Sunday, October 4, 2015

Tangent Turntable


Tangent Turntable

It's conceivable that even if you have been collecting gear for a long time, that you have never seen this table. They're pretty rare. Rarer still is it to find one with an intact glass lid because apparently when they were initially sent to Canada for sale, many of the lids were damaged in initial transport.

This table came with a full set of disclaimers... needed work etc. Still, if you HAVE ever seen one, there's something exceptionally unique about it's look.

I had two of the biggest experts I know on turntables look at it, and they both told me to run for the hills... that it was a decent table but not earth shattering... in working condition. In not working condition, it might be a project and a half because of a lack of availability of ANY parts.


I admit that despite the advice, I laboured long and hard over what to do. In the end, I decided that I would offer it up to a couple of people that I knew would be interested, and see what they offered.

A quick word of advice here on flipping... know your buyer. I knew this was a fairly eclectic piece, so I called the most ostentatious collector I could think of and tweaked his buttons. "You won't find another." "It's a showpiece." "I might keep it."

It worked.

The haul for the table was solid...

2 Denon POA-800 power amps
1 Rotel RTC-850 Pre-Amp / Tuner
1 Graco cartridge (new, but entry level)
$100

Gulp.

I sold the Denons for $175 a piece.

I sold the cartridge for $30.

Ultimately, I sold the Rotel for $150 too, but not before I used it for a full 2 years with an SAE power amp.

Add it all up, that's $630 for the Tangent table. Double gulp.


Saturday, September 26, 2015

Nakamichi 581


Nakamichi 581 Cassette Deck

One of the most attractive tape decks that I ever did see. I toiled long and hard about wether or not to get rid of it, but in the end, I got a good offer and knew that I would be lucky to ever play 5 cassettes ever again in my life. I have played one since then, so I think the logic was sound. And it's a LARGE piece. Over 19" wide if my memory serves me correctly, so it wasn't very stand friendly. Still, gorgeous deck, and a great performer (3-Head, 4-track etc)... in hindsight, I would have liked to have kept it despite it's obvious obsolescence. 

Saturday, September 19, 2015

Pioneer SX-950



Pioneer SX-950 Receiver

This whole week at AudioFlipper will be dedicated to probably my most lucrative flip ever. It involved several transactions, several fellow gear heads, money, gear, and a whole lot of fun.

And all of it over this incredible Pioneer SX-950 that I picked up at a thrift store when you could still find such things. Admittedly, it was flawless and I pretty much pooped when I found it. It is doubtful that I will ever see a finer example of either a Pioneer "50 Series" or "80 Series" receiver; but when you flip gear, sometimes somebody makes you an offer that you just can't refuse. Sometimes it happens twice within the framework of one "deal" as this week's blogs will bear out.

Some more shots of this incredible silver beast.





For me it was fairly "disposable" because I have a 1280 in the collection, but if I'm honest, it doesn't look as minty as this 950 did.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Argos Trapezoidal Speakers Restoration


Argos Trapezoidal Speakers Restoration

I have to admit, the "original" version of these was one of the ugliest sets of speakers I have ever seen. Wrapped in bad vinyl... horrid speaker grille cloth... they really were an eye sore. But those boxes... maybe they COULD look cool.