Any interest in a general thread about this here?
Anyone dabble?
Anyone take a soldering iron out to fix an issue?
There are a lot of good resources out there to talk about this, great even, I've been there and have the T-shirt to prove it.
But there's only one Paug, and I'm curious about what the Paug hivemind thinks about this.
Neither the techs, or the capacitors are getting any younger.
I've done my fair share of 'cleaning' up vintage gear but have yet to venture into the soldering and altering any of the electronics.
Quote from: Buffalo Budd on September 16, 2021, 10:52:01 PMI've done my fair share of 'cleaning' up vintage gear but have yet to venture into the soldering and altering any of the electronics.
Yeah, me too mostly. Really just a step beyond this: I've actually been spending a couple of hours a night for the last few months learning how use the soldering iron, read schematics, and use testing equipment. I practice on gear I pick up from Goodwill. The current "victim" is a mid 90s JVC cd player.
But I realized my first "profit" in the cleaning game this week in the form of $50 in store credit (my terms, hey I'm a beginner) from the local record store for my work on a Pioneer SX780 I cleaned and did some basic tests on, with no fucking around with the electronics. He made an additional $250 on my work within hours. He's willing to pay me more for more repairs and cleaning, but I tempered his expectations for a few months while I learn. Driving to a tech where I'm at is an overnight adventure both ways.
This thread makes me miss Will, he would have taken us to school on this. :'(
Quote from: Hicks on September 17, 2021, 02:02:20 AMThis thread makes me miss Will, he would have taken us to school on this. :'(
Ugh. My first thought as well.
QuoteQuoteThis thread makes me miss Will, he would have taken us to school on this. :'(
Ugh. My first thought as well.
Yeah. will would have been my go-to for this thread.
That said, I've dabbled a little. I've built passive switches, made some cables, and done some work on both my own and a friend's guitar.
I'm actually working up to taking my old Dual turntable apart and replacing the output cables because they're wonky and shorting the signal to the ground.
I replaced the bulbs on my MCS 3233 this afternoon. This unit is the main speaker driver in my basement system and has electrical problems that will need to be addressed when I'm further down the learning curve; likely due to aging of components. Sounds good for now.
The results were underwhelming from a visual "pop" perspective, as I wanted things to be brighter, but successful from a technical perspective as at least the whole unit face is lit now. Also successful from a learning perspective, as the wire soldering techniques I've been practicing for the last few weeks were all put to the test, including adding wire to a connection that was worked on in the past.
The underwhelming part was my error. Instead of waiting for something to come in the mail, I made due with something available locally, and the LED doesn't "fire" in the right direction. Made good and ordered something better, but I'll have to re-do it. At least it's all set up for that swap now.
Have a phono preamp board coming in the mail tomorrow to assemble to practice some more soldering.
Quote from: rowjimmy on September 17, 2021, 11:06:30 AMYeah. will would have been my go-to for this thread.
That said, I've dabbled a little. I've built passive switches, made some cables, and done some work on both my own and a friend's guitar.
I'm actually working up to taking my old Dual turntable apart and replacing the output cables because they're wonky and shorting the signal to the ground.
Changing the output cables on my turntables is one of the things that set me on trying to figure this stuff out and getting to know a soldering iron. It started with trying to work around the factory preamp in the AT 120 USB that was my first "real" turntable.
The AT probably won't be "fixed" now that I've moved on to other turntables, but that was the fucker that started it all.
I've done some repair work on stuff....mostly fixing broken solder joints. Never gone in and done any replacement of components though....guess it wouldn't be that big of a leap though. I've changed out pickups in guitars, which is super easy...hardest thing I've done to date was fixing broken solder joints on an op-amp in a foot pedal.
I really need to refresh my tube amp, but I will leave that to the real pros....fuck touching the inside of something with a part called the "death cap" :o
I've recapped a few old speakers - KLH model 6, and Klipsch Quartets. The Klipsch were almost outside my soldering ability but I pulled it off. Would love to mess around with more vintage gear, but my smallish apartment doesn't need multiple stereo systems.
i have a Dual 1019 i am going to need to re-grease and change an idler wheel soon, but i haven't really picked up a soldering iron since i was a teenager. i don't have much other vintage gear to play with, but could probably still figure my way around with schematics if i had the time (spoiler: i never do)
Quote from: Marmar on September 20, 2021, 09:08:18 AMI've done some repair work on stuff....mostly fixing broken solder joints. Never gone in and done any replacement of components though....guess it wouldn't be that big of a leap though. I've changed out pickups in guitars, which is super easy...hardest thing I've done to date was fixing broken solder joints on an op-amp in a foot pedal.
I really need to refresh my tube amp, but I will leave that to the real pros....fuck touching the inside of something with a part called the "death cap" :o
Yeah, I'll fuck around and find out as much as the next guy, but not with tube stuff.
Quote from: jam> on September 20, 2021, 02:19:57 PMI've recapped a few old speakers - KLH model 6, and Klipsch Quartets. The Klipsch were almost outside my soldering ability but I pulled it off. Would love to mess around with more vintage gear, but my smallish apartment doesn't need multiple stereo systems.
Quote from: tet on September 20, 2021, 10:54:08 PMi have a Dual 1019 i am going to need to re-grease and change an idler wheel soon, but i haven't really picked up a soldering iron since i was a teenager. i don't have much other vintage gear to play with, but could probably still figure my way around with schematics if i had the time (spoiler: i never do)
It sounds like tet doesn't have the time, and jam doesn't have the space, but the solution I've come up with to having things to work on is to buy less marketable/desirable projects (like early 80s Marantz or MCS gear) which are wired similar to "the goods" but won't lead to too much disappointment if it all goes wrong. I've spent a few months collecting 2 or 3 of these units on the cheap. They are the next phase for me after refining my soldering and component identification skills.
Someday I'm going to do a full restore on my Sansui G-5000, but that's sorta "final exam" stuff.
Similarly, I've got my first electric guitar which is a real piece... I'm going to test out some fancier work on it (split coils) for practice.
Quote from: rowjimmy on September 24, 2021, 09:33:19 AMSimilarly, I've got my first electric guitar which is a real piece... I'm going to test out some fancier work on it (split coils) for practice.
Sounds like a good start.
I've got another "final exam/possible entrance to grad school" type project that is guitar related; a Sears Silvertone Model 1484 Twin Twelve tube amp. Can't decide whether to sell it as is or take the plunge. It was handed down to me, so I have nothing in it other than sentimental value and can wait all day, but since I don't really play, I keep getting the nagging urge to move it on to someone who will appreciate it.
Starting to get serious here. I've spent the last few months gathering materials, tools, and in town contacts.
My first serious victim is this Marantz SR1000.
Patient Symptoms: Smoke emanates from power supply board 3-4 mins after start up.
Initial Diagnosis: Diode Q808 is shorted.
Current Treatment Plan: Replace Q808, Q801=805 (which test out ok, but look crispy), and re-cap the power supply board.
Possible Complications: The STK 463 chip is busted and the same problem returns. Initial testing indicates it's ok.
Got an oscilliscope and variac coming in the mail next week to take the deep dive.
Getting serious indeed.
Quote from: rowjimmy on October 01, 2021, 02:06:59 PMGetting serious indeed.
Finally found my own hole in the market that intersects with my interests and talents. Here's to hoping it can be solvent enough to at least make my music addiction income neutral.
That's the hope anyway.
Either way, I'll make my addiction less expensive if I can pick up gear that's broken and fix it myself.
But I also think it's real fucking fun. So there's that.
Quote from: nab on October 01, 2021, 06:51:58 PMQuote from: rowjimmy on October 01, 2021, 02:06:59 PMGetting serious indeed.
Finally found my own hole in the market that intersects with my interests and talents. Here's to hoping it can be solvent enough to at least make my music addiction income neutral.
That's the hope anyway.
Either way, I'll make my addiction less expensive if I can pick up gear that's broken and fix it myself.
But I also think it's real fucking fun. So there's that.
That's awesome!
Well, started up the Marantz SR1000 today again. My variac came in the mail yesterday, so I was able to bring up the power slowly and get it just to the point it starts smoking, without pushing it any more than I had to. Once I got to about 90 volts and let it sit for a couple of mins, I started noticing the smoke, but it's so faint and far above the board, I can't pinpoint it's exact location other than the power board.
Took a picture of the power board and the damage to Q807 and Q808 are worse than I can see with my eyes, readers, and magnifying lens. Both of them will definitely be replaced. They are the diodes circled in the photo. While I'm in there, I'm going to replace the filter capacitors and other electrolytics on this side of the board, especially those in the caustic glue. I have a mess of capacitors coming this week, and will test them as I pull them, but I'm betting they will be showing their age. They're marked with stars in the photo.
Then I'm cleaning the glue that caused this whole mess off the board.
Now to wait on the mail this week.
Nice, dude
I'm diggin this thread. Thanks for play-by-play.
Quote from: jam> on October 04, 2021, 10:45:14 AMI'm diggin this thread. Thanks for play-by-play.
Totally. Thanks for letting us follow along nab. :beers:
QuoteQuoteI'm diggin this thread. Thanks for play-by-play.
Totally. Thanks for letting us follow along nab. :beers:
same. very educational.
Marantz repair is on hold while I wait for more parts. One of the most frustrating things about doing this from where I'm at is that not having the right resistor can throw you off a week while you wait for more parts. I've ordered several kits of capacitors, resistors, diodes, LEDs, etc., but something exotic pops up.
Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the progress right now as I forgot to take one before closing up the case to move some other things on to the bench. I've had to make way for three receivers in a row from the local record store. They were all cheap units from the early 80s that weren't worth the money to rehab. I've started desoldering them for more practice and spare parts like RCA connectors, knobs, switches, etc.
The latest victim was a Sony STR-VX1. This unit was produced in the early 80s and was plagued with the same Filter Capacitor glue as the Marantz, but the glue had eaten this unit up way more than it had in the Marantz. One of the main power rails was green with corrosion. The picture below shows the glue, power rail, board degradation, and components I saw with visible corrosion from the glue (starred). The only remedy would be to replace all of these starred components at least, though it is likely they've set others off.
So, if you're buying a rando unit from this era, pop the top and look for the glue and any corrosion at least.
This Sony didn't smoke and put out music and lit up btw.
Quote from: rowjimmy on September 17, 2021, 11:06:30 AMI'm actually working up to taking my old Dual turntable apart and replacing the output cables because they're wonky and shorting the signal to the ground.
Replaced the RCAs on this today snipped connectors off one end of a spare set, took off about 8" of the existing ones and spliced the new wire on.
Seems to work and no hum yet. So at least I'm no worse than when I started.
Quote from: rowjimmy on October 23, 2021, 03:44:39 PMQuote from: rowjimmy on September 17, 2021, 11:06:30 AMI'm actually working up to taking my old Dual turntable apart and replacing the output cables because they're wonky and shorting the signal to the ground.
Replaced the RCAs on this today snipped connectors off one end of a spare set, took off about 8" of the existing ones and spliced the new wire on.
Seems to work and no hum yet. So at least I'm no worse than when I started.
Well done!
Quote from: antelope19 on October 23, 2021, 11:12:41 PMQuote from: rowjimmy on October 23, 2021, 03:44:39 PMQuote from: rowjimmy on September 17, 2021, 11:06:30 AMI'm actually working up to taking my old Dual turntable apart and replacing the output cables because they're wonky and shorting the signal to the ground.
Replaced the RCAs on this today snipped connectors off one end of a spare set, took off about 8" of the existing ones and spliced the new wire on.
Seems to work and no hum yet. So at least I'm no worse than when I started.
Well done!
Right on!
The DIY aspect and use in vintage audio is one of the things I like the most. I rock Pioneer PL-12Ds in my two systems because they are so well built and simple. Short of replacing tonearm wiring (which is still beyond my soldering skills), I'm confident I could fix anything in either one.
And hell, I'm crazy enough to try the tonearm wiring if it came to that.
That said, the conversion to RCA jacks on both units is something I still want to do.
Finished a re-cap, transistor test, and cleaning on a Technics SA-101 this past weekend.
On sale at the local record store. Of course they get a cut, but this way I don't have to deal with FB marketplace or Ebay. Plus the local record store guy has been real helpful in getting units in my hands and trusting me as I learn, so he deserves a cut. I picked it up locally for free on FB Marketplace, so I'm only out parts and labor. I'd also rather these low cost units go to budding vintage audio users too than go on the speculating market.
Next up, a JVC R-S33. A real sweet sounding amp for the cost/benefit ratio. Finishing the power supply recap tomorrow.
I might have to send you a project.
Quote from: rowjimmy on October 26, 2021, 11:03:32 AMI might have to send you a project.
What kind of a project are you looking at?
Quote from: nab on October 26, 2021, 01:08:47 PMQuote from: rowjimmy on October 26, 2021, 11:03:32 AMI might have to send you a project.
What kind of a project are you looking at?
Neighbor has a Pioneer SX-1250 with a bad channel... At least I think that's the problem.
And I'm not sure if that's the precise model.
Fucking tank of a unit tho.
QuoteQuoteQuoteI might have to send you a project.
What kind of a project are you looking at?
Neighbor has a Pioneer SX-1250 with a bad channel... At least I think that's the problem.
And I'm not sure if that's the precise model.
Fucking tank of a unit tho.
You're not kidding, that one is a fucking beast and a good looker. And a very valuable unit.
And way too expensive to ship to someone who's just getting dangerous and not there yet.
If repair was musicianship, I'm good enough to busk and make a few dollars, but that one needs Wrecking Crew levels of consistent performance.
Never, ever, ever, fuck with the dial string.
In my case the fucking with it was inadvertent. I wasn't paying attention to the wheel while I was turning this receiver over and over to replace some capacitors. The wheel came loose, some gears and grommets that were held in only by the wheel axle came loose, and the line went slack.
It took me nearly 3 hours to get it all back together. It's a geometry puzzle from hell.
This Marantz SR1000 has been a partner of mine for quite some time. When I bought it in parts condition, the owner asked me why I wanted it. I answered "Because there's enought wrong with it to teach me a lot, but not so much it's hopeless".
Today, hope came home.
IT LIVES!
Major surgery today. Rebuilding the other half of the power supply as well as two transistors, one in the main output and one that had to be modified with heat shrink to make a modern replacement play nice in a slot with an obsolete part.
But fuck, it plays nice now and no smoke or shorts.
Now to pretty it up a bit with new lights and a recap to the phono section. This thing's almost dressed to impress as much as it can.
View from the outside
Picked up a new project today, and undoubtedly the heaviest speakers I've ever owned. Took both my wife and I to move each one. They're like 90 lbs apiece. She wasn't thrilled when I told her "I'd like to hook these up upstairs first, test them out, and then move them downstairs".
But hey, I had to hear them on the Sansui G-5000 first, as it's the best one I've got.
The speakers are Sansui SP-5000, manufactured in February 1971 according to the serial number. According to what I've read, these weren't available as retail in the US. Most that are here came through Military returning from Vietnam or other Asian ports, as is the case with a lot of Sansui and (to a lesser extent) Pioneer from this time period. Given the weight/size of these speakers, I'm guessing either a significant person (Officer class) or significant strings were pulled to get these back.
They are 4-way speakers with 7 drivers; two tweeters, two squakers, two midrange, and a 15" woofer. They are real efficient and easily driven for their size. The surrounds on this pair are in great condition and I don't anticipate a refoam will be needed. The capacitors are showing some age and there is some squishiness to what is overall a great sound signature. That won't be too much of a problem for me, once I source the parts, so I'm excited to get that done. Will also need to source or McGuiver some stands, as I can tell a little elevation and tilt will really bring these out.
But for now, they just RAWK. Hitting up some ZZ Top this morning to let them sing.
Wall of sound!
QuoteWall of sound!
Indeed. These things are rockers. I'm glad I don't have any amp bigger than 100 around here or I might be tempted to find out when the cops come in my neighborhood.
1/4 of the way up on my Kenwood KR 5400 35 Watt is plenty loud enough for me with these.
This guy's comments about this speaker and the volume are humorous (toward the end of the page)
https://www.stereomanuals.com/ref/sansui_sp5000.htm
Recap and clean of this unit. This one is a sleeper. JVC R-S33. This retailed for $345 in 1980. Approximately $1150 inflation adjusted. At a time when lots of receivers were turning to integrated circuits (including the dreaded STK modules; I'm looking at you Pioneer and Marantz), this receiver still was using discrete components and output transistors, like the mid 70s stuff. This has the tinkly tube like sound like Marantz from the hayday.
Recapped the phono input and the power boards. Lighting still working as original.
If you're looking for something to fill your room with good vintage sound, this one is a great option for the price/benefit ratio. Lots available and reasonably priced with no boutique name tax.
Just put this one for sale up at the local record store. Hope it hooks someone.
That is a beaut!!!
Drove a total of 7 hours today to meet a guy halfway to purchase this and a set of Sansui SF2 speakers.
Sansui 771 receiver.
Obviously needs a re-lamp, which I'll take care of as soon as I get some ordered. This was a $430 unit new (~$2500 inflation adjusted).
After it passed the "it's safe enough to play" tests, I couldn't wait to hook it into my main system.
This one's getting the full recap and transistor inspection/replacement. I'm keeping this one for me.
$150 for both. I threw in $100 to get him to agree to meet me halfway (dude was in Idaho and I live on the eastern end of Montana).
Super happy.
Maybe adding "Repair" to the thread title was a hasty choice in the beginning and too limiting.
Sure I wanted to talk about that, but I was also interested in what vintage gear people in this community were using. Given the age of the equipment, I figured it was a given.
The Vinyl thread is one of the most popular threads on here, so I figured there was at least "some" dabbling.
But pictures, talk, mutual solutions; that's what I was really after before youze guys made me spell it out.
So since I've become awkwardly obvious; what's out there in 'paug land?
Most of my stuff isn't terribly old. I run a Dual 506 which I've dropped into a plinth from a DOA Dual 1210.
Quote from: rowjimmy on December 12, 2021, 10:00:43 AMMost of my stuff isn't terribly old. I run a Dual 506 which I've dropped into a plinth from a DOA Dual 1210.
Nice. Took a look at both; thats probably a nice looking combination.
I don't have any experience with Dual tables, so I have no idea how it sounds. I went from Audio Technica 120 to a Pioneer PL12-D. I liked it so much I bought another when one came up. I have my eye on a Sanyo TP-727. Now that the gear behind my turntables has gotten a lot better, the limitations of the PL12-D are starting to show and I want something a little less rumbly.
A good way to eliminate rumble noise is a nice mild case of tinnitus.
Really enjoying this thread Nab. As someone who appreciates vintage audio, and frequents the local tech from time to time, it seems like you're on a great path. The fact that you are able to source these older Japanese receivers is great. Bunch of folks in Portland making a decent amount getting these old workhorses and refreshing them. My father in law just got an older Sansui, paid $300 or $350 which would get you a decent new receiver these days. But yeah, all the record stores and repair shops are selling these as fast as they can refresh them, and none of them are under $300 any more if they're working right. As for me, the only vintage thing I own is a Dual 1229 which I absolutely love, but it's on a shelf until I can figure out a second setup location. Local tech makes some dough in these and a lot of time it's just re-lube, re-tension, replace elastomers, so you should grab a Dual some time and tear it apart. Lots out there, and parts are readily available so would be a decent skill to add to to your arsenal.
I am running a '79 Sansui R70 in the basement and finally got the Sony STR-V4 working but will probably offload that.
Not sure if this would be considered vintage but I wanted to just ask if anyone has experienced this. I recently upgraded my amp and got some decent speakers (Angstrom circa 90s) but I find it picks up every little speck of dust or nuance in the record. I'm still using that Nagaoka MP-110 cart from when I bought my TT 5 yrs ago. It has made me already flip 2 jazz favourites that I really can't do without in my collection due to defects. I have cleaned all my records and continue to do now that I've gone to this setup but sometimes, it still takes away from the listening experience.
Did I do something wrong? Suggestions?
Quote from: rowjimmy on December 13, 2021, 09:13:32 AMA good way to eliminate rumble noise is a nice mild case of tinnitus.
Ha!
True
Quote from: Caravan2001 on December 13, 2021, 02:27:06 PMReally enjoying this thread Nab. As someone who appreciates vintage audio, and frequents the local tech from time to time, it seems like you're on a great path. The fact that you are able to source these older Japanese receivers is great. Bunch of folks in Portland making a decent amount getting these old workhorses and refreshing them. My father in law just got an older Sansui, paid $300 or $350 which would get you a decent new receiver these days. But yeah, all the record stores and repair shops are selling these as fast as they can refresh them, and none of them are under $300 any more if they're working right. As for me, the only vintage thing I own is a Dual 1229 which I absolutely love, but it's on a shelf until I can figure out a second setup location. Local tech makes some dough in these and a lot of time it's just re-lube, re-tension, replace elastomers, so you should grab a Dual some time and tear it apart. Lots out there, and parts are readily available so would be a decent skill to add to to your arsenal.
Funny you should mention a Duel.
I picked up a CS 630 Q today (and a Yamaha P-450) from one of the guys who I helped get a modern AV receiver working for this weekend. He'll get the same 20 and 5 he gave me for diagnosing his problem back (along with a 50 I earned cleaning and testing a Marantz for another guy) and I'll walk away with two turntables, which I can fix and sell for more than the $75 I paid for them. So it's already paying off, even though I'm not at "top tech" level yet.
I'm honest and fair with people about my capabilities, and reserve the right to stop before I get in over my head. That "over my head" line keeps moving out as I keep at it.
And there's still demand. But to even get to this level required months of negotiations and relationship building with different places I could source this stuff and places I could sell it, and that doesn't include all the equipment and self education. It's really a second part time job I have with my main gig.
In some ways it's a little easier to source stuff here in Montana, cause the demand isn't as high (the historical supply wasn't as higher either though, so there's that to consider), but on the other hand it's harder to get rid of it quickly either.
Quote from: Buffalo Budd on December 13, 2021, 09:04:31 PMI am running a '79 Sansui R70 in the basement and finally got the Sony STR-V4 working but will probably offload that.
That Sony is a seriously nice unit in working order and a very underrated unit on the market.
I just got done servicing a V-3 and the sound is fantastic. Anyone who likes the vintage 70s Japanese sound should seriously consider this series.
And you should consider hanging on to it, imo.
What's wrong with it? It might be simpler than you think.
Quote from: Buffalo Budd on December 13, 2021, 09:21:31 PMNot sure if this would be considered vintage but I wanted to just ask if anyone has experienced this. I recently upgraded my amp and got some decent speakers (Angstrom circa 90s) but I find it picks up every little speck of dust or nuance in the record. I'm still using that Nagaoka MP-110 cart from when I bought my TT 5 yrs ago. It has made me already flip 2 jazz favourites that I really can't do without in my collection due to defects. I have cleaned all my records and continue to do now that I've gone to this setup but sometimes, it still takes away from the listening experience.
Did I do something wrong? Suggestions?
There's a lot of variables to consider here. From a technical aspect, you're telling me that the amp has changed, the stylus on the needle is probably old, and that you clean your records. And that I don't know if the speakers were used in the old system or not.
The good news is that you probably didn't do something wrong.
Listening to records is basically the science of moving an electrical signal through a system. That electrical signal starts at the stylus as vibration and is turned into electricity by the cartridge, which is amplified and equalized by the preamp (either in the phono input of a receiver or a separate external) to "line level" and sent to the speakers through an amplifier or an amplifier inside of a receiver.
So what you're likely hearing is a more accurate amplification of what was there all along.
This sort of shit happens all the time when you swap out equipment. The reason I told RJ that I was looking for a less rumbly turntable is that I finally got equipment down the chain from the turntable that made it more obvious. It never bothered me before because it wasnt the weak link in the chain.
But I can probably help you narrow it down with a little more info:
1. What is the cleaning you're using?
2. What changed as the preamp from what you were using before and now?
3. Did you use the same speakers in both systems?
4. How many hours do you have on that stylus? (MP110 needle). You can expect peak performance on about 500 hours on those, to acceptable to about 1000. After that, it's gonna go downhill and the stylus needs to be changed. Cleaner records help prolong.
5 years dude?
Change out the needle already.
All depends on how much care you take with your stylus and records and how much time you use your stylus.
I'm shooting from the hip here (i.e. not looking up the exhaustive specs on that particular stylus) but generally something of that quality has a 500-600 hour expected prime life. That's .3x hours a day for the 1825 days in a five year period for 500. If you ran your stylus for 1/3 hour every day. Every single day.
I mean, it's audio, so you'll always find someone with a more anal method that may or may not be better, but going on specs, 5 years of moderate use isn't out of the ballpark with proper care.
But it's on the edge and suspect in troubleshooting.
Ok, thanks for the input guys. I guess I'd better start shopping for a new stylus.
Quote from: Buffalo Budd on December 14, 2021, 07:26:19 AMOk, thanks for the input guys. I guess I'd better start shopping for a new stylus.
Audio-Technica AT-VM95ML Dual Moving Magnet Turntable Cartridge, Red
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07JLYHFR9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_7KNE14GF7VGSYDA7YXDB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
These are great, keep an eye on the price, I've scored them from Bezos for ~ $100 a few times.
Ortofon for life.
I use the OM10 these days, $50-$60 for the stylus but you gotta spring for the Concorde headshell the first time around.
Quote from: mattstick on December 14, 2021, 09:16:36 AMQuote from: Buffalo Budd on December 14, 2021, 07:26:19 AMOk, thanks for the input guys. I guess I'd better start shopping for a new stylus.
Audio-Technica AT-VM95ML Dual Moving Magnet Turntable Cartridge, Red
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B07JLYHFR9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_i_7KNE14GF7VGSYDA7YXDB?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
These are great, keep an eye on the price, I've scored them from Bezos for ~ $100 a few times.
100% this. Fantastic cartridge/stylus.
The one I use.
Edit to add: a little finicky on the alignment, so put your patience pants on at first.
Quote from: Buffalo Budd on December 13, 2021, 09:21:31 PMNot sure if this would be considered vintage but I wanted to just ask if anyone has experienced this. I recently upgraded my amp and got some decent speakers (Angstrom circa 90s) but I find it picks up every little speck of dust or nuance in the record. I'm still using that Nagaoka MP-110 cart from when I bought my TT 5 yrs ago. It has made me already flip 2 jazz favourites that I really can't do without in my collection due to defects. I have cleaned all my records and continue to do now that I've gone to this setup but sometimes, it still takes away from the listening experience.
Did I do something wrong? Suggestions?
I mean, if there is dust on your record, any cart is going to pick it up, so I would take a hard look at your cleaning protocol. Also, manage your expectations. I play 50+ year old records all the time, and expect the kind of surface noise that comes with the territory. That said, if it is affecting playback and the records don't look like they should be skipping, check your tracking force. And skipping could also be due to dirty records as well so I'd scrub those fuckers.
Replaced all of the electrolytic capacitors in my SP-5000 speakers today.
Took me a couple of weeks to get up the nerve to do it, cause instead of a board, like I'm used to in receivers, these were point to point soldered, and on my first try, I couldn't get enough solder out of the terminations to extract the capacitors whole.
This morning I had an idea to just clip the capacitors right at the junction between the body and the lead, and just solder the leads of the new capacitor to the leads of the old capacitors using J-shaped junctions.
And by golly, it worked. I've breathed a whole lot of life back into these old speakers.
Is it a night and day difference?
No
But it is noticeable, especially in clarity and detail. Since the capacitors are almost like a filter for the electricity which dictate which drivers fire at which time, it's not surprising that things are working better in there now and the right drivers are firing at the right times.
Of course I forgot to take after pictures. I took before as a reference, but what fun would that be to look at without the after.
Moving on to a complete re-cap of the Sansui 771 next.
I'll take pictures this time.
Caps supposedly have a break-in period, so look out for your speakers to start sounding nicer.
i think i read you sell these to a local shop.
would you be comfortable shipping?
i know most of them are beasts.
Quote from: mbw on December 20, 2021, 01:31:43 PMi think i read you sell these to a local shop.
would you be comfortable shipping?
i know most of them are beasts.
Well, if you're interested in something like that, you might be a good opportunity for me too.
I could make a lot more money offering shipping, but I need some practice runs with someone who won't run up a bad review on me in FB marketplace or ebay because they are a pissy unreasonable shit or a scammer. I'd take the packaging serious, but it wouldn't be cheap. No extra for my labor, it's just heavy and needs to be packed well and insured.
But the lead times would be months, while I source new units and fix them. And they'd be limited to what I could get my hands on locally, especially during winter when I'm less adventurous driving, cause shit is icy and far away here.
In the stable in order of likelyhood of being fixed without major issues right now:
Pioneer A-60- Integrated amp with a Moving Coil setting. No major issues. I've used it as a back up amp many times, sometimes for months. Problems: Expensive to re-cap. The large filter capacitors alone would run over $100. Works, but unrestored.
MCS 3233- Underrated receiver put out by JC Penny in 1978. Problems: broken speaker selector switch. All the parts are there, just won't stay engaged. No restore done yet except for new lamps. No service manual so it's waiting on me to get better to be able to figure more out on the fly without a guide. But no motivation like pressure, right?
Marantz SR1000- Featured in this thread toward the beginning. Stable but still running too hot. Getting close to done. I have some ideas.
JVC R-S33- Also featured in this thread. This is a different unit of the same model, so it has the advantage of being the second unit of this type I've worked on. It has the disadvantage of being much more damaged by the corrosive glue famous in late 70s through mid 80s Japanese units. I worked through it on the Marantz (also in this thread), but I'm avoiding it for now.
In the bullpen:
Kenwood KR 5400- Currently using this in the living room. I plan to get this restored as soon as I work up my own Sansuis. Restore on 1 0f 2 Sansuis will happen this week.
But if you're open to this opportunity, I can keep you in the loop.
Quote from: jam> on December 20, 2021, 10:11:27 AMCaps supposedly have a break-in period, so look out for your speakers to start sounding nicer.
I'm cautiously optimistic about this, but like a lot of things "burn-in", I'm skeptical about the scientific benefit vs. "just getting used to the sound".
That said, they do sound a little better after running all day today.
But then again, I was listening to them all day too.
QuoteQuotei think i read you sell these to a local shop.
would you be comfortable shipping?
i know most of them are beasts.
Well, if you're interested in something like that, you might be a good opportunity for me too.
I could make a lot more money offering shipping, but I need some practice runs with someone who won't run up a bad review on me in FB marketplace or ebay because they are a pissy unreasonable shit or a scammer. I'd take the packaging serious, but it wouldn't be cheap. No extra for my labor, it's just heavy and needs to be packed well and insured.
But the lead times would be months, while I source new units and fix them. And they'd be limited to what I could get my hands on locally, especially during winter when I'm less adventurous driving, cause shit is icy and far away here.
In the stable in order of likelyhood of being fixed without major issues right now:
Pioneer A-60- Integrated amp with a Moving Coil setting. No major issues. I've used it as a back up amp many times, sometimes for months. Problems: Expensive to re-cap. The large filter capacitors alone would run over $100. Works, but unrestored.
MCS 3233- Underrated receiver put out by JC Penny in 1978. Problems: broken speaker selector switch. All the parts are there, just won't stay engaged. No restore done yet except for new lamps. No service manual so it's waiting on me to get better to be able to figure more out on the fly without a guide. But no motivation like pressure, right?
Marantz SR1000- Featured in this thread toward the beginning. Stable but still running too hot. Getting close to done. I have some ideas.
JVC R-S33- Also featured in this thread. This is a different unit of the same model, so it has the advantage of being the second unit of this type I've worked on. It has the disadvantage of being much more damaged by the corrosive glue famous in late 70s through mid 80s Japanese units. I worked through it on the Marantz (also in this thread), but I'm avoiding it for now.
In the bullpen:
Kenwood KR 5400- Currently using this in the living room. I plan to get this restored as soon as I work up my own Sansuis. Restore on 1 0f 2 Sansuis will happen this week.
But if you're open to this opportunity, I can keep you in the loop.
cool. how much for that Kenwood or Marantz? I can provide a shipping label.
Oh, but if it breaks I will go scorched earth on your ebay and Marketplace the likes of which you have never seen. :)
Quotecool. how much for that Kenwood or Marantz? I can provide a shipping label.
Oh, but if it breaks I will go scorched earth on your ebay and Marketplace the likes of which you have never seen. :)
As I stated, the Marantz still has some overheating issues I have to fix. It is fourth in line right now for fixing. So it won't be any time soon.
It is also the lowest quality of the units I've got, despite the name. By this time Marantz was owned by Phillips and there were a lot of cost cutting measures. But it still has a pretty decent sound that does a good job of replicating the 70s sound. I'll probably let it go for around $100 when all is said and done. It's also the lightest of the units and will ship the cheapest.
As for the Kenwood, it's third in line for repair. I can't let it go until I fix the other two because of how it works in my system and the need to have something good to replace it. It is the heaviest of the units listed, but probably my favorite for sound among them. I was planning to sell it locally for $300 with a phono and power board recap. I'd let it go to a pauger for $200 though. That number could go up depending on what you want done with it though, those were just my plans.
Right now it is in working but unrestored order, and I'd let it go for $125 in that condition. But it's still got to wait for it's turn to rotate out of my use either way.
Both are realistically months from being done though. It's just my side gig.
In the spirit of taking on more projects, one landed in my lap that will take me at least a year to complete on and off.
A Sansui 1000A tube amp. This is a serious piece of Sansui history, the last tube receiver they produced before going all solid state. 40 w per channel, which will be more than enough to power the efficient speakers I have, and not too shabby for a tube receiver.
Here's a couple pics in it's semi-cleaned state (yes, it was dustier).
Hoping a nice day will come this week so I can take it outside and really give it a clean. But this is some delayed gratification here. It'll have to wait until I can completely re-cap it in order to even put power in it safely.
Quote from: nab on December 21, 2021, 10:09:50 PMQuotecool. how much for that Kenwood or Marantz? I can provide a shipping label.
Oh, but if it breaks I will go scorched earth on your ebay and Marketplace the likes of which you have never seen. :)
As I stated, the Marantz still has some overheating issues I have to fix. It is fourth in line right now for fixing. So it won't be any time soon.
It is also the lowest quality of the units I've got, despite the name. By this time Marantz was owned by Phillips and there were a lot of cost cutting measures. But it still has a pretty decent sound that does a good job of replicating the 70s sound. I'll probably let it go for around $100 when all is said and done. It's also the lightest of the units and will ship the cheapest.
As for the Kenwood, it's third in line for repair. I can't let it go until I fix the other two because of how it works in my system and the need to have something good to replace it. It is the heaviest of the units listed, but probably my favorite for sound among them. I was planning to sell it locally for $300 with a phono and power board recap. I'd let it go to a pauger for $200 though. That number could go up depending on what you want done with it though, those were just my plans.
Right now it is in working but unrestored order, and I'd let it go for $125 in that condition. But it's still got to wait for it's turn to rotate out of my use either way.
Both are realistically months from being done though. It's just my side gig.
cool and totally understood. no rush. let me know when some of those units are ready to roll. :music:
In the vein of the ongoing saga of bringing my own units into compliance so I can get mbw something...
I've been working with kit from ebay on my 771. This is very much against the advice of a lot of people in the know that suggest you should always buy things separately. This is mainly because transistor matching is such a delicate subject and the capacitors are always more expensive than they would be alone.
But a took a "trust but verify" approach with this kit. I figured the matching of the capacitors was fairly easy and that I'd verify the transistor choices as I went. This kit came with a majority of the transistors needed, all the capacitors (the type/brand checked from the photos), the main filter capacitors, new trim pots, and a new relay. It was also cheaper than the capacitor only kits that many warn against.
Gotta say I'm impressed so far. The capacitors are all high grade and matched well. I ventured into researching the transistor choices today and replacing the ones that matched. I haven't found a dog in the batch yet.
I've finished the power, driver, and phono boards, and replaced the main filters and relay. This really good sounding receiver is starting to sound spectacular. Replacing one transistor in the power board took away a hum and an echo I was hearing before.
Here's the kit I used for this receiver. Worth checking out for other models this seller carries.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/124495376544
I should be working on finishing the 771 restore this weekend, but I decided to take a four hour drive today instead.
A listing for a Technics SA200, with a Technics RS-M6 tape deck, and pair of Advent 1 speakers popped up two hours from home this morning.
So I took the drive with my youngest daughter, who just wanted to get out of the house.
The speakers will need some serious work, but I need practice there anyway.
The tape deck is "working" and quite minty on the outside and with a quick look under the cover.
But the receiver is the real gem, and why I took the journey in the first place. I've never seen something so new looking on the inside this old. It looks like someone played it for a week and kept it in a box, in just the right place, for the last 40+ years.
So I'm just geeking out now.This is with no cleaning other than a quick shot of air.
I bet those Advent 1's are similar to the KLH Model Six's I had. Both 2 way speakers with 10" woofer designed by Henry Kloss. I absolutely loved the sound of the woofer but tweeter wasn't as nice as other speakers I had. I sometimes think of getting another pair and installing a different tweeter that has the same efficiency, impedance and crossover point... like these: https://www.parts-express.com/HiVi-RT2C-A-Planar-Isodynamic-Tweeter-297-406
Quote from: jam> on January 16, 2022, 09:14:28 AMI bet those Advent 1's are similar to the KLH Model Six's I had. Both 2 way speakers with 10" woofer designed by Henry Kloss. I absolutely loved the sound of the woofer but tweeter wasn't as nice as other speakers I had. I sometimes think of getting another pair and installing a different tweeter that has the same efficiency, impedance and crossover point... like these: https://www.parts-express.com/HiVi-RT2C-A-Planar-Isodynamic-Tweeter-297-406
Here's a shot of the speakers. They're Advent/1 models with wood veneer and the metal woofer housing. So the later, more compact model.
The woofer I have exposed for the picture is actually the "good" one, cause it still has some fragments of the foam surround present.
I'll refoam them both and redo the capacitors inside eventually.
Got the new stylus this morning and while it didn't eliminate the surface noise on my copy of Kind of Blue, it has helped with a couple of others in the collection.
Thanks for the tip Hicks. :beers:
Busy weekend again.
I completed a full re-cap of the Technics I found last weekend with capacitors onhand. Despite looking pristine, there were some with some visible corrosion on the leads, and several more that revealed corrosion after being pulled. Time really is the enemy for these components. Now, combined with the pristine state of the transistors (which degrade mostly due to use, not time), this thing is practically new. Which allowed me to put it in the living room and take a good look at my Sansui G-5000.
And it's a good thing I did. Cause I'm stuck with the glue here too. On the driver board, four of the resistors are visibly corroded by the glue, showing massive corrosion (arrows in picture). To add insult to injury, several of the caps on this board are swollen and likely not working right. I was close to blowing this amp, and the only saving grace is that I really don't listen to things very loud that often, so it never had to deal with massive ammounts of electricity while I've owned it. I really was playing it on borrowed time, but thankfully, I've got the parts onhand to fix it and Sansui was nice enough to make it a removable board to make it easier to work on.
Time to bring this back to a good working order again. Eventually I'll recap the whole thing, but this looks like the worst of it.
The glue, is the dark brown stain near the bottom of the big capacitors in the photo. It goes corrosive over time and was used by most of the main Japanese companies at the end of the 70s through the mid 80's.
The background is an ad from 1980 that came with the paperwork for the Technics SA-200, just for fun.
I think I'm gonna frame it and hang it up in my work area.
Success.
All of the small black capacitors were dead open. They weren't working as capacitors any more. Half of the resistors replaced were also shorted. The large black caps tested marginal.
I was really a loud listening session from blowing this amp. Fixed for now though.
Well, this thing is starting to take wings.
Traded the pristine Technics, with a full re-cap I completed a couple of weeks ago (along with 3 turntable repair orders I have out), for this beauty recently acquired by the local record store.
And I'm fucking pumped.
Marantz 2270
You'll all be hearing a lot of talking to myself about this in this thread.
(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/FaroffMaleIndianelephant-size_restricted.gif)
Time to start building and modding guitar pedals as a side-side hustle
Quote from: kellerb on February 03, 2022, 09:56:00 AMTime to start building and modding guitar pedals as a side-side hustle
Do it
Quote from: nab on February 02, 2022, 11:08:32 PMWell, this thing is starting to take wings.
Traded the pristine Technics, with a full re-cap I completed a couple of weeks ago (along with 3 turntable repair orders I have out), for this beauty recently acquired by the local record store.
And I'm fucking pumped.
Marantz 2270
You'll all be hearing a lot of talking to myself about this in this thread.
perfect, I'll take it. :P
Quote from: mbw on February 03, 2022, 02:39:29 PMQuote from: nab on February 02, 2022, 11:08:32 PMWell, this thing is starting to take wings.
Traded the pristine Technics, with a full re-cap I completed a couple of weeks ago (along with 3 turntable repair orders I have out), for this beauty recently acquired by the local record store.
And I'm fucking pumped.
Marantz 2270
You'll all be hearing a lot of talking to myself about this in this thread.
perfect, I'll take it. :P
If I don't like it when I'm done restoring it, I will either trade it or sell it, for approx 1.5 - 2k in value. The guy I got it from knows this, so it was all above the board. He's happy to split his risk into separate components, and probably didn't pay that much for it himself.
But I didn't forget about you and the other Marantz. I was able to haul it out yesterday and do some more troubleshooting and am getting closer to fixing for long term stability. I mean, you could have it right now, it works, but I couldn't guarantee it would work long term. There is a gremlin in there that is causing an extra few volts measurement in key places, and that will wear components out quick.
Quote from: rowjimmy on February 03, 2022, 02:10:42 PMQuote from: kellerb on February 03, 2022, 09:56:00 AMTime to start building and modding guitar pedals as a side-side hustle
Do it
For sure.
And if you understand circuits and repair already, and have the equipment, there's a lot of work here too.
I'm stacked six deep on orders now, and half of those are from word of mouth getting around at the record store.
The other half is me paying for my Marantz :willynilly:
Some rearrangement, some frustrating work this weekend. Added a new rack to hold my projects, which leaves the cinderblock shelves for orders for others. Failed twice on repairing auto return mechanisms on two turntables for the record store. I guess I just understand circuits better than clockwork. Gonna have to do some other work to pay off the Marantz, cause I can't "get good" here fast enough.
And in other news, this came into the workshop of one of the people in my vintage electronics facebook groups for repair.
Here or GD thread?
Here
Quote from: nab on February 13, 2022, 10:42:12 PMSome rearrangement, some frustrating work this weekend. Added a new rack to hold my projects, which leaves the cinderblock shelves for orders for others. Failed twice on repairing auto return mechanisms on two turntables for the record store. I guess I just understand circuits better than clockwork. Gonna have to do some other work to pay off the Marantz, cause I can't "get good" here fast enough.
How much you want for that copy of Dookie?
Quote from: Hicks on February 13, 2022, 10:48:59 PMQuote from: nab on February 13, 2022, 10:42:12 PMSome rearrangement, some frustrating work this weekend. Added a new rack to hold my projects, which leaves the cinderblock shelves for orders for others. Failed twice on repairing auto return mechanisms on two turntables for the record store. I guess I just understand circuits better than clockwork. Gonna have to do some other work to pay off the Marantz, cause I can't "get good" here fast enough.
How much you want for that copy of Dookie?
Not really anything special about that one. It's a repress and they pop up on Green Day's site every now and then. I copped it last summer for like $25 there. It's appreciated to a staggering $27 median price on Discogs now. I'm sure you could find a copy from one of sellers there reasonably.
QuoteAnd in other news, this came into the workshop of one of the people in my vintage electronics facebook groups for repair.
Here or GD thread?
Here
(https://week4paug.net/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=23972.0;attach=33287;image)
Oh damn.
I set myself up for a great pick up today. Made plans to meet with a seller in town to meet at an appointed time, a week in advance. I was lucky enough to have a list of what he was selling, curtesy of the local record store, which also made the initial handshake contact for me and vouched for me. The seller just sold 22,000 records to my local store (yes, that's the correct number). This was as close as "business" as I've gotten.
Thanks to the list, I was able to research the models he had, and work up a good price for offering. I warned him in advance that I wouldn't be paying ebay prices, and on the phone he seemed cool with that. He knew he was going to get the kind of price he could without doing the ebay work himself and seemed cool with it.
And I arrived at the door, knocked, and was greeted by the seller.
And he told me he wasn't ready because he didn't have time to haul them out (within the week's advance notice I gave and all the groundwork laid by the local record store the week before that). Said he'd text me in the upcoming week or two.
Won't be waiting for that text. Good luck with the ebay/marketplace selling duder.
So I expected to have an epic post here tonight, but all I've got is this sad story.
Damn. That sucks.
We had a power surge in the basement a couple of nights ago and my Sansui R-70 went out. I'm hoping it's simply a fuse but wondered if any of you experts have some insight into if they even have them. I can't find much online and have been combing through the manual but still at a loss.
Quote from: Buffalo Budd on April 12, 2022, 09:38:45 AMWe had a power surge in the basement a couple of nights ago and my Sansui R-70 went out. I'm hoping it's simply a fuse but wondered if any of you experts have some insight into if they even have them. I can't find much online and have been combing through the manual but still at a loss.
Could be any number of things. I don't know that model, but it could be just a fuse. It could be more than one thing. Just pop the top of and have a look. If you see scorch marks, that's not a good sign lol. But pop it open, any fuses will most likely be very visible.
Fuse was indeed the problem.
:beers:
Get yourself some proper surge protection.
Quote from: Buffalo Budd on April 12, 2022, 09:38:45 AMWe had a power surge in the basement a couple of nights ago and my Sansui R-70 went out. I'm hoping it's simply a fuse but wondered if any of you experts have some insight into if they even have them. I can't find much online and have been combing through the manual but still at a loss.
Make sure the replacement was a quick acting fuse of the same amperage. Any replacement from a hardware store or auto parts place that meets the specs should work. There's nothing magic about the ones Sansui put in originally. They're just there to make sure the amperage doesn't get too high.
Extra volts is ok. For instance, if the fuse was 1A 125V (Should be printed on the end of each fuse), it's ok to replace with a 1A 250V, but not with a 2A 125V. The amperage is the important metric. A unit with a higher amperage fuse will still work, but it weakens the protection the fuse is providing, since more power is allowed to go through before the fuse trips. This means that the components the fuse is protecting will be subjected to more power and might cause them to fail. Volts is the available energy, amps is the rate of flow, and resistance is control on the rate of energy flow.
ETA: If the power surge caused the fuse to blow, then it was working as designed. But, as caravan points out, there's many reasons that fuse could have blown and not enough info in the post to really diagnose. But, I'm hoping that replacement in kind for the fuse is the cure, and the extra power from the surge is the problem, that it didn't cause any other damage, and that you're listening for a long time still. Ultimately, replacing the capacitors in the unit will help with long term stability. They act as power reservoirs in the chain, and while not quite resistors, failure of the capacitors leads to instability in the power regulation which can cause all sorts of problems later on. Unfortunately, it's not use that kills capacitors, but time. I pulled all the capacitors from a Technics SA-300 that looked new old stock inside, and was very lightly used. Sixty percent of them were faulty (from minor to major degrees) just from time.
Here's a handy infographic that explains the relationship between volts, amps, and resistance (ohms).
Hope it helps.
got any other infographics? F=MA, Pythagorean theorem, e=mc^2 ?
Whoa, didn't think I'd come in here and see that.
Thanks for the detailed response nab. I have a local electronics guy by my house and he knew exactly what I needed. The surge protector is there but it works a lot better when I have the receiver plugged into it. ::)
So, with the move and all, things slowed down around here for repair.
But I got started again, this time with something for me.
Picked up this Realistic LAB-400 from the record store. The owner asked me to restore it, and I made an offer on it instead. Offered him what he paid for it ($100), plus a Pionner PL-12d I had already restored and had been listening to for the last year. Actually bought it from him before I knew how to restore stuff, so he got it back in better condition than he sold it. As a bonus, he gave me all of his spare turntable parts, said he was done doing it himself, and that he'd rather pay me to do it.
Some may scoff at the Realistic brand. It was Radio Shack's house brand. This was one of thier top of the line offerings in 1979. It was manufactured by CEC, at the same time they were making the much more collectable Marantz 6300. This is all the same parts as the 6300 in a different brand package.
Cleaned it up and tested it. It works just like it's supposed to, and holds a steady 33.3. Japanese direct drive late 70s turntable at its height. Most of the way to a Technics, in the ways that matter anyway.
Good to be back.
.
.
Man, I was really hoping you guys might show some pictures of your gear and discuss, but I guess I'll keep up the convo talking about my own adventures.
A few weeks ago, the record store took in three classic Pioneer pieces. A CTF9191 (a massive wood cased totl cassette player) and an SA-8500 (60 wpc integrated amp), along with a Technics 1600 turntable. I expressed interest in the SA-8500, and the owner traded it to me for the labor to refurbish the Technics and his father's JVC turntable.
But the SA-8500 made me work for it. Static bursts in the left channel. I started by replacing all the capacitors in the preamp section, as well as the transistors, as I thought at first that it was in the preamp section and I had the parts onhand. Didn't go away, but I had a great preamp for a week in the unit.
Then I started attacking the amplifier section, but ran out of parts onhand when it came to the driver and output transistors. Usually I wouldn't go all shotgun like this, but all the transistors and capacitors in both sections so far were known troublemakers, so it was kind of a preventaive maintenance/fix the problem session.
Had to wait a couple weeks for work to settled down and wait for more parts, but they showed up today. Once I popped the driver transistor pair into the left side, bingo!
And now she sings. I'll complete the right side refurb some day, and fix the light, but really enjoying the sound of this amp this evening.
Also completed a re-veneer of a Pioneer SX-580 I've been working on for my Father In Law today.
I was lucky with the sticker on the original veneer. That panel came off in one pull complete. I cut out the sticker and attached it to the new veneer in the same spot to keep the original look.
Finally got this Pioneer CT-F2121 playing again today after a lot of procrastination. I did a belt replacement this last winter, but it wasn't rewinding right. Had a hunch today and opened it up.
Turns out a spring in the mechanical pressure holding the cassette in needed some help.
So now I'm playing something that hasn't seen the light of day around here since the early 00s.
Sick!
I feel like I've finally come around full circle.
The old and the new.
I picked up a cheap tablet tonight to run as the interface for a Wiim Mini streamer. The Wiim mini runs into a Shiit Modi+ DAC, which runs out via RCA to my vintage gear.
So I'm the same old nab again, "finding" stuff on the internet (This is the latest Dave's Picks), stashing it on HDs, and listening.
Using the Wiim Mini out to the Shiit DAC (via spdif), it's all wifi and no blutooth, so it's lossless digital to the DAC. I can control it from my phone, but I've chosen the tablet so there is decent sized cover art to look at and it forces me to actually get up to change a track or album, which means more full album digital listening (the thing I started to hate more and more about digital was my attention span, so I've figured out a behavioral work around).
So now it feels like 00s and 10s Bill has finally caught up with 20s Bill.
@nab have you considered buying the parts and building a Sperilo Time Machine (https://www.spertilo.net)? It's definitely an "old meets new" experience streaming/playing old GD AUDs with just a few turns of a knob and a button press or two.
Last year I moved my Cambridge DAC Magic from its home with my Mac mini over to its new home with my stereo, and I swapped my Cambridge SR20 for a vintage 80s NAD 3240PE. Big difference in power output and a little bit more oomph on the bottom end of the NAD. I also cancelled all my music streaming services as part of this upgrade.
All my digital sources (Optical TV out for AppleTV + BluRay, Cambridge Azur 540C CD player, GD Time Machine and USB3.0 from the Mac mini) run through the DAC Magic and into the NAD's CD input.
All my analog sources (Pro-Ject Tube phono pre-amp and the RCA output of the Cambridge CD player) go straight into the NAD over some short RCAs.
Pretty happy with the setup as I can control the output of iTunes/Music from the MacMini with my iPhone while on the couch for streaming from my embarrassingly large Music library.
I can quickly dial up and stream any GD show from the Time Machine.
I like the physical experience of playing CDs and LPs so my physical media still gets lots of attention.
When I want to play from my collection of FLACs I can play them back through the DAC Magic at full resolution (MacMini outputs to the DAC Magic at 24/96), albeit a little bit of a manual process in queuing them up in Foobar2000 and streaming from the MacMini. But even that process can be good as I can create hours long playlists and listen all day.
Because I've maxed out the inputs on the DAC Magic, and because it's a relatively entry-level DAC, I'm on the lookout for a higher end DAC, but I've also read that you only really notice a difference in DAC quality when you get to the $5K price range and I'm pretty much out way before that point. That said, I keep an eye on the Hoffman forums classifieds for anyone who's upgraded and is selling older gear used.
Rule #1
(https://i.imgur.com/ZjvEPlb.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/SGEngjU.jpg)
Matt, what speakers are you powering with that setup?
Do you like power conditioning? Do you have "dirty" power in TO?
Quote from: Superfreakie on February 03, 2023, 09:04:32 AMMatt, what speakers are you powering with that setup?
Do you like power conditioning? Do you have "dirty" power in TO?
I have the dirtiest power. I burned through 2 power supplies while my Cambridge SR-20 was under warranty and my internet router + wifi would just randomly drop before I ran everything through the power conditioner.
I have these Aperion Audio Verus Grand bookshelves on these weird 80s stands I got of kijiji for $10.
(https://i.imgur.com/IEKHp0W.jpg)
Good stuff. I'm presently looking at power conditioners.
Quote from: mattstick on February 03, 2023, 08:17:55 AM@nab have you considered buying the parts and building a Sperilo Time Machine (https://www.spertilo.net)? It's definitely an "old meets new" experience streaming/playing old GD AUDs with just a few turns of a knob and a button press or two.
I have seen those and they look cool. I haven't thought of building one cause I too have an embarassingly large collection of Grateful Dead already.
I set up most of it on a DNLA server and get it losslessly to my DAC via Jriver to the Wiim, to the DAC.
Shopping for DACs is frustrating sometimes. Manufactures sell them more like computers than they do a piece of audio equipment. By that I mean the processor chip (the thing that actually turns the 1s and 0s to electricity) is always the forward thing in the information. While I think that's important, I don't think it's as important as some people make it and I feel like it kind of gets into a wagging contest over who has the most accurate or fastest processor.
What's harder to find most of the time is information about the analog preamp section of the units; the section that will have the biggest influence on the sound. The section after the conversion sending the analog signal to the analog equipment. This is a harder thing to explain to people though, cause most tech capable people readily understand "bigger better faster" chip easily.
Do you like that Schiitt DAC?
I have their Mani phono pre and after getting that and fixing a loose grounding my old Dual, records in the living room have never sounded better.
Quote from: rowjimmy on February 06, 2023, 10:30:25 AMDo you like that Schiitt DAC?
I have their Mani phono pre and after getting that and fixing a loose grounding my old Dual, records in the living room have never sounded better.
I just upgraded to one of the new big boy DACs on the market (although I still have my Schiit Gungnir Multibit aka: gumby). Schiit's gear is great for the price - they have put out a couple components that didn't jive, but, for the most part, they make stellar mid-fi - if not hifi.
That said, I just spent a fortune upgrading every component in my system seeking the most analog sounding digital reproduction out there (the luxury of not having to worry about children in my future and having a doctor as a wife :laugh: ).
I left no stone unturned. Listened to all the +5K DACs, server/streamers, pre's, amps, tubes, cables etc... Still waiting for some components to be delivered, they had to be custom assembled. Will post my hifi adventures in a few weeks once I've got it all together. I'd say I put 3 years of research into this project; searching for that magic synergy of components that leave your jaw on the floor.
With a kid in college and another that wants to go, not to mention my music instrument/guitar pedal/recording gear problem... mid-fi is where I live.
Quote from: Superfreakie on February 06, 2023, 02:01:37 PMQuote from: rowjimmy on February 06, 2023, 10:30:25 AMDo you like that Schiitt DAC?
I have their Mani phono pre and after getting that and fixing a loose grounding my old Dual, records in the living room have never sounded better.
I just upgraded to one of the new big boy DACs on the market (although I still have my Schiit Gungnir Multibit aka: gumby). Schitt's gear is great for the price - they have put out a couple components that didn't jive, but, for the most part, they make stellar mid-fi - if not hifi.
That said, I just spent a fortune upgrading every component in my system seeking the most analog sounding digital reproduction out there (the luxury of not having to worry about children in my future and having a doctor as a wife :laugh: ).
I left no stone unturned. Listened to all the +5K DACs, server/streamers, pre's, amps, tubes, cables etc... Still waiting for some components to be delivered, they had to be custom assembled. Will post my hifi adventures in a few weeks once I've got it all together. I'd say I put 3 years of research into this project; searching for that magic synergy of components that leave your jaw on the floor.
Wow bud, stoked for you and to hear it.
Quote from: rowjimmy on February 06, 2023, 02:25:52 PMnot to mention my music instrument/guitar pedal/recording gear problem...
Terrible affliction you have there. Might want to get that looked at. :hereyougoyousentimentalbastar I wish I could play guitar proficiently (well, more so had the time - color me jealous).
Quote from: rowjimmy on February 06, 2023, 10:30:25 AMDo you like that Schiitt DAC?
I have their Mani phono pre and after getting that and fixing a loose grounding my old Dual, records in the living room have never sounded better.
A lot actually. And I had the same experience with the Mani. Both really made everything sound a lot nicer.
And when I stared at the components inside, they both made sense.
Quote from: rowjimmy on February 06, 2023, 02:25:52 PMWith a kid in college and another that wants to go, not to mention my music instrument/guitar pedal/recording gear problem... mid-fi is where I live.
Mid-fi is mostly a marketing term anyway. It doesn't really describe how something sounds. Given the different ways people hear, and the different rooms they play music in, it's really a class distinction disguised as a technical term.
Quote from: nab on February 07, 2023, 07:23:36 AMQuote from: rowjimmy on February 06, 2023, 02:25:52 PMWith a kid in college and another that wants to go, not to mention my music instrument/guitar pedal/recording gear problem... mid-fi is where I live.
Mid-fi is mostly a marketing term anyway. It doesn't really describe how something sounds. Given the different ways people hear, and the different rooms they play music in, it's really a class distinction disguised as a technical term.
I look at it strictly as a price point.
Quality and price are not always aligned.
Quote from: rowjimmy on February 07, 2023, 08:24:51 AMQuote from: nab on February 07, 2023, 07:23:36 AMQuote from: rowjimmy on February 06, 2023, 02:25:52 PMWith a kid in college and another that wants to go, not to mention my music instrument/guitar pedal/recording gear problem... mid-fi is where I live.
Mid-fi is mostly a marketing term anyway. It doesn't really describe how something sounds. Given the different ways people hear, and the different rooms they play music in, it's really a class distinction disguised as a technical term.
I look at it strictly as a price point.
Quality and price are not always aligned.
I think you're both right. One would hope they align, but in my experience they often don't - in which case class distinction, and it's accompanying "envy" driven marketing campaigns, rule the day.
That said, as I climbed the headphone pyramid, I didn't hear "magic" (aka: what I was looking for) until I hit the upper echelon ($$), so called hifi. Fortunately, all the HPs I own I purchased as B-Stocks or "used like new" from audiophile forum classifieds (thankfully, members are OCD and generally swap gear they baby). I pay half price MSRP on most of my gear. The Susvara, Audeze LCD-4, and then LCD-5, destroy models below them (and I have experienced the same with other manufacturers, although I don't own their top shelf HPs) . To my ears, it's not even close.
On that note, I really do want to try some of the snake oil cables being sold, but companies who make them won't allow 30 day returns.
Quote from: Superfreakie on February 07, 2023, 08:48:22 AMQuote from: rowjimmy on February 07, 2023, 08:24:51 AMQuote from: nab on February 07, 2023, 07:23:36 AMQuote from: rowjimmy on February 06, 2023, 02:25:52 PMWith a kid in college and another that wants to go, not to mention my music instrument/guitar pedal/recording gear problem... mid-fi is where I live.
Mid-fi is mostly a marketing term anyway. It doesn't really describe how something sounds. Given the different ways people hear, and the different rooms they play music in, it's really a class distinction disguised as a technical term.
I look at it strictly as a price point.
Quality and price are not always aligned.
I think you're both right. One would hope they align, but in my experience they often don't - in which case class distinction, and it's accompanying "envy" driven marketing campaigns, rule the day.
That said, as I climbed the headphone pyramid, I didn't hear "magic" (aka: what I was looking for) until I hit the upper echelon ($$), so called hifi. Fortunately, all the HPs I own I purchased as B-Stocks or "used like new" from audiophile forum classifieds (thankfully, members are OCD and generally swap gear they baby). I pay half price MSRP on most of my gear. The Susvara, Audeze LCD-4, and then LCD-5, destroy models below them (and I have experienced the same with other manufacturers, although I don't own their top shelf HPs) . To my ears, it's not even close.
On that note, I really do want to try some of the snake oil cables being sold, but companies who make them won't allow 30 day returns.
If I had a motto for gear, it would be "you don't really have an opinion until you've heard it" but I also run into a lot of absolute horseshit in the circles I run in outside of this board; one of the reasons I started this thread actually since this is my old corner bar.
Watching people connect two vintage Marantz pieces with multi-K$ cables and things like that. I've been in there, I've seen the insides. They're not paved in gold, but you're taking the electrons on a gold chariot ride between them anyway. People who won't change out the capacitors in a vintage piece of equipment because they think the magic is in the dried up paste of the original, quality but very consumer grade, capacitor (or even magic capacitors in general to go the other way).
And I just hate that there is a whole industry based on exploiting people's ignorance of electricity and circuitry that uses class and emotion to sell it.
But I guess why is that different than anything else.
Oh well, if I had another motto it would be "When someone tells you they hear something, you have to take them at their word; there's no telling someone they don't hear something, its a fools errand".
Quote from: nab on February 07, 2023, 09:59:51 PMAnd I just hate that there is a whole industry based on exploiting people's ignorance of electricity and circuitry that uses class and emotion to sell it.
But I guess why is that different than anything else
It's not; sadly. Something something...'a fool and his money are easily parted'
Copper is copper.
And that's all I've got to say about that.
Quote from: Hicks on February 08, 2023, 01:39:32 AMCopper is copper.
And that's all I've got to say about that.
I agree, but there are grades of copper (and of course gauges) so there is variability between patch cables. I am firmly against spending as much on an interconnect as one could buy a good component for, that is a scam for sure. And as well, I have gotten great performance from very inexpensive cables, but there is something to be said for fit, finish and manufacturing quality. I buy midrange stuff and am very happy with it. I'm not going to spend $100 (or several hundred) on an interconnect, but I'm also not going to put a $5 cable in my signal chain. That said, I have never heard a significant audible difference between patch cords. However, when it comes to instrument (guitar) cables, I have heard a big difference. Spending $50-$75 on a Mogami or George L vs comparable cheap $15 cable of same length really does affect your sound.
Remember when HDMI cables were new and they were $100? lol.