FINAL UPDATE: It's been a few months since I finished this project and due to the number of positive replies, I figured I'd inform you all of the outcome!
I
was finally able to get back home and return the old Pioneer to my grandparent's house. Wanting to make a big production out of the ordeal, my grandmother and I coordinated a few extra surprises to make the unveiling a bit more exciting.
We both chipped in and bought my grandfather a new AudioTechnica turntable (AT-LP60). It was nothing over the top, but his old Technics turntable wasn't really worth saving and I figured he'd appreciate the automatic feature. Furthermore, I love my AT-LP120, so I figured I'd throw a few more dollars at the same company.
In addition, I figured I'd give my grandmother a gift as well, so I also picked up a decent set of headphones (also AudioTechnica, I believe the ATH-AVC200). Of course, this is so he can listen to things like "Stranglehold" by Ted Nugent without bothering her... While the driving bass lines and crying guitar solos appeal to him, she much prefers the heavier stuff to be kept limited to the headphones... especially at night. She will likely never wear these headphones, but she's quite thankful that she doesn't have to hear the Jethro Tull's "Thick as a Brick" (in it's entirety, of course) all the way over in the kitchen.
Again, none of this equipment is technically "audiophile quality", but I'm a poor college student and the gear I opted for sure sound a lot nicer than the apple earbuds and broken turntable he was accustomed to (and still content with). Unlike me, my grandfather was never an "audiophile snob" and has no trouble just sitting and enjoying whatever he is listening to. Sometimes it's hard for many of us to avoid thinking about the equipment and just enjoy the music -- that's the point, right? Admittedly, his "new" system still really impressed me; especially the SX-770.
In addition to the extra gifts, my grandmother even allowed for the whole ensemble to be placed in the living room, as I pleaded with her that the speakers would sound a lot better in a bigger room where they could be set up properly. To me, the interior design of their house looks like something you might see on HGTV, so I was shocked when the kitschy 70's Pioneer speakers were allowed to be prominently displayed on either side of the fireplace; lattice-clad grills and all. Admittedly, I doubt something like a set of series i Bose 501s or JBL L100s (with the orange grills) would have been granted a similar pardon.
Once the turntable and headphones arrived in the mail (shipped to my parents' house), my grandmother sent my grandfather to the grocery store with a weird list of things to find that she knew he'd have a hard time locating. He seemed a little suspicious, but went along with it, nonetheless. I was parked a block down the street and waited until I saw him leave the house. I then quickly got to work setting everything up, being sure to keep cables neatly tied and breaking a sweat as I ran up and down the steps to collect all of the needed components. I pulled the speakers away from the wall as far as my grandmother allowed and towed them in a little bit. I ran downstairs to my grandfather's wood shop and quickly cut a pair of oak wedges that would angle the cabinets up from the ground to my liking. While the speakers at my house employ a pair of socks wedged underneath the cabinets to achieve the same effect, my grandmother appreciated the use of oak wood instead of socks, being that oak is a little easier on the eyes. Once I was happy with the sound stage, I hooked up his CD changer and new turntable to the SX-770. My grandparents have an admirable CD collection, and I was impressed to find that the built-in DAC within his 90s Sony CD changer sounded as good as it did.
As for the analog side of things, I ended up returning his records that I was previously enjoying on "long-term loan" for a few years, but I was still happy to see them go back to him. I was really blown away at the sound quality of the phono preamp in the '770. I can't say enough nice things about Elna's SILMIC II Caps, as they really improved the quality and clarity of the sound. I've used these in a few other restorations with the exact same results.
Anyway, by the time I had finished setting things up, my grandmother got a call saying that almost everything was able to be found and that he was on his way home from the store. I spent the final five minutes queuing up "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" and adjusting the tone controls to my liking. Since my 20 year-old ears are different from those of my grandparents, I boosted the higher frequencies a bit in hopes of appealing to older ears.
A few seconds later, PopPop walked into the house and heard one of his all-time favorite songs coming out of the same system he bought when he was my age. It sounded good.
Really good.
We then showed him the turntable and proceeded to listen to his old records for the rest of the day. Each one had a story, reminding him of previous decades in his life. He told me about a few of his experiences back in Germany when he served in the Air Force. We talked about the different types of systems that were available at the time and how each was different. The reason he bought the Pioneer system was simply because it was the nicest that he could afford within his budget, and also because he figured that the Pioneer speakers would sound good when powered by a receiver of the same brand. I think he made a solid choice.
I found it really interesting that most "regular guys" at the time were buying the best equipment that they could, since that trend has since fallen out of fashion. While there's much to be said about the implications of what "the youth" desires today in terms of their music playback, that's a topic for another thread, I suppose. As far as music playback goes for the "regular people" of today, his system runs laps around the bluetooth speakers and airpods that now rule the mainstream market.
I'm proud to have restored my grandfather's system back to (arguably
better than) its former glory. It represents (to me, anyways) what music itself used to be for the average person during the "Golden Age" of HiFi audio. I'm confident that the modern caps and LED lights (in this case) were able to make the old Pioneer look and sound great for years to come. The only problems he ever really had with this unit were light bulbs burning out and pots getting crackly from decades of sawdust exposure. They really don't make 'em like they used to.
With all of that said, none of this would have been possible without
your help! To one extent or another, every member on this forum has put some sort of resource out on the internet that will undoubtedly aid in similar restorations for years to come. Coming into this project with virtually no background knowledge, I was able to produce these results and have since moved onto other projects. In fact, I liked the sound of the SX-770 so much that I picked up a broken SX-680, which is now confidently driving one of my main systems, again with the help of AK members. With each project, I'm gaining more knowledge that I can pass on to others as well. As we all know, there's just something special about the looks and sound of vintage gear. In some cases, the equipment itself can hold sentimental value that greatly surpasses monetary worth. Thanks for helping to keep it alive!
