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Ugliest or Dysfunctional CD players, Turntables, Pre-amps and other gear

KSTR

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It's not a company. It's an individual living in a bubble.
One product is nice, actually. The NOS-ADC without any analog or digital anti-alisasing filters, could be used in education to demonstrate what happens if you butcher things up ;-)
 

tomtoo

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I assumed those three things in large rectangular metal cases were crystals.

Ah ok, yes they are oszilator crystals. Sry after reading parts of that page, and the wood, i thought they also sell some crystals for sound enhancement. Like rubys make the sound warm. ;)
 

Harmonie

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Can't find the snake form multi-thousand dollar cable, but THAT is surely the winner !!
 

raindance

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mononoaware

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doesn't even have a remote control

Pretty sure they show the remote in the video, and how it can only pause but not stop the CD.
 

mansr

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Can't find the snake form multi-thousand dollar cable, but THAT is surely the winner !!
This one?
index.php
 

Robin L

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1 mile east of Sleater Kinney Rd

FrantzM

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This one?
index.php
I have seen many outlandish things in High End Audio. I have met people who did outlandish things in the name of High End Audio... This has to be top 5! I mean I am at a loss ... What's that supposed to be? An AC Power cord? From this outlet, a run of the mill outlet to the amplifier this thing would do wonders and ... Someone could actually believe so? Anyone who would have bought this thing deserved the fleecing.
:rolleyes::eek::eek::eek::rolleyes:
 

mhardy6647

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Don't make come into this thread and be a Philips 212/312 apologist! ;)

GA312 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
GA312flipsidepartial by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
The Philips GA-212 (and the later 312) has a low mass arm (albeit a somewhat crude/simplistic one, at that) so a high compliance cartridge is needed for best results.
Dollar for dollar (in the US) in their day with an empathetic cartridge, they were hard to beat and were extremely popular. More than a few of us "poor men" referred to them as the "Poor Man's Thorens".
I actually didn't own one, but my first "good"/"modern" (both relative terms!) tt was a Philips GA-308 I purchased used from hifi dealer in Baltimore, MD (ca. 1977). The 308 is quite similar to the 312, but without the fancy ;) FG DC motor belt drive and electric controls. The 308 also had a 10" rather than 12" platter. I loved that little rascal to pieces. It was a good cheap tt, sort of in the AR-XA school (but nicer looking, if not better built).

FULL DISCLOSURE: I do have a 212 in the basement nowadays... someplace.

Scan0014 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
 
Last edited:

Chrispy

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All the Philips tt pics take me way back.....considered them at one point, had kinda cool controls. Didn't want the rest of it in the end :) (went with SL1200 mk2)
 

MakeMineVinyl

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MakeMineVinyl

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Ron Texas

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Don't make come into this thread and be a Philips 212/312 apologist! ;)

GA312 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
GA312flipsidepartial by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
The Philips GA-212 (and the later 312) has a low mass arm (albeit a somewhat crude/simplistic one, at that) so a high compliance cartridge is needed for best results.
Dollar for dollar (in the US) in their day with an empathetic cartridge, they were hard to beat and were extremely popular. More than a few of us "poor men" referred to them as the "Poor Man's Thorens".
I actually didn't own one, but my first "good"/"modern" (both relative terms!) tt was a Philips GA-308 I purchased used from hifi dealer in Baltimore, MD (ca. 1977). The 308 is quite similar to the 312, but without the fancy ;) FG DC motor belt drive and electric controls. The 308 also had a 10" rather than 12" platter. I loved that little rascal to pieces. It was a good cheap tt, sort of in the AR-XA school (but nicer looking, if not better built).

FULL DISCLOSURE: I do have a 212 in the basement nowadays... someplace.

Scan0014 by Mark Hardy, on Flickr
I had a 212. What a total piece of junk.
 
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