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12-31-01
Q: Hi Tim,
Just stumbled across your website a week or so ago (Ok, I'm slow). Neway, I, for one, certainly appreciate the time you must spend assisting everyone with your expertise.
A couple of days ago I picked up a Sansui AU-777, off E-bay. (For the princely sum of 51 bucks). It works fine, but I have a question about the tape hd inputs. This amp has two inputs, labeled 9.5 and 19. What are these used for ? I know that 9.5 and 19 are tape speed designations, but would this require a separate circuit in the amp ? Can you 'splain to me what they had in mind, here ?
Naturally, at this price, there was not one word of documentation with the amp, and the guy I bought it from didn't know anything about these, either.
What am I looking at ?
Thanks, Tim
Jimmy Offutt
A: Hello Jimmy,
In them olden days, it was not uncommon to use your amplifier as the electronics for a tape mechanism. The amp provided the necessary amplification and equalization. Different tape speeds require different equalization, hence the two inputs. I know of no modern day use for tape head inputs.
Tim
12-29-01
Q: tim,could you direct me torwards parts for my sansui 2000x.there
is a push in circuit board with sansui number f1180 on it that is
fryed.i cannot make out the numbers on the components,one is nec
and one is hatachi,they are very corroded from a copper piece that
was around them for heat i imagine. i would just like to replace
the board if at all posible.the right channel went out and when
this board is reversed the right channel works and the left
channel goes outs. it ohms out completely different for the right
side than for the left,as it is marked. thereis also a small #tp-
n71 on the board. but im pretty sure the sansui number is f1180.
just a dumb blonde trying to get some sounds,help.tina
A: Hello Tina,
As you might have already guessed, there are no complete PCBs (printed circuit boards) available for that model. The good news is that all of the COMPONENTS on the PCB are still available from any electronics supply store. The other good news is that you have an exact replica of the PCB in the other channel. Your job, should you decide to except it, is to replace all of the burned components on the bad board based on the components on the other good board. The bad news is, unless you can find out what caused the bad PCB to go bad in the first place, the entire scenario may very well repeat itself. You may also want to consider purchasing another 2000X for parts. Good luck.
Tim
12-28-01
Q: I've been into vintage audio for about a year now but I'm far from being an audiophile. Your website and a couple of others are my only resources. I need advice on how to set my system up. I want to use 4 sets of vintage speakers (sansui,kenwood,advent,infinity) so I use a receiver (previously a tandberg tr-2075 mkII until today when I bought a Marantz model 19 for 30 bones!!) ran through an Audio Control Octave then to the aux of an integrated amp (Marantz 1152dc) then routed back through the Octave and into the tape in on the receiver. I also have two Onkyo ta-630d's and a Garrad DD-75. It takes alot of button pushing but equalized sound comes out of all eight speakers. How much signal is being lost in all of that routing? I found that using four sets of decent speakers that cost me 60 bucks for the lot is better than spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on a pair of great speakers. Basically I want the best sound I can get without spending a fortune. Thus far I have a little less than $200 dollars invested into a system that will blow the pants off of any cheesy setup from target or sears for the same price. Please tell me how I can make all this work together the best. If I go back to the Tandberg is there any way to make use of the pre-amp in/outs? Please help doc!! Jesse
A: Hello Jesse,
I'm still a bit dizzy from reading your letter. Although I am a bit unclear on what you have done, I don't think you run the risk of damaging anything except possibly your standing with the neighbors. You have more than one great piece of classic audio that you effectively stole. My advice to you is to spend a little bit more on a PAIR of good speakers. Klipsch is right up your alley and can be had very reasonably, say $800.00 or less. Look for Corwalls or LaScalas and your neighbors will have to move.
12-27-01
Q: Tim,
About a year ago, a friend gave me an old Marantz 4300 quad receiver
with a problem in the power amps. I put it away in the closet for a
while, but recently I got it out and decided to try to diagnose the
problem. I traced it to bad output transistors, and there's where I'm
stumped. Equivalent replacements are available, but I'm not quite sure
what I need, so here goes. On the back of each output transistor is
printed the Marantz name, and above it is a number. There are four of
each, numbers C1403, which I understand is actually 2SC1403, and A745,
which I'm told is actually 2SA745. No problem so far. NTE offers
equivalents at a reasonable price. However, in addition to the main part
number, each part also has a secondary number printed on the back below
the Marantz logo. Two of the 1403s have the number 440 printed below the
name, the other two have the number 430. The secondary numbers on the
745s are 460 and 470. My question is, what is the significance of the
second number? Many of the older Marantz units used a full complimentary
mirror image output stage, so I'm wondering if those numbers might
possibly indicate a PNP and an NPN version of the same part. I'd
appreciate any help you can give me. I'd like to get the old girl up and
running. :-)Thanks
John Baker
A: Hello John,
As far as I know, those are production lot numbers and have no significance as far as the performance of the device. If you are looking to match outputs, you need a BETA tester which will measure the relative gain of the device. Not too critcal in a class AB design with massive negative feedback though. I would go ahead and use the subs.
Tim
12-26-01
Q: I have a Pioneer QX 8000A. I bought at a swap meet for $15.00. I brought it home and hooked it up. I got a great signal on FM but no sound from the speakers. Also no sound from the headphone plugs. Can you help? Thanks. Did I buy a paper weight??
Johnny G.
A: Hello Johnny,Very likely. Take off the covers and check for blown fuses. If they blow again, set the unit on a large stack of papers in a wind storm. But, first make certain that you have not interrupted the signal flow with an unintended 'tape monitor' or similar function.
08-13-01
Q: Tim, my name is Brad, I live outside Detroit Michigan. I just picked up
today at lunch (garage sale) for $2 dollars totalSansui 4 channel Reciever QR-1500
Sony 8 track 4 channel Tapecorder TC-258
Panasonic CD-4 System Disc Demodulator SE-405Did I pick up a complete QUAD system for $2????????
I am very excited. I have 2 (8 track) Q8 tapes
The Panasonic says CD-4 Disc (but this is way before compact discs, so I
think it tells of a QUAD signal is going to it??? It has something called
(4 channel radar)I can take some digital pictures & show you if you like.
How can I find the manauals that go with this equipment?
Does QUAD equipment have to say the word Qudrophonic or can it say 4
channel.
A: Hello Brad,
Yes, you bought a complete quad system for $2.00. All you need is four matching speakers. CD-4 is a vinyl format. You will have to find an old quad CD-4 record to use the decoder. Quad and 4 channel are the same thing. Check with this site for manuals:
http://pub52.ezboard.com/bserviceandusermanualstradepointR: Tim you rock, I got (one) Quad record (LP), but do I need a special turntable?
Q: Brad,
Maybe. Try it out and if your 'radar' light comes on, your OK. The cartridge on the turntable has to be good enough to pick up the 30kHz carrier used to encode the rear channels. The 'radar' light indicates that the carrier has been detected. The record has to be in CD-4 format, not SQ or anything else.
Tim
06-08-01
Q: Dear Tim,
I am the owner of a late 70's pioneer receiver and was wondering if you can shed some light on something. What in the world is the FM multipath button used for? Should I be using it? Or is it just another button to make the receiver face look more impressive? Just wondering. Thanks, Pete RizzutoA: Hello Pete,
The more buttons the better! This button switches your FM signal strength meter to a 'multipath' meter. The idea is to adjust your antenna for a minimum reading with the button depressed.
Tim
04-07-01
Q: Tim,
My question has to do with FM reception. I live in a major metro area and have a large selection of stations out there. I've been reading about reception potential, or lack
of, in my setup and was wondering your opinion on throwing an antenna up in the attic.
I know there are many out there who would love to sell me a high end antenna with roter,
etc., but would a regular T.V. type setup do? Are there better leads to use? Am I worrying
to much? Should I just continue to have my wife stand on a foot stool with a coat hanger?
Seriously....with a few exceptions my stations are all local. Should I be concerned with
directionallity or just get something hooked up?
Thanks again for you time......
Doug
A: Hello Doug,
If you like the way your wife looks in that position, by all means go with it! You don't say what kind of tuner you are using and that could make a big difference. The FM band lies between channels 6 and 7 on the TV band, so a TV antenna will work well. However, TV antennas are directional and you will probably want the option of rotating it at will. Since all the stations you want to receive are local, chances are you just need a good tuner.
Tim
03-21-01
Q: Dear Doctor,
First things first: very cool website! It's great to still find
outposts of community on the increasingly commercially-dominated web
(remember waaay back when it was called the info superhighway --
before it became the great CyberStripMall.com?)Okay. You will know this: what is the nominal level of the "tape
head" input jack on a Sansui 5000A receiver? Is it higher than line
level (-10dB) ? I'd like to feed a balanced (+4dB) signal to my
Sansui in the cleanest way possible. I thought I'd ask ya before I
put RCA adapters on the unbalanced 1/4" TRS cables, plug em into the
Tape Head or Aux inputs on the Sansui, and risk hearing ugly fuzz.
Do I need some kind of transformer?Relatedly, do you have any idea of an online source of specs or
manual info on the Sansui 5000A? I'd like to know more about things
like the impedances of the various ins and outs, and its got some
little trims on the back ("level adjustment" and "MPX separation")
that I'm not sure about.Mucho TIA,
Hoag
A: Hello Hoag,
Great CyberStripMall indeed! The tape head inputs on your Sansui are designed for a very low level source, much like a microphone. A +4 input would just render massive distortion. You can try putting the +4 into the AUX, it will depend on how much headroom that -10 input has. If that doesn't work, you will have to build a resistive 'pad' to insert between your +4 source and the Sansui. I can tell you that the 5000A is rated at 55 watts per channel. For more information, check out these sites:
http://pub52.ezboard.com/bserviceandusermanualstradepoint
http://classicsansui.com/Thanks for writing.
Tim
03-17-01
Q: Dear Tim,
What is the purpose of the Multipath "Vertical" and "Horizontal" RCA
sockets on back of the unit ?
The tuner also features "Dolby FM".
What happened with Dolby FM ?
Best Regards....
Mike
A: Hello Mike,
Those jacks are for connecting to an oscilliscope. The scope display will allow you to tune your antenna for minimum multipath reception. Some tuners have meters, or oscilliscopes, built in for this purpose. Dolby FM was a process similar to that used for tape, it was designed to reduce noise. The broadcasting station would 'encode' their programming with Dolby and the listener's receiver could 'decode' it. Unfortunately, it did not catch on and is a feature that serves no purpose at this time.
Thanks for writing.
Tim
02-22-01
Q: Greetings ! Just a quick question. The Pioneer SX-1010 has outs for three pairs of speakers and an A/B/C speaker switch. Does the speaker switch allow you to listen to one, two or all three pairs of speakers? Thanks!
Tom
A: Hello Tom,
The speaker switching system on the SX-1010 is designed to allow you to listen to any two sets of speakers at a time. You can use speakers A and B, or A and C, or B and C. The reason for this is to prevent damage to the receiver by having too many speakers connected to it at the same time.
Thanks for writing.
02-21-01
Q: Tim:
I saw your forum at classicaudio.com, and hope you can help me.
I just purchased a Marantz 2220 solid state receiver from an ebay seller.
Cosmetically, the receiver is wonderful. All lights are working. However,
the left speaker has a hissing noise when music is not playing. When music
is playing, you cannot hear it. I tried the other speaker in the channel
and it did the same thing. What is the problem?Secondly, the "Signal Strength" meter only works on AM radio. It does not work on
FM. Is the "Signal Strength" only for AM radio. If not, what could be the
problem? (I do not have a manual with this unit).Are these expensive to fix? I am somewhat electronically inclined, can I fix?
Yes, a female that is an audio enthusiast...a major one at that! I would appreciate
your suggestions...Kind Regards,
Mary
A: Hello Mary,
I always believed that classic audio was not just a 'guy thing', thanks for proving my theory! Your Marantz is busted. The hiss is probably a noisy transistor somewhere in that channel. The signal strength meter should work on AM and FM. There is an adjustment for the FM mode meter function which may just be dirty, or your tuner is way out of alignment, or the circuit is busted. Sorry I can not be more specific. Let me guess, the guy on ebay listed it as 'excellent' or 'near mint' or 'checked by tech'.
Thanks for writing.
Tim
R: Oh, and yes...it was listed as "excellent."
Thanks for the quick response.
Kind Regards,
Mary
01-30-01
Q: Hi Tim,
Recently I bought a Marantz 2238 receiver over here in the Netherlands (yeah we like classics too) , but the power was a bit less than I expected.
With heavy bass in the music it starts to distort quite soon, with the volume control already between 10 and 12 o clock.
I'm trying to find a higher version in the 22 series now;
but they are hard to get and as an alternative I'm thinking to connect it to a power amp (since the 2238 has 'pre out' connectors).
I tried this idea by using another receiver (70Watts this time),
with that one's volume wide open,
so the volume control is by the 2238.
Yes the power is really boosted BUT:
the other receiver, with its volume full open, always puts out its own 'noise' even when there is nothing connected to it's inputs. Like every amplifier does.
Question: would the same thing than happen if I would use a Power amplifier?
Or is the 'noise' caused by the controls (volume, tone) in a pre-amp section,
so that a poweramp is completely quiet if it has nothing connected to it?
Would there be more 'noise' if the poweramp has higher wattage?
Thanks for your advice!
SvenA: Hello Sven,
Most receivers will have some residual noise when turned up all the way. Try leaving the receiver volume at 12 o'clock or so and crank the Marantz control way up. The Marantz preamp output will not distort even turned all the way up. This should reduce the noise from your receiver when there is no input. Alternatively, if your high power receiver has a pre-out/main-in function, then connect the Marantz to the main-in jacks.
Thanks for writing.
Tim
Q: Hi:
I picked up a Pioneer QL-600 amplifier and pair of Wharfedale speakers
at a yard sale ($35.00). Everything works fine but I know nothing about
the amp. It is a quad amp with outputs for 2 channel-only or Front and
Rear channels. The speaker output for the rears are a funky "L" shaped
adapter that I had to order from Pioneer but the output for the front
channel looks like a pair of RCA plugs. Does this make sense in the
quad world? Also, there is a selector knob which reads "2 Channel
Stereo", "4 Channel Stereo", "Matrix", and "Phase Shift". The first two
make sense, but I don't know what the last two mean... Is there
anything else you can tell me about this amp (power rating, quality,
etc..)?Thanks,
Bill Rose
Wayne, PAA: Hello Bill,
What you have here is what is known as a four channel 'adapter' amplifier. It provides power for a rear set of speakers and provides four channel processing for the front speakers via a tape loop in your existing receiver. Hence the RCA jacks for the front. 'Matrix' refers to a four channel vinyl standard also known as 'regular matrix' or 'RM'. 'Phase Shift' is an arbirtrary effect. I can't tell you anything about the piece itself, sorry.
Thanks for writing.
01-04-01
Q: Hey Tim,
I bought a marantz 2285b reciever at a flea market about 6 months ago for 20
bucks. >;^) I was laughing quietly under my breath as I walked out knowing
that they had no idea what they had just sold me. Well I got it home and
tested it on a pair of old seas cabinets, but the woofers were soo loose on
that I couldn't turn it up at all. But the reciever worked fine lacking a
couple of bulbs burnt out.Ok now to my problem. I bought a couple of horrible 12" car audio speakers
just to get along for awhile. I hooked up my reciever, powered it up, and
remembered that I hadn't connected the rca's to the back. So I turned hooked
up my cd player and turned on. It blew the last lamp in the front and the
fuse in back. Which made me mad because I hadn't even moved the unit. So I
order some bulbs and stick them in and replace the 5 amp in the back. It
blpws the fuse again. So I go through this a few more times getting more
agitated each time. So like an idiot knowing better I stick a 15 amp fuse in
because I ran out of five amps. It powered up for a minuted and then smoked a
resistor on one of the boards. I am a car audio installer and service guy,
but when it comes to this stuff I'm at a loss. I'm just wondering if I just
need to solder in a new resistor and fix a short, or get into some big bucks.
I would really like to fix it because it's in beautiful shape, and I love
marantz. Would it be worth it?thank you very much for your time,
Jason branson, mo
A: Jason,
Well, since you already know that you did a very dumb thing with the fuse, I won't bother bringing that up. You have undoubtedly blown one or more outputs in one or more channels. This model is of the era where it may contain output IC's, which may no longer be available. At any rate, your $20.00 purchase is now going to cost you $200.00 by the time you're through.
Tim
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