Revox CD player advice

[WillyBob]

you're most welcome

glad I could help

[babadono]

4 minutes ago, TFR1 said:

 

@WillyBob

 

Wizard Electronics will take a look at it for me.

They made me laugh by asking if I had a "sentimental attachment" to the player. They said it might be more expensive to fix than to replace.

 

Thanks all for getting me started in the right direction.

 

Jerry

 

 

True dat. But replace with what?

I went through refurb'ing 2 classic DBX 4BX dynamic range expanders that I acquired off EBay. It took me 2 years in my spare time in the winter to do it. You couldn't pay someone enough to do it. I learned an awful lot. It was rewarding and fun.

[richieb]

The problem I see is that you are "hoping" to remember how good the player sounded some 13-15 years ago. You may fire it up after a sizeable investment and wonder what is was you heard back then. Chances are your sonic memory will have changed with how you currently hear? I've got two early 90's players that work/sound perfectly so I know how good they sound this minute. And for this reason I would pay a fair amount for a repair. 

[TFR1]

@richieb

 

In 1985, this Revox CD player retailed at about $1500.

My perceptions of the sonic quality of the machine are likely influenced by what I paid for it.

 

I will take it to Wizard Electronics for an estimate. 

 

Parts cost alone to replace all caps and power supply parts is about 150 Euros.

Labor is $65/HR. Certainly can buy a good NEW CD player for less money.

 

 

 

 

 

[dubai2000]

To be quite honest, I am not sure if replacing the caps will automatically bring back the sound you are remembering. I guess you have tried leaving it switched on for a day or two and tried it again. Did it still sound that bad? The unit as such should have a pretty good dac chip inside and replacement with a newer unit might not get you anywhere.

Do you by any chance know the website of a Polish gentleman who calls himseld lampizator? Years ago he started modding CD players (now he sells expensive stuff professionally) and wrote about it extensively. Some of the things he suggests are easy to implement (like taking the signal directly off the op-amp and taking it straight to the output through one cap per channel). It is an eays and revesible mod and......cheap. Anyway, for older CD players he offers a wealth of information. BTW - the mod I mentioned above I use on all of my CD players and I think it certainly improved the sound quite a bit. If you are even slightly more daring with a soldering iron replace to two op-amps with discrete ones and you will be surprised how good those ancient machines can actually sound - at least to my ears.

[TFR1]

@dubai2000

 

Thanks for suggesting that I look up Lampizator.

HE seems to like my Revox B225.

 

Now I must find someone that can perform his conversion. It is above my skill level.

 

jerry

 

 

[dubai2000]

If you don't do all that tube stuff he goes on about - that is far above my skill as well - the mod to take the signal from the op-amp directly to output is really not difficult.

Believe it or not - for many, many years soldering really scared me and I thought I could never do that - until one day somebody did it right in front of my eyes (slowly and I could ask really dumb questions). Anyway, that made me brave enough to replace some capacitor in I don't know which amp - and we both survived. Still, I am definitely no real DIY guy - for that I lack technical knowledge) - but I don't burn myself anymore when soldering - and such mods are really far less difficult than I one thought - plus it's a very handy skill - instead of buying new gear I began to "tweak" whatever unit I was not happy with - and most survived...........and I am a happy camper (mostly).

[WillyBob]

I'm a hammer-chanic

I had to learn to solder tiny things together when I took on remote control aircraft. You can do this

 

   If the boards are basically discrete components... just take your time. A little practice won't hurt. Soldering ain't rocket science.... not until you start messing with surface mount.

[TFR1]

@dubai2000 @WillyBob

 

I can solder a little. Certainly well enough to not burn things up.

If the process is take off a cap and replace with a new one, I can do that. But I have no electronics background.

Reading the lampizator's description of his B 225 mods was like reading a foreign language.

 

Fear is not a problem. Lack of knowing what I should reasonably attempt is my problem.

 

I am going to the service shop I spoke to in Atlanta tomorrow ad see what they think. I will then decide about purchasing the cap and power supply parts. 

 

One step at a time.

 

Jerry