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How to check the quality of old speakers and amps?

post #1 of 8
7/13/11 at 12:02am
Thread Starter 

Hi, got an old JBL L112 and Nakamichi AV 3S, how do i check their quality whether they still sound good or not?

 

Cause at some points, once in a while they somehow sounded worse than my TV speaker.

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post #2 of 8
7/13/11 at 6:29am

plug them in ...

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post #3 of 8
7/13/11 at 6:29am

uhh tv sound is pretty crappy thats not good

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post #4 of 8
7/13/11 at 10:33am

Uhh, connect them to a source, and see if you like the sound?  Also, get another amp, and another pair of speakers, and mix and match them to see whether it's the receiver, the speakers, or both that are messed up.  If it sounds worse than a TV, most likely it's the receiver that's not working.  Speakers, even really old ones, will work fine (my buddy's 70s speakers at his dad's house being an example) as long as the drivers are basically intact, the surrounds aren't destroyed, etc.

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post #5 of 8
7/13/11 at 6:22pm
Thread Starter 

OK, thanks scootermafia, i'll give it a check.

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post #6 of 8
7/14/11 at 12:02am
Check the foam surrounds on the speakers. If you have foam rot (it's obvious) then you can order a rebuild kit for $20-$30 to replace them. It's 95% labor and 5% skill - anyone can replace foam surrounds in a few hours. Though they're unlikely to be bad, you can replace the capacitors and resistors in the crossovers. That'll give you a slight upgrade.

As for the receiver, consider replacing the electrolytic filter capacitors in the power supply. Those get a beating from AC and even modern ones wear out. You can get new ones for $20 or less. Though check in at the DIY Forums if you do this - you need to discharge the old caps and be careful with polarity. Nothing you can't do yourself, but put up some photos and wait for experienced members to give you some guidance before you dig in.
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post #7 of 8
7/14/11 at 5:29pm
Thread Starter 

Thanks, uncle, i'll definitely check that, oh boy now i'm going to the DIY world.

This hobby is gonna make my wallet bleed evenmore.

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post #8 of 8
7/14/11 at 7:48pm
biggrin.gif

DIY is wonderful. You can build all sorts of wonderful speakers, amps and other toys.

The real threat is buying more tools. It's worth it, though. The very best gear is what you build for yourself. You can go over-the-top in ways that are never offered at retail. One pair of speakers I built is lined with Dynamat (wonderful stuff) and dense floor tiles. The crossovers are matched within 5/1000 or so, because I bought extra parts and hand-matched them. You can't buy that sort of thing.
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