I just bought a fabulous new piece of stereo equipment that I'll tell you about in a minute. First, a tour through my stereo systems over the years that will likely sound like your own journey.
As freshman in high school in 1971, I yearned for an elaborate component stereo system. My problem was being spoiled by a saxophonist friend who had a pair of massive Altec Voice of the Theater speakers (above) in his basement and a jazz-loving father with an amazing record collection. Each afternoon, I couldn't wait to go over to his house after school. We'd put on Maynard Ferguson's Boy With Lots of Brass (mono) and crank it up. Through those two refrigerator-sized speakers, Maynard and the band, plus Irene Kral, were in the room with us.
By the start of 1970s, images of the Grateful Dead's Wall of Sound system danced in my head. More was more back then when it came to acoustics and impact. It also looked cool. I worked several jobs in high school, and by my junior year in the spring of '73, I could afford my first system—a Pioneer integrated receiver, a Dual turntable and a pair of Dynaco A-35 speakers (above). This system would travel with me back and forth to college in my freshman and sophomore years. At school, the two speakers stood on on the floor and a sturdy board spanned the gap to support the receiver and turntable. My albums were transported in red plastic milk crates.
In college at Boston's Northeastern University, I opted for the five-year work-study program and interned at The New York Times. Before long, in '76, I had saved enough to upgrade to a McIntosh 6200 integrated amp/pre-amp with ice-blue panel lighting and a Technics SL1100AC direct drive turntable (above) with spring-y legs that absorbed vibration coming off the dance floor. It was designed for disco DJs.
After college in 1980, I moved to New York to start full-time at The Times and shared a rental apartment on Riverside Drive. Dragging my stereo system and vinyl down to the city from my parents' house in northern Westchester would have been a bit much given the tight space. So in the cassette era, I purchased a sizable silver AIWA CS-75X stereo boombox (above). The sound was amazing. I made mix tapes from my album collection back at my parents' house.
After my wife and I married in 1986, I returned to my vinyl system. In the CD era in 1993, I added a Benchmark DAC1 converter and a B&W subwoofer and invested in a pro Sony CD player (above). The system sounded even better, especially in the living room.
But once I converted a second bedroom into an office in 2011, I needed a second, compact system. So I bought an Arcam Solo integrated stereo receiver, another Benchmark DAC1 converter, a Toslink digital optical cable, a pair of B&W monitor speakers (below) and a white Pro-Ject Debut III turntable (above). My digital music was housed in an external hard-drive. Pure audio bliss for an office system.
Unfortunately, my sleek white turntable with its crystal platter was on a shelf that didn't allow the dust cover to come up all the way to put on vinyl. In short order, I stopped using it, skipping the hassle and focusing instead on my external hard drive feeding into iTunes and pushing through the DAC-1 and B&W bookshelf speakers. In 2018, my new large-size iMac came with terrific built-in speakers, so I soon stopped using my office system altogether.
This summer, in a move to de-clutter and slim down dramatically, I had a self-intervention and sold off virtually all of my albums and CDs. I also decided to clear out all of my stereo equipment, with its thick, dust-caked cables and multiple plugs and wires. Instead, I did something radical. I found a playmate for my white turntable.
Last week, I upgraded by downgrading. I purchased an ingenious piece of equipment called the Spinbase. Made by Andover Audio, in Andover, Mass., the all-in-one white Spinbase houses an integrated receiver, two built-in speakers and single dial on the front that turns the unit on and adjusts the sound. Treble and bass knobs are in the back along with a headphone jack. I liberated my white turntable and placed in on top. The turntable looked so happy as I cleaned its surfaces. If it had a tail, it would have been beating against the wall.
It took me all of five minutes to connect my turntable to the Spinbase and to re-balance my Pro-ject's tonearm (it had been a while). Then spent the day listening to albums. What joy!! Music without the dust or the hassle of lots of gear being turned on.
How much did the Spinbase set me back? All of $299. That's it. The unit comes in black or white. If you wish, you can buy a sleek black or white turntable from Andover that perches on top as well as a subwoofer that Andover just started offering. They also sell a compact storage cabinet with a platform on top for the Spinbase and a turntable. Today, thanks to Andover's ingenuity and design, less is more.
The Spinbase delivers plenty of power and volume (more than I need before rattling neighbors' teeth); the bass, mid-range and high end sound warm and distinct; the soundscape is wide, even if the speakers aren't facing you directly; it has a built-in pre-amp; it's Bluetooth-ready, meaning you can play music from your computer on the Spinbase wirelessly; and the unit was designed to be vibration-free, so there's no risk of a hum encroaching on the turntable's tonearm and distorting the fidelity. In fact, there is no hum. The unit was designed to accommodate a turntable on top and the fidelity is high-end.
What album did I play first? Maynard Ferguson's Boy With Lots of Brass. It sounded just as good as I remember it. Not as loud, but just as distinct and warm. Sometimes simple satisfies more than a fantasy realized.
JazzWax notes: The Spinbase ($299) is purchased directly from Andover Audio, either by phone or online (or in person). The turntable pictured is not included. You'll find Spinbase's specs and the company's retail page with their other affordable gear—such as a turntable and subwoofer—here.
