1970s Hifi gear inherited.
Discussion
Odd situation this. More an emotional vent and request for info so I don't royally f
k this up. 
After about 6 years my Nan has asked me to go through my Grandfathers Hifi equipment and clear out the loft for her. Its a pretty weird situation and I'm sure I'm not alone in experiencing this....Well I hope I'm not.
First was the Garage and that felt like I was trespassing on his tomb. We weren't banned from there but it was always his place not ours. Everything was as he had left it 8 years before falling ill and becoming house bound and dying 2 years later. Tools all neatly put away in their boxes just a small layer of dust on it all. A beautiful Valve amp stereo receiver powering two old speakers on a shelf and a click of a button it all slowly hummed into life.....Turned it all off and decided I needed to do that another day when im not so emotional about it. The receiver was made by a company called Fisher if that means anything to anyone?
Now onto the loft. My Nan said he had put a load of bits and pieces into the loft and If i wanted any of it to just take it and put the rest to one side if its no good and she would get it taken away and dumped.
I remember their loft from when I was about 6. I think I was getting told to get down it was dangerous yaddah yaddah yaddah from them. it was a just a big old loft exposed floor beams and plaster ceilings that you could fall through if you put a foot wrong.....
Well fast forward 24 years. I turn the light on as im climbing the stairs and No word of a lie there is flooring CARPET plastered walls and a full on LOUNGE with a recliner in the loft. And a nice book case with a huge set of hifi separates all wired in to some old speakers.
They lived in Norfolk and Grandad used to work for an electrical rentals company called HUGHES. Sort of company you would hire the TV and washing machine from for a few pound a month in the 70-80s. They also sold Hifi separates too.
In the unit there was a SANYO DCX8000K, a Trio KR-750, Sony PS-T1 record deck?, Sansui SE graphic equalizer, a phillips top loading cassette recorder player deck, some OMAR floor standing speakers. and some Dynatron LS-200 floor standers too. all 4 speakers were wired up to the DCX8000k which had selectable outputs pair a pair b and both.
Im currently having an Extension built and this would look great in the conservatory but I know nothing about hifi separates or how to use them. If I post up some pics and the model numbers of things that are up their can anyone tell me if its worth keeping, how to transport and handle it all. I just really don't want to break something that my grandfather spent a long time putting in and getting right.
k this up. After about 6 years my Nan has asked me to go through my Grandfathers Hifi equipment and clear out the loft for her. Its a pretty weird situation and I'm sure I'm not alone in experiencing this....Well I hope I'm not.
First was the Garage and that felt like I was trespassing on his tomb. We weren't banned from there but it was always his place not ours. Everything was as he had left it 8 years before falling ill and becoming house bound and dying 2 years later. Tools all neatly put away in their boxes just a small layer of dust on it all. A beautiful Valve amp stereo receiver powering two old speakers on a shelf and a click of a button it all slowly hummed into life.....Turned it all off and decided I needed to do that another day when im not so emotional about it. The receiver was made by a company called Fisher if that means anything to anyone?
Now onto the loft. My Nan said he had put a load of bits and pieces into the loft and If i wanted any of it to just take it and put the rest to one side if its no good and she would get it taken away and dumped.
I remember their loft from when I was about 6. I think I was getting told to get down it was dangerous yaddah yaddah yaddah from them. it was a just a big old loft exposed floor beams and plaster ceilings that you could fall through if you put a foot wrong.....
Well fast forward 24 years. I turn the light on as im climbing the stairs and No word of a lie there is flooring CARPET plastered walls and a full on LOUNGE with a recliner in the loft. And a nice book case with a huge set of hifi separates all wired in to some old speakers.
They lived in Norfolk and Grandad used to work for an electrical rentals company called HUGHES. Sort of company you would hire the TV and washing machine from for a few pound a month in the 70-80s. They also sold Hifi separates too.
In the unit there was a SANYO DCX8000K, a Trio KR-750, Sony PS-T1 record deck?, Sansui SE graphic equalizer, a phillips top loading cassette recorder player deck, some OMAR floor standing speakers. and some Dynatron LS-200 floor standers too. all 4 speakers were wired up to the DCX8000k which had selectable outputs pair a pair b and both.
Im currently having an Extension built and this would look great in the conservatory but I know nothing about hifi separates or how to use them. If I post up some pics and the model numbers of things that are up their can anyone tell me if its worth keeping, how to transport and handle it all. I just really don't want to break something that my grandfather spent a long time putting in and getting right.
Edited by TinyCappo on Wednesday 21st May 15:09 for speels and model info.
Edited by TinyCappo on Friday 5th December 22:40
nagsheadwarrior said:
That sounds awesome.
I've just bought a 70's Gec record player/radio powering 2 old festival series speakers from eBay, it sounds awesome.
Best thing is it has a 5 pin din line in, I bought a 3.5mm adapter for this and a bluetooth receiver for a total of £8 on ebay and now I can stream music and radio to my 70's Hifi!
The DCX8000K has a 5pin Din for one of the tape inputs But I also have a few spare phono style inputs 5 in all I think with one channel being shared by the Din input. is there any benefit in using the 5pin Din over a phono or was it just what you had available?I've just bought a 70's Gec record player/radio powering 2 old festival series speakers from eBay, it sounds awesome.
Best thing is it has a 5 pin din line in, I bought a 3.5mm adapter for this and a bluetooth receiver for a total of £8 on ebay and now I can stream music and radio to my 70's Hifi!
Bungleaio said:
Sounds fantastic!
Is there a good selection of music too?
Some photos would be great but I understand if it's not something you want to put up on the net.
There was actually not a huge amount up there. These 4 were next to the unit. I think these were the last 4 albums he took up to listen up there which is a little morbid in some ways, good choices though if that was the case. I took them downstairs to photograph as I wanted to put them with the others in a box in a cupboard.Is there a good selection of music too?
Some photos would be great but I understand if it's not something you want to put up on the net.
I didn't take any of the garage, still feels like I am trespassing. but I will next time Im up there
Pic of the Trio unit. and the DCX8000K.
Mad he wallpapered the roof!
and one of the child friendly speakers that cant have its cones pushed in
No idea what the random teddies on sofa are about theres a brick in each one as far as I can tell!
I just have pics of the serial numbers and model labels for the rest of it. but when i return up to collect it all Ill post some more pics.
I managed to get a copy of a the Schematic diagram for the DCX8000k from the internet (just incase it ever needs a repair). One thing I noticed on the schematic is that it has a completely separate pre-amp stage with pre-amp out which is what the Sansui is connected to before returning via phono back into the amp. Seems overkill to me but I don't know the first thing about quality enough to warrant fiddling with it :P
Edited by TinyCappo on Friday 23 May 16:50
Maybe its just the rose tinting but i remember these units powering the omars with nothing more than bell wire and they sounded pretty amazing back then.
I expect there is copper strands woven on the thighs of virgins in a vacuum available somewhere.
Just a reccomendation for gaugeing and anything which is to be avoided for audio based snake oil
I expect there is copper strands woven on the thighs of virgins in a vacuum available somewhere.
Just a reccomendation for gaugeing and anything which is to be avoided for audio based snake oil
TonyRPH said:
Get some of this cable from Maplin
I would go for "N20AP 42/0.2mm copper 6mm x 3mm 15A"
It's thin but not too thin, and I have used it with success in a 150W per channel system.
They do a thicker (72 strand) version, but it's quite unwieldy to use.
Thanks Tony. This is only 50w RMS which will be plenty enough to annoy the wife I would go for "N20AP 42/0.2mm copper 6mm x 3mm 15A"
It's thin but not too thin, and I have used it with success in a 150W per channel system.
They do a thicker (72 strand) version, but it's quite unwieldy to use.
Well bit of a sad update really.
I spent a good proportion of my time sorting out the conservatory/extension and we are ALMOST nearly ready to start putting in the furniture out there. So I took the trip upto the grandparents and collected the speaker systems and had a chance to throughly inspect the speaker units and it would appear that the paper cones have perished in 2 of the smaller speakers and the plastic/vinyl ones in the floor standing units have completely perished into a powdery dust.
So options
1. Recone - seems very expensive when I didn't really know how they sounded before apart from rose tinted memories from 20 years ago!
2. Modern alternates - But will I loose that 60-70s sound if I buy some modern speakers or is it what is driving them that gives the sound character? Been offered from someone in work some Mission M74s from an old unit he is replacing.
3. Old 2nd hand units with some big chunky floor standers like these?
Direct replacement only dark wood rather than the beech veneer.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Omar-Speakers-Vintage-HI...
Or proper old school.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sansui-SP-200-3-Way-Floo...
I spent a good proportion of my time sorting out the conservatory/extension and we are ALMOST nearly ready to start putting in the furniture out there. So I took the trip upto the grandparents and collected the speaker systems and had a chance to throughly inspect the speaker units and it would appear that the paper cones have perished in 2 of the smaller speakers and the plastic/vinyl ones in the floor standing units have completely perished into a powdery dust.
So options
1. Recone - seems very expensive when I didn't really know how they sounded before apart from rose tinted memories from 20 years ago!
2. Modern alternates - But will I loose that 60-70s sound if I buy some modern speakers or is it what is driving them that gives the sound character? Been offered from someone in work some Mission M74s from an old unit he is replacing.
3. Old 2nd hand units with some big chunky floor standers like these?
Direct replacement only dark wood rather than the beech veneer.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Omar-Speakers-Vintage-HI...
Or proper old school.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Sansui-SP-200-3-Way-Floo...
Sorry for the lack of updates.
Well the conservatory is finished enough to get the old system in there. Meant I could have some music playing whilst finishing off the kitchen.
Breakfast In America was the fist thing to played through this lot for probably more than 15 years.
Sanyo record deck is a brilliant piece of kit. Its internally damped and sounds phenomenal with a great depth of sound. However the wood effect didn't match the other bits of kit.
I also found in my relatives roof rummaging a Sony PS-T1 a great direct drive turntable from the late 1970s. Now when tested after probably 20 years of being in the loft the 33rpm setting was too high no matter how far i tried to adjust it. So I spent the whole evening stripping cleaning and then adjusting trim pots.
Well worth it as the strobescopic rpm adjuster works beautifully now. Not sure it sounds better than the Sanyo though. Can anyone point me towards a good resource for setting up the weights and the anti skid to the rear?
One thing I can always remember was the VU gauges on the Tape deck they would dance to the music, However no matter what permutations I wire this thing in I just cannot get it to do the same. Any suggestions?
Sanyo Amp works beautifully driving the speakers with a nice range.
The 10 channel Equaliser has been set to Floyd and to bypass for anything else.
Well the conservatory is finished enough to get the old system in there. Meant I could have some music playing whilst finishing off the kitchen.
Breakfast In America was the fist thing to played through this lot for probably more than 15 years.
Sanyo record deck is a brilliant piece of kit. Its internally damped and sounds phenomenal with a great depth of sound. However the wood effect didn't match the other bits of kit.
I also found in my relatives roof rummaging a Sony PS-T1 a great direct drive turntable from the late 1970s. Now when tested after probably 20 years of being in the loft the 33rpm setting was too high no matter how far i tried to adjust it. So I spent the whole evening stripping cleaning and then adjusting trim pots.
Well worth it as the strobescopic rpm adjuster works beautifully now. Not sure it sounds better than the Sanyo though. Can anyone point me towards a good resource for setting up the weights and the anti skid to the rear?
One thing I can always remember was the VU gauges on the Tape deck they would dance to the music, However no matter what permutations I wire this thing in I just cannot get it to do the same. Any suggestions?
Sanyo Amp works beautifully driving the speakers with a nice range.
The 10 channel Equaliser has been set to Floyd and to bypass for anything else.
Edited by TinyCappo on Monday 25th August 23:15
TwigtheWonderkid said:
TinyCappo said:
Can anyone point me towards a good resource for setting up the weights and the anti skid to the rear?
Just Youtube it. There's loads of demo videos to guide you thru it. I think so. I have tried Every conceivable permutation including running the it all through the tape before passing it to the amp and nada. Think as has been said it was the mists of time. The two meters on the reciever amp are for signal strength and fine tuning not for sound levels.
Well I must admit the Vinyl bug has bit and bit HARD!
Started out tracking down some old bits from the parents house and found some great pressings Thick as a brick the one with the full newspaper. lots of ELP. the obligatory War o the worlds x2 and lots of other proggy stuff. realised my digital recordings are missing stupid amounts of depth to the sound in comparison.
Plus note is I found 2 charity shops near work who have WALLS of vinyl at 25p each.
Well I must admit the Vinyl bug has bit and bit HARD!
Started out tracking down some old bits from the parents house and found some great pressings Thick as a brick the one with the full newspaper. lots of ELP. the obligatory War o the worlds x2 and lots of other proggy stuff. realised my digital recordings are missing stupid amounts of depth to the sound in comparison.
Plus note is I found 2 charity shops near work who have WALLS of vinyl at 25p each.
I see. Its a bulky unit that is too big to have just doing nothing apart from the VU though but sentiment is preventing me from throwing it out. Ill see what I can do with a tape
I changed back to the Sanyo record deck as the Sony one just didnt sound as good turns out the Sanyo unit is a rebadged sansui from the early 70s It looks much better too.
I changed back to the Sanyo record deck as the Sony one just didnt sound as good
turns out the Sanyo unit is a rebadged sansui from the early 70s It looks much better too. Well Fun weekend and things going on.
1. I think I have a blown bass driver in one of the speaker units Which made me think I had fluffed the stylus on the turntable turns out I haven't, I just have blown the bass drivers.
Option A recone.
Option B Sansui Sp-200s
2. I raided the inlaws loft and found this. Ill see if anyone can guess what it is before I post up a clear pic.
I spent about 2 hours with it yesterday trying to get it to work before today with no joy then after reading on a forum that the focusing for the laser and the TOC is capacitor controlled.
I spent a little longer with it this evening and the capacitors seem to have charged and appear to now be doing what they should do. It sounds glorious
1. I think I have a blown bass driver in one of the speaker units
Which made me think I had fluffed the stylus on the turntable turns out I haven't, I just have blown the bass drivers.Option A recone.
Option B Sansui Sp-200s
2. I raided the inlaws loft and found this. Ill see if anyone can guess what it is before I post up a clear pic.
I spent about 2 hours with it yesterday trying to get it to work before today with no joy
then after reading on a forum that the focusing for the laser and the TOC is capacitor controlled.I spent a little longer with it this evening and the capacitors seem to have charged and appear to now be doing what they should do. It sounds glorious
Marantz CD63
I thought the Philips CD101, the Marantz CD 63 and the Meridian were all the same Philips unit. Just the Marantz and Meridian came in black. However the Marantz literature I can find relates to their unit being superior using 4x sampling creating a 16bit resolution in comparison to the 14 bits of the competition?
Edited by TinyCappo on Tuesday 9th September 00:25
Amazing how a little information gets Chinese whispered across the internet isn't it. Into who was better and why, when technically its all the same underneath
As you have first hand experience with these machines. Is there any specific care tips or definite dos/don'ts? Obviously im not going to lick it :P
As you have first hand experience with these machines. Is there any specific care tips or definite dos/don'ts? Obviously im not going to lick it :P
Well when first powered on the lens would fully track outwards and then return. the discs TOC wouldn't read and when play was pressed it would spin the disc and then stop with the error light illuminated after the 3rd attempt of playing. When I looked online for the symptoms as described, the rapid movement of the laser when turned on and the failure to play. Some audiophile forums with posts asking with similar symptoms pointed to the capacitors and some said if it hasn't been turned on for 10-15 years then to leave it for a few hours plugged in and on and try again as the components can discharge fully. I had always assumed as you had that it was an instantaneous charged or not charged so was considering having it repaired.
One other thing that is worth possibly considering is, I tried numerous CDs incase it was fussy with the CD and then on the Liam Neeson version of war of the worlds it played fine It could have been dust in the lid contact or similar and a few cycles has given a good contact again.
One other thing that is worth possibly considering is, I tried numerous CDs incase it was fussy with the CD and then on the Liam Neeson version of war of the worlds it played fine It could have been dust in the lid contact or similar and a few cycles has given a good contact again.
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