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Just one thing about the OP Re: power ratings of old amps vs new. While power rating exageration is common with cheaper brands there are still some brands that are quite modest about their power ratings. Ex, my Cambridge Audio 540A is only rated at 50 WPC but that is the both channels driven/.09% THD/20-20 "real" spec we want. Cambridge Audio isn't exactly a store brand, but HK is and they are pretty honest with their ratings.
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Feb 22, 2009 22:37
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So after your reply, I am looking at used SL-1300's. Is there anything to be worried about when buying a used turntable from the 70's? What if the motor breaks or something? How do I fix it? Edit: Also, what do people think of the Song PS-FL7II? Does that support the Shure cartridge? It was my dad's old turntable. Second Edit: It has an AT250 from Audio Technica needle or cartridge or whatever on it. Phillyt fucked around with this message at 22:52 on Feb 22, 2009 |
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Feb 22, 2009 22:43
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Phillyt posted:So after your reply, I am looking at used SL-1300's. Is there anything to be worried about when buying a used turntable from the 70's? What if the motor breaks or something? How do I fix it? Well there is the danger of older used stereo gear breaking down of course, however, the old Technics direct drive stuff is famous for being incredibly reliable. If you decide to go that route, I'd just hold out until a very nice example pops up and you should have nothing to worry about. If it were me though, I'd get a nice replacement cart for the PS-FL7II and use that. They're p-mount but still, those linear trackers are great and front loading on top of that? Very neat stuff. I'm pretty jealous over here. video of PS-FL7II in action Owsla fucked around with this message at 23:13 on Feb 22, 2009 |
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Feb 22, 2009 23:10
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OK so I'll get the PS-FL7II since it's free and the Audio-Technica 92ECD cartridge/needle? Is there a way to make sure that the old turn table is working perfectly? Is it just satisfaction with the sound?
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Feb 22, 2009 23:14
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That's going to be an awesome setup provided the table is working properly  It's impossible to mess up mounting a p-mount cart so you don't have to worry about alignment. I'd read the literature that comes with the new cartridge and note the recommended tracking weight then set the table for the correct weight for the cartridge. I don't know how to adjust that on your table but there should be a dial near where the cartridge resides with some gram weight markings on it, 0-3 typically. Aside from that you of course want to make sure it opens and closes properly, starts and stops automatically as it's supposed to (the needle should return to it's home position when it reaches the end of the album) and that it maintains proper speed on both 33 1/3 and 45 rpm settings (should be a non-issue as it's a direct drive unit) Let us know if you like it when it's up and running! Owsla fucked around with this message at 23:26 on Feb 22, 2009 |
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Feb 22, 2009 23:24
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I've been working on and off this project over the last week. I'm glad its done, and I can finally move forward with other stuff. Like a stereo tube pre-amp. Staining the Molding, I ended up with two coats of stain and two coats of polyurethane. I also got a piece of glass cut, and a friend's step dad gave me some mounting hardware.
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Apr 5, 2009 10:51
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Hey there, I'm somewhat of a newbie at vinyl and vintage stereo equipment. Until recently I owned an old Kenwood KD-5077 belt driven turn table. It had horrible buzzing problems despite being grounded and the left channel would cut in and out all the time, making listening annoying. Today however after dropping some junk off at good will I wandered in and found a Technics Direct Drive SL-QD3 for $30. It powered up and spun, so we took it home and tested it out. It's a pretty decent beginner turntable. It came with an Audio Technica AT402EP cartridge. I'm not quite sure if I want to replace it yet. If I did, I'm not sure with what. It uses a P-mount cart system. I'm looking for something in the $30-$50 range to start off with. As for amps, I'm still looking for a cheap vintage one. At good will I noticed a Pioneer SX-XXXX receiver and fiddled with it for a bit. The volume crackled and the input selector nob would cause more crackling and something a channel would drop out. At $20 I would have grabbed it and tried to fix it, but they wanted $50 and I couldn't justify that to myself. If any of you can justify it for me I might just go and grab it.
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Apr 8, 2009 02:11
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HKR posted:Hey there, I'm somewhat of a newbie at vinyl and vintage stereo equipment. Until recently I owned an old Kenwood KD-5077 belt driven turn table. It had horrible buzzing problems despite being grounded and the left channel would cut in and out all the time, making listening annoying. It's up to you, though. It sounds like this is an easy fix, but YMMV.
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Apr 8, 2009 04:16
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Helvetica Sucks posted:Although it's hard to say from your description, a crackling volume control is simply the result of it being dirty. This happens with many old amplifiers and is relatively easy to fix. You can just unscrew the top panel of the amplifier and spray something like Caig Deoxit Faderlube into each potentiometer that crackles (like balance, bass, treble, etc). This explains it pretty well: http://www.thegearpage.net/board/archive/index.php/t-13956.html (MCL is now called Faderlube, fyi) There should be a hole in each potentiometer that you can spray the stuff into. I would use only as much as you need. I might consider it. Good Will doesn't let me hook up speakers to test stuff and I'm slightly afraid that at $50 and no return I'll get it home to discover the speaker output sucks. I found out the model number too. It's a Pioneer SX-5560.
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Apr 8, 2009 04:36
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HKR posted:I might consider it. Good Will doesn't let me hook up speakers to test stuff and I'm slightly afraid that at $50 and no return I'll get it home to discover the speaker output sucks. All the Goodwills near me let me test speakers. Just bring in some speaker wire and be quick. I'm sure there's a pile of old speakers to use.
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Apr 8, 2009 04:58
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I have a JVC AL-F350 turntable, and it runs slow, particularly at 45 RPM. Is there any good way to fix that, or should I suck it up and get a new turntable?
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Apr 8, 2009 20:15
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more falafel please posted:I have a JVC AL-F350 turntable, and it runs slow, particularly at 45 RPM. Is there any good way to fix that, or should I suck it up and get a new turntable? The motor could be going out but it's more likely that the belt is old and stretched and is slipping so it won't maintain speed. Belt drives suck like this. However, the good news is you can probably order a new belt and install it to get it back to holding its speed. http://www.pechorin.com/m/2004/12/21/Replacing_JVC_AL_F350_belt-229232.html There's some basic info on replacing the belt. You should google around a bit to see if you can find a place to order it.
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Apr 9, 2009 08:17
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I'm looking to buy a vintage receiver and I'm thinking this is looking pretty nice: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=160325890167 Thoughts?
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Apr 10, 2009 13:26
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I found something in the trash. It's a Zenith Stereophonic Phonograph, model LPS 70L-1! (I have no idea what that means!)  It has some knobs on it.  Let's open the back just to see why someone threw it away ... Oh hello old tubes!  I have never owned a tube phonograph before. The tubes in this guy are 1 12AX7 and 2 50C5s. I can get 12AX7 tubes just about anywhere, and the 50C5 tubes can be purchased NOS from tubedepot or thetubestore for $13 a pop. 1 of the 50C5s is not lighting up at all and the 12AX7 is dead as well. I tested that by pulling one of the preamp tubes out of my guitar amp, which lit up just fine. It hums like a motherfucker if I plug it in, no matter what the "Loudness" setting is. I cannot find ANY good info about this phonograph anywhere. I'll spend a few bucks to fix the thing if it's worth more than a door stop. Does anyone have any info at all that may shed some light on this old piece?
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Apr 13, 2009 14:21
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Impatient as I am, I wasn't satisfied with what I was finding at my local thrift shots when it came to vintage receivers. So I started scouring ebay and found a guy who was selling a Pioneer SX-525. What attracted me to his ad was that he stated he had recently cleaned all the pots and the multitude of photos. $40 later and today I find it at my doorstep. My god, what a world of difference this makes compared to the crappy AV Receiver I was using. I am hearing things I never used to hear before. The best part is that the AV Receiver I was using cost something like $350 new when we got it many years ago. Also good is that this receiver is breathing new life into this crappy bookshelf speakers I was using. They still don't sound the best and I do want to replace them, but I can safely delay that for now. I'm also planing on sticking a Grado Green Prestige Series cart in when I replace the speakers.  
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Apr 15, 2009 05:08
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HKR posted:Impatient as I am, I wasn't satisfied with what I was finding at my local thrift shots when it came to vintage receivers. So I started scouring ebay and found a guy who was selling a Pioneer SX-525. What attracted me to his ad was that he stated he had recently cleaned all the pots and the multitude of photos. $40 later and today I find it at my doorstep. Nice buy. That blue glow is great and it's nice that you found one that's been recently cleaned. Check out the speaker building thread if you want to upgrade your speakers... the Microbe design is a nice set for not much (under 200) cash. If you've got any amount of woodworking and soldering skills (however rudimentary), you should be able to learn pretty quickly and have some fun doing it. As an alternative, you might be able to find an pair of speakers in good condition from the 70s on craigslist for maybe 50 to 100 bucks. I would recommend some Advent, EPI, or Genesis bookshelves.
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Apr 15, 2009 05:41
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Well, just got this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200329690723 I was going to be patient and hit up the garage sales since it's almost summer. Unfortunately, I'm not very patient. I think this sx-850 is a pretty good deal and I'm looking forward to getting it cleaned up and ready to go.
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Apr 16, 2009 03:35
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Anyone have any experience with the Pyle PLTTB1? http://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PLTTB1-Professional-Belt-Drive-Turntable/dp/B00009V3TU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1240097432&sr=8-1 It looks to be a nice step up from the AT-PL50. It has a replaceable cartridge which is definitely nice. It doesn't have a built in pre-amp, which is plus for me because I can upgrade easier that way. The only real downside is the big logo on it.
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Apr 19, 2009 00:45
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Officer No Gun posted:Anyone have any experience with the Pyle PLTTB1? You're paying *nothing* for your turntable. At that pricepoint I wouldn't try to quibble too much between that piece of poo poo and another belt drive piece of poo poo in the same range. They should both fully work to play records and barring any mechanical defects it will let you listen to all the vinyl in your collection without dropping big bucks on a fancier deck. It's not likely to be a bad choice, but you shouldn't expect it to be remarkable for sound quality or anything like that. Keep in mind that I'm a bigot for the Technics 1200's and after using those for years anything else feels like a cheap toy. The reviews on it are favorable and since getting into vinyl can be a really expensive hobby you might as well get something to try the waters without having to take out a loan. Enjoy!
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Apr 19, 2009 18:53
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I'll play your little game. Apologies for the cross-post from the "recent gear/purchase" thread in The Musician's Lounge in advance. Here's my stuff (though now that I took it out of my folks' attic mom's claiming it's still "hers" after 20 years of neglect). A Realistic STA-100 Stereo Receiver (while it's not nearly as old as some of the stuff here, the industrial-futurist design... especially that of the radio components... makes it feel like a blast from the past):  And atop it is a fancy Realistic LAB-500 turntable:  Sadly I'm playing it through my practice amp as the speakers with it are way too big for my room. If mom complains enough I'll have to go buy my own setup from a guy in town who restores this kinda stuff (for cheap!) Entone posted:I've been working on and off this project over the last week. I'm glad its done, and I can finally move forward with other stuff. Like a stereo tube pre-amp. I'm digging the setup. I should display my vinyl too. WHERE the Hell did you get that Pete Yorn album?! I'm a huge fan.
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Apr 21, 2009 07:30
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Technics really dropped the ball when they failed to put on a faux woodgrain finish on their turntables.  Nice find, Backweb, that's the kind of older stereo equipment that's fun to fiddle with (assuming it's not all busted up internally). Now to put on some early Motley Crue records and totally rock out!
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Apr 22, 2009 01:55
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Can anyone tell me if Genesis 210's are good for $30? Out of the little information I can find on these I think it seems like a deal, but I wouldn't mind a little more help. Hopefully before tomorrow if at all possible. Tomorrow night I plan on checking them out, for better or worse.
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Apr 23, 2009 02:45
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Hey guys, What would be a good low budget turntable for a beginner? I wanted to start fooling around with scratching and making beats, but don't want to drop tons of money I don't have on a turntable. Do any turntables have a type of feature where I can use MP3s from my computer with the turntable? Thanks!
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Apr 23, 2009 02:50
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CRAYON posted:Can anyone tell me if Genesis 210's are good for $30? Out of the little information I can find on these I think it seems like a deal, but I wouldn't mind a little more help. Hopefully before tomorrow if at all possible. Tomorrow night I plan on checking them out, for better or worse. If they're in good condition, go for it. Genesis speakers were well-regarded for their time, and though technology has advanced, 30 bucks is so little it doesn't really matter. If they're not in good condition, you might be able to refoam the woofers if they've deteriorated. Hell, you could probably part them out and make your money back. Some info: http://www.humanspeakers.com/genesis/genmsrp.htm http://www.humanspeakers.com/genesis/gen210.htm
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Apr 23, 2009 03:05
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Helvetica Sucks posted:If they're not in good condition, you might be able to refoam the woofers if they've deteriorated. Hell, you could probably part them out and make your money back. Well, I picked up the Genesis 210's today. This is my first "serious" audio purchase if you can call it that, and I am really blown away. I've always been apprehensive about audio equipment, but now I am a believer. The only problem is the lows (they are barely there). Me and my stepfather have come to the conclusion that this is caused by the crappy foam. The foam is so old that it literally falls apart when you touch it. What I wanted to ask is; if I buy this how difficult is it for a newbie? Kind of awesome that the foam is more than the speakers, but I don't want to buy the foam and then ruin it or something. Any help is greatly appreciated.
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Apr 24, 2009 04:24
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CRAYON posted:Well, I picked up the Genesis 210's today. This is my first "serious" audio purchase if you can call it that, and I am really blown away. I've always been apprehensive about audio equipment, but now I am a believer. The only problem is the lows (they are barely there). Me and my stepfather have come to the conclusion that this is caused by the crappy foam. The foam is so old that it literally falls apart when you touch it. I can't really chime in as I've never actually refoamed, but there are some good videos on youtube about how to refoam the speaker. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uao7wSRU8ms
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Apr 24, 2009 07:17
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Super Aggro Crag posted:Hey guys, Unfortunately 'low budget' and 'scratching' don't really work out too well. The defacto standard tables are the venerable technics 12xx series, renowned for a their powerful direct drive and legendary toughness. Everything started with these decks and you really can't go wrong with the purchase of these new or used. There are other companies now that make a variety of turntablist decks, some are quite nice, but I would go with technics for a few reasons. 1) Ubiquitousness, If you learn to play on these, you can play on anything. If you play at a club or larger party it will be a 98% chance that the decks will be a flavour of 12xx's. 2) Parts availability, easy to work on. Most competent repair shop will have no problem fixing these up. I have replaced my lights, and pitch matched my decks from the raft of detailed instructions online. 3) Resale, you can flip them anytime for cash fairly quickly 4) Double as a fine hi-fi listening unit. 5) Bulletproof, take care of these and they will last for decades. You could look at getting one to start, and add the second as budget allows. You will also need a turntablist mixer; tons of choices here. Also will need a slipmat and decent cartridge/stylus. For scratching you will want to go with a spherical stylus as opposed to an elliptical. Ortofon, Sure, and Stanton are pretty much the big three. As far as using your decks to control digital, that is very doable and many dj's have gone this route exclusivly including some heavyweight turntablists. The two most common systems are Serato Scratch, and Stanton Final Scratch. Basically to do it right, it will cost some $$. Alternatively you could look at one of the burgeoning crop of controller devices, some offering manual scratch input in the way of controller disks, but it's hard to beat full size decks as serious turtablist inputs.
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Apr 25, 2009 03:34
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I had a few questions, I currently have a Sony turn table hooked up to a pioneer home theater receiver. I want to start a vintage setup in my room, i'm not fully sure what i want to do in the way of speakers and a receiver, i was thinking of the Marantz 2245 and then just finding some newer speakers (polk monitor 40's or the higher series bookshelf speakers) unless you guys have any other suggestions. Also, aside from EBAY and craigslist i am not sure where to look for vintage receivers. Any help would be much appreciated thanks!
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Apr 27, 2009 21:24
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Wobbly Mike posted:I had a few questions, I currently have a Sony turn table hooked up to a pioneer home theater receiver. I want to start a vintage setup in my room, i'm not fully sure what i want to do in the way of speakers and a receiver, i was thinking of the Marantz 2245 and then just finding some newer speakers (polk monitor 40's or the higher series bookshelf speakers) unless you guys have any other suggestions. Also, aside from EBAY and craigslist i am not sure where to look for vintage receivers. Any help would be much appreciated thanks! Local secondhand stores, salvation army, during the 70s and early 80s people didn't have these cheap multifunction systems, usually you'd only find the receiver and amp in the same box. Due to this theres tons of pretty decent quality systems from that era floating around since people got rid of them when CD began dominating.
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Apr 27, 2009 21:34
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The OP mentions this about looking for new turntables:andretti posted:Buying New/Modern Turntables What about a USB output makes a turntable not a good choice? I was looking at this Sony table to serve as a little entry into the Vinyl world, so I do not need a very expensive, top quality machine. However, if the fact that it has a USB output is going to hinder the performance, I'll look for something else in the price range. Also, I feel like the USB would be useful because my dad has dozens upon dozens of old records but his turntable no longer functions, and he mentioned making digital copies as a backup, and I figured this would be a nice surprise. I'd appreciate any insight!
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Apr 27, 2009 22:53
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OhhCrap posted:The OP mentions this about looking for new turntables: USB is a purely digital medium so you need a ACD in the turntable, they're usually crap. Its possible that a Sony one would have a slightly better one. You need to consider that each component is going to affect the end quality and with combined systems you usually don't get the best parts. So even if you were using the analog outputs you'd still have the motor, needle, tonearm and RIAA pre-amp from the combo turntable. The customer reviews seem pretty good with informed comments so people who'd know how to compare it to previous systems.
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Apr 27, 2009 23:56
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Bensa posted:USB is a purely digital medium so you need a ACD in the turntable, they're usually crap. Its possible that a Sony one would have a slightly better one.  Regardless, I am not looking for top-notch stuff here. If this hobby doesn't pan out, I'm not breaking the bank, and if I do want to continue this, I can easily upgrade.
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Apr 28, 2009 02:15
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after reading a lot of reviews, im looking at getting a new cartridge for my turntable, and by the looks of it Shure M97xE is highly rated. Any one ever used one before ?
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Apr 29, 2009 02:17
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That's the cart I use on my 1200 and I love it, it's very neutral and tracks insanely well. As far as I'm concerned it's perfect.
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Apr 29, 2009 05:19
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Owsla posted:That's the cart I use on my 1200 and I love it, it's very neutral and tracks insanely well. As far as I'm concerned it's perfect. got a link for it ?
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Apr 29, 2009 13:10
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I bought mine on Amazon. It's $65 right now - Click
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Apr 29, 2009 19:53
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Ok so I won myself a marantz 2245 from Ebay and I now need to find some speakers. I want to spend between 150 and 200 for some bookshelf's does anyone have any suggestions?
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May 1, 2009 05:42
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I've been reading up on and watching videos of the Vestax VCI-300 and the Numark NS7 and they both look exactly what I want. The VCI-300 is a few hundred bucks cheaper, would there be a lot of features I'd miss out on if I opted on that instead of the NS7? EDIT: Also, I've seen some "B-Stock" VCI-300s for a couple hundred bucks less. Or is that a no-no? Super Aggro Crag fucked around with this message at 15:15 on May 1, 2009 |
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May 1, 2009 15:07
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Wobbly Mike posted:Ok so I won myself a marantz 2245 from Ebay and I now need to find some speakers. I want to spend between 150 and 200 for some bookshelf's does anyone have any suggestions? Head over to the speaker building thread if you like power tools and woodworking. The speakers in the OP run between 150-200 or so. Infinity Beta20: cheap price, don't know how they sound. http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicat...ygtCjCVRqCjCVRq Some cheap Bostons, know someone who has them. Sound OK, could probably use a sub (like the Beta20s) http://www.amazon.com/Boston-Acoustics-Horizon-HS50-Midnight/dp/B000W9DO5C/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1241219929&sr=8-1 Honestly, your best value at that price range is going to be from a speaker kit or on the used market. Look on your local craigslist for used speakers--if they're in good condition, chances are they'll outperform the two options I gave you.
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May 2, 2009 00:21
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Helvetica Sucks posted:Head over to the speaker building thread if you like power tools and woodworking. The speakers in the OP run between 150-200 or so. are there any brands or model numbers i should look out for? i had my eye on some polk monitor 40's for awhile but are there any other good ones?
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May 4, 2009 20:24
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