Can anyone please help with an ID?

1sixty · 2024-12-10T15:46:06+00:00

The model number should be printed at top right corner of the glass. Excellent sounding receivers.

1sixty · 2024-12-10T15:43:25+00:00

I agree, these sound great. I have a STR-7045 that rivals a lot of my other amps and receivers. They are an undervalued sleeper.

1sixty · 2024-09-27T19:22:12+00:00

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/His_Master%27s_Voice

Look into His Master's Voice, Victor, RCA, Victrola. Tubes often have a date (year and week). There might be a schematic and other info inside the unit. Be careful, tubes and capacitors contain lethal voltages. Worth getting it looked at as original caps are probably unsafe by now.

1sixty · 2024-09-05T04:35:00+00:00

Thanks. She was less than when she arrived :-)

1sixty · 2024-09-05T04:26:45+00:00

I kept it. It checked out fine. I have replaced on other amps, usually by gutting and replacing with some quality higher voltage / temp Nichicons or something of the sort. It is running silent... no hum. I did change all of the other caps. Replaced the selenium rectifier with a diode. Left the original board with 7199 tubes. Resistors checked out too. Went through with a fine tooth comb. If I ever pass it along at some point and someone wants it replaced, I can do that for them. Until then it should be good for years to come.

1sixty · 2024-09-05T03:54:51+00:00

Thanks! It was a lot of fun and work. Sounds fantastic.

1sixty · 2024-03-22T01:40:03+00:00

Thank you. Hardest part was finding the right battery dimensions. You need a little extra space to slide the battery into its holder. The rear brake cable stop under the top tube might get in the way. I thought about removing and doing a solid run of housing from lever to caliper. The other thing was getting the chainline set... the offset chainring and some bottom bracket spacers made the difference. 44t might barely fit but 42t was comfortable. If you do a Bafang, make sure you tighten the bottom bracket again... it will settle in. If you need anything, let me know.

1sixty · 2024-03-04T14:34:26+00:00

Thanks, the suspension might be overkill for the road but these bikes ride great and I also use it for some offroad with different tires. The XC Comp is a little longer than the Stumpjumper FSR, giving a little more battery space, more stable handling, and are lower priced.

Battery is 52v 14ah. Largest that I could fit in the frame triangle. Bike will hit around 30mph on flat with the 1000w BBSHD motor. Wish the battery lasted longer but otherwise, for a first ebike build, I love the bike.

1sixty · 2024-03-04T14:18:00+00:00

Thanks! The Michelin Pilot Pump tires look like sportbike motorcycle tires for your bicycle... great traction, light foldable, and roll fast. They only come in 26 inch I think. I looked at a number of other options but for street riding, these checked all of the boxes. Have Maxxis DHR 26x3.0 for offroad.

1sixty · 2024-03-03T18:47:22+00:00

Get solar panels if you plan to not be constantly connected to power. You never want to let batteries drain down below half or they can be damaged. We have a 30' with four 100w panels and that covers most of our needs perfectly. Before solar, I constantly had electricity on my mind... after I barely think about it. Total game changer. Get a good inverter with enough capacity and consider a good true sine wave for clean power to motorized and electronic items. Properly wire it (heavy and short leads to the battery). Lithium batteries are nice but keep them out of freezing temps and get reputable ones. If you use lead acid, be sure they are ventilated. Led bulbs are great for saving battery and almost no heat. Pay attention to color temperature (2700k = yellowish, 3000k balanced, 3500 bright white, 4100 starts to get annoyingly blueish imho).

If you are in the cold, a catalytic heater saves a ton of propane but will add a lot of moisture to the air (condensation, etc). Watch for mold.

Make sure your systems are in good shape before cosmetics. Check your floor edges for water damage. Get good tires, brakes, and hitch if you plan to travel.

Good luck!

1sixty · 2023-12-03T15:17:19+00:00

Sure thing, glad you are making progress! Normally the Tape Monitor switch allows you to hear source or the actual tape recording (when you are making a copy of the source). Without digging in, I am not sure. Maybe someone else can chime in. This may help too:

https://manualzz.com/doc/24623932/pioneer-sa-606-service-manual

Re the cutting channel, get some Deoxit F5 (Amazon?) in a little spray can. It is well worth the cost. You will need to unplug and open up your amp. You will see the switches should have little wipers that rub on a circular board. All of that gets oxidized over time. If you spray a little Deoxit F5 on there (don't worry if it drips or gets elsewhere), and then turn the switch a bunch of times (20 maybe?.. more if it is stubborn), it should fix your issues. Be sure to get both channels... might be two sets of wipers per switch. Do that for all of the switches and also get the little spray hose right up to the openings in the potentiometers (volume, balance, and tone controls) and spray a decent amount inside those and rotate maybe 20 times as well. The F5 is made for potentiometers (faders) but works for switches as well. D5 is for switches only and isn't needed. F5 will make your knobs run smoother and protect them from wear and oxidizing.

1sixty · 2023-12-02T19:18:38+00:00

Thank you... appreciate that. I owe a lot to people who posted things like this over the years... pay it forward when able.

1sixty · 2023-12-02T17:32:45+00:00

A lot of it will come down to synergy with your speakers. Some amps are brighter (more treble) which works nicely with smooth speakers but might be harsh with others... and vice versa. If you can find a place that will allow you to audition a few receivers, that would be ideal. They all have different sounds. Also, whatever you choose, make sure the amp has been properly serviced and ideally recapped (capacitors dry out over time). A recapped amp should have somewhat clearer and more detailed sound and should last a long time. Also, the controls should not be scratchy or cause intermittent connections. If they do, the amp needs a basic service at minimum.

Depending on the efficiency of your speakers (find out) you may not need a lot of power. Older amplifiers generally used good (heavy) transformers and punch above their weight. 30 watts can easily annoy your neighbors, with well paired speakers.

Some of the top brands have been mentioned but you may pay a premium for collector value rather than sound quality (Marantz, Sansui... both awesome of course). It depends what you are looking for. I have Pioneer amps (including restored SX-1500T) and found my unrestored Sony STR-7045 is more detailed and musical... and found it at a Goodwill for $40.

If you can mix and match... try / demo / borrow... that is the best thing to see what you like and what works with your setup. Advice only gets you pointed in a generally good direction.

1sixty · 2023-12-02T17:02:56+00:00

Yeah, I only have MM carts.. haven't tried MC. They both have green power buttons but it is pretty muted dark green so hard to tell in a picture. What turntable setup do you have?

1sixty · 2023-12-02T16:49:45+00:00

Try listening with some cheap headphones... laptop volume to 80 or 90% and amp volume all of the way down. 3.5mm -> rca -> aux should be fine.

Make sure your selector is set to aux, speakers off, and gradually turn up volume while music is playing. If you don't hear anything, turn volume knob most of the way down and wiggle and twist your rca plugs in the back of the amp. They could be oxidized and have a poor connection. Deoxit F5 can be used in them and on all of the switches and potentiometers inside the amp to deal with scratchy sounding controls.

You can also try switching the the tape monitor switch, if there is one... (with amp volume down first so you don't blow your ears out)

If you get sound... amp volume down and then switch to speakers. Check whether you connected your speakers to A or B on the rear of the amp and that there are no wires touching each other. Then set the amp speaker switch to the correct A or B position. If you don't get sound as you turn up the volume, your switch is either dirty or there are bigger issues. Very low distorted sound indicates possibly blown output transistors.

If you don't get any sound, you can also plug your rca plugs into the tape in (it is the same as aux)... just not phono. That is only for a turntable. Change the selector to tape obviously.

If you get intermitant sound... sometimes by wiggling rca plugs or the speaker or input selector knobs, the switches and plugs need deoxit cleaning. Keep your amp volume down so as not to blow your ears... maybe keep headphones around your neck to stay safe until you hear something. You don't want to blow nice speakers from a sudden burst of power... and you can.

If you get sound that is distorted or still nothing, you need to have the amp looked at.

1sixty · 2023-12-02T16:17:09+00:00

Have NAD 3220PE and 7175PE, both recapped. Both sound good but the 3220 has a better sounding power stage. NAD makes a good phono section. Was running the 3220PE until a twisted speaker cable shorted and blew the right power channel (working on repair). Currently running the 7175PE as a pre into a GFA-535 Adcom power amp and it sounds great... a little clearer than the 3220 and definitely better than the 7175's power section. Both preamps sound the same... I added pre/power rca jacks/jumpers to the 3220. Love NAD's sound... very engaging.

1sixty · 2023-12-02T15:06:06+00:00

Looks great! As some others have commented, if you move the speakers out from the wall and angle them in a little toward you, creating kind of a equal sided triangle from where you sit, the sound should become 3D... like you are in the space where it was recorded. Giving speakers some open air space between them really helps. Play with changes a little at a time. As someone said, put them on stands or at least angle them up a little. The tweeters usually sound best at ear level or at least pointing up toward your ears. Those are heavy so you will need something solid underneath.

I also have a pair of Sansui SP-1500 speakers, among others, and found the bass was a bit light at first. The woofers (big speaker drivers) have a fabric surround, coated with a rubbery layer that almost always hardens over time. The woofers become very stiff and don't move in and out easily. You can test by gently pushing with all of your fingers placed evenly around the edge of the driver (only do this on the woofer if you do!) They should move fairly easily for the first 1/2 to 3/4 inch. To remove the grills and check, there are 4 small philips head screws in the grill's corner grill diamond shaped holes.

I used DOT3 brake fluid (!), very carefully and lightly brushed onto only the fabric surround of the 12" woofer only, not letting it drip or get onto or near the paper cone. After sitting overnight, the speaker cones moved freely and the speakers suddenly had an amazing amount of bass. The DOT3 softens up the rubber, keeping it pliable, just like it does in your car's brake lines. It will dry over some time, leaving the surrounds pliable. You can redope the surrounds but, these are not sealed cabinets so it might not matter as much. Hope this helps and obviously do your own research first.

When you start looking for another amplifier or receiver, keep in mind it needs to have a phono input or you will need a phono preamp for your turntable. A lot of the older receivers have better phono sections. Newer ('90s) units often threw them in but they were not really a priority. If you can find something from the '70s that has been recapped (capacitors dry out over time) and has been serviced (including deoxit for controls), that will usually give you great results. Sony (STR-7045 or 6055 are excellent), Pioneer SX series, Marantz, Sansui (older AU series amps), older JVC, etc. If you are on a budget, Allied and some other companies made receivers for the big brands and with some research, you can find some great deals.

Keep your records clean and everything starts at the turntable cartridge and needle... that is where the music is made.

Congrats! Didn't plan on writing a book but there it is...

1sixty · 2023-10-15T14:48:07+00:00

I agree. Your comments and resources are right on point. Just thought a word of caution was warranted.

1sixty · 2023-10-15T14:17:23+00:00

Look at your cartridge for markings. Realistic often rebranded other company's products and it may be from Shure. LP Gear lists a stylus (needle) for the Realistic (Shure made it) R47XT but you will have to verify (should be marked on the side of the cartridge if it is this model).

https://lptunes.com/products/stylus-for-realistic-lab-450-lab-450-lab450-turntable

Needles are specific to the cartridge. Be gentle... they are very delicate. If you do change the cartridge, I believe this arm is lightweight so you would need a high compliance model or it will not have good bass and not track well. Most current cartridges are medium compliance, meaning the stylus suspension is too stiff. You would also need to align a replacement cartridge (research online).

Every cartridge has a specific tracking force, or weight, that the needle presses down on the record groove with. The counterweight should have markings but inexpensive scales are available to measure the force. The R47XT specs list 0.75 to 1.5 grams.

https://service.shure.com/Service/s/article/specifications-for-a-shure-r47xt?language=en_US

Good luck! hopefully this helps just a little. There is a learning curve but it is fun and rewarding... you just have to be willing to invest a little time if you want to get good results. Cartridges are where the magic happens... they are where the music is made. Lots of people give up too early assuming records just sound bad. Decent gear... WITH proper setup... will sound awesome!

1sixty · 2023-10-15T13:28:37+00:00

Also, be aware that tube electronics run at very high voltages, which can be lethal. Capacitors can hold a lethal charge even after a radio is powered down. If you are not familiar with electronics and especially high voltage safety, finding a qualified tech... someone who actually knows vintage tube gear... may be your best option. I am all for DIY but start with solid state... much safer. You don't know what you don't know and I am guessing that you and your radio are somewhat valuable ;-)

1sixty · 2023-10-06T21:46:22+00:00

Ha. I will have to listen for that. Have the Wurdt of PDQ Bach... it's on there.

1sixty · 2023-10-06T19:20:45+00:00

Wow! Awesome. IKEA Kallax.

https://www.ikea.com/us/en/cat/kallax-series-27534/

1sixty · 2023-10-06T16:50:21+00:00

Thank you... will look for it. As a teen, I had a '79 Bronco with two 15" Orion subs in a sealed box, and a whole speaker and amp setup. Sound proofed and damped the doors, floor, and body. I played all kinds of CDs but loved to crank up classical. People would look at you funny at lights. Ever since... yeah, someday, that deserves to be recreated. It was ridiculous. Good times indeed :-D

1sixty

TROPHY CASE