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[glynor]

So, on Saturday morning, a shelf in my basement (that had been fine for 5+ years) suddenly gave way and unleashed an avalanche of old hard drives, my toolbox (which didn't open but the weight of which probably caused the failure), and my old crappy Aiwa stereo that has been powering my basement system for all of this time.

The hard drives seem to have come through mostly unscathed (I haven't checked my old IDE drives, I'll probably just take this opportunity to toss most of them).  Unfortunately, the crappy stereo did not.  It did a pile-driver-like maneuver into my desk and then onto the concrete floor, and no longer emits any sound at all.  The stereo was really already a piece of junk.  The display on it didn't work right, the carousel-style CD player was broken and jammed, and the volume control knob on the system itself only turned the volume UP (regardless of which way you turned it, though the remote control still worked right).  But, while it suffered from fairly-bad crosstalk on the rear channels, it did have a discrete 5.1 channel input on the back, so it served decently as the basement amp for my server rig.

I've mentioned it elsewhere, but my server in the basement sounds like a small truck running between all the drives and fans and everything (not even to mention the Astaro gateway box over in the other corner).... So, no matter what I do, audio quality isn't going to be "good" down there.  Oh, and the room is small with a concrete floor and 2 concrete walls (covered in drywall).  That said, if I have to buy something new, I don't want to buy complete and utter crap.  The crappy speakers I had hooked up in there are still okay (they didn't fall), so I could re-use them for now and just plan to upgrade them later when I care.

So... I'm trying to decide what to do.  I'd really prefer to just a basic dumb amplifier with 5.1 inputs but anything "new" that has these are insanely expensive considering I'm going to hook it up to crappy bookshelf speakers.  If it happens to have a stereo B-output, that would be even better because I have some indoor/outdoor speakers I could wire up on the porch for some porch-audio goodness.  I've been looking around on Ebay to get something like an old Onkyo that still has a discrete 5.1 multichannel input.  Ebay really sucks now though.  I've gotten "poached" twice by shady characters on different auctions at the last possible second, and Craigs List has literally NOTHING on offer worth looking at in Maine (there was one semi-decent Yamaha, but it already sold).

The system down there DOES have a Radeon HD 5850, which includes HDMI out with bitstreaming and everything fancy, but it is nice to be able to play with PCM out and using MC as the DSP.  Plus, I do some gaming down there, and analog outs are less fiddly than dealing with the HDMI-output channel setup problems.  If possible for a reasonable price, I'd rather go with straight analog outs, and it'll NEVER have anything other than a PC or two hooked up to it (I did have a RCA Y-adapter cable on the old system for occasional laptop and phone use down there).  So, if it has HDMI inputs and SPDIF and all of that, great, but I probably won't use those features much if ever.  Oh, and I have a new baby and not a lot of cash, so I'm looking to spend less than $150 if possible.  If it gets much more than that, I can just buy a crappy Logitech system from Newegg and call it good for now.  I'd rather not (and the porch audio idea is awesome), but.... Meh!

So.... Long story over.  Anyone have any ideas?

[Matt]

Ebay really sucks now though.  I've gotten "poached" twice by shady characters on different auctions at the last possible second

Sorry, I didn't know that was you

I wish they'd implement popcorn bidding so poaching couldn't happen.

If it gets much more than that, I can just buy a crappy Logitech system from Newegg and call it good for now.

I was actually going to suggest that.

You might also search Craigslist for studio monitors.  A nice 2.0 or 2.1 setup works well for a computer or small room.

I got a nice 2.1 setup with a Blue Sky subwoofer and bi-amped monitors last year for only a little more than a new Logitech set like you're talking about cost.  I think a lot of people buy home recording stuff and then don't use it or need the space later.

[JimH]

I would investigate having the Aiwa gold plated.  I have one in my garage.  It's a nice relief in the middle of the winter when you feel like being alone.

Too bad about the shelf!  Funny story.

[glynor]

You might also search Craigslist for studio monitors.  A nice 2.0 or 2.1 setup works well for a computer or small room.

I got a nice 2.1 setup with a Blue Sky subwoofer and bi-amped monitors last year for only a little more than a new Logitech set like you're talking about cost.  I think a lot of people buy home recording stuff and then don't use it or need the space later.

Hmmm....

I do like having the 5.1 for gaming, mostly.  Doesn't much matter for video down there (see truck explanation above).  However, I do really like my studio monitors at the office (though that is a small room).  I actually have a pair of JBL Eon 10's sitting in a corner gathering dust, and a perfectly serviceable Mackie 1212 to go with it.  I use it occasionally when DJ-ing, but I really haven't been doing much of that lately.  I could just pick up a better sound card for $30 and go with those for the time being...

I have to think on it a bit.  If anyone else has any brilliant suggestions (or, you know, a perfect Rotel DB-985 just sitting around gathering dust), hit me up!

[glynor]

I think I'm going to pick up one of these: Yamaha HTR-6230.  It is refurbished, but Yamaha still provides a manufacturer warranty (and that retailer is "authorized", I checked with Yamaha), and it pretty much does exactly what I want.

* 5.1 Multichannel inputs
* A/B Speaker Outs (can't use both simultaneously, but that's okay)
* Pretty cheap.  A bit over my stated limit, but less than $50 high is acceptable for a new product with a warranty

Plus, it has 2 HDMI inputs, which will solve another problem I have with my system downstairs.  My monitor has a HDMI input, but there is one thing about it that is very annoying: there is no way to disable the monitor's auto-input scan function.  So when the computer goes to sleep, if my cable box is connected and turned on (it is always on because it is controlled by my PC), the monitor switches to that input and plays TV all night long.  If nothing is connected to the HDMI, then it stays on the DVI input like it should, but if it "sees" an active input elsewhere, it switches automatically.

Plus, I like to be able to connect my laptop to the monitor occasionally, and I have a nice MiniDP <-> HDMI adapter, but the monitor only has the one input.  So, I'm constantly swapping HDMI cables in and out of the back of the thing, and they placed the input in literally the most annoying place possible.

With this, I can use those two inputs for the HDMI port on my monitor, and easily use my cable box directly through the monitor (this is useful for testing and configuration).  But I can leave it sitting on the "laptop" HDMI port most of the time, since it won't be there, so the auto-scan won't kick in.  Before the stereo even died, I'd considered buying a cheap HDMI switch box, but this solves that problem too!

The HDMI ports don't decode audio (it doesn't do bitstreaming via HDMI, though it does have optical/analog digital ins, of course), but that's fine.  Like I said, I want to use PCM downstairs.  Really seems like the perfect little receiver.

[DarkPenguin]

Yamaha?  *spit*

[glynor]

Yamaha?  *spit*

Better than Aiwa!  

I don't know.  I've never owned one, but lots of people seem to like them.  They always seemed to be a little lower down on the "feature checkbox" scale than the equivalent Denons or Onkyos, and when I was shopping before for the Living Room (where I do really care about sound quality) I ended up choosing a Denon.

But this one has the 5.1 multichannel input I need, and is less than $200.  My wife approved the purchase.  Ordered.

[glynor]

By the way, my crappy "electronics failure" week continued to impress... Late in the day on Thursday, I was at the office in our auditorium's "control booth" trying to clean up a bit and reorganize the crap back there, while testing a new video connection setup with my laptop.

Everything was going well until I decided I needed to move my two JBL Eon 15s across the room and store them in a more reasonable location (they'd previously been in the way of a bunch of stuff).  The first one moved fine.  While I was carrying the second one over to its destination, I fumbled somehow (still not clear, just messed up) and dropped the large, very heavy speaker directly onto my open, running laptop.  My aim was impressive, I managed to avoid hitting anything else. 

Needless to say, the speaker won the battle.  The laptop's keyboard area is all smashed in and dented, the optical slot is "pinched" shut, and it had completely locked up.  I rebooted it, and while it still does the happy Mac "chime" it never gets past the initial "gray screen".  I had hoped the drive in the laptop would have survived, but of course, I'd also started a big file download from a server while I was running the test, so it was happily writing away like crazy.  The head must of crashed, because I pulled the drive when I got back to my desk and tried it in my BlacX dock.  It made some terrible sounds and never mounted.

I left then before I was able to break anything else and stayed home with my daughter yesterday to let the wife go in and ruin things of her own at the office.

[DarkPenguin]

Better than Aiwa!  

I don't know.  I've never owned one, but lots of people seem to like them.  They always seemed to be a little lower down on the "feature checkbox" scale than the equivalent Denons or Onkyos, and when I was shopping before for the Living Room (where I do really care about sound quality) I ended up choosing a Denon.

But this one has the 5.1 multichannel input I need, and is less than $200.  My wife approved the purchase.  Ordered.

They aren't what they were.  And every piece of Yamacrap I've purchased has died young.  Better than Aiwa, tho.

[MrC]

... I fumbled somehow (still not clear, just messed up) and dropped the large, very heavy speaker

Oh, that is a bummer!

Over the past couple of years, I've noticed my own decline and failing coordination.  I fought it for a while, thinking long-time coordination and dexterity would win out.  Now, I take a more decided approach, relying on slower, planned moves vs. using my ancient reptile brain!  It is working, probably by resetting my internal clock/timing with the reality of aging.

Needless to say, the speaker won the battle.  The laptop's keyboard area is all smashed

Want to buy my 2-yr old Macbook Pro 17 currently on eBay? ! :-)

[glynor]

By the way...

I love my Yammy.  It's been working great, and does exactly what I need.  Later on this summer when I have more time, I'm going to hook up that second zone for the porch speakers.

Want to buy my 2-yr old Macbook Pro 17 currently on eBay? ! :-)

Sorry, no... I called it "my" laptop, but really it was "work's" laptop, which I commandeered and made my own.  But, hey, if you're going to squish a $1200 laptop while at work, better that the $1200 laptop you squished is actually owned by work, right?

I don't have the cash for one myself.

We'll see.  I'm in "line" with IT for a new replacement, so I might get a shiny new Core i5 Macbook Pro (which will be nice, I missed the backlit keyboard when I switched to the Macbook from my older Core 1 MBP model).  So far I'm "suffering" along without one.

[boydn]

 "electronics failure" Really blows.  About a month ago I lost a 58" Panny Plasma and a Marantz SR8002 to a storm.  VERY bad night...

[glynor]

Wow...  It has been a rough few months for my electronics!

My Denon AVR in the living room died today.  Don't know why.  Totally out of the blue.  Everything looked like (on the display and whatnot) it was still totally working, but I got no sound of any kind, not even via the headphone jack.  It is under warranty though, but I'll be without it for two weeks or more.

Bah.

On the upside, I got a new laptop.  There was actually a problem with that too, though... Got a whole bad batch of RAM from Crucial, and I got one.  Had all sorts of trouble with it at first, but we got it sorted out now by removing the aftermarket RAM (till the replacements come in) and reimaging the machine.

I like it so far.  Macbook Pro 15" (current model, with Sandy Bridge and AMD 6490M GPU, and the high-res screen).  It screams.  I'm going to throw Win7 on it tomorrow (as it is now working and I got my OSX side all set up).