, when you say "thrift store", are you talking goodwill or..?

 

[BMXTRIX]

I always troll eBay looking for Crestron gear. I usually get some very good deals.
One time I saw a seller who was putting up a bunch of card modules for a HDMI matrix switcher. I had just purchased a 16x16 chassis, so getting these cards at a good deal was something I couldn't resist. I ended up buying about 50 of these cards, with plans to resell some of them. I was getting them for super cheap. Under $100 a card. These sold new for over $1,000 each and I could easily resell them, after testing, for a couple hundred bucks each making it all worthwhile.
Low and behold, when I started testing them I saw every single one of them fail to work properly. Instead of simply returning the cards, I called Crestron (I work in the industry) and when I read Crestron the serial number, they asked me where it had come from. I let them know that it came from eBay and the guy came back and said that there was nothing they could do, but that the cards were supposed to have been destroyed. Crestron had PAID for them to be properly destroyed, and instead some sleazy company was trying to resell them.

I contacted the seller and read him the riot act. I had spend about $3,500 or so on all the cards I had purchased.

He asked if it would be okay if he bought all the cards back from me for $5,000.

So, without really doing a thing, I made $1,500 profit on cards that never worked. This was about enough money to pay for the chassis and most of the cards that ended up going into my A/V switcher that I currently use in my home today.

 

[slipperybidness]

Around here, we also have independent and for-profit thrift shops. I have found good stuff and/or good deals in there too.

The really good stuff at the Goodwill goes into auction, they keep it in a display case up front and you write your bid in a book, then auction goes live on Saturdays. Makes it hard to find really good deals there, so I don't peruse it much.

 

[Pogre]

I haunt indie places. Where I live (outside of the RTP area of NC) we have a lot of small independent shops that support charities. I figure our local wealthy philanthropic folks will donate there before Goodwill. No big scores like above yet, but I keep hoping.

A quick Google search tells me there are some in my area and Scottsdale (where all the wealthy folk live) is right next door...

 

[Shanman]

Just so we're really all clear, when you say "thrift store", are you talking goodwill or..?

It was an independent not for profit- proceeds go to sexually abused women.

I have seen some good deals at Goodwill if you are saavy. Sony dvd player that will play SACD, etc. Some Polk bookshelf speakers for $7 a pair, an Onkyo sub for $8.99, etc. I also saw a burly old Technics stereo amp that I went back to have a second look and was snatched up. The hunt is fun for sure, but I was SUPER lucky with the Arcam and the Snell set.

 

[Shanman]

It's not under warranty anyway, so it wouldn't hurt to open up the sub and check for shorted or loose wires, and make sure the woofer's DC resistance isn't 0 (sign of a damaged voice coil). Sometimes there's an easy solution.

I did this with no signs of cap swell or or burned circuit board, etc. Fuse is fine too.How do I check the woofer resistance with my meter? Switch the dial to resistance and one probe on + and the other on -, then see if it floats a number?

Bizarre thing is, I actually unplugged the sub when I was gone for a few days as many storms had been rolling through so it wouldn't get zapped. I came home, plugged it in and it went into protect mode ever since. I don't get it.

I found a 250 Dayton at parts express that will fit the factory size spot exactly, screw holes and all for about $150. I know nothing of Dayton.

Atomic Hifi & TV just got back to me again, and the price they originally quoted me jumped as the plate amp I was going to get got sold. Of course they offered me the last generation that is a Bash amp design (likey d class and has no transformer like the original) that was the final amp of 3 designs apparently used before Snell stopped production. They want $550 for the damn thing.... Gah. It does include wiring harness and replacement top cabinet volume control like the original.

Really torn about what to do, just bite the bullet and fix it, or just scrap it and buy a new sub...


Old plate amp:

New plate amp being offered: