(Part 3) Best products from r/vintageaudio

For $25 it could be worth it, but you'll probably want to look at it and/or ask for a demonstration first. Like /u/AmadeusK482 said, parts such as the headshell or cartridge make or break a deal, and if they're missing it could cost you a good amount for a replacement (an entry level cartridge like the AT95e costs ~$50 for example). Ultimately it probably is a step up from you're current TT, but before you pull the trigger shop around a little bit and make sure you know you're getting a clean and functional table.

On a side note, if you're concerned about the amount of wear you're putting on your records, you might want to consider investing in a tracking force gauge like this or this. This will let you see the amount of pressure the LP60, or any TT you upgrade to, puts on your records. As general rule of thumb a vertical tracking force of under 4g is considered healthy, but the ideal weight varies according to the specific cartridge.

this is the fancy brand name stuff but it's basically like wd40 but for electronic connections. you just treat the potentiometer like it's a gritty key hole and blast it through while wiggling until it's smooth and clean

Check this out at Amazon.com - CAIG DeOxit Cleaning Solution Spray, 5% spray 5oz https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07S2X1PCN/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_lLLPDbWA052JB

there are plenty of off brands that are the same thing but I can't guarantee their effectiveness since I just played it safe and went with the better marketing

That's excellent! I'm watching exactly one of those on eBay right now.

Question - in the upper left, there's a lit up "2". Does this tell you how many channels are going out? So if you go quadrophonic, does that change to a "4"? Does it display anything else?

I can't help you with the AM issue, but my opinion - unless you really need AM, I'd leave it alone. However, I understand how you'd want this to be in tip-top since it's a family heirloom. If so, I'd google vintage repair guys in your area.

I'd take off the knobs and front plate, and give them a scrubbing with cleaner and toothbrush. My favorite is this, as it has Febreeze in it. But really any cleaner will work. Dilute this with water....you don't need full strength.

Then while you have the front plate off, I'd spray all the potentiometers and switches with DeOxit, clean the glass, etc.

With bulbs, check around eBay for replacements. This guy in particular has lots of stuff like this.

The cleaning and DeOxit can be done by you as long as you are relatively handy. If you aren't comfortable with soldering, then the bulb work should probably be done by a pro. And if you want a pro to fix the AM, they would certainly do everything that was needed, including the cleaning, DeOxit and bulbs.

Great receiver!

If you need to get gunk off something, try Soilove. It is my go-to for everything these days. It says it's for laundry (and it works great for laundry), but I've put it in a sprayer and use it all over. Nothing cuts gunk in the sink or shower better. It does an excellent job of removig baked-on gunk on pots and pans, too.

I know it looks gimmicky, but it really works. Before you order from Amazon, look at your local Dollar Store. $8 is pricey, but I buy it for $1 a bottle here and use it liberally. It goes in every wash and I use it around the house.

Also, for something built in the early 1970s, you really should pop the hood and replace all of the resistors and capacitors. Modern ones are so much better and the old ones are almost certainly out of spec.

Take a deep breath and go one at a time. You can DIY it and it just takes a noob longer. Give it a few evenings and replace everything. I like Mills non-inductive wirewound resistors and Nichicon, Sprague and Panasonic make good capacitors. You can find them at Digikey, Mouser, Newark, and Allied.

Dirt cheap, low on features but OK quality: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9141

Avoid the Wal Mart multimeter...I'm not happy to see a non category rated meter from GE of all companies. It's actually a rip off at $20....I've seen similar meters online for $5 and had the unfortunate experience of using one.

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX430-Autoranging-Multimeter-Capacitance/dp/B0000WU1AC

The Extech 430 is a good all rounder. It's Cat III with auto ranging and has bare bones capacitance and frequency counting. True RMS measurement allows you to measure AC things other than just 60Hz sine waves. (you need true RMS for checking amp output at 1kHz among other things) I own one and aside from the nasty yellow-green backlight and somewhat short battery life, it rocks. Comes with a temperature probe too, which you'll find useful.

If you're serious and want data logging without going all out on a $300-500 industrial meter from the likes of Fluke, give this a try. It looks cool as heck but possibly has a bit of a learning curve due to the menu instead of a dial. Cat III to 600V too. It does everything the Extech 430 does and more. https://www.circuitspecialists.com/dm620.html


Soldering Irons...

The classic pencil tip "fire starter": https://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062758&filterName=Type&filterValue=Soldering+irons

You get what you pay for there but I've fixed many things with ones just like this. Larger joints may need more heat, they make 40 and 60W irons for that. Tip life on these cheap irons is poor. Poor tips make poor joints. Replace them if they go bad. Do not sharpen one.

BUT...instead of having 3 low quality irons knocking around the shop, I recommend people go straight for an adjustable heat soldering station like this one: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10707

Buy a couple spare tips if you order a soldering station. Local availability of these is nil. The stations usually have better irons, heat control that actually works and far better tips.

This soldering station and its more expensive digital counterpart, the WESD51 are a bit pricey. On the other hand, they're totally awesome and the gold standard in many shops: http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU

Once you get a station, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one. Good tools make the best repairs.

Very cool! Let me know how you like it. My gf just got one today at a thrift store for $10! She says it looks brand new, but doesn't have any speakers with her.

Sounds like a dirty volume pot. To be expected, and probably fixable with DeOxit. The wiggly light bulb might require a quick wiring fix, but it could just be a dirty connection in the bulb socket or a wiring terminal.

I recommend Caig DeOxit for cleaning contacts and pots and jacks and everything else. It's WAY better than the Radio Shack tuner cleaner (which left a dust-trapping film,) and much better than the other "pro" brands I've used. The have formulations for gold contacts, for fader pots, and a few other oddments, but I've always just used the basic D5 product. At $15 a can, it isn't cheap, but a little goes a long way, and it's like having a bottle of magical repair elves.

Happy listening!

There are a few ways to do this, the simplest is with a bluetooth receiver and cellphone, I have this one and it sounds okay: http://www.amazon.com/Logitech-980-000910-Bluetooth-Audio-Adapter/dp/B00IQBSW28

The best way to do this is with a USB DAC, this is the cheapest: http://www.amazon.com/Behringer-UCA202-Audio-Interface/dp/B000KW2YEI and works pretty well. There are lots of different ones with different features, you can spend from 30 to 300 easily.

USB DACs will work with windows and android cellphones with OS 5 (lollipop) and higher. I'm not sure about mac or linux support. Something like this may be useful: http://www.amazon.com/FiiO-Digital-Analog-Audio-Converter/dp/B005PWPUW6 if you just want to connect optical or coaxial out from a device.

Over the weekend I grabbed the above amp from Goodwill for $30. There wasn't a lot about it online - so I posted on this sub asking about quality, reputation, etc. One user suggested that I post my impressions on here to serve as a reference for people who have the same question in the future - so here it is.

I had originally intended to use this amp in my garage or somewhere else as part of a second system. Yesterday I swapped out my other amp with this one to see how well it paired with my speakers - a set of Akai SW-a70s. The amp I've been using is a Sony STRDH190. When I posted about it on here I got both positive and negative answers about the quality of the amp - but it absolutely blows the new Sony out of the water. Everything about it is significantly better. Highs, lows, clarity....everything. Now, I'm not saying that it would compare to higher end stuff - but IMO it was $30 VERY well spent and anyone who is on a budget and looking for an amp for a starter setup will not be disappointed. The thing will rattle my windows. When using the Sony there came a point where the volume still allegedly has 20% or more to go but it seemed to have maxed out. In fact, I had never seen my woofers even move with the Sony amp. Even at full volume. With this amp they are absolutely pumping. I could dry my hair with the port holes.

So, long story short - it was exactly what I needed it to be and more - and for $30 I think it's an absolute bargain. Some audiophiles may turn their noses up at it - and maybe I will too at some point - but I think most people would be thrilled to have something like this for so little.

Well it can depend. Are your speakers powered or passive, do you have a subwoofer, do you want an automatic (where a button moves the needle to the record and it puts itself back when its done, vs. having to pick up the arm and manually placing it on the record, plus pick it up and take it off the record when it's done every time). What other devices do you have, do you value bluetooth.

If you just want something that looks good in a photo here, you can find a vintage receiver for $100 (check craigslist/ebay, here's the first one I saw on eBay I'm not vouching for this model) and then an Audio Technica LP120 for $230. This is manual but you can, down the line, buy new cartridges. Also has features like adjustable counterweight, anti-skate and speed regulation.

You could alternatively go modern with a Sony STR-DH190 receiver. $150, bluetooth standby - basically you can play music to the receiver without making sure it's on. From there you could get the same $230 LP120, or the LP60XBT for $120 that also has bluetooth, so it can be used with wireless headphones, too. Or I guess just paired via bluetooth with the receiver so you don't have physically connect them. The LP60 is automatic but lacks the LP120's adjustments, which you may miss as you dive deeper into this hobby.

But pure turntable love - I'd cheap out on a receiver. Vintage looks or modern features aside, it's a black chunk. Phono preamp, amp and radio, at this price range, aren't really big considerations. So hit goodwill, salvation army or craigslist, and grab one for like $20. You might even find one with a center (subwoofer) out which the Sony or vintage I mentioned don't. Then you could get a Fluance RT82 or a Uturn Orbit for about $300. Those are both manual.

In contrast to receivers, used turntables haven't been a great experience for me. They're precision machines and speed/alignment issues can pop up, plus there's a lot of messed up dust covers out there. That said, I've only bought from thrift stores - with some eBay searching, plenty of people have found vintage turntables that were better values than new options.

EDIT: and this is by no means an exhaustive list, I'm just illustrating the different directions you can go

I personally use the Shure M97Xe phono cartridge, on a 1970's vintage Technics SL-1200 MkII turntable hooked up to the phono input of a 1970's Marantz 2230B receiver. I use a Focusrite 2i2 for analog to digital conversion, hooked up to the Marantz's tape out. I capture and edit in Audacity.

I use the Marantz with a pair of '80s vintage DCM bookshelf speakers in nearfield fed audio from my desktop computer's soundcard into the receiver's tape monitor circuit.

The Marantz was a thrift store find that I cleaned, adjusted and replaced the capacitors in. The DCM speaker's woofers were refoamed with Simply Speakers refoam kits as well as the capacitors replaced in the crossovers.

The Technics turntable has a modern cartridge installed as most vintage phono cartridges would be a downgrade. Fresh manufacture is your friend here as the rubber suspension would be suspect on a new old stock cartridge and the diamond styli wear out, ruling out used cartridges with unknown use and wear (my vintage records are more important!). I also replaced the cue light on the Technics and repalced the DJ style platter mat with a more appropriate Technics OEM mat.

For my time and effort of restoring my vintage gear, I find it sounds better than entry level audiophile gear. It also is easier to service (for me) and looks just cool (IMHO).

Haha, completely self taught through trial and error, thanks! Having the right kind of paste flux and magnification helps. I’ve also purchased one of these to help keep things steady with this and future jobs.

QuadHands Helping Hands Third Hand Soldering Tool and Vise
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00GIKVP5K/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_Oh.MBb478C70E

I was impressed with it. It’s a pretty fine TT in that price range. If you don’t have a Stylus Tracking Force Pressure Gauge , get one. You be glad you have one to get that tracking force just right 👌🏻

https://www.amazon.com/FM-Dipole-Antenna-Male-connector/dp/B00EIB70N2/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1505689913&sr=8-5&keywords=FM+antenna

this is a barebones antenna

I recommend an FM signal amplifier and an outdoor antenna

But FWIW.. FM radio is pretty dead since pretty much every station that broadcasts nowadays has an internet stream

I feel about 90% confident the meters don't work because you don't have an antenna hooked up to it. That's a badass tuner, I'd of loved to find it. Wonder how it would sound compared to my Kenwood KT-8300

1. "Micro" input
   
2. "Diode" input
   
3. "Radio" input
   
4. Output
   Looks like a stereo Grundig. They weren't really designed for modern mics. Some of them came with a stereo mic. Your best bet is to run whatever mic you want into a small mixer then take the line level output into input 2 or 3. You'll need a 5 pin din to 2 rca cable. Something like this. Have fun!

Well, so I just went with getting off the shelf LED strips from Amazon; in turquoise. I'm driving them with an internal AC-DC power supply (Lower voltage / price than the linked one) which taps the switched 2 prong AC plug on the back, the posts and solder are SUPER THICC (Being from the 70s) so you'll have to work them a bit to attach something to them.


It was difficult to get the LED strips in above the signal meters and PLL gauge but It's worth it to have those light up nice and even, I still have to add a resistor because overall the lighting now is too bright. I did all this because when I acquired the unit the case had completely disintegrated and I had to replace it with an Acrylic one I made from an old museum display that was being thrown out...

I have a couple of Onkyo receivers from that era. One was my grandparents' and one was a Goodwill find for $10. They're not legendary gear by any means, but they're still better than a lot of what you'll find manufactured today.

I'll take my '80s Onkyo and a pair of decent bookshelf speakers over Beetz or Bose any day.

Speaking of bookshelf speakers, if you want a decent pair on the cheap, grab these guys. Even if you upgrade later, your setup will still work great in the garage or office.

http://www.amazon.com/Polk-Audio-TSi100-Bookshelf-Speakers/dp/B00192KF12/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1417692840&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=polk+bookshelf

Amazon has a ton of replacement ear pads of varying sizes. These were initially more of an on-ear type, but I like the over ear far better. I got these headphones off LetGo. Edit: for clarity.

Well, if you can use the lab and it has a scope in it then you just scored big time.

As far as $100. I would get:

(amazon links for convenience, use any supplier you wish)

• DMM (digital multimeter) - must have diode check, DC volts, AC volts, Ohms, and continuity. Extech EX330 ($50) or Equus 3320 ($20)
  
  
• clip leads for the meter such as these - these are important because you will need to take values while the amp is on, and you don't want to be poking around a live amp
  
  
• variable power/temp soldering iron - cheap one good one better one
  
  
• 60/40 leaded solder - I like this kind
  
  
• desolder braid
  
  
• rosin flux
  
  
• contact cleaner
  
  
• (de-oxit d-5)[http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S6-Deoxit-Contact-Cleaner/dp/B00006LVEU/]
  
  
• flush cutters
  
  
• solder sucker
  
  
• shrink tube of various diameters
  
  
• 92%+ isopropyl alcohol
  
  
• windex
  
  
• q-tips
  
  
• paper towels
  
  
• needle nose pliers
  
  
• nice set of phillips head screwdrivers
  
  
• standard screwdriver
  
  
• miner's headlamp
  
  
• digital camera for taking many many pictures before and during disassembly
  
  
• printer for printing service manuals
  
  
• heat gunor hair dryer
  
  
• canned air
  
  
  EDIT: Light bulb socket, 100W + 60W real light bulbs (not the hippy engery saving kind), electrical outlet - these are for making a dim bulb tester.
  
  All I can think of right now.

https://www.amazon.com/Cooling-EURPMASK-Adjustable-Cross-Flow-Function/dp/B07TWK3KBN/ref=sr_1_5?crid=M1F48ILNEOEH&keywords=laptop+fan+cooling+pad&qid=1574734740&sprefix=laptop+fan%2Caps%2C355&sr=8-5

This should helps :D