[merkil]

Just picked up a Yamaha CR-2020. Works really well for headphones. I am very pleased to say the least. Very clear and transparent/detailed sound for that time period compared to Marantz, which is known for a more tube like sound.
 
 

 
 

 
 

 

[claybum]

Nice Yamaha!! I've always wanted to hear one. The vintage knob has some great things to say about the 2020.
 
http://www.thevintageknob.org/yamaha-CR-2020.html
 
Happy listening.

 

[claybum]

And.....on monday I pick up a Kenwood KA 907. Hope it sounds as good as everyone says

 

[PhoenixG]

Hey all, I finally got a chance to fully audition the SX-1980 against my KR-9600. The SX-1980 has a lot of static in the tuner, but it goes away once it locks onto a station. However, it is way more sensitive of a tuner. It gets about 25% more stations than the 9600, but can only 'lock' onto about 1/3 of the stations it receives. Also, the volume knob hums whenever I touch it. The two are roughly equal in terms of distortion/clarity, but the 1980 could stand a thorough deoxit job, as it has a ton of static in the input contacts. Hopefully the distortion and high end static from the inputs will go away after the deoxit. I'll keep y'all posted.
 
I went ahead and saw how it sounded with each pair of speakers. With the Sansui SP5500x speakers, there was the least distortion at low and medium volumes (so it's good to watch movies/tv). The base presence with the L100's was impressive. Music and radio sounded amazing with good imaging in the mid and high frequencies as well, but relatively high distortion at lower volumes is going to relegate them to the kitchen instead of the living room.
The HPM 150 speakers are still missing woofers. I hooked them up for the first time just to get a sense of how far they need to come. One supertweeter and one tweeter have no sound and infinite impedance across them - major disappointment. All in repair cost will probably be about $650. Worth it?
 
 
 
Here's a picture of the setup. And yes, my wife was watching 4 Weddings, haha.
 

 
 

 

[Lee Harvey]

I say to spend the bucks to get the SX-1980 sorted out by qualified Pioneer service center.  That hum when you touch the volume control is not a good thing  and is probably a grounding issue within the unit.  I just got my SX-1080 back from a local service center to have it brought back to factory spec.  It had a few parts replaced, all the solder joints redone, switches cleaned and all the settings like DC-offset and tuner calibrated.  Now the tuner signal strength and lock meters operate correctly.  Was the money I paid worth it?  Yes.

 

[sunseeker888]

Regarding the SX-1980.
I had a one-owner SX-1280 which I lost in hurricane Sandy. i needed to replace the volume attenuator, ACV-163 since it had a buzzing when i touched the knob. and intermittently during operation. Worn tracks in the part. That being said, it was as mint a unit as is possible with original box, manual etc. I went through it and replaced worn parts and dialed it in to spec including the tuner.
it was not exemplary in any way except for sheer power and build quality. It lacked the refinement I was used to getting with other vintage units after servicing.
 
YMMV. I miss my amateur NTSC broadcast station more, and it was worth substantially less.

 

[PhoenixG]

Thanks! I think I was unclear. As far as the SX-1980 is concerned, I have every intent of getting it brought up to spec as I can put a lot in to it without getting "upside down" and I'll be thrilled to do it. The HPM 150s are the problem child here as I'm not sure if it's worth fixing them vs. parting them out. You can see that they are somewhat incomplete. I don't know if I want to fix them and audition them for a possible spot in my setup, or just call it a day and sell them before I sink anything into them.

 

[wualta]

Don't forget that the HPM tweeters are piezoelectric and as such are capacitors and will read open circuit (infinite ohms DC), though not infinite impedance, which is ohms AC (audio is AC). Use a capacitance meter to test them.

 

[PhoenixG]

Wow, I think you just blew my mind.
And probably saved me some $$ on a replacement part.
Thanks!

 

[Fearless1]

I was wondering if anyone can help here? I am looking to replace the lights in a Yamaha CR1020 with some LED lights (I have seen it done on some DIY sites), and was wondering where to buy them at, I cant seem to find them.
 
 
 
Thank you.

 

[merkil]

I was wondering if anyone can help here? I am looking to replace the lights in a Yamaha CR1020 with some LED lights (I have seen it done on some DIY sites), and was wondering where to buy them at, I cant seem to find them.



Thank you.

I believe Mouser Electronics sells led lights. Go to their website, if you know which ones you need you can easily search.

 

[Fearless1]

Quote:

I believe Mouser Electronics sells led lights. Go to their website, if you know which ones you need you can easily search.

Thanks!

 

[monoethylene]

Last headphone amp forever..
 

 

[Ohnoitztotoro]

Hi Everyone, I am brand new to vintage receivers and equipment but recently picked up a Marantz 2245. It has been amazing and sounds incredible. I noticed something when listening that I am uncertain if it is a cause for concern. A little background first, the Marantz receiver I have is in pretty great condition (about 8.5-9 for some scratches) but has never been serviced. 
 
When listening to music through my headphones the right channel sound seems to be lower. I had never noticed this much before on my other equipment or headphones. I tested it on 2 different cans and found the result to be similar. I know this question comes up a lot on several threads and usually is a result of paranoia. Due to this I actually asked my girlfriend to put the headphones on while my eyes were closed (either backwards or on the right way) and I was 4/4 when figuring out which side was the "weaker side". We tried this again when plugging my headphones straight into my PC or her phone and I started getting it wrong 0/3. So most likely this is not a malfunction of the headphones.
 
My question is, has anyone ever experienced their vintage receiver becoming weaker on one side as it get older? Is this a sign of needing some servicing (replacing internal parts, cleaning etc.) or perhaps an even bigger issue? I realize the one I have is probably about 30 years old now. It seems very clean but I haven't seen the insides yet.
 
If it helps, the volume knob is a little strange too. When on lower levels i can only hear sound coming into the left channel. At about the 10 o' clock and up the right channel kicks in but it is a bit lower still compared to the left IMO. I wonder if this is normal for the volume knob to act like this? 
 
I would like to hear everyone's input on this. If it turns out I'm just another psychotic, paranoid nut case and this never happens with vintage amps then I apologize ahead of time.  Thanks! 

 

[SpeakerBox]

Quote:

Hi Everyone, I am brand new to vintage receivers and equipment but recently picked up a Marantz 2245. It has been amazing and sounds incredible. I noticed something when listening that I am uncertain if it is a cause for concern. A little background first, the Marantz receiver I have is in pretty great condition (about 8.5-9 for some scratches) but has never been serviced. 
 
When listening to music through my headphones the right channel sound seems to be lower. I had never noticed this much before on my other equipment or headphones. I tested it on 2 different cans and found the result to be similar. I know this question comes up a lot on several threads and usually is a result of paranoia. Due to this I actually asked my girlfriend to put the headphones on while my eyes were closed (either backwards or on the right way) and I was 4/4 when figuring out which side was the "weaker side". We tried this again when plugging my headphones straight into my PC or her phone and I started getting it wrong 0/3. So most likely this is not a malfunction of the headphones.
 
My question is, has anyone ever experienced their vintage receiver becoming weaker on one side as it get older? Is this a sign of needing some servicing (replacing internal parts, cleaning etc.) or perhaps an even bigger issue? I realize the one I have is probably about 30 years old now. It seems very clean but I haven't seen the insides yet.
 
If it helps, the volume knob is a little strange too. When on lower levels i can only hear sound coming into the left channel. At about the 10 o' clock and up the right channel kicks in but it is a bit lower still compared to the left IMO. I wonder if this is normal for the volume knob to act like this? 
 
I would like to hear everyone's input on this. If it turns out I'm just another psychotic, paranoid nut case and this never happens with vintage amps then I apologize ahead of time.  Thanks! 

Usually, the process of elimination starts with a good DeoxIT treatment on your volume control.  I would start here:
 
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=207005