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I went out to buy new flip flops and well...


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Just wanted to introduce myself to the members here as I have been lurking long enough.  I went out to buy new flip flops and made a stop at the local thrift shop to look for a used receiver.  A friend had a blown Sony in his shop and asked if I had something to replace it with.  I said I could find him something.  Then he mentioned  he had an amp in his garage he would swap for a receiver.  It turns out to be a Rotel so I think why not.  The thrift shop has a very abused Sony and as I am looking it over the store manager rolls up with a cart and on it is a very nice Onkyo M501 amp and P301 preamp.  Not amazing stuff but what the heck.  How much? I ask.  He says $90 for both.  Then he mentions he also has a Carver amp in the back and asks if I am interested. I say heck no, look how nice and shiny this Onkyo gear is!! Of course I want to see it!  He returns with not only a M500 amp but also C1 preamp.  Again I ask, how much?  He says if I take it all... $150 +tax.  We had a great conversation about audio gear and music.  The only thing we didn't discuss was how I was going to explain to my wife how I spent that much on a pair of flip flops.  The amp powers but no sound.  No audible relay click either.  The C1 sounds great. If anyone is interested in a very shiny Onkyo set up I am selling it to raise cash for a MKII refurbish.  Thanks for all the shared knowledge.  Love the site.  
Kawiphil  
 
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Welcome!  That's a great story.  "It happened one day on the way to Margaritaville."
 
...lookin' for new flip flops.
 
Weclome to OCCD. 
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Welcome to CS, KawiPhil! Enjoy your new 'flip-flops'. The M500 is very nice amp. 
 
Get in the MkII queue, and a BillD for the C1, and tunes will flow.  The Onkyos are no slouches either.
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Welcome to the CSite KawiPhil.  So glad you found us.  .....and such a great story with pics no less! 
 
We have another Csite member located in Florida ( Charlie ) who also shares similar passions as you --fast motorcycles & audio.  You will be right at home here.
 
Again, thanks for a great post.  You made my Tuesday morning with that flip flops & audio story my friend.    Hope you stay awhile! Beer!
 
Image result for flip flops and audio
 
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Serendipity, from The Three Princes of Serendip, the title of a fairy tale in which the heroes “were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.” Flip-flops leading to Onkyo leading to Carver, that's serendipity! Good fortune, great story, thanks for sharing!
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Don't leave us hanging man, ...did you find new flip flops???

 
No actually I did not get the flip flops as Dicks didn't have the Hello Kitty pair I was looking for, only Mossy Oak.  Now if I could score a pair of those Honey Bee slaps with the built in Maxwell Smart headphones I may be swayed from the Hello Kittys'.  Just saying.
 
I have been using two Onkyo receivers (TX-NR809 and TX -SR806) for the past four years as preamps on two systems.  One is connected to an Emotiva XPA 2, amp, connected to a pair of Aperion Verus Grands and a Verus grand center speaker in the living room. The other is connected to a B&K ST-202 driving a pair of Aperion Verus Grand bookshelf speakers in my office.  I know, how about a little diversity in the speaker arena Phil!. The Aperions are great sounding speakers and affordable.  
 
Now I have been fairly happy with the current systems but always wanted a good preamp.  The night I hooked the C1 up to the B&K in my office, I grinned from ear to ear.  Luckily my wife was gone to visit kids and grandkids in Hawaii for a few weeks so I had the chance to hook it up to both systems and I cannot believe what I have been missing.  I also threw all the combos I could come up with using the Onkyo amp and preamp.  I have always like the sound of the ST-202 and the C1 makes it sound even better.  One note:  Do not refer to the size of the capacitors in the ST-202 with your brother on the phone and your SO in the room as a "nice giant pair of cans".
 
So I am very excited to get the M500 repaired and upgrade the C1.  I have limited soldiering skills but have worked as a "Field Service Engineer" for the past 11 years fixing laboratory analyzers so I know a little. My backgound is in the laboratory and  I get by repairing my TVs when caps go bad, but I am hesitant to attempt a complete rebuild as many of you have done.
 
I used to drive a lot for my job so I would stop in every thrift shop and garage sale looking for audio gear.  I love the old silver front receivers I grew up with in the 60s and 70s.  It's nice to finally score something decent.  I did pick up a Stromberg Carlson ASR-444 tube amp at a thrift store for $40.  It was in great shaped but decided it was too much for me to tackle so I eBayed it so someone who could rebuild it correctly. I kept the Wagner cast iron skillet I also bought that day.  A man has priorities.
 
 
Thanks again for the warm welcomes and I will be reading all I can on here. Here is the shiny Onk gear since everyone seems to like pictures!  Kawiphil
 
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Kawiphil,
One hell of a good guy that is in Orlando is member Charlie. His nick name is Toecutter (think MadMax) and he rides a nitrous oxide injected Kawi ZX -14. Bet you guys have some things in common.
 
On CS he is Charlie. I always enjoy talking to him and you may too. 
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Welcome and congrats on the excellent gear purchase!

 

That older Onkyo gear was pretty good. Back in the day, I had a Onkyo DX-C320 6-disc changer. I never had an issue with it and it sounded excellent. It sounded much better than my oldest brother's Carver SD-A450. Also well outlasted it as he had issues with his. It also sounded better than a Parasound C/DP 1000 I had. I bought it new in 1995, sold it 10 years later and have regretted it ever since, though I don't listen to CD's anymore, so...

 

As for the M-500 and C-1 you have there... If you think the C-1 sounds good now, wait until you have the BillD mods made to it. Those mods bring it WAY UP in performance. Likewise for the MKII mods on the M-500.

 

BTW, I'm also in Florida. I don't ride a fast bike, but do drive a fast car. :-D

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