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lazerwolf posted:Cross posting from the vinyl thread
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Jan 6, 2013 05:26
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I bought a pair of Sony SS-3000s on amazon for like 80 bucks and they are amazing for the price. I really feel like their entire SS line is the best bang for the buck. I wish I could still find some speakers with 12"+ woofers and some horn tweeters like they used to make back in the day before subwoofers killed them. (Find them new, not on Craigslist)
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Jan 6, 2013 05:36
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 Well that certainly explains why it wasn't tracking at 5 grams without skipping before, but comfortably plays through at 2 now. Father-in-law furniture 
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Jan 6, 2013 13:35
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Retarded Pimp posted:It looks like that TT already has a preamp. IMO, a set of speakers and/or an integrated amp or a receiver. What's "cheap"? I found a set of Kilpsch KG-2's for $40 and a Sony TA-1066 for $20. It just takes some patience and searching through CL, local thrift shops or garage sales. Cheap being less than $50 if possible. I really need to grown my vinyl collection now that I have something to play it on instead of just looking at it. Like I said it works now and I get some good sound out of it but I was just curious if there were any simple/cheap recommendations to improve the overall experience based on the TT I have
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Jan 6, 2013 17:56
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muckswirler posted:If you are looking for speakers to match with ~70's era amps, find some old infinity's. They made and still make some really nice poo poo at some price points. If you can find some with a dome midrange driver, snag those suckers if they work. They are pretty much awesome. Yup, I see these things all the time in the pawn shops for around that price. The hard (and expensive) part, however, is obtaining tape for these machines. As I understand it, tape is no longer being manufactured for reel-to-reels, so you need to find old reel-to-reel tape and erase it. However, the reel-to-reel "analog sound" is still desired and I may just buy one to run some sounds through it and get that "warm" vibe.
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Jan 6, 2013 18:18
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There's a fair bit of of NIB Quantegy stuff floating around.
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Jan 6, 2013 22:18
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lazerwolf posted:Cheap being less than $50 if possible. I really need to grown my vinyl collection now that I have something to play it on instead of just looking at it. Like I said it works now and I get some good sound out of it but I was just curious if there were any simple/cheap recommendations to improve the overall experience based on the TT I have You're in a kind of tough spot, a new set of speakers won't do you much good without something to power them and an amp won't do much good without a set of speakers to play through. If you don't mind me asking where do you live?
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Jan 7, 2013 00:03
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Retarded Pimp posted:You're in a kind of tough spot, a new set of speakers won't do you much good without something to power them and an amp won't do much good without a set of speakers to play through. I'm in the philadelphia area. What's the benefit of an amp on top of the built in preamp? What else would it add besides EQ options?
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Jan 7, 2013 00:34
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lazerwolf posted:I'm in the philadelphia area. A *phono preamp* just brings the TT signal up to line level, the same as other components. The output of a TT without a *phono preamp* is very weak in comparison to other components, so it needs a bit help. Don't confuse that with a preamp, this contains the volume and balance controls and acts as a switching station, so you can choose to play your cd, tuner, etc. On higher end equipment the preamp is usually a separate component. Older ones and some new higher end ones have an internal phono preamp too. From the preamp the signal goes to the amp to amplify it, that's all an amp does, it takes a signal and makes it stronger so you can play it through your speakers. In an integrated amp, the preamp and amp are in one unit. A receiver has the preamp, amp and tuner all in one convenient unit. Hope this wasn't too confusing.  Edit: I did some looking in your area. Pioneer Receiver for $30. http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/3465325031.html Old school KLH Model 52 Receiver 25ish W/ch for $20 if you're willing to drive. http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/3441340578.html Sansui 5000a receiver $40, 55 W/ch. I'd love to have this one. http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/3498750573.html JVC A-X404 integrated amp, 40 or 50 W/ch, $45. Nice looking unit. http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/3483427646.html Mid 80's Technics speakers for $40 OBO, model SB-L55. http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/3463918713.html Realistic Nova 7b speakers for $35 http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/3523974260.html Sony 4030 speakers for $20 http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/ele/3488856732.html Dbl edit: Argh, just missed out on a Carver MXR-900 about an hour away for $25. Retarted Pimple fucked around with this message at 02:07 on Jan 7, 2013 |
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Jan 7, 2013 01:15
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That makes complete sense! Thanks for clearing that up for me
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Jan 7, 2013 01:19
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I posted in here a while ago asking how to clean out an old receiver with crackly knobs that cuts out and starts back up again every few seconds to a minute. I got linked to a good guide, but I was lost because I don't know electronics. I don't know what pots, pentiometers, or capacitors are. If I had schematics with those dealies labeled, then I might be able to figure it out, but I can't find schematics. How far can I get with a screwdriver, canned air, and typical cleaning products without completely disassembling it? And exactly what is making that clicking sound that happens every time it starts or stops working? If I can find that one thing, I feel like I can clean it and be good.
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Jan 9, 2013 03:52
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Sounds like a speaker protection circuit. Make sure your speaker wires are hooked up correctly (not touching, etc)
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Jan 9, 2013 04:05
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You know, I think you're right about which circuit, but the wires aren't touching. 
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Jan 9, 2013 04:45
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Mescal posted:You know, I think you're right about which circuit, but the wires aren't touching. I'm not an expert at all. What if you try disconnecting all speakers, and playing something with headphones hooked up?
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Jan 9, 2013 17:07
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Mescal posted:I posted in here a while ago asking how to clean out an old receiver with crackly knobs that cuts out and starts back up again every few seconds to a minute. I got linked to a good guide, but I was lost because I don't know electronics. I don't know what pots, pentiometers, or capacitors are. If I had schematics with those dealies labeled, then I might be able to figure it out, but I can't find schematics. Pots are just a short form of potentiometers. They're the same thing. They are what's behind each knob and are responsible for about 90% of all issues with old receivers. They're very easy to access and clean. You can usually get away with removing only the top cover of your receiver to gain access. Sometimes you might need to remove the bottom cover, and sometimes the faceplate. Just remember where each screw goes. Once you have access to the inside, you will see the pots look like this on the inside:  You can spray contact cleaner inside and move the knobs around a couple dozen times to clean them up. Just about any contact cleaner that is "plastic safe" will work. Lots of audio guys recommend DeOxit D5 spray because it's "most safe" for old plastics. I've heard stories about some contact cleaners corroding the innards of switch assemblies in some receivers. Capacitors are the electronic components on circuit boards that look like cylinders.  They come in other shapes, but you'll probably only see them like this on old receivers. They obviously require a bit more skill, since you have to remove them and solder new ones on, keeping in mind the rating and polarity. A receiver will work okay with old capacitors, and it may still sound good to you, but there might be an imbalance that is putting more load on the receiver than there should be. I am no electrician, but that's what I've read. Unless there are burst or bulging capacitors, you probably don't need to change them.
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Jan 9, 2013 18:30
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Thanks for the knowledge, banme. I don't have a 1/4 inch headphone to check it, but the same hollow clicking sound still happens when I disconnect the speakers. I think you're right that it's some kind of protection circuit, because the sound it makes actually is similar to what happens when speaker wires touch. I just went to an electronics store. They said that a cleaning probably wouldn't fix it, and I should bring the thing in to a pro. Are schematics/plans (?) usually available for these things? They didn't have them--I think they were called Sam's something or other--in stock, and buying them from the website would cost me $20 instead of $1 for a hard copy. I don't want to give up and pay for pro repairs, I feel like I'm so close! EDIT: I found a promising website: schematicsforfree.com. It doesn't have what I need, but it might be useful for some of y'all equipment. Mescal fucked around with this message at 03:08 on Jan 10, 2013 |
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Jan 10, 2013 03:01
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You might want to check your DC offset, if it's too off it can cause the protection to kick in. A link that'll show you how. http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=5634 STA-2000 Service Manual pdf. http://www.filedropper.com/realisticsta-2000servicemanual
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Jan 10, 2013 05:19
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Retarded Pimp posted:You might want to check your DC offset, if it's too off it can cause the protection to kick in. You're the best. I think I have a gizmo to check the DC offset in the garage, and the service manual should be a big help. In the meanwhile, I brought my Technics SA-5150 out so I can listen to music until I get the Realistic fixed. It's a similarly classic silver-faced beauty, in much better apparent condition but it only sounds so-so. It strikes me as a lower-end receiver, though I don't know. At least all the lights and knobs and wires work. When I hooked it up, I learned that my mixer was only outputting the left channel. gently caress--it's one thing after another. The Technics simply can't deal with my many audio inputs without my mixer, and of course I give up all that control. (I wasn't using the mixer when troubleshooting the Realistic receiver; that has nothing to do with its problems.) In any case, I appreciate all your help, guys.
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Jan 10, 2013 06:03
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BANME.sh posted:Capacitors are the electronic components on circuit boards that look like cylinders. Just a small point. Bulging caps are typically a sign of newer caps going (Dell motherboards anyone?). Older caps that you will see in electronics from the 60s to Mid-80s usually dry out instead of bulging so there won't be any signs they are going or gone (unless you test them with a multimeter). My Sansui 881 looked to have all perfect caps. There was no bulging, discharge, or corrosion visible. Once I tested a few, I saw they were or were starting to get waaaaaay out of the prescribed tolerances. Also, when you do recap a receiver or some other electronic device there are a few things to keep in mind. 1. The boards don't always have the polarity marked with the nice logo BANME.sh showed in that pic. 2. Sometimes there are empty cap slots right next to the ones you are working on, so things might get confusing. 3. Manufacturers often change their boards during a production run, but sometimes don't keep the schematics in the manual up to date. 4. "Holy poo poo what was the value of that cap I just pulled from the board!?" The process that I followed when I recapped my 881 (72 or 75 caps in total) was to examine each section or individual circuit board and write down the total number of caps, then the values of each. I made a chart in Word with the voltages, uF, and number of Caps. I rechecked a few times then ordered them from Digikey. All of this was done without taking a since cap out! When I began to replace them, I would use a red permanent market and colour the top exposed metal piece on each of the old caps on the board so it was easy to see which ones had been replaced. I would pick one cap, note it's direction, remove it, replace it, then solder it in place. That way I was less likely to get caps mixed up, I didn't have to rely on a manual with known mistakes, and I never lost track of the positions they went in. This may all seem really obvious, or maybe overly cautious, but there are tons of threads on the Audiokarma forums with guys begging for photos of obscure receiver boards because they don't have a manual and lost track of things in the excitement.
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Jan 10, 2013 16:03
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Do any Canadian goons know where I can pick up a cheap-ish record player? I don't want to invest too much right off the bat, so thinking of just going with a record player straight into a 2.1 speaker system. The only brick-and-mortar store I could find that stocked one was Best Buy, and they sell the LP60 for $220 while it's only $90 or so Stateside. I could buy from Amazon but with shipping and duties it's probably going to end up ~200 anyway.
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Jan 11, 2013 02:13
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Geektox posted:Do any Canadian goons know where I can pick up a cheap-ish record player? I don't want to invest too much right off the bat, so thinking of just going with a record player straight into a 2.1 speaker system. The only brick-and-mortar store I could find that stocked one was Best Buy, and they sell the LP60 for $220 while it's only $90 or so Stateside. I could buy from Amazon but with shipping and duties it's probably going to end up ~200 anyway. Ebay, Kijiji, Craigslist, and the other usual suspects. I put a flyer up on my local Canada Post bulletin board and a guy dropped off 6 turntables on my doorstep for free. I looked for a vintage receiver and turntable for a decent price for three years without any luck. Then last year within two weeks I had both for free.
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Jan 11, 2013 02:52
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Hmm, that could work, but I've looked at my local postings and found none of the recommended models in the OP. Can I just get whatever's cheapest or is there anything specific to look for?
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Jan 11, 2013 03:00
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Some of you might be interested in this. I bought a cheap Lepai LP-2020A+ with the intention of powering some really small speakers (was gonna chop the ends off some Apple Pro Speakers from the G4 iMac), but ended up changing my project around when I realized what this thing is capable of. There's a good list of mods to do and information I don't need to repeat in here on diyAudio: http://www.diyaudio.com/wiki/Amplifier:Lepai_T_Amp  It's like $20 on Amazon Prime. It's also surprisingly nice for the money, considering you replace a few essential parts (the power supply and the main power cap). I actually ended up replacing my dad's old NAD 3155 with it (don't worry, I still have that, but it needs a little repair) since the 3155 is a power consumption and heat generating monster, plus it really needed some maintenance and I'm getting sick of that 70's hi-fi sound. Plus I use it out at school in the middle of nowhere, and we get hit with power spikes once in a while, and I don't like the NAD going through that. So according to the diyAudio wiki, since I'm using some Paradigm 7se's (bought them so I could give my dad back his B&W DM5's i've stolen for like the last 14 years), which take an 8 ohm load, a 12V 3A power supply I had lying around works fine for me. I can actually crank the speakers pretty loud, and if you're familiar with the 7se's they're fairly large speakers. It sounded nice with the better power supply, but I quickly upgraded the main power cap to one of these (Panasonic EEU-FR1C472B): http://www.digikey.com/product-detail/en/EEU-FR1C472B/P15343CT-ND/3072223. I didn't take any before/after pictures of the mod, but keep in mind that capacitor is about twice as tall as the POS one that comes installed in it, so make down you either push it down all the way or bend it back a little bit so it fits in the case! My next modification is going to be to change those two loving blue power LED's on the volume knob to something that doesn't destroy your eyes as much. I've been listening to it through my E-MU 0404 USB and I can safely say it sounds really nice after the two simple modifications are done. Replacing the junk power cap with that Panasonic one improved the bass response significantly. I'm very pleased with how it sounds. If I turn the volume above 90% there is some static that comes into the mix, but I don't need to turn it up that loud at all. I might do a few more mods to clean up the signal a bit, but overall I'm very impressed and definitely recommend it. Switching out the capacitor takes like a minute with the right tools. Unfortunately I don't have a phono stage right now so I haven't ran a turntable into it, but between playing music off my game consoles/computer/Sansa Clip/tape deck everything is great. If you're looking for a cheap receiver, I would definitely suggest you look into this and pairing it up with a phono amp instead of going straight for old amps/receivers that may need work or maintenance to sound proper again. Plenty of them will turn on and work fine but you are dealing with old equipment and there are going to be problems that come with that. I know that full well from dealing with many different vintage receivers. e: Here's the speakers I'm driving with them. Believe it's just as loud as the NAD 3155. And yes the Paradigms are what I was talking about regarding the 8 ohm load. If you want to use 4 ohm speakers, get a PSU that can push 5 amps. 3 amps is more than sufficient to get 20w at 8 ohms. 
Bing the Noize fucked around with this message at 03:09 on Jan 11, 2013 |
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Jan 11, 2013 03:04
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Is that 20W at 4 ohms or 8?
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Jan 11, 2013 03:07
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Looks like a chip amp. That noise is probably clipping or the built in failsafes/protection kicking in or about to. At one time, I thought about building one. They're really quite simple.
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Jan 11, 2013 03:21
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I have a HLLY Tamp-10 amplifier which is also a "Class T" amplifier, it's surprisingly good, the only mod I did was reducing the current to the green power LED since it was like a spotlight. The Tamp-20 20W model is still for sale, it looks fairly neat IMO too.
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Jan 11, 2013 09:56
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Geektox posted:Hmm, that could work, but I've looked at my local postings and found none of the recommended models in the OP. Can I just get whatever's cheapest or is there anything specific to look for? Anything from the 70's to the early 80's is usually pretty good if you want to go vintage. Around the mid 80's the different high-end manufacturers decided to have companies make their stuff cheaply, and just coast on their names. Marantz is a prime example of making solid works of art that sounded beautiful, then farming their turntables out to the cheapest bidder. Ex: Marantz turntable from the 70's  Wood, stainless steel, aluminum, heavy, quality marantz turntable from the 80's  Plastic abortion that weighs 1/2 a lb and is cheaply made Post some of the names and model numbers you are seeing posted and maybe someone will reply. Joining audiokarma is also a good idea to get feedback on stuff like this as well.
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Jan 11, 2013 15:02
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Anyone know much about Bang & Olufsen cartridges except the ungodly prices of styli? I bought a headshell on the bay that came with an SP1 from the late 50's. Is it worth chasing down the $40 stylus for these, or should I flip it to some BeoHead? What I actually want to put in this headshell is something with a 0.5mil stylus. The SP1 originally had an option for this size, but it looks like it's one size generic now. Does anyone have any suggestions for half mil styli?
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Jan 11, 2013 17:25
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Blistex posted:Anything from the 70's to the early 80's is usually pretty good if you want to go vintage. Around the mid 80's the different high-end manufacturers decided to have companies make their stuff cheaply, and just coast on their names. Hmm, here are some CL listings I found: Sanyo TP-1800 JVC AL-F350 Also found these receivers, but unless they are amazing deals I'm not trekking out to White Rock: http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/ele/3517242122.html http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/ele/3517240526.html
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Jan 12, 2013 03:05
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Some stuff in the Vancouver area. Akai AA-910 37W/ch, $30 http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/ele/3537614234.html Pioneer SX-434 15W/ch, $49 http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/ele/3484405388.html Kenwood TK 66 60W/ch, $45, that may be 60W IMF, so it would be less when rated as RMS. http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/rds/ele/3464600962.html Pioneer SX-535 20W/ch, $39 http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/bnc/ele/3520899608.html Concord something, not much information out there on that brand, but for $20, why not. http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/ele/3520480997.html Luxman RX-101 suckface, 40W/ch $75. It's a Luxman. http://vancouver.en.craigslist.ca/van/ele/3505313510.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fehrg4r4aMk
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Jan 12, 2013 05:06
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I'm in the market for a turntable and I came across a posting on my local gumtree (like Craigslist). No prices are given. Can anyone give me an idea of which one of these would be the best and how much I should suggest for it? - Kenwood Automatic return turntable (model KO-1600 MK II) - Yamaha optimum mass straight tonearm semi-automatic turntable (model P-05) - Sherwood direct drive semi automatic turntable (model PD-702B) - Sony fully automatic stereo turntable (model PS-LX30) - Glenwood stereo semi automatic turntable (model TP-707) - Pioneer belt Drove turntable (model SPL-110) - Marantz auto return direct drive system turntable (model JJ2000) - Marantz auto return quartz direct drove system (model JJ4000) - Optonica direct drive full auto-turntable (model RP-5200) - CEC Belt Drive Disk Player (BD-3000) - Philips 418 Auto Turntable - C.E.C. Chvodenki semi-auto direct drive turntable 8002
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Jan 13, 2013 02:59
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Geektox posted:Hmm, here are some CL listings I found: Geektox, dont' forget Canuckaudiomart.com, also might want to roll by Innovative Audio (iavscanada.com) if you are out in Surrey. My default recommendation for TT is always the Technics 1200 and variants.
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Jan 14, 2013 06:35
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So I'm preparing to recap a B&O Beogram 8000 turntable I have and I've not done much work with electronics so I was watching some videos and reading on how to solder and test capacitors and all that. Something I read mentioned that capacitors can be dangerous and possibly kill you. However, most of what I've been reading seems to talk about A/C units, microwaves, or CRT televisions which I imagine all have much larger capacitors than my turntable has, but I thought I should check here before I electrocute myself. There's a big 50v 2200 uF, a couple 63v 22uF and a bunch of small ones, is any of that something I should worry about and will leaving it unplugged overnight allow them to discharge? I think I might buy some little babby's first electronics kit to practice soldering with first though.
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Jan 14, 2013 08:16
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A 2200uF 50V cap in a turntable? 
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Jan 15, 2013 00:58
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Probably to supply a DC motor and other assorted controls.
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Jan 15, 2013 01:28
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Use a screwdriver to short the leads.
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Jan 15, 2013 02:02
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 I figured I'd provide you guys with a little porn. Top to Bottom: MCS 3212 Hitachi SR-303 Harman/Kardon 430 Onkyo TX-2500 I just wired in my Kenwood Model Nine GX to replace the MCS and the HK that I ran in tandem.
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Jan 15, 2013 04:04
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That model nine is a great looking unit.
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Jan 15, 2013 23:30
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Right so I've got this nice little Pioneer SA-500A at home that I want to put back into service. After about 30 minutes of warming up, the right channel develops white noise. It doesn't completely drown out the music but it's there. Is a recap of the whole thing in order or can someone pinpoint a specific part to go with the symptom. It's not the world's most amazing unit but it does have 2 phono inputs which is handy, and the 10 WPC does pump out quite nicely.
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Jan 16, 2013 01:32
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| # ? May 15, 2024 07:41 |
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If it's specific to one channel, then it is after the main filter caps. Replace any caps on that channel. I'm thinking something to do with the bias supply if that has it's own circuit in solid state amps. What self-respecting solder jockey doesn't have an assortment of capacitors at all times? VVV That's actually a good idea. I've brought back dried up electrolytics by reheating the solder joints. Heat can reliquify the electrolyte. It's kind of like honey. Paperweight fucked around with this message at 05:12 on Jan 16, 2013 |
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Jan 16, 2013 01:52
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