Finally - score! Concept One Mark IIa

piece-it pete

piece-it pete

What, me worry?
Finally - score! Project One Mark IIa

Edit: D'oh!! It would help if I had the right name!!

Howdy everyone!

After an extended dry spell I finally found something worth the $5.00 - a Project One Mark IIa rec'r.

Attractive, with a wood case. The tuning meter is stuck and the stereo light is on permanently, but apart from that it's nice, and sounded good through my junk test speakers. Tonight I hope to give it a more thorough test.

All I've found on these is a reference to "maybe made by Pioneer or Hitachi". It isn't that heavy but has a large power supply.

Any info?

I also scored a Denon dual cassette, full logic with HX pro for $15.00. Hooray! (do I own any cassettes anymore :dunno: ?)

Pete
 
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One slip - and there goes the empire!!

:D

Nah I'm small potatoes compared to some folks here (which makes them - large potatoes??).

But I'm hoping that this rec'r is good enough for bedroom duty. Ever since the Kyocera bit the dust I've been unhappy with my br setup - when you're listening to excellent classical as you drift off to sleep it had BETTER be good!

Pete
 
I have three TOTL Project One Mark 1500s, 150wpc model. I was the one who suspected they were a Pioneer or Hitachi product. They LOOK similar in design to either, but there is absolutely nothing to identify exactly who made it anywhere. The back panel layout is almost identical to that of the big Hitachi SR-2004, whereas the inside looks something akin to had Pioneer made a receiver and crossed the SX-1050/80 with the SX-1250/80. There is nothing that really can be used to identify it. Dial lighting arrangement is similar to a Pioneer. The tranny is a rather large torroidal design about the size of a coffee can and says something like "Mark V" on a sticker on the bottom, thats about the only kind of marking anywhere in it. Caps IIRC are 22000uf 82V Elna. I think they weigh in near 56lbs. Absolutely fantastic if unrecognized piece of gear if there ever was one, otherwise I would not have purchased three. Uses a nice ALPS volume pot, the good ones that have the sealed metal casing. As far as the IIa this is what Orion has to say, and its not much-
PROJECT
RCV, MARK IIA

Description:

Manufacture Years: 1978 - 1982
MSRP: $300.00

If you want to see the insides of the big one I have a picture of it over in the component gallery.
 
Thanks, yrly.

I thought I'd seen Project One mentioned here, but with seach temporarily out....

I hooked it up to the DQ-10s' last night, an excellent current capability test imo, and it did pretty well for what's I'm sure a low-powered rec'r, maybe 30-35 wpc?

Anyway I think it's got a decent, clean sound. The bass seems a little heavy and the treble a bit dark, but it's going to run a horn-tweet system (with level controls) and I can turn the bass down a bit. I'm hoping to get that system up and running tonight.

The tuner has a problem, it "cracks" at intermittent intervals, I thought it was dirty pots but it doesn't do it on other sources. Any suggestions? Does it have anything to do with the tuning meter that doesn't move?

Pete
 
Doubt it has anything to do with the tuning meter. Project Ones are notorious for one problem, the little thing in the back of the meter becomes unglued and rests on the needle. Hence the meter won't work. If you are ambitious and can get the meter out you can correct the problem, chances are you can figure out if it still works by turning the receiver upside down. Unfortunately I don't know what would cause the tuner to crack at random intervals, all three of mine were pretty much good to go right out fo the shipping box, heck two did not even need the pots cleaned. One idea, does it have FM Mute, MPX or other switches related to the tuner section like the biggie has? If so try cleaning those switches too, they can get just as dirty as the pots can.
 
Hey thanks! I didn't think about the fm-only switches!!

I don't remember the details switch-wise but it's got to have a mute at least.

To my ear the tuner section sounds.... over-driven?

Pete

Oh yeah I'll try the upside down thing too!
 
Don't know how the tuner section is in this series, probably deviated quite a bit in design by the time you hit TOTL. The Mark 1500 sounds fantatic in all respects, I would never have purchased three otherwise. Its also the only Project One gear I own, so outside of that I can't really say how the others perform except the commonly known problems I have heard from others that have owned them. That aside I know the Mark 1500 has at least 4 switches purely for FM, I think they are MPX, Multipath, Mute, and Stereo/Mono. The mute switch was kinda scratchy on my first sample at first.

Fixing the meters is kinda difficult, it can be done if you can get them out though. The problem is the bulb that lights them heats the plastic thing with the scale printed on it, the glue releases and then the thing rests on the needle, so it won't work. If you flip it upside down it usually will function (unless the meter is actually broken). Then when you know it works (and chances are it does) you have to decide whether its worth the hassle of fixing.

I had a 1500 open today because my girlfriend wanted to see what a torroidal tranny looked like, I must say if the build quality carried down the line, it has to be some of the better work out there. Marking on the tranny is "MK5-3" but its the only thing inside thats labed, and I looked to try and find something that might give me a lead to where it was made. That sticker is the only thing thats labled aside from the companies who made the parts.

Maybe someone out there has the key and knows who made this. Just like my Audiograph 2A100 I hope the info will someday come my way! :)
 
MkIIa

I owned a Project One Mark IIA last year. . . I got it two years ago. . . I would swear it was someone's house brand Pioneer. . . I like the heavy knobs, real wood case and awesome looks.

I really liked the one I had. kinda like a cross between a 850/880. . .
 
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