****************************************** I’m not an audio enthusiast to the extent of a true maniac, but back in my youth, audio was quite a boom, and I spent my bonuses buying audio equipment.
The equipment I currently have at my home is what I bought as a second set when I relocated for work, though it’s now somewhat aged.
When I first moved in, I listened with the volume turned down in my three-tatami mat study, but as my children grew and the clutter increased, my relaxation space gradually became a storage area. I myself started to mostly listen with “smartphone + earphones” or “iPad + small active speakers,” and the audio equipment gathered dust for a long time.
Recently, my wife decided to reuse that room as a storage room, so I decided to move the audio set into my current room (the former wine cellar room). I also wanted to listen to my 1,500 CDs stored at home one more time before disposing of them.
To relocate the equipment, I first needed to rearrange the room. I moved the 60-cm tropical fish tank from my room to the entrance, and placed the amplifier, CD player, and one speaker where the tank used to be.
The tank is now at the entrance.
I placed the amplifier, CD player, and one speaker in the space formerly occupied by the 60-cm tank.
The other speaker was placed on a small TV rack, but having the left and right speakers at different heights is a bit unfortunate.
After powering on the equipment after several years, the first thing that troubled me was that the devices didn’t work properly:
ONKYO 6-disc CD changer: does not work at all, decided to discard it.
ONKYO CD player: the tray often opens without reading the CD; only works after several attempts, so I use it reluctantly.
Pre-main amplifier: crackling noise when adjusting volume; input selector sometimes moves on its own; right speaker sometimes silent (contact issue, fixed by adjusting the knob). No surprise after so many years unused.
BOSE 363 speakers: bass sounds loose and flabby. I was disappointed because I had expected better sound in a larger room where I could play louder. The problem may be the room or placement near walls, so more trial and error is needed before concluding.
Since the CD player alone is unreliable, I plan to add a Bluetooth transmitter soon to connect my iPad or smartphone wirelessly to the amplifier. I also intend to improve speaker sound quality using insulators or similar accessories.