tube fanatic
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Push-pull is a design topology which allows tubes to be used in tandem to generate greater power output with lower distortion than when used singly. There are many sites online which can give you a decent tutorial on this subject. The noise could be a capacitor, tube, resistor, or even a cold solder joint. Do you have the schematic for the receiver? If not, on what basis are you ordering the capacitors. Many of the ceramic disc caps in it do not need to be replaced as they are not likely to be "leaky" due to their application in the circuit. You need to be careful when ordering electrolytic caps to get replacements with, at minimum, the same voltage rating as the originals (going higher is beneficial). All the resistors need to be checked for out of tolerance values. How much experience do you have with soldering? Sorry to hit you with all of these questions, but restoring a receiver like this is not generally a beginner's project. Additionally, if you are going to restore the tuner section, you will need alignment info, as well as lots of test equipment. As far as building a chassis for it, it would be better to build a cabinet in which to install it. You don't want to start removing sockets and controls and try to rebuild this in something different.
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Forgot to ask- do you have the specific model number for this console, or alternatively is there any number on the receiver chassis? I want to see if I have the schematic for it in my archives.
maynard
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I believe 6AU6 is a tuner or reception tube. What's the number on the 4 like tubes in row?
6973
The 6973 is a terrific audio tube (although fairly expensive, particularly if you prefer NOS to tubes of recent manufacture)! When used in push-pull, and depending on the operating voltages and bias method used, it can deliver anywhere from around 12-20 watts with low distortion. I'm not surprised that it sounds so good. However, it does have quite a number of capacitors which should absolutely be replaced to avoid potential failure down the road. I've restored quite a number of receivers like this over the years and they are definitely worth preserving. Don't get rid of it!!!
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Novus plastic polishes do an amazing job on virtually anything! I've extensively used the #2 and #3 polish on all kinds of plastics with great success. In fact, the latter does an amazing job of getting out deeper scratches on abused CDs or DVDs. Their products are available all over the place and are very reasonably priced.
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Mike Marx, SND Tube Sales ( http://www.vacuumtubes.com/), has always been reliable. On the other hand, my nephew has had MANY problems with Radio Electric Supply in Florida. One of the antique radio collectors I do restorations for has bought tubes from Antique Electronic Supply (www.tubesandmore.com) and has always been very satisfied.
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I've never found the need to use a sub, so I can't advise you as to what would be best. You need to keep in mind that many subs simply produce lots of "boom" and not sonically accurate bass frequencies. So, if you feel that you need one, post a query in the "Powered Subwoofer" forum on here and you will probably get so many opinions that your head will spin!!! The 42s should give you decent bass output down to 50 Hz or so; depending on the type of music you enjoy, that may be quite sufficient. So, live them for a while and play with their positioning before you go the subwoofer route.
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You will certainly have more than enough power to drive them!!! And, yes, if you find them bass deficient adding a sub will make a huge difference (keep in mind that placement of the sub, and the crossover frequency, can be very critical and may require a lot of experimentation to get just the right location and blending with the speakers). Listening to them from 6 feet away is definitely a near-field arrangement so you may have to experiment a bit with the spacing between the speakers, and their angle relative to the listening spot, to obtain a soundstage which is very deep and wide. Please post after you set them up and describe your initial impressions.
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These are a nice choice for a small room system if you can accept that they aren't going to produce very low bass too well. Also, having a rear port, they will need to be pulled a fair distance out into the room to allow proper imaging (figure around 16-24"). They also won't need much power unless you like extremely high listening levels. What are the dimensions of your room and where will you be sitting when listening to them? The smaller Reference Series speakers image incredibly well when properly set up. I use RF-15s in a near-field listening arrangement and they are quite amazing (see my profile for details). Are they being sold by a dealer which offers a return privilege in case you aren't satisfied?
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Well, the value of anything is self-determined! I've restored about three thousand antique radios/tube amps/vintage communications equipment for collectors who at times paid enormous amounts for units which would typically sell for less than a hundred dollars. So, you need to decide if that price is worth it to you. But, keep in mind that the cost of restoring a pair of those amps would have run probably $400-$500 in my shop, so the asking price may not be totally outrageous particularly if the place will give you a reasonable guarantee. Will they let you take them home for audition on the CWs in your listening room? That's the only way to know if these amps will provide the kind of sound that you enjoy.
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The 99s were nice mono amps and were around for many years. Iirc, they were finally discontinued in the early sixties. Have these been restored? That should be a major factor in your decision to purchase them. How much is the seller asking for them? Also iirc, they put out around 10 watts from a pair of push-pull 6V6s which is more than enough to power CWs unless you like to have enormous sound levels in a large room. Have you auditioned them to judge their sound? Posting more information about them would be useful.
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Here's some history: http://www.altecpro.com/about/timeline.htm
The last Voice of the Theater speakers that I heard were the A7-500WII, and they were absolutely phenomenal (the third link below is the version that I auditioned extensively). In fact, it's one of the rare speakers that could stack up against the K-horns.
http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/altec/catalogs/1971-home/page16.jpg
http://www.lansingheritage.org/images/altec/catalogs/1971-home/page17.jpg
http://dyna-sh.cocolog-nifty.com/.shared/image.html?/photos/uncategorized/2007/09/09/magnificent.jpg
If they are truly in mint condition, and working properly, I'd definitely consider them (especially if you can get the price down somewhat).
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Sadly, many of the currently manufactured integrated tube amps do not have a balance control (the Jolida 102B being an exception, and an excellent value). Since most recordings are not balanced, and since the room response is also imbalanced, having such capability is very necessary to create a proper stereo image and soundstage. Many will disagree, but with CWs and La Scalas you don't need very much power to create huge sound levels in a room the size of yours. So, to spend a fortune on an amp which can deliver 50 or 60 wpc is a waste of money. If you choose a vintage amp, such as the Scott 299, be aware that the cost of having it restored (necessary for safe operation) can be significant; so you need to weigh the total expense against purchasing a new model.
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Get in touch with Bob Eslinger: http://www.oldradiodoc.com/main.html
If he can't help you personally, he will certainly be able to help you locate someone close by. He's in Connecticut, not far from Boston iirc.
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"wooden volume knob resolves detail"
That's a new one!! Never heard that claim before. Gotta' add that one to my collection!
Yep... http://boingboing.net/2005/11/07/astronomically-overp.html
I took a look at that knob and immediately noticed the small pointer on its lower edge. Surely, that pointer would cause unwanted resonances and totally muddy the soundstage. It would likely blur transient attacks as well.
Do they have a premium knob with a smooth edge that prevents these potential problems?It's nice to see that sense is prevailing among forum members. Last year I was taken to task by a very prominent forum member for making a disparaging remark about the Shun Mook Mpingo Discs!
http://www.shunmook.com/text1.htm -
You can attach the typical, round fabric brush to the vacuum hose and use that; or attach the plastic wood work tool, and while holding it close to the cabinet vents, use a small paint brush to dislodge the dust which will get sucked up easily.
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Well John, look at it from the standpoint that you just saved 5 grand! But, they still have La Scalas and the price on those is sure to drop if they don't sell quickly!!!
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You need to establish your budget and decide whether you want floor standing or bookshelf type speakers. Any of the smaller Reference Line speakers would be good choices, depending on the size of the room and where they need to be placed. Also, the new Icon series speakers which are being sold at Best Buy have very decent specs at fair prices. It probably is worth purchasing from a dealer which has a return policy in case you are not satisfied with the sound when installed in your room.
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NewEgg and Amazon.com sell Klipsch speakers. Amazon has the Khorns marked down from $4000 to $2735.40 new.
JJK
The price is now down to $2471.95!!! What is going on here? Wish I had the funds to grab a pair while they still have them!
http://www.amazon.com/Klipsch-Klipschorn-Three-Way-Legendary-Walnut/dp/B000JQM14S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306149398&sr=8-1 -
Of those people complaining of being fatiged by Klipsch speakers I would like to know how many are over 60 years old, that being the problem.
JJK
In my experience, the age group you mention is far more likely to enjoy the sound of horn type speakers! As high frequency hearing declines with age, the fatigue some complain of when using horns with crappy solid state electronics becomes less apparent. I've encountered far more complaints about the sound of horn type speakers from much younger listeners.
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If you need a 25+ foot run, try some #12 low voltage lighting wire. Carol makes a very nice product:
http://www.generalcable.com/NR/rdonlyres/04A249E7-6A68-47C9-A900-0E21C471B7F4/0/Pg45_Landscape.pdf
For runs of no more then 12-15 feet, some ordinary #16 lamp cord will do a fine job.
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Why do you want that particular speaker cable?
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Actually, the procedure I was doing:
1. Brass wire brush the tube pins.
2. Spray minimal deoxit on the pins.
3. Brass wire brush pins while still moist.
4. Shoot pins with compressed air then pop tubes back in the amp.
Is this kosher or detrimental in any way?
Not detrimental, but overkill unless you are doing it on NOS tubes which have been stored in a damp environment and are showing significant corrosion/oxidation on the pins. Even there, using your procedure initially only, and following with a once or twice/year wipe would be sufficient.
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A good cleaning every so often with Caig Deoxit and pipe cleaners is a good idea.
I do the deoxit and a brass wire brush on the tube pins every so often......but as far as the sockets go, is it ok to just shoot the deoxit directly into it? I've never done it, didn't want to get too carried away but I'm assuming that if I did that I would let it sit for a considerable amount of time before powering it back up?
...still a tube newbie.
The propellant in the aerosol deoxit evaporates rather quickly. However, using that method isn't suitable for the sockets as it's impossible to get only a minimal amount in there. You don't want to saturate the socket pins as it can drip through the bottom and make things a bit messy underneath. Applying a thin coating of deoxit to the tube pins using the deoxit wipes is the best method. Alternatively, you can get the deoxit in a bottle with an applicator brush and simply brush on a tiny amount. A slight coating is all that is needed to improve the metal to metal contact.
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Thanks very much for the information. The problem with new turntables is that there seems to be so many of them that are poorly made. The best price I could find on what I consider something good is a Techniques that goes for $1000 on Amazon. Do you know of any thing else? I've even read that Thorens is making some mass market cheap junk now. I never thought I'd see the day.
Check out this site---- http://www.needledoctor.com/
Among others, they sell Music Hall turntables which have gained very good acceptance. Roy Hall, Music Hall's owner, has a reputation for offering very good value for the dollar. Also, Rega turntables have a good reputation. You should be able to find something, with a cartridge, in the $500 range. It's probably worth giving them a call and discussing your needs.
Tube amp enthusiasts what do I have here?
in 2-Channel Home Audio
Posted
I've started doing some digging in between the restoration work. FYI, the 456 is the chassis number, and the 54563 is the particular variant that you have. The other number refers to the cabinet style and type of wood. Be glad to help you in any way I can- feel free to email if you want a more detailed discussion. I'll post if I can come up with data. Btw, do you have experience working with potentially lethal voltages? That's something else which you need to consider if you are going to tackle this yourself.
maynard