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Never doubt the magic of DeoxIT. So the turntable I mentioned earlier in this thread? With the NATO shitshow going down, I wasn't about to drive up to Lakeview, nor did I really want to be without my vinyl for however long it would take them to fix it. I figured due to its inability to hold steady when I wasn't futzing with the knobs was a clear sign it needed a recap. It also steadfastly refused to spin up to a proper 45 RPM. Cracked it open, shot all three controls (both pitch pots and the power switch) with a couple shots of DeoxIT, and:  Strobo scope by minivanmegafun, on Flickr First time around I just got the pitch pots, which steadied it at 33, but 45 was still off. Then I shot the power switch, and it's now perfect.  Bonus macro mode VTF gauge and Ortofon OM 5E picture:  Macro mode stylus VTF gauge shot by minivanmegafun, on Flickr
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May 20, 2012 01:41
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How do you confirm what speed the table is spinning at? I was tweaking a knob on mine for kicks and can't get it to sound quite right now 
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May 21, 2012 23:42
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Ashex posted:How do you confirm what speed the table is spinning at? I was tweaking a knob on mine for kicks and can't get it to sound quite right now If you've got a stroboscope built into your table (as I do in the picture above), you'll adjust your pitch control knobs until the dots appear to stand still. If not, you'll need a stroboscopic disc and an incandescent lamp. You can print out a disc from Vinyl Engine's website at http://www.vinylengine.com/strobe-discs.shtml. Lamps other than tungsten may work better, LEDs that have been modified to work off of AC power and neon lamps work the best.
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May 22, 2012 01:20
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minivanmegafun posted:If you've got a stroboscope built into your table (as I do in the picture above), you'll adjust your pitch control knobs until the dots appear to stand still. Thanks for the explanation, mine does have a strobe built into it so I'll just adjust it until the dots stand still. On a sidenote, I got the new stylus for my cartridge and picked up an Onkyo TX-51 receiver. With the two paired together it sounds amazing  
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May 22, 2012 19:16
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oh god another one! let that receiver breathe 
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May 22, 2012 19:31
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That isn't the final resting place, you'll notice it's sitting on top of a cardboard box. I don't have a spot to put them yet as I'm about to move, I'll need to get a cabinet for it and all my other crap.
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May 22, 2012 19:49
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Well I finally did it! I finished re-capping my Sansui 881. 72 Caps, and a whole heap of solder later, and the beast is good for another 38 years of audio bliss. It might just be my ears playing tricks on me, but I'm positive I can now turn the stereo's volume up another 20% before hearing a slight hiss. Apparently some guy managed to get his 881 almost hiss free by using additional shielding on the speaker terminal wires and twisting them since they run so close to the transfomer. It's also pretty cool to see the difference in caps from 1974 and now. A 10,000uF 50 Volt cap from today is smaller than a 1,000uF 50 Volt cap from 1974.
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May 24, 2012 14:45
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Blistex posted:Well I finally did it! I finished re-capping my Sansui 881. 72 Caps, and a whole heap of solder later, and the beast is good for another 38 years of audio bliss. It might just be my ears playing tricks on me, but I'm positive I can now turn the stereo's volume up another 20% before hearing a slight hiss. Apparently some guy managed to get his 881 almost hiss free by using additional shielding on the speaker terminal wires and twisting them since they run so close to the transfomer. drat You should have taken photos of the entire process. I've been debating whether I want to attempt something like this with my 881. I have little to no experience, so I am leaning against it. If I had photos I might consider it though. How many hours did it take you?
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May 24, 2012 16:43
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Dumbledore 64 posted:drat Thousands if you factor in delivery time.  Only about 4-5 hours tops, and it was pretty easy. . . oh look what I have here! All the caps needed to recap a Sansui 881! Just order the first result from Digikey that doesn't require you to order a batch of 2000 minimum.  Caps in Orange are "high quality" ones, or at least not the cheapest ones available at the time. I decided to play it safe (even though todays caps are better than whatever they had) and ordered Panasonic FM or FC caps. The process itself is pretty easy. Remove the old cap, replace the new one in its place. Rinse and repeat!
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May 24, 2012 18:58
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Awesome. I am mostly worried about taking it all apart and forgetting how to reassemble it. Especially worried about messing up the tuner alignment. Did you have to remove all the boards and work on them while removed?
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May 24, 2012 19:08
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Dumbledore 64 posted:Awesome. I am mostly worried about taking it all apart and forgetting how to reassemble it. Especially worried about messing up the tuner alignment. Did you have to remove all the boards and work on them while removed? Just do one cap at a time. There are 72 of them, and once you get into a groove, it's pretty easy. Get a decent soldering iron, and the thin solder wire from Radio Shack/The Source. Remove a cap (while noting the placement and direction its negative terminal is pointing), then replace it with the new one, then snip the excess terminal leads. You don't have to do anything drastic. There are only two cover plates inside that you have to take out, one removal cct board that slides in like a PCIE/AGP card, and the faceplate to get access to one board that you unscrew. There isn't a single board that you have to desolder, and most everything is pretty accessable. Only tricky thing is replacing the two big power caps, and removing the input select board wich takes a minute or less. When you get stuck, just send me a PM or even better, post in this thread so others can help out.
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May 24, 2012 19:17
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Blistex posted:Just do one cap at a time. There are 72 of them, and once you get into a groove, it's pretty easy. Get a decent soldering iron, and the thin solder wire from Radio Shack/The Source. I might just do that, thanks! e: so did replacing all the caps fix the hum or hiss entirely, or at least significantly? BANME.sh fucked around with this message at 23:44 on May 24, 2012 |
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May 24, 2012 21:48
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I'm pretty sure I can turn up the volume around 20% more before hearing that his from a few feet away. Mostly it was just time. Those caps are 38 years old, and not getting any younger. People say that the 881 hiss never goes away, but apparently someone got it to go away by using better shielded cables from the CCT board to the speaker outlets. Something to do with that huge rear end transformer squeezing the speaker wires against the case. Good luck!
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May 25, 2012 01:10
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So, my technics 1200 needs its audio cables replaced, and my soldering iron/skills are poo poo so I don't trust myself to fix the problem. Problem is, the only audio repair shop in my area (Ann Arbor, MI) that I know of has a two month waiting list and less than desirable reviews. Any ideas?
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May 25, 2012 03:42
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Hop on an audiophile forum like audiokarma and see if anyone in the area is willing to help you out.
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May 25, 2012 06:45
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Pick up some wires and an old cct board (discarded modem or Ethernet card) and get practicing until you're good at it! Right before I recapped my stereo I did that exact same thing on an old PCI modem and a sound card. Only took a few minutes to get back into the swing of things and feel confident enough to do it. Also check out some youtube videos on soldering.
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May 25, 2012 13:14
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It's also really important to have a good soldering iron. Don't skimp, you will just gently caress your gear up and get frustrated.
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May 25, 2012 14:21
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Basic Beater posted:So, my technics 1200 needs its audio cables replaced, and my soldering iron/skills are poo poo so I don't trust myself to fix the problem.
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May 25, 2012 15:34
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In San Francisco there's a guy who will bring a full kit and repair stereos in your house for about $100. He's a godsend. You could probably even take it to a tv repair shop.
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May 25, 2012 16:13
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Basic Beater posted:So, my technics 1200 needs its audio cables replaced, and my soldering iron/skills are poo poo so I don't trust myself to fix the problem. I've replaced the rca leads on both my 1200s, very simple. Taking the rubber bottom off is very easy, just a number of screws. Why not get a little soldering station and practise soldering a bit on some stuff? I am sure you could handle it. Great skill to have for the future. Somewhere I have the full repair schematics for the 1200 if you don't find them online, might want to replace some of the little bulbs while you are in there.
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May 26, 2012 18:57
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The best way to improve your soldering ability is to get a soldering station that is worth using in the first place. Anything sold by Radio Shack is complete junk. Their solder is okay but their irons are the worst possible thing to use next to one of their soldering guns. Anything made by Weller or Hakko is pretty good. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000AS28UC/ref=dra_a_cs_ss_fs_it_P1300_1000?tag=dradis-20 For $43 you get an iron, a stand with a built in temperature control. Can't beat it. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 00:39 on May 30, 2012 |
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May 26, 2012 21:03
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So my grandma recently passed away and the whole family has been going through all of the stuff at her house. Well I took all the vintage audio equipment, but the one I'm having trouble finding out about is a Lafayette Stereo Disco Mixer (44-93508). Anyone have any information or have one similar to it?
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May 26, 2012 21:57
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Paperweight posted:The best way to improve your soldering ability is to get a soldering station that is worth using in the first place. Anything sold by Radio Shack is complete junk. Their solder is okay but their irons are the worst possible thing to use next to one of their soldering guns. Anything made by Weller or Hakko is pretty good. Right here! Don't cheap out and get a $4.00 soldering iron from the dollar store! Only reason I said Radio Shack is that they usually only stock two kinds of solder, and it's the thinner stuff you want (0.8mm.0.032"). Unless you're planning on soldering every day, a bare-bones Weller iron is going to be great, and that's what I used to redo my 881.  It's $30 in Canada, so probably $20-25 in the US, and around £460 if you live in the UK. It's a nice unit, and as cheap as you would probably want to go. Last thing you want is an iron that loses all its heat every time you touch some solder.
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May 27, 2012 15:32
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I need to rearrange my speakers. I've got them too close together, and one sitting on a set of boxes, which isn't good for acoustics at all. Speakers are Polk R15 bookshelf speakers, sufficient for the small room I've got them in. Amp is a Marantz 2250B, more than sufficient to drive them. I'm planning on moving the right speaker over to the far right of the bookshelf it's on, and I'm thinking about getting a stand for the left. The bookshelf is 36" tall, so I imagine finding a 36" tall speaker stand that can hold a small bookshelf speaker shouldn't be hard. Do I want to go wood or steel? Does anyone sell just a single speaker stand (not in a pair)?
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May 27, 2012 17:27
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minivanmegafun posted:
Why don't you just put both speakers on the bookshelf?
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May 27, 2012 18:26
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Stuart McSlim posted:Why don't you just put both speakers on the bookshelf? Put the TV in the middle of the bookshelf and the speakers on each side of the bookshelf. The TV looks like it's up too high anyway where it is now. Goon feng shui
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May 27, 2012 18:36
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Crosspostin, cos maybe you vintage guys will have a bit more knowledge about this.nrr posted:Anyone have any experience with the Marantz 1070?
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May 27, 2012 22:12
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nrr posted:Crosspostin, cos maybe you vintage guys will have a bit more knowledge about this. http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/1070.html Its nice. Ask what he's done to it, if the lamps and caps have been replaced its a great unit. If he just "got it working" then 50$ sounds fine. It boils down to what you're willing to pay for and he said to make an offer, so offer something you're comfortable parting with. If he knows you're thrifting junk receivers I don't think he's going to be insulted giving him a non-audiophile offer. Its not an audiophile receiver anyways.
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May 27, 2012 22:23
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Get the TV off it's perch, put the other speaker on the shelf, and put the turntable that's on the floor where the TV was.
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May 28, 2012 00:56
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Blistex posted:Get the TV off it's perch, put the other speaker on the shelf, and put the turntable that's on the floor where the TV was. Why do I need two turntables, in particular one that's a lovely Sony P-Mount? 
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May 28, 2012 01:07
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Wow, that was a whole lotta advice you all gave me, thanks! What I actually ended up doing was getting a couple of RCA jack-ends from Home Depot, cutting the old ones off of my TT. That worked great for my "sweet spot" problem. Then I noticed that I was still having some trouble with my left channel sounding like poo poo. This happened on both of my amps, so I'm glad to say they don't need fixing. So anyway, this was after I had just installed my new cartridge, and while I thought I had gotten everything peachy-keen on balancing the tonearm and whatnot, I guess I hadn't. I took it in to Overture Audio in Ann Arbor, MI and they fixed it up really well. Got the balancing and Anti-Skating juuust right. Sounds amazing now. Anyway, as far as soldering goes, I know I have all the basics down, but the problem is my Dad has only ever bought Radioshack Soldering irons. He keeps getting upset that they lose heat and gunk up at the end, and I always thought that the reason was "if you don't spend $100 on a soldering iron you're gonna get poo poo upon" so it's nice to know there are some good cheap alternatives. I'll be sure to look into them.
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May 28, 2012 01:51
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Not an Anthem posted:http://www.classic-audio.com/marantz/1070.html Cheers, that makes sense. It sounded like it was an old one his wife had lying around so I don't think it's had any work done to it. He said he thought the low end on the transformer of the Yamaha RX350 was gone. Do you think I'd be better off seeing if he could get a replacent for it and fix it up, or just forget it and go for the Marantz?
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May 28, 2012 02:51
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Even if you want FM, go for the Marantz and get a tuner later, that's a sweet unit.
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May 28, 2012 03:02
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minivanmegafun posted:Why do I need two turntables, in particular one that's a lovely Sony P-Mount? 2 Turntables means that you have the option of switching to another record when the first one is finished with only the flick of a switch or two, no fumbling with that LP, then swapping with another. Or if you don't really care about that sort of thing, "It's a turntable on the floor! who cares if it's a crappy unit, get it away from those dust bunnies, your feet, and an overzealous vacuum attachment!" It's your place and stuff, do whatever you want. Retarded Pimp posted:Even if you want FM, go for the Marantz and get a tuner later, that's a sweet unit. Some good advice here. Even if it's not one of their high-end units, or even a "middle of the road" unit, it's still a Marantz, and people are willing to pay more than they are actually worth just for the name and the vintage look*. Hold on to it for a few years and sell it when you see something you really want. The price of these vintage units is only going to go up. *can you really even call it a Marantz without the "gyro-touch" tuner?
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May 28, 2012 13:12
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Blistex posted:Some good advice here. Even if it's not one of their high-end units, or even a "middle of the road" unit, it's still a Marantz, and people are willing to pay more than they are actually worth just for the name and the vintage look*. Hold on to it for a few years and sell it when you see something you really want. The price of these vintage units is only going to go up. Or you could recap those 40 year old capacitors and see what it really sounds like. *Yes, anything from the Saul & Superscope era is great, the amps, pre's and turntables were all quality, even their low end stuff. When it was sold to Phillips is when it
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May 28, 2012 15:59
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Retarded Pimp posted:Or you could recap those 40 year old capacitors and see what it really sounds like. Beauty of 70's audio equipment, you don't need 11 year old slaves from a Foxconn factory to repair it. Solder joints are visible to the naked eye and most of the parts are an eBay or Digikey login away. Only took me a few hours to recapp my 881, and not it's read for another 38 years of use. Retarded Pimp posted:*Yes, anything from the Saul & Superscope era is great, the amps, pre's and turntables were all quality, even their low end stuff. When it was sold to Phillips is when it Same story as Sansui. Now it's just a label they slap on no-name WalMart LCD-TVs.  I saw some Marantz stereos and turntables from the mid-late 80's and early 90's and just lifting them told me enough about their quality. One turntable was 99% plastic, and proudly showing the "Marantz" logo on the front. Thing weighed 1/2 a pound and had the suspension from a HotWeels racer and a needle that appeared to have been made from a shard of a soda can.There's a reason why even mid-low end stuff from the 70's sells for a decent price, quality, durability, and not using slave labour and the cheapest materials available.
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May 28, 2012 17:09
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Cool, thanks for all the advice guys! Looks like I got real lucky, cos the guy called me back, told me he managed to fix up the Yamaha, and then told me I could just have the Marantz anyway and all he wanted was $20! I asked him if he was sure, and he seems super cool with it, so I guess I'll just wait and see what kind of condition it's in when he drops it off tomorrow. Either way it looks like a pretty damned good deal to me. Good to see you not losing your mind over Clod for a change, Blistex
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May 29, 2012 00:45
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nrr posted:Good to see you not losing your mind over Clod for a change, Blistex You'll notice by my posting that my interest in 70 Audio equipment really took off after I decided to let the CLOD thread die the slow, pitiful death it deserves.
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May 29, 2012 01:04
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Would there be any problems with plugging my turntable into something like this so it stops spinning if I fall asleep while listening to a record? http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003P2UMS0/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00
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May 29, 2012 12:46
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Dumbledore 64 posted:drat Here, made this easy for you if you go the digikey route. All the part numbers and amounts are there. 
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May 29, 2012 13:18
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