Kawiphil 3 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balok 1,410 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Don't leave us hanging man, ...did you find new flip flops??? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zumbini 6,140 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Howdy Kawiphil and welcome to the forum. Thanks for sharing your story with us. Points for posting pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PMAT 1,842 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Welcome to the group. Good to have you on the surface. Great find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilDent 1,714 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 What a score. I highly recommend a BillD mod. There are several techs here that can get this done for you. Well worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlie 16,429 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Hey Kawiphil and welcome! Thanks for the story.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dennismiller55 4,717 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingman 662 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Great snag!!! Welcome!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Community Admin AndrewJohn 8,184 Posted June 20, 2017 Community Admin Share Posted June 20, 2017 Welcome! That's a great story. "It happened one day on the way to Margaritaville." ...lookin' for new flip flops. Weclome to OCCD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loner_t 2,568 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B-Man 4,763 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Welcome to the asylum !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aslan7 954 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ar9Jim 6,061 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Thanks for sharing your story Phil. Great score. Welcome to CS.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcl 3,173 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 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! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peck555 366 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Great find, welcome to the site!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dnspy007 1,475 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 Welcome to CS... Kawiphil, I have a "Good" pair of used Flip Flops..Will trade for C-1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilDent 1,714 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 I'll trade my "like new" Birkenstocks for the M500 ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kawiphil 3 Posted June 20, 2017 Author Share Posted June 20, 2017 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ar9Jim 6,061 Posted June 20, 2017 Share Posted June 20, 2017 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. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chops 693 Posted June 21, 2017 Share Posted June 21, 2017 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 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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