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Hey, Pittsburgh audio guys who remember Opus One stereo shop.

108.39.196.215
Posted on May 10, 2021 at 04:19:32
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 Tasso Spanos passed away on May 2nd. Dude was a huge influence on me, he one of the reasons why there are 3500 LPs in my house....



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

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RE: Hey, Pittsburgh audio guys who remember Opus One stereo shop., posted on May 10, 2021 at 06:11:58
geoff
Audiophile

Posts: 3502
Joined: April 5, 2000
Contributor
  Since: September 10, 2003
 Still using a Belles amplifier that I bought there in '78.

 

He chewed me out on the phone once., posted on May 10, 2021 at 06:23:23
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 I bought a Beta Hi-Fi deck there and the PS failed. It was still under warranty so I returned it for repair. Opus One had it for six months but still hadn't fixed it. This happened in 1985.
UPS wouldn't deliver the replacement part because it was COD and by 1985, you could watch your fingernails grow in the amount of time it took for somebody to wait on you there. The delivery driver couldn't wait. All Tasso's good people were gone by then.
Finally out frustration I contacted The Pittsburgh Press consumer editor. Didn't think it would do any good but what the hell.
Couple days later, there was Tasso on my line with smoke coming out of his ears, but I was cool, he cooled down too, and my VCR was fixed by the end of that week.
He was one of the three main influences on my life after my dad and my Uncle Frank.





The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: Hey, Pittsburgh audio guys who remember Opus One stereo shop., posted on May 10, 2021 at 07:58:53
mg16
Audiophile

Posts: 1022
Joined: October 18, 2001
 I've lived in the outer burbs' of Pittsburgh all my life. During the 80's, (before CD, and when vinyl was king), Wife and I would love to frequent a high end audio shop in East Liberty. I am trying to remember the name, and its bugging the heck out of me. Its been closed for many years now.
You entered a door at street level, and took an elevator to the top floor.
Walked through a hallway to a nice living room setting. The far wall overlooked the city street, and was lined with amazing sounding speakers: Magnepans, Dayton Wright Electrostatics, M&K sat/sub systems, and many others.
It was there that I first heard some of the "high end" stuff. Speakers preamps, turntables, and amplifiers. I was poor as a church mouse, but the sales guys were kind, and not at all arrogant. We could sit in the very nicely decorated living room atmosphere, and they would connect the Maggies, or M&K system up for us to listen to. Vivid memories of listening to Fleetwood Mac Rumours through Magnepan MGII's, and the sound just floating in midair in the room. With Stevie sounding liking she was singing just for you. Then hearing Steely Dan Aja through a M&K sat/sub system with some type of Dynamic range expander, DBX?, that had the dynamic range, and pinpoint detail of a live performance.
Years later, when I could afford to own some of that great stuff, they were closed.
The place had a nice collection though, of used/traded in midfi gear that I could occasionally purchase. I bought a really nice Rabco ST-7 turntable with an Ortofon MC1 cartridge for around 150 bucks one day. The rest of the system was "scratch and denters" from Wanders Warehouse,
It consisted of" Infinity QA's, and a Yamaha "Natural Sound receiver". Kept me happy through some lean times.
(Any fellow Pittsburghers remember Wanders appliance store?).
Wanders was an odd place. You could walk through the furniture /appliance section of the store, straight into the audio section. They sold everything from cheapo Panasonic cassette decks, Yamaha amplifiers, Rectilinear, EPI, Infinity, and Bose 901 speakers, to Macintosh amps and preamps and tuners. You had to be careful there, because the salespeople were really good at the "bait and switch" game. They would lure you in with a weekly flyer, advertising a great deal on a nice receiver amp or set of speakers, then somehow, would happen to be sold out of the item. "But we have a great deal on this piece that is just a little more money , and is way better".
Would appreciate if someone from the area could remind me of the name of that East Liberty Audio shop. Pushing 70 this year, and memory sometimes needs a little boost.
Thanks,
mg16

 

I remember Wander Sales., posted on May 10, 2021 at 08:31:13
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 The carried Macintosh and Bose.
We used to torment the salesmen about the speakers they had available for demo, because it was obvious that some of them had tweeters disconnected. Advents, for example. Wander didn't sell Advent but they had a pair to demo. One was upright mounted flush against the wall, the other was a right angle. One had the tweeter disconnected.
We'd give the salesmen all kinds of shit about that.
But they played "Stairway to Heaven" on a Macintosh system with Bose 501 speakers for us once, and it sounded pretty good. Wander was a local chain, but the store we always hung out at was at Eastland shopping center.
The audio store in East Liberty? The places I remember other than Opus One are Audio Warehouse, Listening Post, Cameradio, and another store that I can't remember the name of, but it's right on the tip of my tongue. I can remember what the guy's voice sounded like in the radio spot. They carried Sansui, the guy in the radio spot mentioned Sansui.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: I remember Wander Sales., posted on May 10, 2021 at 08:43:33
mg16
Audiophile

Posts: 1022
Joined: October 18, 2001
 Yes. I remember Audio Warehouse on Saw Mill Run Blvd., and the Listening Post
in Shadyside, but the name of the place in East Liberty, that I frequented, escapes me.
Yes, Wanders big store was in the now defunct Eastland shopping center. I was a bargain hunter usually at Wanders warehouse in West Elizabeth. That's where the stuff scuffed up in shipping was sold. You could get decent stuff for peanuts. If we needed a new fridge, we would hit Wanders warehouse below the West Elizabeth bridge, and look at all the refrigerators till we found one with a scratch or dent on the back side, or the side going against a wall. I bought a nice pair of Infinity QA'S there that didn't look perfect, but sounded great to my ears.

 

We got our first color TV at that Wander warehouse., posted on May 10, 2021 at 09:01:35
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 1972, just in time for the fucking Pirates to break my heart in the National League Playoffs. Never cared about baseball since.
Worst part of the trip to West Elizabeth was dealing with the fumes from the nearby chemical plants.
Wander sold good stuff, but it was sort of shady also. There was a store in downtown McKeesport that got hit by lightning one night and burned out.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: Hey, Pittsburgh audio guys who remember Opus One stereo shop., posted on May 10, 2021 at 15:15:18
JonM
Audiophile

Posts: 292
Joined: December 29, 2000
 The shop on Stanwix St was a big influence on my youth. They never pushed you to buy anything - they'd rather not sell you something you'd be unhappy with. I still have a few things I bought there - Advents (large and small), an APT Holman preamp. And their shelves of used equipment was always fun to look through. The Soundpiper over in Squirrel Hill had more interesting gear (Ohm A's, Ampzilla amps, ERA tables), but Opus One's gear was classic, timeless.

Sad that Tasso is gone - truly end of an era.

 

I think Soundpiper is the name of the shop..., posted on May 10, 2021 at 15:18:25
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 I referred to below. Couldn't remember the name of the place but remember the radio commercial.
I liked Opus One's Indiana Pa store more than the store on Stanwix. The guys at the Indiana store put a Transcriptors Vestigal arm on my piece o' crap Rotel turntable. Still remember watching Star Trek on the Advent Videobeam.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: We got our first color TV at that Wander warehouse., posted on May 10, 2021 at 17:13:34
mg16
Audiophile

Posts: 1022
Joined: October 18, 2001
 Clairton Coke works was/is just across the river. In those days they just let the high sulphur, coal, by products fly out the stacks. Before the EPA was born, and pollution control equipment was installed to clean it up. Sky was tinted yellow, and the whole town smelled like rotten eggs.

 

So many blasts from the past, posted on May 10, 2021 at 22:17:00
Batman
Audiophile

Posts: 4194
Location: Western Pennsylvania
Joined: March 31, 2000
Contributor
  Since: June 16, 2000
 I could only afford to LOOK in Opus ONE when I was In college. When got to Grad School, I had a couple of extra bucks but could only afford a receiver from Lafayette Radio, they had a store in Bridgeville, along with a Garrard "Lab" TT. For speakers, I built a pair of 12 inch three ways from plans in Popular Electronics (who remembers David B Weems). Eventually I Replaced the Lafayette receiver with a Pioneer receiver bought at the Wander store in Eastland. Then, I bought a pair of JBL L100 speakers scratch and dent from the Appliance Store in Monroeville.

I discovered the high end in the 90's at a high end shop in Squirrel Hill , whose name I can't remember, Bought my C!asse Amp and Linnn Basik TT there. Since then most things have come from Audiogon or other used sources but I do miss the hours spent in those brick and mortar stores in the burg.


 

RE: I think Soundpiper is the name of the shop..., posted on May 11, 2021 at 03:24:47
JonM
Audiophile

Posts: 292
Joined: December 29, 2000
 I never went to the Indiana store, though I do remember listening to Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side" in the Oakland store. Larger Advents, excellent. The Soundpiper was run by two brothers - John and Jim Blair. Really nice guys, and very welcoming to me as a high school kid interested in audio. How can that Ampzilla sound so much better than the Crown DC300? Must be its damping factor! :-)

 

RE: I think Soundpiper is the name of the shop..., posted on May 11, 2021 at 03:41:03
JonM
Audiophile

Posts: 292
Joined: December 29, 2000
 Ahh, memory failed me - Opus One wasn't on Stanwix. Tasso's obit said it was on Smithfield, and I think when I drove there I must have gotten onto Stanwix and then knew where to go from there to get to the shop. So I remembered Stanwix. As for the Soundpiper, I think it was on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill, not far from Mineo's pizza. It's been many years - fond memories, if sometimes faulty.

 

The Smithfield street location is a gyro shop now., posted on May 11, 2021 at 03:56:11
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 I've eaten there. Very weird.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

Opus One's prices were actually pretty good., posted on May 11, 2021 at 03:59:13
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 I was flat on my ass broke during many of those years, but could still afford the Vestigal. Indiana Opus One also rebuilt my PAS.
Got a great price on a Kenwood L-07C and L-07M system. Floor models. I nearly always bought floor models.
Opus One sold a budget system that was good enough to last a lifetime. Small Advents, Dual 1209 TT, Marantz receiver.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

There were a lot of chemical plants in West Elizabeth., posted on May 11, 2021 at 04:03:53
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 Still a few left, but the fumes aren't nearly as bad as they were.
Clairton Coke Works is on the same side of the river but downstream. Most of the hydrogen sulfide fumes were blown across the river into Glassport and Lincoln Borough.
My brother and I delivered the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette when we were teenagers. We lived in a little town called Port Vue. Summer mornings, the hydrogen sulfide fog would lay dense at the bottoms of hills. I'd have to hold my breath and run to each house.
Only two of the coke batteries are still in operation and USS plans to cut coke production even more in the near future. Still can raise stink every once in a while though.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: There were a lot of chemical plants in West Elizabeth., posted on May 11, 2021 at 10:25:17
mg16
Audiophile

Posts: 1022
Joined: October 18, 2001
 I know Port Vue well.
We lived for awhile on Myer Ave. in Port Vue.
My oldest son started 1st grade at the Myer Ave. Elementary school. He's 52 now.
I worked at a little Awning and sheet metal fabrication shop called Enamel Products and Plating Co. Sandwiched in between Reliance steel, and Menzie Dairy, on Walnut Street.
Close to Christy EatnPark. Renhieser ,(Renzi Park) just up the road.
Tillies across the street had fantastic spaghetti, Lasagna, Italian and American food. Tillies kids run it now. We still travel there once and awhile for the Lasagna.
Had some great Downtown shops on Lyle Blvd.
Pretty much a ghost town now.

 

Remember the Hi-Fi Center in McKeesport?, posted on May 11, 2021 at 10:58:56
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 It was below street level on Walnut Street. I kept Stan in boat payments.
Before I started 1st Grade, I had to take a short aptitude test at the Myer School. South Allegheny didn't exist yet, it was Port Vue-Liberty.
There was a store on Myer not far from the school that sold penny candy.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: Remember the Hi-Fi Center in McKeesport?, posted on May 11, 2021 at 11:42:51
mg16
Audiophile

Posts: 1022
Joined: October 18, 2001
 Yes, I remember HI-FI center on Walnut.
I went in there only a few times. Very small, with limited items, but most were of high quality. I am sure my 2 boys frequented that candy store.
We lived a few houses up from the dead end on Myer Ave.

 

RE: Remember the Hi-Fi Center in McKeesport?, posted on May 11, 2021 at 12:08:48
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 I grew up in the so-called "Westwood Hills."
I bought my Advents from Stan at the Hi-Fi Center. Got my first turntable there (it wasn't very good), picked up a used Stereo 70 and PAS there, too. Between my friends and I, we bought a lot of gear there.
My uncle was the local factory rep for Garrard and he knew Stan really well.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: Remember the Hi-Fi Center in McKeesport?, posted on May 11, 2021 at 15:45:16
mg16
Audiophile

Posts: 1022
Joined: October 18, 2001
 Funny how easily one can remember their first good stereo system . Kinda like how you remember your first girlfriend.
Mine was Large Advents, Sherwood receiver, Dual 1229 with Shure M91ED cartridge. I bought it at Audio Warehouse on Sawmill Run Blvd.
Oh yeah, her name was Karen.
mg16

 

Oh, yeah..., posted on May 12, 2021 at 04:17:15
ghost of olddude55
Audiophile

Posts: 32588
Joined: July 14, 2017
 I had Advent/3 speakers, a Rotel RP-1000Q turntable with the Transcriptors arm and a Shure V15 Type II Improved, and a Nikko receiver.
First girlfriend was Melinda. Lasted three days.



The blissful counterstroke-a considerable new message.

 

RE: Hey, Pittsburgh audio guys who remember Opus One stereo shop., posted on August 27, 2023 at 16:18:20
gdi247
Audiophile

Posts: 1
Location: NY
Joined: August 27, 2023
 I used to work there in the mid80's at the downtown store. The place was a disaster. It took me a month just to figure out what they had in that store alone. I found a Sota Sapphire half assembled and thrown back in the box. I actually learned how to mount a cartridge on that Sota from Spano.
I have to admit they did have some really cool equipment there. The

 

RE: Hey, Pittsburgh audio guys who remember Opus One stereo shop., posted on August 30, 2023 at 08:27:32
rrsands
Audiophile

Posts: 2568
Location: Pittsburgh, PA
Joined: July 11, 2001
 I think I went in a couple times in the early 80s when I started working downtown. Given that I made $8K a year, I wasn't able to touch anything in that place, so I wasted little time there. But it was fun to dream.

Grew up in the mid-Mon Valley between Charleroi and Mon City, and there just weren't any Audio shops that close. But one of my friends fathers was a doc, and he had Mac equipment that I drooled over as a kid. Outside of the Sylvania console my folks had (like everyones folks in the 60s and early 70s) that was the only brush I had with high end audio until I went to O1. Didn't hang there much since the sales goofs tended to look down their noses at youngsters such as myself.

Fast forward to the mid 90s, after my painful divorce experience, I went to Listening Post and bought a Yamaha int/cdp/cassette separates (everyone knew vinyl was dead, after all) with Boston Acoustics speaks. Nice little system, best I'd had to that point.

Enjoyed that until just after the turn of the century, when I found Listener mag and this place called Audio Asylum. You may have heard of it. Started to read about audio, and got more interested. Read about tubes and vinyl here, and got hooked. Listener told me about Rogue Audio tube ints, Nott Analogue TTs and JM Reynaud speaks. Just so happened Northern Audio in the N Hills carried Rogue, and I bought a Tempest. Bought the TT from Larry at Hollywood Sound in FL (who's also still in business). He got me going on setup and a Dyna 10X4 cart, and Brought my thru the 20XH and eventually to the Lyra Dorian. Great guy. Just rewired my arm and fixed my Interspace motor after 20 years of hard service. Still have the JMR Twins II in my loft room with an NAD 316bee and a Sony 9000es CDP.

AFAIK, when I moved south a yr ago, there was only NA and Butchs in the area, both very good shops.

We'll be going back in Sept, so looking forward to visiting NA. You guys have made me a little homesick, not least because there's a hurricane headed here to SC today.

Thanks for the memories.

 

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