|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
11-26-02
Q: Dear Tim,
I inherited from my grandpa a Sony Three Head Stereo Tapecorder model TC-3520. It is a reel to reel player. With it there is quite a lot of large Scotch Brand Magnetic Tapes that have tape recordings of my mom and me and cousins on it. My problem is that I can\'t get the reels to work so I am unable to play all of the reel tape-recordings. Is there any way I can get the player to be fixed or have the tapes duplicated so I can hear it?
I would appreciate any input. No one in the family has any idea what to do with these.
Stephanie
A: Hello Stephanie,
What a great family treasure! You have a few options.
1) have the Sony repaired, which may be difficult
2) purchase a working reel to reel
3) have your tapes duplicated to another format, such as cassette or CD. Look under 'tape duplicating services' in your phone book. Good Luck.Tim
11-24-02
Q: Hello Tim,
I have a Pioneer SX-1280. It works perfect except is does one thing kinda funny to me. I have a 1250 as well annd when you ower up the thing it takes around 5-6 seconds for the relay to drop, however,, the relay on the 1280 takes about 9-10 seconds to kick in. What do you think is up here? (if anything) Thanks....Norm
A: Hello Norm,
It may or may not be an indication of a problem. In the high power receivers there are actully two relays, one that 'step-starts' the power supply and another for the 'protect' circuit. You may want to check the DC offset on the 1280.
Tim
11-23-02
Q: DOES AN ANALOG TUNER WITH SERVO LOCK OR QUARTZ LOCK EVER NEED ALIGNMENT??
AND WHAT IS TUNER ALIGNMENT ANYWAY? Thanks, Don MatzureffA: Hello Don,
Yes, it can. Tuner alignment is the process whereby various sections of the tuner's electronics are calibrated or 'aligned' for correct operation. The process requires sophisticated test equipment and an experienced hand. Virtually all analog tuners require alignment over the course of time.
12-18-02
Q: Hello Tim,
Up until a week ago I had owned only Marantz receivers. I recently have purchased a Marantz 1180DC integrated amp and a Marantz model 140 power amp. I do not yet own a preamp. I understand that an itegrated amp can be used as a preamp to an amplifier (in my case the 140) and that a receiver can be used as a tuner, hooked up through an integrated amp (in my case the 1180DC).Is this correct ?
Will I damage any equipment running these units through each other like this ?If I run the 140 power amp through the 1180DC, does it some how cancel out the power that the 1180DC would produce, this way utilizing the 1180DC as a true preamp only ?
One last thing please - what significance are the jumpers in back of the unit (preout / main in) ? While this 1180DC did not come with them and the unit works without them, I know that when new all these units were supplied with them for some reason, why ?
Thank you very very much for your help.
Marc -
A: Hello Marc,
The correct configuration is 1180DC 'pre-out' to 140 input. Some Marantz models used internal switches in the 'pre-out/main-in' loop which eliminated the need for any jumpers. When you insert a plug into the 'pre-out' jacks it 'breaks' the connection to the amplifier section. You can hook any receiver's 'tape out' jacks to the 1180DC's tuner input and use the receiver as a stand alone tuner. No harm will be done to any of the unused amp sections as long as no load is attached to the speaker outputs. Its probably a good idea to leave the speakers switched off.
Tim
11-05-02
Q: Hello -
Could anyone who knows, supply any information on a good safe way to clean the inside of older stereo receivers such as Sansui and Marantz ? I do not mean just removing the top and using compressed air to blow out the dust. That's a start but often times, not enough. What I am refering to is units that may have a thick layer of dirt, suit, oxidizing, etc. Any suggestions on how to safely get rid of this build up ?Thank you very much.
Mark
A: Hello Mark,
Time, lots of time and effort, that is what's required. Use a non-residue, mild cleaner like Windex or Isopropyl alcohol. Remove everything you can that is in the way of the crud, including circuit boards that may require un-soldering. Q-tips, lots of Q-tips. It's a Zen kind of thing. Car wax, yeah, that would work on the chrome. Then, when its all back together, meditate quitely and hope that the crud was not part of the reason the thing still worked at all.
10-11-02
Q: I have problem with pioneer sx 680 that plays for about one hour then shuts down into protection mode. I always thought that a protection mode was designed to work only if there was a power surge or if an owner did not properly ventilate the grill and caused the inside to overheat. I have also heard that pioneer receivers tend to have this problem as they age. If that is true, why would anyone want to buy a pioneer receiver; there are plenty of folks buying these older models. My tech has worked on this problem and now has my receiver in his shop to test for a while longer just to make sure he has the problem completely taken care of. Can you explain why my receiver would do this? I have never covered the ventilation grill and it is plugged into a surge protector already. The air coming out of the grill was only slightly warm, never hot. Can you give me a second opinion on why I had this problem? Also, can you explain why the older pioneers seem prone to do this? Thanks for your second opinion.
A: Hello,
The 'protect' circuit has nothing to do with power surges or ventilation. The protect circuit monitors the speaker output buss for DC voltages. If DC is detected on the speaker lines, the relay deactivates and 'protects' the speakers from damage. Many things can cause DC to appear on the speaker outputs, the most common being a shorted output device. The SX-680 utilizes integrated output devices which are more prone to failure.
08-23-02
Q: thrift store sansui 9090 doa. no power, however, I get power when I plug something else into the back. so cord is good. I am electronically challenged, only use a multimeter to see if batteries are still good. Is troubleshooting the power circuit something I could figure out within a few hours? (assuming normal intelligence)(how do you spell that?) I have read sterling reviews on this unit, have tried to replace all fuses, none seem to be blown. Can you give me an opinion as to range of prices and success of troubleshooting. Thanks, Dennis in PhoenixA: Hello Dennis,
If you try and fix this yourself several things may happen:
1) You will waste a great deal of time and money.
2) You will damage the unit beyond repair.
3) You will hurt yourself.
A competent repair will run $100 to $200 or more, depending on the problem.
07-21-02
Q: Hi Tim;
I have a sansui G-5000. Below about 91.5 The FM has static while tuning
and signal meter jumps around. You can still lock in a station with a little patience and reception is fine. no breakup or retuning. I like this
receiver very much. should I go for the CLA and/or repair or is this likely
to be to involved. I have heard parts and repairs for the G series can be
expensive or hard to find. Thanks;Steve
A: Hello Steve,
This is a classic case of under-use. Most people listen to stations in the commercial part of the FM band, that which lies above 91.9 Mhz. Subsequently, the dust that settles over time on all parts of the tuning capacitor does not get routinely 'dusted' down at the bottom of the dial, and when you eventually wander down there the dust causes the problem you describe. The solution is to clean the tuning capacitor. Ideally, you can find someone that can perform that task and align the FM section at the same time.
Tim
03-01-02
Q: Hi Tim,
I have a wonderful tuner Pioneer TX8100 and there is two plugs in the back
for «multipath VERTICAL/HORIZONTAL». I assume this could be usefull against
multipath interference, but do you know how to use it?
Thank youMarc
A: Hello Marc,
Those jacks are for connecting to the vertical and horizontal input of an oscilliscope. The resulting display will allow you to tune your antenna for minimum multipath interference.
Tim
01-21-02
Q: I'm an "old codger" who has recently realized quality of the vintage audio equipment. I recently saw a Pioneer RG1 dynamic processor advertised for sale. Just what is it's purpose?
EdA: Hello Ed,
It is designed to restore some of the dynamics lost in the recording process. Without getting technical, it makes the loud parts louder and the soft parts softer. It also provides the added benefit of reducing background noise during quiet passages.
01-16-02
Q: I have always owned a Marantz 2230 and never run an amplifier with it.
About two years ago, I picked up a Marantz 4415 Quad Receiver. As a
reuslt of my divorce, I was forced to sell my Legacy Audio equipment and
pull out the old Marantz equipment from storage. Since then I have added
a Marantz 2440 Quad Adaptor amplifier to the system. Problem: How do I
hook it up? How do I hook up the 4415 to the 2440 or vice versa? How do
I hook up the speakers? The 4415 has a SQA-1 Decoder in it. Does the
system require one in each unit to properly function? As yuo can tell, I
am a novice to the Quad world.Thank you for any help you can provide.
Sincerely,
Al
A: Hello Al,
You have too much stuff. All you need is the 4415 for quad. The 2440 was designed to adapt a two channel receiver, like the 2230, for quad operation by providing the amp for the rear speakers and the quad decoder. The amp in the 2440 is only 20 watts, so there's not much to gain by using it. Sell the 2440, preferably to me ;-), and hook four speakers up to the 4415. Also sell the 2230.
Tim
01-07-02
Q: Hi! And congratulations for your website.
First, excuse me for my bad english.
I'm from Europe (Belgium) and I've always had an interest in vintage stereo equipement. I recently get an old Pioneer Receiver which hasn't worked for years. It's labelled "Pioneer Stereo Receiver Model LX-450". I connected it to my vintage Celestion Ditton 33 speakers, and it sounds great.
I try to search this model on different websites but i couldn't find it. The nearest model I could find was the SX-450, who looks exactly like mine, with the exception that my receiver (the LX-450) has 1 more button called "AM LW/MW".
My model its also labelled "130 watts" on the rear panel. I searched on the internet and i found that the SX-450 is only labelled "75 Watts".
It's impossible to find any information on the model i've got. I couldn't find any Pioneer LX-xxx on the net. Only SX-xxx. Pretty strange, uh??
I think it could be the european model of the SX-450, but it seems much more powerful too. Is it really so? I mean, is it really more powerful, or my 130 watts here in europe are the same than your 70 watts in USA?
I can also tell you that there is no switched-unswitched outputs on the rear panel (like all european models i guess).
So here are my questions: -Are SX-450 and LX-450 the same?
- Is it a rare model?
- why can't i find any information on the Pioneer LX-xxx models ??
Thank you for your time.
See ya ;)A: Hello Benjamin,
I'm fairly certain that what you have is a European version of the SX-450. The 'L' designation is probably there because your receiver can pick up an extra band on AM known as LW or 'Long Wave'. Here in the States, all our AM is MW or 'Medium Wave'. The SX-450 is rated at 15 watts RMS per channel. I suspect yours is the same. The '130 watts' on the rear panel designates the power CONSUMPTION, and is no indication of power output.
01-05-02
Q: Hey Tim-
Two questions: First, I inherited a McIntosh C28 and MR77, both great units
and both in great shape. I'm running in through Phase Linear 700B
Amplifier, but blew a pair of speaker within a few hours. I knew they were
too small for the unit, but I'm new to this kind of equipment and wonder if
you could recommend what kind of speakers would be appropriate for this
system and which wouldn't be too expensive.Also, I also just inherited (from a different source) a Nikko Turntable
(NP-750) fromt the late eighties(?), which I'm trying to run through a newer
compact component system. But when I plug it in I only get a faint sound,
as if the speakers were blown (they are not). Is this a problem with the
turntable outputs, the needle? any ideas?Thanks.
James
A: Hello James,
Usually, speakers get blown because of a lack of sufficient power from the amp which produces square waves when it runs out of gas. Not the case with the 700B. However, it could be that the amp has a problem. As far as speakers, I'm really not up on the current market. Go to your local stereo store and tell the salesman you want a speaker that will handle 400 watts, should be worth the look on his face anyways. As for your turntable, you must use a 'phono' input, not 'tape' or 'aux'. As you have discovered, most new components do not offer a 'phono' input. Use an older preamp, or purchase a stand alone phono preamp from the salesman, once he recovers from your first request.
Tim
01-02-02
Q: Good Morning Tim.
I own a Sansui QR 4500 quad receiver/amplifier and the tinyest of
problems has me vexed. My wife asked me to pipe the output of the receiver
into the mono intercom system throughout thew house. No problem, I simply
connected the stereo output (one of them that's intened to be connected to
the stereo line input of a tape recorder) through a "Y" connector into the
intercom input.OOPS! When I did that, it paralleled the left and right channels of
the receiver in all modes so that I've now lost stereo. Of course all
returns to normal when the "Y" connector is unplugged. I can understand how
that is happening, but what I can't seem to find is some sort of an inline
(RCA plugs) device with which to replace the "Y" connector or to isolate it
so as to keep normal stereo operation in all circuits except the intercom.What should I do, Maestro?
Richard
A: Hello Richard,
You could always just use one channel. Unless you are listening to old Beatles records, you'll probably never notice the difference. Otherwise, you will have to 'buffer' the stereo signal with another device, such as an EQ, reverb or anything you don't really want to use, then combine the output of that device. An EQ would work well as you could then customize the sound for your intercom.
Tim
R: Thanks, Tim. Great answer. I'll use an old EQ and live happily ever after.
Click here to read 'Ask The Tech' from 2001.
Click here to read 'Ask The Tech' from 2000.
Click here to read 'Ask The Tech' from 1999.
Copyright-classicaudio.com