This is a system of components that I've swapped in and out over 17 years, starting it using lawn mowing money to buy the tape deck in 1991. Frontline is all Technics, which although the specs aren't that impressive, sound pretty good and have performed great (still going strong after 15 years and many high-school and college parties).
Upgrades planned to move this system out of the entry-level category include a reference sub (Velodyne DD-15), separate surround processor preamp (Nad T-163 or Rotel RSP-1068) and outboard amps all around (Adcom GFA-555, Nad, or Rotel). If I hit the lottery then I might consider a SACD player or a separate transport/DAC and upgraded interconnects, as well as going 7.1 and matching the rear surrounds to the fronts with Klipsch RF-82s.
Past components in my system have included some vintage pieces:
Haha...that's funny that you mentioned the speaker jacks - they were pretty bad. Well, to make a long story short, I gave my Technics receiver the heave-ho in favor of a new NAD with binding posts. :) But before that with the Technics, I tried using pin connectors with my larger-gauge cables. They still slipped, though, or the plastic tabs on the Technics jacks wouldn't stay closed. When that happened, and I got tired of the ever-present hiss from the center channel whenever I used one of the DSP modes, I had to upgrade. Noise floor was silent in stereo, though.
I currently used my Technics 690 receiver as "headphone amp" to my Sony DVP-NS500V SACD/DVD/CD player and Grado SR60 headphones....very musical and sounds excellent. No speakers connected to the Technics. Given their awful speaker connectors, how do you your speaker cables from slipping out?
