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In the frozen wastes of Northern Ontario, Deoxit is pretty hard (and expensive) stuff to come by. If someone can cite a source where a no-name "plastic friendly" Contact Cleaner has destroyed a POT I'll be happy to delete my previous post and replace it with a 500 word essay on why Deoxit is the only CL you should ever use. Back to vintage Hi-Fi shenanigans: A friend mentioned that a coworker (a widow) was cleaning out her husband's audio stuff and one of the items that she was getting rid of was an old Pioneer receiver. My friend said that if it still worked he would take it for $50. The next day he shows up and goes to her husband's old home office. The stereo isn't a Pioneer, it's a Sansui G33,000! These suckers boast 330 watts per channel and were the high-water mark of 1970's hi-fi dickwaving! These reveivers are known to go for upwards of 7K and he offered her $100 on the spot. She said it was a deal, and he enthusiastically shook on it. I guess the widow got suspicious since he offered her 2x more than he said before, shook on it, and ran out to his car to "hit the ATM", so she naturally typed "Sansui G33,000" into her smartphone and the first result was a canuckaudiomart posting asking $4700 for it. When he got back to retrieve the stereo, I guess he got a bit of a tongue lashing and was told to take a hike, and "how dare you try and take advantage of a coworker and a widow". He's not looking forward to work on Monday.
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Mar 4, 2013 06:08
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I got a Marantz 2226B receiver and a pair of KEF C30's last year. Everything has been fine with them, until recently the left speaker has been cutting out and not playing or playing at all, or just playing a little distorted (missing certain frequencies or sounding scratchy). I blamed the receiver first, but after switching the inputs in the back, I determined the problem is the speaker itself. I opened it up, but being clueless, didn't notice anything tremendously wrong. Sometimes when I wiggle the banana plug in back, it'll come on/etc (or if I just turn the volume way up on the receiver, sometimes the speaker will pop back to life). I'm assuming it's a problem with the connection in the back of the speaker - any tips on what I'd do to repair this? What should I be looking for? Any guides I found online for speaker repair either focused on the foam/cones or is way over my head with electronic wiring stuff. Am I screwed and do I need to take them to a pro? (Would rather avoid this, as they were cheap to begin with and I'm not married to the sound - I could just buy something else.) iluvpr0n fucked around with this message at 17:48 on Mar 4, 2013 |
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Mar 4, 2013 17:41
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Blistex posted:In the frozen wastes of Northern Ontario, Deoxit is pretty hard (and expensive) stuff to come by. I'd feel bad doing that to somebody I knew, though he did go about it all wrong. The fool should've kept his cool.
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Mar 4, 2013 17:57
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iluvpr0n posted:I got a Marantz 2226B receiver and a pair of KEF C30's last year. Everything has been fine with them, until recently the left speaker has been cutting out and not playing or playing at all, or just playing a little distorted (missing certain frequencies or sounding scratchy). I blamed the receiver first, but after switching the inputs in the back, I determined the problem is the speaker itself. I opened it up, but being clueless, didn't notice anything tremendously wrong. Sometimes when I wiggle the banana plug in back, it'll come on/etc (or if I just turn the volume way up on the receiver, sometimes the speaker will pop back to life). First thing I'd do is get some 1000 grit wet sandpaper from the automotive section at walmart, tear a strip and roll it up about as wide a speaker wire and lightly clean off the connectors. If that doesn't work, then reflow the solder connections on the crossover, speaker connectors and drivers themselves if they're soldered. Take care of the easy things first.
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Mar 5, 2013 01:03
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Think I got a pretty good deal from Craigslist this evening: Kenwood KR 4070 Receiver and a pair of Infinity Qe speakers. I don't think it's much of an upgrade from my Tandberg TR2030 (might even be a slight downgrade? I dunno) but the speakers are much, much better than the Baby Advents I've been using. Got everything for $40. The guy selling it (the original owner) was astonished that anybody was interested in his old stereo.  
Butt Soup Barnes fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Mar 6, 2013 |
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Mar 6, 2013 01:59
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I wish I had a Ikea near me so I could get one of those shelves, so perfect for records. Your set up looks nice and clean. I need to stop buying poo poo, past two weeks I picked up a Pioneer RT-707 and a Yamaha M-70 C-70 combo.
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Mar 6, 2013 02:18
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Thanks, yeah the expedit is popular for a reason I guess. I bought it because it looked like the perfect size for LPs and it turns out everybody and their brother uses one for the same purpose. You really can't beat the value, I think it was like $70 or $80 and pretty solid for the price. And yeah, I need to stop looking at craigslist every morning. It's so tempting to pick up everything I see.
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Mar 6, 2013 02:28
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Never stop looking, just only jump on the good deals. That's how I scored a Sansui 8080DB for 50 bucks. They wanted 250, but when I checked it out it went into protection. Offered 50 since it had some issues, and with a little work got it back up and running, only had six bad resistors. Sometimes people don't know what they have, just don't try to be super shady like that dude a few posts back. Ohh yeah I also bought a Pioneer SA-7800, my wife hates me.
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Mar 6, 2013 02:32
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Retarded Pimp posted:First thing I'd do is get some 1000 grit wet sandpaper from the automotive section at walmart, tear a strip and roll it up about as wide a speaker wire and lightly clean off the connectors. If that doesn't work, then reflow the solder connections on the crossover, speaker connectors and drivers themselves if they're soldered. Thanks, I feared someone might use the s-word. I'm a total electronics noob and don't even own a soldering gun.
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Mar 6, 2013 03:29
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You shouldn't own a soldering gun anyway. They are too big, bulky and clumsy to use. A soldering station with an appropriate pencil iron is everything you need. My adjustable station is 80 watts and can dump more heat into a solder joint than a 150 watt Radio Shack soldering gun. I found this out trying to resolder the copper belly band on an output transformer.
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Mar 6, 2013 04:17
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I have another question. When I play my records, one speaker always craps out or isn't playing at full volume, or crackles. I just bought brand new speakers so that rules them out. The crackling really only happens when the receiver is set to phono mode, not when it's playing the radio. Am I right to assume something's up with my turntable?
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Mar 6, 2013 18:51
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peskyplumber posted:I have another question. When I play my records, one speaker always craps out or isn't playing at full volume, or crackles. I just bought brand new speakers so that rules them out. The crackling really only happens when the receiver is set to phono mode, not when it's playing the radio. Am I right to assume something's up with my turntable? I have a similar issue in that one of my speakers is way quieter than the other. I'm guessing it's caps, but 
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Mar 6, 2013 19:28
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I have a weird similar issue with my table. If I swap the RCA cables around right-to-left-to-right it starts working again. idk why.
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Mar 6, 2013 19:35
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Ghostnuke posted:I have a similar issue in that one of my speakers is way quieter than the other. I'm guessing it's caps, but Do you have any push-buttons like for enabling tone controls? That caused a balance issue for me, isopropanol + pushing the button a whole lot sorted it. Alternately, if there are relays on the speaker outputs they are definitely worth cleaning, just pop the top off, get contact cleaner all over everything and push on the hammer inside to engage it a bunch of times. This was also an issue with my Technics where it caused a periodic crackle in one speaker before getting so bad the sound was almost gone on that channel. peskyplumber posted:I have another question. When I play my records, one speaker always craps out or isn't playing at full volume, or crackles. I just bought brand new speakers so that rules them out. The crackling really only happens when the receiver is set to phono mode, not when it's playing the radio. Am I right to assume something's up with my turntable? Turntable or Phono input in the receiver if it's an old receiver that might have faults, a dirty way to test it would be to connect a normal signal source like an MP3 player to the Phono input (volume turned to the absolute minimum both on the MP3 player and receiver!!) and listening to see if the issue is still there. Because of the equalization and gain of the Phono input it will sound like poo poo, but you should be able to tell if both channels sounds equally bad  I'm not an expert on turntables but you should inspect the cable and check if wiggling the signal cable at the connector end or close to it makes the crackling stop/get much worse, if so you just need to cut away a bit of the cable and solder in a new RCA contact. Further many turntables have quick-release connectors for the pickup, the contact there can be dirty, clean with a hard brush and contact cleaner/your finest vodka, the wires from the back of the pickup going to the headshell are also worth poking at. longview fucked around with this message at 22:23 on Mar 6, 2013 |
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Mar 6, 2013 22:14
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No, it's further back on the source. I soldered a new rca out on the offending channel and it still has this problem. it's farther back where the rca leads originate I think. It's an old Dual 1219, idk if it's worth fixing 'for real' or not. edit, my bad I thought you were responding to my post :-)
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Mar 6, 2013 22:17
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The audio path in a turntable is extremely short and simple, the audio output is normally connected directly or almost directly (via some connector internally) to the tone arm and pickup. Looking up the service manual for the Dual 1219 I see that the audio path from the RCA connector goes to a muting switch, then from that to a small patch-panel where it's connected directly to the wires from the pickup. Does wiggling/twisting/bending the cable cause or affect the issue? Replacing the RCA cable would probably be trivial looking at the pictures, that turntable contains almost nothing electronic so anyone that can solder should be able to pull that off. Normally turntables have the separate ground lead, but connecting that to the negative of each channel inside the turntable wouldn't be a problem so you could simply buy a RCA-RCA cable and snip off one end to solder in the turntable. Hell, you could get screw terminal strips and avoid soldering altogether, just make sure to get some strain relief on the cable. E: Oh, remove the platter and secure the tone arm before doing anything. longview fucked around with this message at 22:38 on Mar 6, 2013 |
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Mar 6, 2013 22:36
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Post pictures. On my current project the previous owner "soldered" something and when I examined it the connection was just a wire wrapped loosely to its connection, they had no idea that wasn't "soldering."
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Mar 7, 2013 19:57
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A coworker is offering to sell me: Beomaster 6000 Beogram 8002 Beorecord 9000 I have not seen them in person, but he claims they are all in great working order, etc. If that Beogram 8002 has a good condition MMC2 cartridge, that would be awesome. I have no idea what this all may be worth? Could someone suggest a range of value from "ok quality" to "pristine condition" ? Local craigslist has a Beogram 3000 for $250 with an MMC4, but that is not nearly as nice as a Beogram 8002...
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Mar 17, 2013 18:28
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That whole set, even if they aren't from matching series are really iconic. The only downfall with B&O turntables as we all know too well are the proprietary cartridges and styli. It's hard for me personally to pinpoint a price for you as they are so rare as to be non-existent here.  Hopefully someone with more intimate knowledge will chime in soon.
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Mar 17, 2013 18:57
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I'm turning into a horder, I keep finding stuff.
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Mar 18, 2013 06:33
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Looks like my living room, except I've got speakers. Lots of speakers.
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Mar 18, 2013 11:02
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TooLShack posted:I'm turning into a horder, I keep finding stuff. Finding stuff is fine, buying stuff can turn into a problem. Open Question: I've been seeing a lot more reel-reel units lately in pics people are posting on Audiokarma and other places (like above). Is the magnetic tape still reasonably available, or are people paying $10 a foot for the stuff from one of the last two companies on earth that still make the it? I'm having difficulty picturing audiophiles listening to songs from a magnetic source that are 20+ years old, and always figured they were recording their favourite tracks from their LPs and then doing the casual listening from the Reel to Reel to save wear on their vinyl.
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Mar 18, 2013 13:53
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As far as tape, there is plenty of NOS stuff out there. My first R2R I bought came with like 100 reels of tape. I've been selling them on ebay to help fund the purchase. Keeping most of the new maxell stuff for myself. But all the Sony tape I sold went for about 3 bucks a reel. My local record store has a bunch of NOS tape, they go for like 10 bucks a reel, but it's an awesome place and has very decent prices on stuff.
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Mar 18, 2013 18:08
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Stay away from 456 and 457. There are lots of varieties that get sticky shed, but every inch of 456 that I've had is hosed. (Quantegy is OK) Actually, don't buy anything listed here I've never had any bad "Scotch" 3M like they say there, but it is quite early stuff, and on pro base for radio station spots etc... Buy: Maxell TDK BASF Quantegy 3M (Branded) Don't buy Ampex Sony Scotch (apparently)
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Mar 18, 2013 18:18
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andretti posted:
Any recommendations on where I can research replacement carts? I just picked up the Audio-Technica in the op, and the Faq linked gave me a 404 error. Basically, just wanted to start looking at what benefits I'll get from spending almost as much on a cart as my record player. Also, thanks thread. I've always been semi-curious about vinyl, and the op helped out a bunch.
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Mar 22, 2013 00:17
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savesthedayrocks posted:Any recommendations on where I can research replacement carts? I just picked up the Audio-Technica in the op, and the Faq linked gave me a 404 error. Basically, just wanted to start looking at what benefits I'll get from spending almost as much on a cart as my record player. Benefits vary, but better sound quality, deeper bass/higher highs, less distortion (depending on your speakers/cans this may not be an issue) less wear due to less needed tracking force, all sorts of things vary from cart to cart.
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Mar 22, 2013 01:00
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I picked up SL-1200 MkII a few weeks ago and my quest for an amp was cut short by an impromptu TB-303 purchase. I'd like some suggestions, but the biggest thing is I'd like to know if anyone could recommend something that went into a 19" rack. I've already got music gear in a rack, and being able to just toss it in there without using even more desk real estate would be awesome.
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Mar 22, 2013 03:48
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A phono preamp feeding into a 1u mixer or 1u headphone distribution amp would work like a charm. It's the same basic setup as what I put together at a retail shop.
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Mar 22, 2013 04:15
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WAFFLEHOUND posted:I picked up SL-1200 MkII a few weeks ago and my quest for an amp was cut short by an impromptu TB-303 purchase. I'd like some suggestions, but the biggest thing is I'd like to know if anyone could recommend something that went into a 19" rack. I've already got music gear in a rack, and being able to just toss it in there without using even more desk real estate would be awesome. If you want vintage, look at names like Phase Linear, Carver, Soundcraftsmen or Crown. Crown still makes great amps.
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Mar 22, 2013 16:40
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So in early January my neighbour asked me to help him deliver a bunch of stuff to the local dump/recycling center. While loading up the trailer I noticed an old, very dirty receiver. I asked him about it and he said I could have it if I wished. So I carried it upstairs to my apartment, rested it in my small office and promptly forgot about it. This week while tidying up I rediscovered it and decided to clean it up and make some basic repairs (replacing bulbs, cleaning switches). A number of hours later this was the result.   It was extremely dirty both inside and out and I am very pleased with the results after cleaning. About half of the bulbs weren't working and all the switches needed a good cleaning. The button for the Hi Filter is missing and the switch peg is broken off. I've managed to source a replacement switch/button off of eBay and it should arrive here early next week. As near as I can tell everything is working. There is no hum crackle or hiss from the speakers when I turn it on, FM and AM work and a small mp3 player connected to the AUX input also works. Is there any specific things I should be checking, cleaning, replacing etc on this receiver? I don't have a tape deck or a turntable to try out the Tape 1, Tape 2 and Phono settings but I'll assume (hopefully) that they work. I'm currently playing it through a pair of no-name speakers and I must say that the reproduction is impressive. It's only subjective, as I haven't done a direct comparison but I feel the receiver performs better that the Pioneer receiver in our living room. Are there any recommendations for a pair of good speakers and a turntable to pair with this receiver? Doesn't have to be high-end and I'd prefer something that won't cost me a small fortune. DatsEvolution fucked around with this message at 00:04 on Mar 23, 2013 |
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Mar 22, 2013 22:36
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I have an old Fisher 143-94271700 that works great except it auto returns too early. I can't listen to many of my LPs all the way to the end of each side, and it's even worse on the 45's. I've seen it reccomended that I should clean the tone arm sensor. How do I find this? I'm not even sure how to take this record player apart and I can't even find any manuals or documentation on this model. Any help will be appreciated.  
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Mar 23, 2013 14:43
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Electronic sensors were found almost exclusively in late 80's linear trackers and some high end stuff, B&O etc. Most everything else from before 2000 used elaborate mechanical means of sensing the end of the record. Usually a velocity trip engaged by the advanced movement of the run out groove. Here's a thread on UKVR that you should be able to see. The article is written about BSR/Garrard changers but the basic principle of a pawl grabbing something on a rotation where it's moved quickly towards the spindle is sound for many makes and models.
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Mar 23, 2013 15:53
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Ron Burgundy posted:Electronic sensors were found almost exclusively in late 80's linear trackers and some high end stuff, B&O etc. Most everything else from before 2000 used elaborate mechanical means of sensing the end of the record. Usually a velocity trip engaged by the advanced movement of the run out groove. Thanks, that helped a lot. I fiddled around with the mechanism and cleaned underneath the gears as best I could. It didn't look it was dirty, but I guess it did the trick because now it's working perfectly.
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Mar 23, 2013 21:28
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DatsEvolution posted:wicked cool marantz stuff drat you, I never even come remotely close to finding poo poo like that in my area. If it sounds and works fine, then I'd say you've already done all you need to do as far as maintenance goes. You could probably find a replacement switch cover for that one that's missing, on ebay. (edit: I see you're already tracking one down) As for turntables, your only option will something vintage since anything modern will run you at the very least $450 for something decent. For a good vintage turntable, look for something belt driven (there are good direct drives, but they're less common and more expensive), it should be heavy, and the plinth should be made out of wood. I would say avoid anything by Dual unless you want to spend hours and lots of money on repairs. If you don't mind spending the cash on a modern table, your best bet is something by Pro-Ject, Rega or Music Hall. Just avoid anything with USB attachments. Can't help you with speakers, sorry! BANME.sh fucked around with this message at 21:41 on Mar 23, 2013 |
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Mar 23, 2013 21:38
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DatsEvolution posted:Is there any specific things I should be checking, cleaning, replacing etc on this receiver? The caps in that thing are 37-39 years old, and I'm guessing that a lot of them are pretty much dried out and could be causing damage to other parts. This will probably run for another decade of regular use, but if you want it in the game for another 37-39 years, you're going to have to replace them.
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Mar 24, 2013 03:26
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BANME.sh posted:... I would say avoid anything by Dual unless you want to spend hours and lots of money on repairs. Blistex posted:The caps in that thing are 37-39 years old, and I'm guessing that a lot of them are pretty much dried out and could be causing damage to other parts. This will probably run for another decade of regular use, but if you want it in the game for another 37-39 years, you're going to have to replace them.
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Mar 24, 2013 12:28
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DatsEvolution posted:Oh boy, after checking out local deals I just purchased a Dual 1209. Supposedly in full working order for 46€. I'll know more during this week when I go to collect it. Whats so bad about the Duals? I really have no knowledge about turntables and there seems to be a large amount of detailed and somewhat conflicting info and opinions on the various makes and models. That's a great recapping guide and all the basics will apply to any older unit. The guy knows his stuff.
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Mar 24, 2013 14:34
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DatsEvolution posted:Oh boy, after checking out local deals I just purchased a Dual 1209. Supposedly in full working order for 46€. I'll know more during this week when I go to collect it. Whats so bad about the Duals? I really have no knowledge about turntables and there seems to be a large amount of detailed and somewhat conflicting info and opinions on the various makes and models. Duals have a tendency to be overly complicated. Just look at the tone arm assembly, it has 3x more parts than most every other brand out there. Well I'd love to know that I've done all that is necessary to keep this thing going. Can I assume that the method described here http://www.irebuildmarantz.com/restoration/2325.html is ok to follow as far as which caps/boards are to be done? [/quote] Good guide, but don't even think of taking a cap out until you have the replacement right in your hand and you've visually verified which way it is supposed to be going. Boards and manuals are likely to have mistakes due to alterations during the production run that didn't make the documentation or were not printed on the board.
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Mar 24, 2013 16:46
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I'm looking to upgrade my speakers soon as I've been using just a set of $50 sony bookshelf speakers for a long time. Anyone have any experience with the Audio Engine P4 Speakers . Looking to spend midrange 250-400 at most. Any other speaker suggests are welcome. My setup is a Technics 1200mk2 going into a Pioneer SX-770.
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Mar 24, 2013 19:14
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Blistex posted:Duals have a tendency to be overly complicated. Just look at the tone arm assembly, it has 3x more parts than most every other brand out there.
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Mar 24, 2013 20:42
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