"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
12/16/2018 at 15:41 • Filed to: Audiolopnik
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"BvdV - The Dutch Engineer" (dutchengineer)
12/16/2018 at 15:41 • Filed to: Audiolopnik | 1
| 18 |
I’m thinking about buying a 50's/60's console radio/record player for in my new apartment. I think they fit what I have in mind for the interior, and if one would work that would make it even better! However, what I run into on second hand sites is that the working ones tend to cost a lot, while the broken ones are way cheaper, ranging from basically free to quite affordable.
I’m currently looking at consoles like this one:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
Or one that seems to need even more fixing:
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
How hard could it be to fix something like this? And can I expect reasonable sound from something like this, or shouldn’t I expect too much?
Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 15:58 |
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Vacuum tubes and belts would be what you’d be dealing with. Later ones might have some transistors
Alfalfa
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 16:01 |
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They’re typically pretty simple to fix. Also, the oppositewatts fb group exists to help with any questions you.may have.
https://m.facebook.com/profile.php?id=178776892712385&ref=content_filter
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 16:02 |
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In case of link kinja: https://www.marktplaats.nl/a/audio-tv-en-foto/radio-s/m1347309724-antiek-vintage-jaren-60-70-radio-meubel.html?c=a2384ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr
and
Sovande
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 16:03 |
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Get a broken one and put new components into it?
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> Arch Duke Maxyenko, Shit Talk Extraordinaire
12/16/2018 at 16:03 |
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So that would make them relatively serviceable, right? Assuming I can find the right tubes and belts of course.
ttyymmnn
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 16:03 |
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Can you buy the old set but swap in modern components? That would be a win-won.
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> Alfalfa
12/16/2018 at 16:04 |
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Ah thanks! I vaguely recalled something like that existed, but couldn’t find it.
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 16:05 |
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They can be a lot like old cars. The bodywork can pretty much always be repaired or remanufactured. However, the source components and amplifier are another matter.
Parts availability is one thing and then there’s the actual performance of the finished article...if you choose to go down the restoration path.
Personally, I’d take the restomod approach on these. The trickiest parts of this approach is retaining functionality in the radio tuner and ensuring that the modern LP record player fits it the box. The rest is relatively straightforward since most modern components are quite small...then it’s all just a matter of sorting the right speaker drivers and developing the right crossovers for them.
My X-type is too a real Jaguar
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 16:05 |
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The big issue is the filters or capacitors, they degrade over time and must be replaced. if you are good with soldering you can repair one very cheaply usually less
than $100 in parts, it will be very time consuming. It is also a good idea to measure every resistor in them and replace the bad ones. Learn your resistor
color codes and keep in mind they have changed over the years.
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> ttyymmnn
12/16/2018 at 16:06 |
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That might be a possibility (and a likely one if I can’t manage to get it working) , but I think it would be kinda cool to fix one up and give the original components a new lease of life.
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
12/16/2018 at 16:09 |
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Yeah, you might have a point there! When you put it like that doing a restomod sounds like a fun project too
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My X-type is too a real Jaguar
> ttyymmnn
12/16/2018 at 16:10 |
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I put one of these inside the case of a 1930s Philco Radio with modern speakers making the worlds most inconvenient bluetooth speaker
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BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
> My X-type is too a real Jaguar
12/16/2018 at 16:11 |
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Those are probably something I would have forgotten about, so thanks for bringing that up! My soldering skills are acceptable, but I assume old components still have pretty big solder joints, so I should be fine with those.
lone_liberal
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 16:17 |
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I have one that fortunately works fine but if I was looking for one to fix up I think I’d look for a transistorized model instead of tubes. Not as hard to find parts but they still used discreet components so pretty easy to troubleshoot and fix. That might be a bias on my part, though, as I was trained on things like that.
winterlegacy, here 'till the end
> My X-type is too a real Jaguar
12/16/2018 at 16:37 |
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A multimeter is your best friend. You can measure resistances even if the resistor has the wrong color setup, or the colors have faded. .
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ttyymmnn
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/16/2018 at 16:43 |
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But then you run into connectivity issues. I have some great old tuners from the 80s that I’d love to use in an entertainment center , but nothing uses RCA plugs any more.
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ttyymmnn
> My X-type is too a real Jaguar
12/16/2018 at 16:44 |
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Yeah, but I bet it looks cool.
duurtlang
> BvdV - The Dutch Engineer
12/17/2018 at 03:32 |
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Like other mentioned; I’d get a broken cheap one and retromod it. Sound quality and connectivity will be way better, and you still have the vi ntage look. You can build it as modern or as vintage as you want, under the hood. You’re the engineer, right?