Harman Kardon TA3000X

[nicholauslee]

Hey guys,
Long story short, I found a Harman Kardon TA3000X on the side of the road here in MI, along with some other stuff. I'm pretty new to knowing what to look for in stereos and such, but I'm pretty happy for finding it for free. Plugged it in and hooked it up to my JBL 4408A's and put some Justin Timberlake on my Pioneer PL-S50.
Sounded pretty good to me, but again, like I said I'm pretty new to what I should look for and be aware of. Any info on these things would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.

P.S. I'll post some photos here soon. Just gotta figure out how on this forum still.

 

[nicholauslee]

I think this will upload the photos.

 

[nicholauslee]

This is some of the other stuff I found on the side of the road as well.

 

[mhardy6647]

better than average side of the rode fodder ;-)
The hk is a pretty nice piece; it will benefit greatly from some thoughtful rehabilitation -- fifty-ish year old capacitors aren't typically working "up to specification", which can have a deleterious effect not only on sound but on some of the other components in the receiver.

Here's a little info on you hk find and a couple of good resources for you, too.

www.alliedcatalogs.com
www.radioshackcatalogs.com
http://www.hifilit.com/

http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/catalogs/1964-230/pages//148.jpg[img]
source: [url]http://www.alliedcatalogs.com/html/1964-230/h148.html[/url]

[img]http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/catalogs/1963/pages/076.jpg
source: http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/html/1963/h076.html

I think (???) your Klipsch might be a KR-5 enclosure...

source: http://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/html/1955/h178.html

The Grommes amplifier should be pretty nice as well.
The Browning tuner is a classic (that's the same Browning that once made high end CB radios back in the golden age of CBs).

The Klipsch "Rebel" short horn cabinet is interesting and fairly seldom seen... it might be loaded with very good speaker components (drivers and horns)... or it might not. In those days, cabinets and drivers were often sold separately.

 

[nicholauslee]

Very nice! I wish mine had the wood around it. It just has a grey cage, I'll have to try to get a photo soon, although it's not much to look at

 

[kward]

Geesh--nice stuff there for road finds.

Ah I've wondered what that "blend" control was really used for: "A special control eliminates hole-in-the-middle effect by a variable amount of blend between the 2 channels."

I guess stereo was still kinda new in '63?

 

[nicholauslee]

Here's some photos of the Klipsch cab. It basically has three speakers in it, the two side ones I couldn't find much on. The front firing speaker however is clearly labeled. Looks like a 12", but I could be off slightly as I haven't actually put a tape measure to it yet. It also has the biggest damn magnet I've ever seen on a speaker.

 

[nicholauslee]

Geesh--nice stuff there for road finds.

Ah I've wondered what that "blend" control was really used for: "A special control eliminates hole-in-the-middle effect by a variable amount of blend between the 2 channels."

I guess stereo was still kinda new in '63?

Thanks, it was a complete fluke.

And yeah, if I understand that "blend" knob basically turns it from stereo to mono. For those people who didn't like that dizzying new stereo technology.

 

[mhardy6647]

That is a Univesity 6201 coaxial two way speaker. The magnet's not that big... but the "bell cover" (magnet and crossover cover) is Marketing is nothing new ;-)

The 6201 is a decent 12" coax and was very popular -- but it's not one of the "great" coaxial speakers. Not one of the "meh" ones, though, either... so not a bad find. If you keep that cabinet, consider putting an EV 12TRX "thee-way" (woofer, tweeter, and "whizzer" cone for midrange) coax in it (IMO).

source: http://www.hifilit.com/University/University.htm

oh, some more Klipsch short horn stuff, from 1955 Allied catalog:

 

[gadget73]

That Grommes, the Browning, and the Klipsch speaker coupled with a nice record player or other source would be a stellar mono system. I own a different model of Browning tuner, and its built like a tank. The other ones I've seen were of similar quality, and if it performs like mine does I expect you'll be happy with it as a tuner.

I also own one of their CB radios. Its built like a tank too.

THe HK is a very fine amp as well. What do those run for power, 7408 tubes ?

 

[nicholauslee]

Yeah, from what I've seen and read it runs 4 7408's, which are apparently similar to 6V6's?

 

[mhardy6647]

They are essentially equivalent to the beefier forms of the 6V6 (fortunately).

 

[gadget73]

yeah, higher voltage 6V6 as I understand it. HK also liked to use 7355 tubes, which look similar but aren't at all compatible. The 7355 is a little more difficult to replace, but it can be done. 6V6 types are rather easier though.

 

[audmod01]

H-K used the blend control in several of their Award series amplifiers and receivers. It was there to allow the customer to reduce stereo separation in case their speakers were placed physically too far apart. It also allowed the user to minimize FM stereo noise on weak stations, but still listen to a stereo sound. Full clockwise did basically produce a monophonic output.

 

[dumptruckz36]

I have the A300, which is the integrated equivalent. I had mine recapped by a friend of mine last winter, and it worked wonders with the sound. Plus, I sleep better at night knowing it wont blow up. Mine had the original power tubes when I bought it 3 years ago, but one started to go bad this past April. I bought a quad of 6V6GTs and they sound excellent. Good haul!