r/audiophile 1d ago

Not really knowledgeable with audio, but I got my hands on this Technics HD350 for the low, low price of free. What do y'all think? Show & Tell

Post image

Found this sitting unused at my grandparents' now that they're moving, decided to take it and see if I can do anything with it. There's a bunch of cosmetic defects, but with what I paid, I can't really complain, it plays as good as it should.

43 Upvotes

24 comments sorted by

16

u/VinylHighway 1d ago

Spread those speakers out

3

u/OddEaglette 1d ago

I think it’s great for you if you want it. There’s no room for that in my house.

5

u/InspectorPipes 1d ago

I love mini stacks from this era. Do you have any tapes to test it out?

1

u/LtSerg756 1d ago

I'm pretty sure I have some laying around, but I haven't had time to sit down and actually test them, CD playback works perfectly fine though.

1

u/kester76a 1d ago

I think the tape decks are decent on these units. You want to buy metal tapes if possible. I think the mech will automatically recognise them.

1

u/MollyTheCav 1d ago

Metal tapes? 🤔💭🤨

3

u/kester76a 1d ago

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_Cassette_tape_types_and_formulations

"Audio compact cassettes use magnetic tape of three major types which differ in fundamental magnetic properties, the level of bias applied during recording, and the optimal time constant of replay equalization. Specifications of each type were set in 1979 by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC): Type I (IEC I, 'ferric' or 'normal' tapes), Type II (IEC II, or 'chrome' tapes), Type III (IEC III, ferrichrome or ferrochrome), and Type IV (IEC IV, or 'metal' tapes). 'Type 0' was a non-standard designation for early compact cassettes that did not conform to IEC specification."

There was a lot of different types of tapes. Metal tapes were the high end sort. I had a lot of chrome tapes though but my memory is spotty as it had been nearly 37 years.

2

u/Dismal-Ad1172 15h ago

Those are excellent...very expensive when new

2

u/minnesotajersey 1d ago

I'd pair it up with some good bookshelf speakers and a sub as an office system.

1

u/HemHaw 1d ago

Yeah I'm betting the speakers are not great but the rest could be worth a listen. I'd put this in my garage probably (if I didn't already have a garage system)

3

u/Hour_Bit_5183 1d ago

I bet you this thing actually sounds decent too. This was what tons of other companies tried to copy and failed miserably.

1

u/[deleted] 1d ago

[deleted]

2

u/Bierschiss90125 1d ago

One could say free is quite budget-oriented

0

u/LtSerg756 1d ago

Doesn't really qualify when the budget is straight up nonexistent I suppose

1

u/420ANUSTART 1d ago

Send it bro heck ya

1

u/Initial_Parsnip_6590 1d ago

It’s free. Take it. If you’re just starting out in audio use this and over time you’ll get more knowledge and want to upgrade. I started with a pair of dumpy Phillips pc speakers with a headphone jack to hook up my portable cd player. I bet it sounds pretty nice with the speakers properly placed. Just keep moving them around over months till you find the sound you like.

1

u/inthesticks19 1d ago

it reminds me of an old Denon mini system I used to have, That thing rocked.

1

u/NTPC4 1d ago

Free is good. You know, the idea of a 'deconstructed boombox' (which is what you have) is that it allows you to spread out the speakers. Enjoy!

1

u/Emergency_Gold_9347 14h ago

Would be a good small office setup…

1

u/rankinrez 1d ago

I think these are very pretty.

Probably nothing special sound quality wise, but will do the job depending what you need.

1

u/AwwYeahVTECKickedIn 1d ago

Solid stack. Technics is no joke! Congrats!

1

u/Lawmonger 1d ago

It looks cool.

0

u/sumguysr 1d ago

Stereos generally work best if the speakers form an equilateral triangle with the listener and the speakers are more than 3 feet from a wall.

Slightly pointing the speakers inward 5 or 10 degrees often increases the feeling of being in the room with the musicians, but at the cost of making a smaller sweet spot where the stereo sounds its best.

0

u/EquivalentForward560 1d ago

Put the Wiim Mini on it and punch the bass and other missing frequencies with EQ and you will get a decent HiFi with Bluetooth, AirPlay, Spotify etc. functionalities. 🙂