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I picked up a Sony TA-F40 amp today but it appears to be dead. The only sign of life it shows it that things I plug in to the pass-through outlet on the back will still work (both switched and non-switched). Is there any way of identifying what's wrong with this and fixing it? I see a lot of people talk about capacitor replacement but I wouldn't know where to start with that. Is it usually the power supplies? I would just toss it but I have the matching FM tuner with it and I really like how the pair looks. Plus I don't have any other amp at the moment.
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Jul 4, 2013 23:53
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I'm feeling very dumb right now. I'm trying to get a Garrard DD75 turntable up and running. I'm using a small Realistic SA-10 amp because that's all I have available currently. The amp has two selectable inputs, one labeled "tape/tuner" and one labeled "phono". It was my understanding that if there's a phono input, I shouldn't need a preamp. The sound from the turntable is VERY quiet though (to the point where I have to turn it all the way up to barely hear it). I have two other turntables here that play at a normal volume with the same amp. One is a midlands brand and the other has no brand or markings on it at all. All three and the amp itself are 70s-era. Plugging into the tape/tuner input doesn't change the volume at all. So am I correct in thinking my other two turntables have built-in preamps while the Garrard doesn't, and the phono input on the amp doesn't actually do anything different? edit: I found this page which says the phono input has no preamp, so I guess I just need to get one or just find a receiver/amp with a built in one. wa27 fucked around with this message at 23:56 on Jul 13, 2013 |
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Jul 13, 2013 23:40
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Hmm, well the cartridge on the Garrard is a shure m95ed. As for the other turntables, one has no brand but says model number 0928N. The other is a Midland International brand with no model number. Neither have any identifying markings on the cartridges. They're really cheap turntables. I suppose they could be newer than I think, I got them both at the same garage sale and know nothing about them, though the Midland one has a 78 and 16 (  ) rpm setting so I'm guessing it's not that new. 
wa27 fucked around with this message at 06:40 on Jul 14, 2013 |
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Jul 14, 2013 06:35
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BANME.sh posted:To those out of the loop, there's a whole youtube channel dedicated to knob feel - http://www.youtube.com/knobfeel These videos are hilarious!
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Oct 15, 2013 14:51
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I've been camping craigslist for months, checking a couple times a day, trying to find a receiver or amplifier. It's a wasteland around here for vintage stereo equipment. Finally this Pioneer SX1010 showed up yesterday, but I was five hours late to respond so I suspect it's gone now, especially at that price.  http://grandisland.craigslist.org/ele/4300044807.html Which is a shame because that might be my favorite-looking receiver ever when it's all lit up. I guess garage sale season is only a few months away. edit: I do have a Sony TA-F40 sitting here that doesn't turn on. How does one even go about finding the problem with these? The fuse is fine and I don't see any blown caps (though I didn't open the power supply). All I know is the power cord is fine because the pass-through power works. wa27 fucked around with this message at 22:24 on Jan 23, 2014 |
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Jan 23, 2014 22:17
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BANME.sh posted:Do both the switched and unswitched power plugs work? If the unswitched works and the switched doesn't, it could be as simply as a faulty (or dirty) power switch. Yeah it works switched as well.
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Jan 23, 2014 22:24
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Well, I FINALLY picked up a receiver capable of playing my Garrard DD75 turntable. A Technics SA-160 for $8 at a garage sale. I hate the early 90s black form factor, but it works just fine and sounds great so I'm not complaining. The setup is such a mishmash now. 70s woodgrain turntable on top of an 80s brushed metal FM receiver, on top of that Technics. So now it's on to fixing my turntable. So far I've replaced the needle and created a counterweight with some nuts and duct tape. All that's left is to get it running at a consistent speed. 33rpm is almost right if I turn the pitch all the way up, but it can't get anywhere close to 45rpm. I assume I need to lube up something in there. Is there any good tutorials for direct drive turntables like this? edit: I went and bought some contact cleaner and adjusted the internal pots, and that fixed the speed. Now the only thing to fix is the auto-shutoff switch. It it too tough to trigger so it just skips backward at that point. And for 45s it shuts off too early. wa27 fucked around with this message at 23:01 on May 3, 2014 |
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May 3, 2014 20:59
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TooLShack posted:If it's 10 cents and doesn't look like rear end, I just buy the drat thing. Testing quality of yard sale records just seems insane to me. Yeah, what the hell? If it doesn't play, just throw it away. Records are pretty resilient and even the scuffed-uppest ones will likely play all the way through.
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May 9, 2014 01:17
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Can anyone identify this amp, or speak generally about Panasonic equipment? I'm not familiar with Panasonic really and I don't know if it's worth pursuing. http://grandisland.craigslist.org/ele/4465318904.html edit: I think I found it right after posting. An SU-363. It doesn't look that good and I don't really need the other components so I won't bother. wa27 fucked around with this message at 05:33 on May 12, 2014 |
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May 12, 2014 05:27
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That's beautiful. I kind of liked the original style fabric, but obviously you had to replace it. The wood looks amazing considering what it looked like originally. edit: I just downloaded the high-res pic and now I can see the pattern on the screen. It looks nicer when you can see the detail. wa27 fucked around with this message at 02:51 on May 22, 2014 |
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May 22, 2014 02:47
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Garage Sales finally paid off today: picked up this Pioneer SX-780 for $20. Everything works perfectly and it looks brand new except for some chipping at the corners of the wood grain. This is a huge upgrade over the Technics I picked up a few months ago. wa27 fucked around with this message at 04:50 on Aug 17, 2014 |
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Aug 17, 2014 04:33
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Is it common for a turntable to be louder in one channel than the other? Mine is louder in the left, to the point where it's kind of noticeable if you listen for it (and obvious watching the peakmeters). I just adjust the balance to compensate but I was wondering if there is some easy to fix thing that's common. The turntable is a Garrard dd75 with a brand new stylus and it switches sides when I reverse the L and R wires, so I know it's the turntable and not the receiver.
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Dec 8, 2014 06:36
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BigFactory posted:Does it have anti-skating adjustment? Dogen posted:Probably cartridge alignment. Look up cartridge alignment protractors, there are ones you can print out on vinylengine I didn't know this was a thing, so I'll give it a try. I'm not sure I understand how to use the protractors though. Do I just look from the side and make sure the cart is parallel to the gridlines? On another note, I purchased a counterweight from a parted out system on ebay this week. So I can finally replace my duct-taped nuts and washers with something nicer looking and adjustable. This thing is finally getting close to perfectly functional, and it's a very rewarding experience! Too bad I probably won't be able to do anything about the banged up plinth so it will never look very good, but I don't care too much about looks anyway.
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Dec 10, 2014 21:28
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This listing popped up on my local, usually-barren, craigslist: http://grandisland.craigslist.org/ele/4811435101.html He's asking $500 for it all, but I imagine I could get it for $400. Seems like a good deal (mostly for the Marantz) but that's still way more than I ever expected to pay for stereo gear. So tempting though 
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Dec 19, 2014 06:47
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BigFactory posted:Bozak's are good speakers, too. $400 would be a decent price, and you could immediately list the 80's all in one for fifty bucks. Yeah, I talked myself into it overnight. Sounds like he has a couple other interested parties this morning so I think he might get closer to $500, but I'm holding my breath.
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Dec 19, 2014 16:24
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 I found this Motorola fh200hwf at the thrift store today. The speakers seem to be original to it (The only markings are "golden voice" on the inside, which was apparently a Motorola brand, and the wood grain is the same). I didn't realize Motorola made stereos like this. It's impossible to find anything about it online, but Wikipedia says they dissolved their TV/radio division in 1974 so I would guess it's from the early 70s? There's no wattage or any specs listed on it. Aside from the burnt out lamp, it works amazingly well; just needs some contact cleaner on the knobs and switches. One thing I noticed is the automatic frequency control on this is crazy aggressive. It'll grab onto a station and you can turn one whole mHz in either direction before it loses it.  But the real find of today was this sweet Zenith R99 for $5, but that's probably not for this thread. 
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Jan 30, 2015 23:41
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KozmoNaut posted:Tape definitely belongs in this thread. I've always wanted a nice looking boombox but there's a surprisingly large (to me at least) community of enthusiasts out there that makes all the desirable ones go for $100+ in crappy condition, so I never got my hopes up for finding one.
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Feb 2, 2015 05:28
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I picked up this record cabinet recently at Goodwill that works well and is a nice size (if a bit dated-looking). Here's my current setup: edit: Pioneer SX-780, Garrard DD-75, and Pioneer CS-510 speakers wa27 fucked around with this message at 04:56 on Feb 13, 2015 |
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Feb 13, 2015 04:25
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I bought this Pioneer PL-A35 from a friend today for $60. Missing the anti-skate weight/arm, and the motor seems to start slowly after it sits for a while. It sounds great though, with the Shure M91ED cart and whatever stylus was replaced into it years ago. A nice step up from my Garrard DD75. The previous owner painted the bottom black. At least he did a good job with it.
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Feb 22, 2015 18:36
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I've been messing with that Pioneer PL-A35 I got and I can't figure out the speed problem. If it sits unused for 12+ hours, it will start off pretty slow and take a minute or two to speed to up full speed, and then it runs very steady. If I want to play a 33, I just run it at 45rpm for ten seconds and then drop the speed down, and that is usually enough to bring it up to the right speed. I tried putting a few drops of 10w30 synthetic motor oil in the two motor lubrication holes, as well as in the spindle, but it doesn't seem to have made a difference. I know the belt on these is often the cause of speed problems, but this one already has a new-ish belt and the speed is really solid once it gets going, so I don't think it's slipping or anything.
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Feb 27, 2015 19:59
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BANME.sh posted:Remove the belt and manually spin the platter. A well lubed platter should spin freely for 45 seconds to a minute or longer, depending on how hard you spin it. Ok yeah, that definitely doesn't happen with mine. I guess I'll see if there's a way to pull the spindle apart or something to get directly to the bearing. And maybe clean out some of the old grease that's all over it.
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Feb 27, 2015 21:17
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Does anyone know where I could buy some of those small, rectangle, two-prong AC-cords? They look basically like a figure-8 cord but a little smaller. I've got a couple portable tape recorders and boomboxes that use that style power cord and the only thing I've found that fits is an old cord from an electric razor I have, after I filed it down to fit. I know they were pretty common with older portable devices but I don't know how to get my hands on any. edit: and of course, right after I post this I find one. Now if I could just find a cheap equivalent on monoprice or something: http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-Cable-2-Wire-Un-Grounded-Power/dp/B000068OA6 wa27 fucked around with this message at 02:35 on Mar 6, 2015 |
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Mar 6, 2015 02:33
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Well, I guess it's garage sale season already. I got this Technics SL-3300 for a whopping $6 from a lady who just bought a bunch of storage lockers and was letting people dig through them. I know a lot of people turn their nose up to fully automatic tables because the high-end tables are usually manual function, but I don't know if I can go back after having a couple automatic tables in a row now. Also picked up a Sony ps-210 for the same price, but it turns out it must have been in a really hot place because every plastic piece on it is slightly warped and it doesn't run well at all. At least I can salvage the slipmat and cartridge.
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Mar 14, 2015 22:14
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I got this nice-looking Sony TC-K96R today at a church sale for $20. It's in perfect physical condition, but of course it doesn't work perfectly. I think I've eliminated all the problems except there is a loud hiss in the left channel all the time. Even if you press play without a tape in it. It registers on the VU meters and peakmeter. Would that be a bad cap or something?
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Mar 28, 2015 01:52
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TooLShack posted:Even when you are listening to the source through the deck? I just tried recording with it and it played the source without the hiss. And the tape recorded without hiss as well. It's just when playing back (with or without a tape in it).
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Mar 28, 2015 03:44
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TooLShack posted:Still learning on to fix tape decks, but there is a record/playback switch that needs to be cleaned sometimes that will cause problems. Block Diagram shows possibly two of them on this unit, but I might be reading it wrong. Thanks, but I might need you to point out what you're seeing for me to find it in there. This thing has a crazy amount of components. I can get some pics if necessary. EDIT: By some dumb stroke of luck, I fixed this. I took a piece of metal and poked around the points where the L and R signals came into the main board. There was some crackling and some bad sounds (maybe the meters going crazy?), and I thought I killed it. But it's working fine now. Can't say I'd recommend that as a fix but I won't question it. wa27 fucked around with this message at 05:25 on Mar 28, 2015 |
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Mar 28, 2015 05:12
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wa27 posted:Thanks, but I might need you to point out what you're seeing for me to find it in there. This thing has a crazy amount of components. I can get some pics if necessary. So unsurprisingly, my fix for this only lasted an hour or so. I did some more poking around and found that the hiss is present even on the lead coming off the head tape head! So my assumption is that the head was bad, but I suppose it could have been some component in parallel with that point. I'm not about to go searching for a replacement head so I'm probably going to give up on this, but I thought I'd post one more time to see if anyone has any suggestions. Is there some way to test capacitors on the board or would I just have to start pulling and replacing them to see if that's the culprit? None of them look bad, visually.
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Apr 10, 2015 01:58
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Mandactyl posted:Seconding this. My father had a reel to reel, and we started getting a hiss in one of the channels. After a pass or two of the tape head demagnetizer the hiss was gone. Hmm, ok. I didn't realize that could happen in one channel only. And that could affect it even if I play without a tape in the deck? Is there a cheap way to do that or I do have to spend $20 on something marketed as a tape head demagnetizer?
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Apr 12, 2015 05:27
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KozmoNaut posted:I thought I should give my SL-1500 a drop of oil for the spindle bearing, so I googled to see if I could just use some sewing machine oil or whatever. I had this experience a few months back and eventually just ignored it all and just used a couple drops of 10W-30.
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Apr 17, 2015 15:34
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ColdPie posted:There's a guy selling a Technics SL-23 from the 70s for $75. New belt, but "probably original" cartridge. Seems to get good reviews. Prices on turntables seem crazy, I see people from just a couple years ago talking about picking these up for $15-30. Prices haven't gotten THAT crazy yet. I've only been paying close attention to turntable prices for maybe five years but it's not like prices have inflated 3 times since then. There's still deals out there locally at thrift stores, garage sales, and friends/family. Craigslist can yield some good stuff if you watch it long enough, too. It won't hurt to shoot the guy an offer of $50, especially if it's been sitting on Craigslist for a while.
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Apr 25, 2015 15:42
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Cool stuff! I wish I could find things that often. This weekend will officially start my garage sale season so I'm crossing my fingers.  I did get a pair of JBL L56 speakers for free recently. They're a huge improvement over my old Pioneer speakers, which now sound absurdly bass-ey in comparison. Plus I also got to learn how to refoam and fix a punctured cone.
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Apr 30, 2015 23:34
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I found a set of 7 Bose speakers today at Goodwill for $60. Including: 1 pair of 161 small bookshelf speakers 1 pair of Bose 151 SE outdoor speakers 1 VCS-10 center speaker 1 pair of 201 IV bigger bookshelf speakers And one absolutely terrible Zenith home theater receiver. I know Bose is nothing to write home about, but I'm pretty happy to get all these. The 161s will become computer speakers; the 151s will go outside; and the 201s will replace the speakers in my bedroom setup.
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May 3, 2015 01:44
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BANME.sh posted:The speakers ended up being a pair of JBL L26's. The cabinets and grills are in perfect shape but the woofers need to be refoamed. Shouldn't be a tough job. Are the generic kits on ebay a good choice or should I look somewhere else? I recently refoamed my JBL L56's and just bought the cheapest kit I could find on ebay. It didn't fit well so I had to glue both edges on the outisde (instead of on the rim and behind the cone). So it didn't look great, but it sounded just fine. If I had to do it again I might go with a slightly more expensive kit, but I wouldn't worry about generic parts. Even the cheap ones I got were good quality.
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May 22, 2015 14:25
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FancyMike posted:Spent some time on craigslist this week and picked up a new living room setup. Need to find a stand for the receiver and turntable, once I do the sources will be a Debut III and first-gen Airport Express. I've always wanted a Pioneer SX-1010 (or one of those variations). I think they're some of the best-looking receivers out there.
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Jun 12, 2015 16:54
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ravenkult posted:Yeah, it's built in. Radio works too! What am I even looking at with those tuner dials?
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Jun 12, 2015 19:23
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http://www.discogs.com/Various-Stereo-Test-Record/release/3438970 I have this record which has a variety of test tones.
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Jul 19, 2015 03:26
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Mine's not as nice or modern looking as the previous ones, but here you go: I broke the hinge on my Technics dust cover last week. 
wa27 fucked around with this message at 00:48 on Aug 4, 2015 |
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Aug 4, 2015 00:39
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Does there exist any in-line devices that could add a variable delay to audio? I could probably do this with a computer but it would be really handy if there was some box that I could just add to the tape out/monitor on my receiver for $20 or something. It seems like a simple function but I suppose it requires a digital solution. Yes, this is for sports.
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Sep 19, 2015 18:59
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Qwijib0 posted:use this as an input source (assuming you want the radio broadcast to match TV) That looks good, thanks. The more I thought about it, I might just try to find an old netbook for cheap and go with software after all.
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Sep 19, 2015 19:34
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I fixed my broken Technics dust cover hinge without cracking the plastic.  
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Sep 30, 2015 02:18
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