Electrohome Marseilles tube receiver

My first tube receiver was found today inside a console stereo, an Electrohome Marseilles unit.

When tested it fired up in the store and it is a stereo unit so I was in luck.

I see there is a growing trend in some areas in restoring old console stereos but locally there is not.

I managed to safely remove the receiver unit from the wood coffin, the turntable did not look worthy of saving.

I do not have the space for a full console stereo and if it was more of a mid century piece perhaps I would refurbish the unit.

The receiver is out and resting on top of the Marantz 2270 and now I know what tube sound is all about...smooth, detailed and warm.

This unit is currently powering the Braun L830's.

This unit is missing a few knobs so I moved the knobs from the tuner section down, I do not plan on using the tuner portion of this unit.

Marantz 2270 Receiver

I came across a surviving Marantz 2270 Receiver today, which will need a fair amount of restoration work.

This beast weighs in at 40 lbs. and is rated at 70WPC.

This is my first step into the cult of Marantz outside of the later year Marantz SR-1000. No comparison in build at all.

This unit needs new bulbs, feet a power button and probably needs a full cap replacement.

So far the unit powers up without the on/off button, I have yet to attach speakers and a source, that will be next.

It would be worth the money to restore a receiver of this vintage, given the following it has.

Yamaha CR-400 Receiver

The little amp that could, is a 16 watt per channel CR-400 entry level unit from Yamaha.  This unit just needed a new fuse to get it working and will need a few new bulbs installed.

I love the simplicity of this amp along with the clean lines and the veneer wood case. The sound from 16 WPC is spot on, I am currently auditioning this receiver with the B&W D5's.....Wow!

Solid bass with clean mid range and silky smooth on the top end.

The CR-400 is the little brother of the 45WPC CR-800 which I found is well liked on this recent site I found that reviews vintage amps and receivers.

I look forward to running through the speaker collection with this receiver. 

Bose 601 Series 1

Finally the Bose 601 Series 1 are finished, they have been done for about a week or a bit.

I picked this project up as I had a spare woofer from a previous Bose 301 project. This pair was purchased with a missing woofer.

A full re foam job was required on all 4 woofers, extra dampening material was added along with new banana plug connectors.

I left the crossover as is as Bose appeared to use a better quality metal polyester cap.

So how do they sound? Not bad, the bass from the two 8" woofers is nice and deep, the mid range is very smooth. The direct reflecting tweeters are not as detailed as newer dome tweeters but the reflection does add to the sound coming at you from all directions, which is pretty cool.

The 601's from what I gather are the best of the Bose series although the 901's have a cool retro look following but from what I understand do not sound as good.

Sound Dynamics 10S Speakers

I finished a full rebuild and upgrade to a very large pair of Sound Dynamics 10S speakers last night. These speakers arrived my way in a sorry state, but they are worth the effort in restoring. The cabinets are in good condition.

These speakers are highly efficient competitors to Cerwin Vega speakers made by Audio Products International, best known for Energy 22's and the Mirage line up of speakers.

These speakers use a 10 inch woofer crossed over in the 1st. order to a horn loaded dome tweeter. These speakers are easily over 96-98db in efficiency, they play loud and clear.

 
The woofer needed a re foam and I opted to go with black foams as opposed to the original reddish/orange foams.

The crossover got a new 4.7uf  metal polyester Tenta Cap that is +/-5%. The tweeter level control got a full dousing of DeOxit.

I replaced the original spring clips with new banana pug binding posts for better connectivity to modern connectors.

Also added was a bit more dampening material to help with the back wave from the woofer.

Sound impressions so far........ Pretty nice, the horn tweeter is clear without being harsh, the bass is spot on and very full. I did have to play with the tweeter control to get the balance that I like and loud, hell yeah, these can rock.

I have lots of material to listen to before I give these up to the next speakerholic.

Just arrived today, Sound Dynamics 10S and Bose 601 series 1

Not a bad Canada Day to start, on the way to pick up a pair of Bose 601 series 1, I stumbled across a pair of Sound Dynamics 10S made by API, the same guys who made the Energy 22's.

Both speakers are in need of serious re foaming and new caps in the Sound Dynamics, the Bose 601 was missing a woofer that I happen to have a spare of, that is why I took on the project.

Pictures will follow in the coming days.

Current vintage audio stuff for sale in Vancouver

My collection is pretty good and deep right now and I need to sell a few gems.

Speakers for sale from  my collection:

EPI 100V, Classic old school speaker fully refurbished with Solen caps, how they should have made it originally.
Absolute pristine condition. $150.00. Stands not included.

SOLD

Celestion Ditton DM110, Great British loudspeaker, made even better with new Solen Caps. Excellent sound stage made even better post upgrade. Stands not included $120.00. Grills in perfect condition.

Camber 2.5 Speakers, A well made Canadian classic that can rival an Energy 22. Super deep bass for a 7 inch woofer and a perfect sound stage image. Mirror imaged and an exceptional build quality. $120.00 stand not included. Grill in perfect condition.

SOLD

Well matched Rotel RX-830 receiver with a pair re capped Mission 700 Leading Edge speakers with Solen caps. I can not say enough about these two pieces together, you would swear the musicians are right in front of you. $200.00 gets you on the road to great vintage sound.

Aurex SA-5000, Same as the Toshiba SA-5000. 50 watts per channel of Direct Coupled goodness. Seriously well built amp from when Toshiba was at their best in home audio/visual. Toshiba is not as well known but made exceptional products in the 80's. $120.00

JVC R-S33 Receiver, second from the top of the line, this JVC receiver is a strong 40 watts per channel that runs "Class A" amp with "Class B", like a hybrid. The best in design and aesthetics from JVC in the 80's. $120.00

Local cash sales in Vancouver only.

Contact me through the Blog at psdave@gmail.com