Here's a question for you org technofiles. The old Ipod I had for 5 years died. Do I replace it with a new Ipod or is there an equally good version like Zune which you can replace batteries with the generic version of batteries? That is the major complaint I have about Ipods. Secondly, my ancient Kenwood stereo receiver is acting up. At first, I thought it was the speakers and then the wires, but now I think the receiver is getting ready to die. Sometimes when I play my CDs, even the new ones, I have crackling noises and audio problems. I have no idea how old it is. My Ex gave it to me about 7 years ago to replace an equally old Pioneer stereo receiver that finally died. I just replaced my old CD player with a new Sony. Can anyone give me some advice on what to get to replace the Kenwood stereo receiver with one that will last a long time--hopefully 10 years or more? I think the Kenwood is about 20 years old! Would really appreciate some feedback!

I remember a friend saying the crackling was due to "dirty pots" but I have no idea what that was (he fixed hi-fis and TVs for a living in the 90s, so I believe him!)
http://www.stevehoffman.t...53382.html

sounds like you have plenty of feedback already *rimshot*

I love my Ipod touch and my Ipod dock.

If I had no stereo at all, I'd get a little sony shelf system with usb

ZombieKitten said:

Hey thanks for the feedback. As far as my receiver goes I have awesome speakers that my Ex built from scratch so I don't want a new set--I just want a solid good stereo receiver that will last for many years (is that too much to ask in this day and age?!)

poetcorner61 said:

see my previous post, your amp may still be ok, just needs cleaning

BklynBabe said:

Are the newer Ipods better than the older ones for quality? The only complaint with the old one is that I had to buy an Apple battery to replace it instead of a generic battery. What kind of Ipod do you have and how old is it?

I have the 2G touch. I love it. Supposedly battery life should be much improved with each successive generation.

I'm liking that Sony deck above.

Pricing is really good for the 3 G touch. Same amount of money now buys 32GB instead of 8GB

What does "died" mean w/ the iPod? You can get a replacement battery and/or harddrive for under $20 each, easy, and have another 7 or 8 years left with it. $40 is way cheaper than buying a new iPod or a Shoozne.

ernestsewell said:

"Died" for my Ipod means that it was 3 years old when I bought it used off E-bay and then owned it for another few years and the battery replacement didn't resuscitate it! So, I now need to buy a replacement, hopefully that will take a generic battery!

ZombieKitten said:

Thanks again. I did read your post but this Kenwood receiver is so old that cleaning or repair would probably cost more than the price of a new one.
My question is: what should I get for a new receiver?! I'll check on line but I was hoping some org members could point the way! I'm not an electronics person!

ZombieKitten said:

By the way, ZombieKitten, your little stereo system is as cute as your pics! Thanks for posting it. If I didn't already have great components, I'd buy it in a minute!

poetcorner61 said:

I'd buy it too if I didn't already have 2 old sony shelf systems (one from 1992) THAT STILL WORK just fine!!!

don't you have any nerdy friends who like electronics?

I have a 4 year old Kenwood VR-6070 that's working like a champ. Loud, clean and no problems. It doesn't have HDMI, so that's a drag. Even the cheapest receivers have HDMI built in now, so whatever you get will have this feature. You probably need some power for those custom speakers, so find something with 100 watts or more per channel. You don't have to look far to find a decent A/V receiver for under $300 with gobs of bells and whistles. Sony, Denon, Yamaha, Kenwood and Onkyo all have units in that price range, though I'm a tad soured on Onkyo.

Crutchfield is a good place to comparison shop, but the prices tend to be higher than you can get at brick and mortar stores. http://www.crutchfield.co...=179&avf=N

Spend the extra money on the iPod vs other portables if only for the gigantic internet support system, immediate answers via the web and vast array of third-party software and accessories. Plus, if you want to put those digital copies of movies that come with DVDs on your portable, iPod is really the only game in town.

And while we're on the subject of AV/iPods...

This thing right here is the shit. It connects to your receiver and TV for video and stereo playback. The best thing about it is the RF remote that goes through your playlists and albums from just about anywhere in the house. I paid $50, but they can be had for less.

http://www.amazon.com/Phi...B002R8VKTI

squirrelgrease said:

Thanx, Squirrelgrease, for the info! And to answer Zombiekitten's question--the Ex was the electronics guy and my friends are as clueless as I am! Have to do lots of on-line research before I buy anything new!

poetcorner61 said:

bummer!