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Meow Meow Meow posted:I got a Realistic STA-850 for free and it looks like it needs some work. It doesn't even turn on, I'm going to do some troubleshooting on it and try to get it in working order. Is this model any good? From google it looks like it was an old radioshack brand. I found one of those at a thrift store a few months back. It's a hefty little thing, and from what I read it was a decent receiver as it was back when RS actually made worthwhile things. The right channel on mine was low so I never got to really give it a listen. The pots were very difficult to get to without dismantling the whole front of the thing so I ended up just throwing it on eBay.
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Sep 25, 2012 17:05
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I have no idea what this is but it's amazing.
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Sep 25, 2012 18:38
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That is an Electohome Circa 711 one of the many Weltron 2007 clones, but without all the cool ligts and tape deck.
Ron Burgundy fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Sep 25, 2012 |
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Sep 25, 2012 19:11
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Would any goons be interested in purchasing my lovingly cared for Rega P2? If so, I'll snap some pics and post details about it either in the thread or via PM. I figure interest in SA-MART would be extremely low
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Sep 25, 2012 21:01
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Maybe try the NMD vinyl thread too.
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Sep 25, 2012 21:09
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So I finally got around to taking pictures of these stupid plug heads. Oh OK it's just one of the 3 pin ones, I've seen similar on the Amphenol site, now I just need to check the one on the power supp...   I think this thing is loving with me.
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Sep 26, 2012 14:22
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Ron Burgundy posted:Maybe try the NMD vinyl thread too. Good idea - thanks!
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Sep 27, 2012 19:58
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I just picked up a pair of BO Beovox S45-2 (http://www.beoworld.org/prod_details.asp?pid=666) which besides looking great and weighing a ton, are actually supposed to be worth owning from an audio quality stand point, unlike most BO crap. Unfortunately, they each have a 2-pin male DIN connector. I was given a single 2-pin female DIN connector with them, but that obviously isn't going to get me very far in the long term. I can only confirm that both speakers work, one at a time. Does anyone know where I might get 2-pin female connectors that I could make my own cables with, or a place that sells ready made cables? Ebay has some, but I was hoping to avoid ebay and maybe pay a bit less.
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Sep 29, 2012 22:06
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Associate Christ
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What's my best option for as bulletproof a turntable/needle as possible? The usage scenario is that I have a small musical instrument shop and want to develop a small 'listening area'. I'd like something I don't have to worry so much about someone loving up too badly if my clerk isn't paying attention while still maintaining decent sound quality.
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Oct 9, 2012 19:30
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The right channel on my stereo has become much weaker and quieter than the other. I just tried some basic troubleshooting by turning off the EPL and switching the L and R plugs in each device in the signal path to test if the quiet channel switched sides here is where I got. Switched inputs on: Amp input bass computer (something that came with my speakers) output bass computer input preamp outputs And each time the weak channel switched sides. However, when I switched the cables from my turntable the weak channel did not switch, this would indicate to me that the problem is in the preamp. Is this a correct conclusion and if I open it up what should I look for to cause a problem like this? It's a Hafler DH-110 preamp that came as a kit that my father built like 25 years ago if that helps. He was the kind of guy that made triple sure everything he did was done right so I doubt it's a bad solder or something like that, but who knows. eggsovereasy fucked around with this message at 00:46 on Oct 10, 2012 |
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Oct 10, 2012 00:44
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Bad solder joints don't typically start as bad solder joints. Through moving the preamp repeatedly through it's lifespan, joints can become loose. Another cause is the repeated heat cycling that the joints go through in their lifespan. Look for leaking caps, or solder joints with cracks as a first pass. I'd also suggest cleaning all the pots with deoxit or something similar.
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Oct 10, 2012 02:17
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I have a MusicHall MMF5 that needs to have the cart replaced. I'm comparing the AT440MLA and the Denon DL-110. I have the Pyle preamp in the OP, an Onkyo receiver and Energy RC50 speakers. I prefer a neutral sound and I listen to rock/hip hop/post rock records. What do you guys think? Any other cart I should consider? I was not that impressed with the Goldring on this table, glad it's toast.
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Oct 10, 2012 04:48
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iostream.h posted:What's my best option for as bulletproof a turntable/needle as possible? You can get a Technics SL1200 Mk2 with an Ortofon Arkiv cart -- no separate headshell. The record shops here have a similar setup, except they use a cheap headshell / inexpensive cart and zip tie the whole thing together. BusinessWallet posted:I have a MusicHall MMF5 that needs to have the cart replaced. I'm comparing the AT440MLA and the Denon DL-110. I have the Pyle preamp in the OP, an Onkyo receiver and Energy RC50 speakers. I prefer a neutral sound and I listen to rock/hip hop/post rock records. What do you guys think? Any other cart I should consider? I was not that impressed with the Goldring on this table, glad it's toast. I am in basically the same situation, which is what led me to the wide world of MM cartridge loading! The 440Mla will sound really bright out of the box assuming standard loading at the preamp. From my research, the 440Mla likes a loading of 32k and the 110 likes a loading of 1k (like other MC carts). If you're not willing to go down this road, with my current setup the AT120E/T actually sounds better than the AT440Mla. My next step is getting everything hooked up to my laptop so I can plot my TT's frequency response as I change things :-/ bacon! posted:Would any goons be interested in purchasing my lovingly cared for Rega P2? If so, I'll snap some pics and post details about it either in the thread or via PM. I figure interest in SA-MART would be extremely low Are you in the US or the UK? primitive fucked around with this message at 06:10 on Oct 10, 2012 |
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Oct 10, 2012 06:03
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Ok help time for me. I have been trying to figure out why my new AT440Mla sounds like poo poo. I figured out its almost certainly down to: 1. Standard, unadjustable preamp with 220pF capacitance and 47k ohm resistance. (This is standard for MM carts, but the 440Mla doesn't seem to want to be standard.) 2. I have a 2009 Technics SL1200 Mk2 with high-capacitance interconnects. I've got a multimeter coming in to be sure, but I think my total capacitance is on the order of 550pF, which the internet illuminati says is likely to sound terrible at standard loading. So for interconnects, I purchased a pile of balanced cable to make my own. My question is what I should do with the shielding. The TT has balanced output, my preamp is not balanced. 1. What to do with the shielding at the source end? Trim it off, hook it to ground, or hook it to - ? 2. What to do with the shielding at the preamp end? Trim it off or hook it to - ?
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Oct 10, 2012 06:31
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Define "sounds like poo poo". Do other cartridges sound better or are you having this problem with every cartridge you use?
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Oct 10, 2012 16:28
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BANME.sh posted:Define "sounds like poo poo". Do other cartridges sound better or are you having this problem with every cartridge you use? I have three carts in my stable: Ortofon OM10 AT120E/T AT440MLa I've got all of these mounted and aligned on separate headshells so I can swap them out and make comparisons. The 440MLa sounds much brighter than the 120E/T even though it's the "better" cart, which is what led me to investigate further. Just popped in the OM10 again for comparison, here's my notes: quote:Added counterweight: off It's rubbish for a completely different reason, it seems to pick up more surface noise and have a thinner tone overall. Really it's all just bullshit until get the right cables in and hook it up to my computer so I can plot the frequency response.
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Oct 10, 2012 21:04
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pork never goes bad posted:Bad solder joints don't typically start as bad solder joints. Through moving the preamp repeatedly through it's lifespan, joints can become loose. Another cause is the repeated heat cycling that the joints go through in their lifespan. So I cracked it open to discover that it was surprisingly clean inside every capacitor looked brand new, but the solders are on the bottom of the pcb and I couldn't really figure out how to get to the bottom but I tried wiggling each thing and nothing had any play in it, so maybe the solders are good. Anyway, I played with the knobs again and found the balance knob grinds when I turn, I really have no idea how I missed this with all the turning of it I did troubleshooting. I'm assuming that I can spray some deoxit in there and it will help clean up that pot a bit? Also, after putting it back together both channels sound perfect so I don't know anymore. I did setup the eq straight in the signal path instead of putting it in the EPL don't know if that matters. Regardless, if the problem comes back after I clean the pots I'll figure out how to get the pcb up and check the solders on the back.
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Oct 11, 2012 01:28
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Just wanted to say that Deoxit isn't the only product out there either. Any contact cleaner will work, and usually better as they have more of the active ingredient that cleans. Just check the can to make sure it says glass/plastic safe and oil free. Deoxit is overpriced because they're shooting for a niche market and know that they will pay more for a product that they perceive is the only one they can use. Just check out your nearest auto-product store (NAPA/Princess Auto/etc.) and look for contact cleaners. These are also great places to pick up headlight polishing kits to redo the acrylic dust covers on your turntables. Also caps and solder can look perfectly fine and still be issues. My Sansui 881 had a horrible hum, and all I had to do to get rid of 80% of it was reflow a solder joint that the grounding wire was in. It looked secure, nice and shiny, but the instant I reflowed the joint the difference was amazing. I got rid of an additional 15% of the hum by replacing the caps. They all looked fine, no corrosion or bulging, but they dry out over time.
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Oct 22, 2012 16:57
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Is there a way to listen to my turntable just by hooking up the output of the turntable in to the line-in on my laptop? The turntable is phono-out and I don't know where the power cable for my pre-amp is, since a pre-amp is just an amplifier to turn the signal in to a line-ready signal surely you could just do that in software right? So I could hook my turntable phono-out in to the line-in on my laptop and just listen to music amplified through it with headphones?
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Oct 23, 2012 00:36
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Not that i'm aware of. I think the main problem is there is just too much of a gain boost to do via software, that and the electrical noise of the computer itself will be amplified by 500%. The EQ curve is the easy part.
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Oct 23, 2012 01:26
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I have a Marantz SR1100 that frequently loses the right channel. If I fiddle with the input select knob or turn the unit on and off I can usually fix the problem, but sometimes it just doesn't want to work. Is there a way to fix this for good with a fairly limited understanding of electronics?
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Oct 23, 2012 15:53
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prom candy posted:I have a Marantz SR1100 that frequently loses the right channel. If I fiddle with the input select knob or turn the unit on and off I can usually fix the problem, but sometimes it just doesn't want to work. Is there a way to fix this for good with a fairly limited understanding of electronics? Does it scratch when you fiddle with the knob? You might fix it by just getting some electronics contact cleaner, spraying it on the actual selector knob or whatever the knob mechanically connects to (with the unit off) and moving the knob around a lot. The other fix is looking for bad solder joints, I'm not familiar with that unit but pay special attention to where the knob connections meet the PCB and look for cracks or breaks, just reflow them by heating it up and maybe adding a little more solder.
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Oct 23, 2012 21:03
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prom candy posted:I have a Marantz SR1100 that frequently loses the right channel. If I fiddle with the input select knob or turn the unit on and off I can usually fix the problem, but sometimes it just doesn't want to work. Is there a way to fix this for good with a fairly limited understanding of electronics? When I see Marantz and 'lose a channel' in the same sentence, I immediately think that it's the speaker protection relay. I'm not sure if that applies to your model though.
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Oct 23, 2012 22:55
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Thanks guys, I'll dip outside my comfort zone a little and give this a try. Is there a specific brand of cleaner I should be looking for?
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Oct 24, 2012 14:43
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prom candy posted:Thanks guys, I'll dip outside my comfort zone a little and give this a try. Is there a specific brand of cleaner I should be looking for? Any kind will do. You can use pure rubbing alcohol too.
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Oct 24, 2012 15:54
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Not as incredibly nice as some of the systems here, but I've been having a grand night and wanted to share it. My stepdad gave me his turntable (I was talking about looking for one as a result of this thread mostly) and receiver and his record collection, along with MY old collection (yes, I'm kind of old) that I thought was long LONG gone. So tonight I've been chilling out with the phones on listening to a TON of old stuff, but then I run across my original release Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix collection. (I could slow them down to better learn the licks on the guitar, you see.) So it's been me, his Technics SL-B270 turntable and a Pioneer SX-440 tonight with some nice headphones. There's some popping, some hissing but I forgot how awesome it is to have to turn an album over to hear the other side. Groovy man.
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Oct 28, 2012 04:05
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I'm looking into building a new vintage setup and wanted to get some opinons. I'm thinking of getting: Dual 1219 Turntable Harmon Kardon 430 Receiver Klipsch KG4 Speakers I wanted something that is functional but also has a nice retro look to it for my living room. Anything that I should look out for with this setup?
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Oct 29, 2012 19:01
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Dual tables always look cheap to me, but the 1219 seems to be a classic and well regarded. Plus there's a heap of info about them in regards to maintenance and repairs. This guy will rebuild any Dual table for a resonable price: http://fixmydual.com I own a HK 430 and I have zero complaints with it. A common problem is burned out lamps, but I recently replaced them in mine and it's an easy job and parts are easy to find as well. Can't say much about the speakers but they seem fine. It sounds like you've done a bit of research to select these components so you should already know they're pretty good.
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Oct 29, 2012 19:22
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Dual 1219/1229 are great turntables when they're working correctly, but they're very complex and a real pain to service. Almost every part of the turntable will probably require some work. If you don't buy a restored one, be prepared to have it rebuilt, or to spend a lot of time rebuilding it yourself. I recently picked up a 1229 in very good cosmetic condition, and here's what I've had to do to it so far: - Clean and relube platter bearing. - Disassemble, clean and relube motor. - Polish inner platter and motor pulley. - Sand idler wheel to expose fresh rubber. - Clean and relube idler bearing. - Clean and relube speed control mechanism. - Clean and relube automatic tonearm mechanism. - Replace capacitor on motor. - Replace power cord. - Clean many unnecessary electrical contact points with contact cleaner and a wire brush. - Many readjustments (height of motor pulley, etc). I've spent many hours doing these things, and I still have to replace a hardened rubber washer and mend a broken gear before I'm done. All of these repairs (except maybe the capacitor and power cord) are to be expected for an unserviced 1219 or 1229. Personally, I think there are many other turntables that give a similar level of performance without being so labor intensive, but if you can get a good working Dual I'm sure you'll be happy with it.
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Oct 31, 2012 21:53
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Is buying a Beogram RX2 going to be something I regret? I love the style, and craigslist has what claims to be one in fully working order for $75... There is also a Technics SL 20 for much the same price, but it needs a new belt. I am trying to find something that can produce a better sound and look nice for the wife. I currently have a Sony PS LX350H hooked up to a NAD 312 amp. The speakers are vintage B&O S45-2. There are also these monsters: http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ele/3375637551.html http://raleigh.craigslist.org/ele/3291154477.html I wish I had more money than sense.
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Oct 31, 2012 22:53
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If you're in Raleigh I can hook you up with a dude who restores old stuff and does an amazing job. Stuff runs $60 - $200.
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Oct 31, 2012 23:18
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I found some garbage! Technics SU-V303 "New Class-A" Computerized, 40W per channel. A bit of contact cleaner on the pots and input selectors and it worked fine on the inputs I tested. Only weird thing is the computerized control lights don't show anything for bias, and the thermal and signal lights show yellow all the time. Is that normal? E: I found a picture of one that's powered up and it had the same pattern so presumably everything works.   The bass, treble and balance knobs are bent, recommendations for righting them? I suspect just bending them back may break them.  Also I'm wondering if these are available online, there's enough working ones to connect one set of speakers so it's not super important.  This thing looks like a professional PA thing, AFAIK it's a 4 input 4 output stereo mixer controlled over RS-232. The datasheet for the main IC says it supports basic equalizer and volume control features as well. I can't find this online at all, so I'll have to try sending it some commands assuming it works.  
longview fucked around with this message at 17:01 on Nov 1, 2012 |
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Nov 1, 2012 16:07
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Well I am now the proud owner of a Beogram RX2. It came with an MMC3 cartridge which I understand to be quite good. The entire unit is in great physical shape, including the cover. It plays and sounds great! My only issue is that the RCA cable is hard-wired, and the ends are cracked and falling apart. It may even be possible for me to replace them myself, yeah? Also, has anyone balanced the tone arm on one of these? I am reading this: http://www.sound-smith.com/faq/balancefaq.html and it all makes sense, but I cannot figure out how to get the arm to float freely. It is like it is being "held" at all times by the automatic mechanism. Is this making any sense? edit: These guys: http://www.vinylengine.com/turntable_forum/ have manuals (including service) for lots of players, including this RX2. It explained more clearly how to get the arm to float. other people fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Nov 1, 2012 |
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Nov 1, 2012 20:04
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longview posted:I found some garbage!
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Nov 2, 2012 00:09
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Not sure if this is more headphone or vinyl so I'm posting it in both threads, but is the VP130 by Bellari as good as it's cracked up to be? Would I be better off with a more basic phono preamp going into my O2?
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Nov 9, 2012 02:44
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I think I own one of those. Used it for a while. If I remember right, it a classic 1930s or 40s design with a DC to DC converter to boost the wall wart voltage up to run the plates at a normal 150-200 volts. It sounded okay. Not the last word in transparency or anything. I found tube rolling didn't change much over the standard Chinese 12AX7.
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Nov 12, 2012 17:27
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Dump day is usually a happy day for me. I get to get rid of smelly things that are in my house, and sometimes I find treasures like a Sansui 881 reciever, some nice vintage speakers, a working PC, or RAM I can put in my slow-rear end work PC. Today though, it was a sad day. A pic to start things off.  The way our dump is set up is there is a large concrete ledge that you drive your car/truck up to. You then throw your garbage into various bins ~15 feet below. There is a household garbage bin, a compostables bin, a recyclables bin, and scrap metal bin. They're set up in this manner so that people just have to throw them down. And even if the bin is nearly full, it's easy to throw your trash to the far side so the bin gets filled up easily. There is also an electronics bin that is an enclosed box with a sliding door that goes on and off the back of a large truck. About the size of the U-Haul trucks. These are the only accessible bins in the dump, and people can go in them to deposit their old electronics. This is great because the stuff isn't thrown 15' down, and everything is out of the rain and elements, so if something good gets tossed in there, it won't get ruined by the weather. On to the story. I go there, pull up and deposit my various trashes to the appropriate bins. I walk over to the electronics bin to see if there is anything good. Nothing. I'm heading back to my car when I hear "fratboy-esq" shouting and cheering. I get to the household bin in time to see three guys launching a large CRT tv into it. I was just about to tell them that it was the wrong bin, but though better as their truck was already empty, and there was no way for them to get their stuff out and put it in the right bin. I peer over and see a metal bed frame, two CRT computer monitors, an old Dell PC, a microwave, and the large CRT tv sitting on top of a metallic stereo receiver that looked like a crushed pop can. I then glimpsed this, and had to look away. I asked the nearest guy, "Hey, that stereo down there, did it still work?" To which he replied, "Yah, but there was no way to hook my iPod into it". It's the tuning dial to a very nice Marantz receiver 
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Nov 19, 2012 04:41
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Blistex posted:I then glimpsed this, and had to look away. 
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Nov 19, 2012 09:36
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Glad I finally found this thread. I got a Realistic STA-2000D, along with a smaller silver-face receiver from that era. The both just needed a fuse, and my roommates were going to throw them out. I was SHOCKED to find that the radio sounds good on it. I didn't know that was possible. Records and MP3s sound good through it, too. I'd thought I had bad speakers, not a bad receiver! But it started cutting out (both speakers) intermittently last night. It still does this, regardless of volume and regardless of input type. It can start immediately, so I don't think it's overheating. My old (but newer) receiver did the same but only when I turned it up too high. Yes, the volume knob does crackle. How do I clean the thing? Will I need tools other than a screwdriver to open the case and solvent to clean it? Other stuff I'm wondering about : I'm running my turntable to my DJ mixer to the receiver. That's a lot of amplification. How do I know the system's limits other than by pushing it until I ruin something? Should I use the "loudness" (what the gently caress is that) button or just my mixer levels and EQs? All of the lights are out. All of them. Is this more likely in the electronics than just old bulbs?
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Nov 20, 2012 04:22
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Mescal posted:Glad I finally found this thread. I got a Realistic STA-2000D, along with a smaller silver-face receiver from that era. The both just needed a fuse, and my roommates were going to throw them out. You shouldn't need more than a screwdriver. Typically you have to remove the case (top and bottom), knobs, and faceplate, then spray a contact cleaner into the pots (potentiometers) and any other moving switches. Move them around a few dozen times, repeat once more, and let it rest for a bit before turning it on. Lots of people recommend DEoxit D5 spray since it's safe on all kinds of plastics. Some contact cleaners are known to corrode old plastics in some push switch assemblies and break them forever. Once they're cleaned, it should sound perfect. There's an overly detailed guide here for a vintage Marantz receiver, but the basics should apply to any brand: http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=207005 The loudness switch (sometimes called "contour") is a preset eqalization that boosts the bass at low volumes to make it sound better. As you increase the volume, the loudness effect diminishes until around half-full volume it has no effect at all. As for the lights, its most likely burned out bulbs and you'll have to find new ones. If you can track down the service manual, it should tell your the proper wattage/amperage lamps to use. Hifi engine only has manuals for the 2100 and 2100D, no 2000D, but the bulbs are probably the same. *shrug*
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Nov 20, 2012 05:46
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