I don't know what to do now.

[Thangleby]

Hullo.

I just picked up an old receiver and from what I've read on this site it turns out that it was considered a pretty good one back in the day.

I work in a computer refurbishing shop. One day a customer came in and was picking my brain for computer knowledge. We conversed for a while and I brought up that I was looking for some old audio gear that I could learn how to do some electronic repair on.

Refurbishing PCs is remarkably simple. Pull a card, plug in a card. No soldering necessary.

I'd like to learn how to do identify bad components and replace them - caps, resistors, etc. I figured old solid state gear would be a good way to do that. It's cheap to buy broken and if I completely destroy the device I'm learning on, there's no significant financial loss.

The customer mentioned he had an old receiver and an old turntable if I'd like to look at them.

I, of course, expressed interest.

Last week he brought them in. The turntable is a Sony mid-line model - no big deal.

The receiver, though, is a Pioneer SX-1250. I gave him $5 and an old Antec computer case I had in the trunk of my car. I had brought it in to donate it. He said that the receiver was working and sounded pretty good until he lost a channel and had a puff of smoke come up through the vents. He had no idea what was wrong w/ it, but some component had obviously given up the ghost.

It sounded ideal, until I looked it up and found that it was actually considered desirable.

Now I don't know what to do. I don't want to destroy an old classic. If it really is that good a receiver I think I'd like to get it back up and running.

I have yet to plug it in.

Does anyone here have some spare time on their hands and would be willing to walk me through testing and bringing it back up to snuff?

 

[Mystery]

I can't help you on the restore but you can sell that SX-1250 for a lot of money as it is broken.

 

[Thangleby]

I can't help you on the restore but you can sell that SX-1250 for a lot of money as it is broken.

I might wind up selling it as is. I don't know. I suppose a trade for a working, but lessor one might be doable as well.

I'm really stymied. It would be a shame if my ham-fisted first attempt at doing a repair ends up killing an old classic. I really know nothing about soldering or testing individual components.

Heck, that's why I bought in the first place.

EDIT: Just read the forum rules and realized that this post might look a bit like an advertisement - which it isn't. I'm not advertising it, more looking for some advice.

 

[goodolpg]

It's too valuable of a piece to go in there willy-nilly with no knowledge or experience.
Have it fixed properly or sell it to someone.
JMO.

 

[downhiller20]

You may be best off getting this unit fixed so you can use it yourself and picking up some craigslist junk to fool around with

 

[Texas Audiot]

Then there is always....

hold on to it (not much financial investment so far) and learn the basics on the same inexpensive unit you were going to learn on in the first place. :scratch2:

Then you can, with lots of help on this site, repair the SX1250 and learn why the "old Classic" is one. :thmbsp:

After you fix it you can brag about your "score" (the only way to have a better score would be for it to have been found on the curb).

One word of warning though....once you fix it and hear it you are on likely on a spiraling path that leads to the same illness that most on this site are afflicted with. For me it started in 1974 and I am stuck here with little hope of ever getting away...... not that I really want to.....

 

[Thangleby]

I guess I'll take it in to a repair shop and see how much it will cost to get it up and running again and continue my search for an old broken Piece of Rubbish to muddle about with.

Weird - when I go looking for a great deal on something, it's invariably hard to find. When I go looking for old broken stuff, I generally turn up some pretty good stuff.

I should spend more time looking for broken crap.

Thanks for the advice, y'all! :thmbsp:

 

[LexDM3]

I agree with the advice given to either take it to a pro or wait until you've learned and done more yourself. Rather than look for a "piece of rubbish" to work on, you might want to look for a good but relatively inexpensive receiver to clean up and do some minor repairs on. You'll find a lot of them around in the $50-150 range. That way you'll have something good to listen to and you can ramp up your skills as you go.

 

[Shadowdog]

I agree save it till your good at repairing simpler units. You will be rewarded with great sonics in the end for not so much $. It probably needs recapping which probably caused many other parts to fail. Don't worry , about getting parts for it as they should be common.

I recently got into vintage tube amps as they are simple to repair and sound fantastic! I thought tubes were dead for home audio and wished I had gotten into it years ago!

I have a few SS amps kicking around to repair someday after I learn enough and buy transistor testers etc. I prefer the tube units for the ability to listen to them for hours compared to SS, but sometimes you can't beat the power of my Pioneer A717! SS tends to be more long term trouble free also, just much harder to repair when it does give trouble!

I guess I'm saying a vintage tube amp or kit may be easier to start with, plus great sonics. EL84 PP like Dynaco ST-35 is a great start as simple. SCA-35 are plentiful. They use the same transformers. You can pick up a nice one for under $300 and recap.

 

[qsaudio]

Bring it in for an estimate before you do anything.

You got a very good deal.

 

[kirk57]

While I'm not a big fan of vintage receivers, the 1250 is simply worth too much (even broken) to practice on, so I'd agree that you should either have a pro repair it (somebody who really knows these things, like AK member Echowars would be the best) sell it as-is, or wait until you get more experience.

 

[Shadowdog]

Anyway I wouldn't sell it, especially since you have nothing invested! You will really regret it later if you sell it. Keep it unless medical emergency comes up!

I think for the labor to rebuild you may find the great sounding tube amp I mentioned above. Great fopr learning on & with the EFB fixed bias mod you will be exposed to some SS.

 

[shelly_d]

In the mean time start building your skills. You will need a multimeter and need to know how to use it to measure AC and DC voltages. You will need to know how to use the ohmeter on it. You will need a soldering iron (not a gun) to solder and unsolder devices on the circuit board. One way to do this is to pick up something at a thrift store, anything with a circuit board. Old VCR, answering machine, all in one boom box, anything at all, whatever is cheapest. Get some aligator clips to attach to the transistor/diode leads as heat sinks to keep the devices from overheating. Practice. Once you have removed your first transistor, there is a thread here on Audiokarma on testing transistors. Read it and follow it to learn how to do that.

Good Luck and enjoy.

Shelly_D

 

[wmgwizard]

The 1250 is a keeper, DO NOT SELL.

Don't be afraid to invest a few dollars to get it fixed. $300 -$400 if some siginficant restoration work is done (re cap, diodes, drivers, alignment etc) would not be unreasonable. Broken the thing is worth what repairs could cost, fixed its 2-3 times that valuable.

Once fixed and paired with a reasonably decent pair of speakers you will be well on your way to sonic nirvana.

Where are you located ?
I'd bet there is an AK'er not too far that knows of a reputable shop and some to avoid.

Welcome to AK, keep us posted and we'll try to help keep you from getting poached.

 

[jhoyt]

Where are you located ?
I'd bet there is an AK'er not too far that knows of a reputable shop and some to avoid.

This. This is the big question. Some areas have multiple good techs, other areas are audio desert wastelands. So hopefully we can steer you in a good direction, once we know where you are!

And welcome! What a way to start into the audio hobby. :thmbsp:

 

[Thangleby]

The 1250 is a keeper, DO NOT SELL.

Don't be afraid to invest a few dollars to get it fixed. $300 -$400 if some siginficant restoration work is done (re cap, diodes, drivers, alignment etc) would not be unreasonable. Broken the thing is worth what repairs could cost, fixed its 2-3 times that valuable.

Once fixed and paired with a reasonably decent pair of speakers you will be well on your way to sonic nirvana.

Where are you located ?
I'd bet there is an AK'er not too far that knows of a reputable shop and some to avoid.

Welcome to AK, keep us posted and we'll try to help keep you from getting poached.

When I first looked at it I thought "Yeah, big old 1970's receiver. That's just the ticket." I had no idea the thing was that valuable. It had a coat of cigarette tar. It spent it's life in the presence of a heavy, heavy smoker. Getting the gunk off the face & exterior was a job.

I hope to fix it and tie it to a pair of yard sale Bose 201 series 3 speakers that I picked up stupid cheap one recent weekend.

I live in Houston, TX - up on the North side.

The only electronic repair shop I can immediately think of is Ron's Electronics. It's apparently some kind of small chain. I remember looking them up for something a few years ago. Their main thing seems to be broken LCD/Plasma/LED and projector televisions. I never did business with them so I don't know anything about their capabilities or integrity. The store front was something you'd expect from a working schmoe and the guy behind the counter seemed likeable (and smart) enough. IIRC they also had some old audio gear along one wall. Most of it had hang tags with people's names on them.

If anyone that stumbles on this thread happens to live in Houston and knows of a solid electronics repair guy up on the North side I would sure love to hear about him. Ron's is way the heck out on the West side. I'm a country boy at heart and I loathe the traffic in this town.

@shelly_d: I have a rudimentary knowledge of how to use a multimeter. I've used one to test car battery voltage and resistance in a set of spark plug wires, but that's about it. I'm pretty sure I should be able to pick up a dead DVD player somewhere. People are switching formats again and DVD players are going into trash piles across the country.

@Shadowdog: Honestly, I'm heading toward being able to do repairs on old tube electronics. That's the main reason I want to learn as much about working on old electronics as I can.

I play guitar. I'm nothing special at it. It's only a hobby, but one that I can waste a bunch of time on.

I would like a nice tube amp. I don't need one of the top-flight amps of yore, but there are some specific things I want to see in an amp. I also want it to look nice, because I do have a significant other and she's looking at the amps I currently have in the living room as an eyesore. Space is at a premium here.

So, I'm looking for an elegant compromise. I would like to build combo tube guitar amplifier in a housing that looks like one of the antique phonograph/radio combinations of the 1930s-1950s. The main goal is an amp that sounds good and looks good sitting in the living room.

I have some other ideas that might be handy for living room guitar players. There are many, many living room guitar players. I might actually cough up an idea that could make me some dough. That's never a bad thing, eh?

I figure it also couldn't hurt to be able to generate some extra income. Once people know you are handy with something, they're generally not shy about asking for help in fixing problems. If I could make some money at it, I could use that to fund other interests.

OK. I've rambled long enough. Sorry 'bout the "wall o' text".

Thanks for the welcome, y'all! This seems like a right nice forum.

 

[Shadowdog]

Forgot to say welcome to the Form!

Just wiith my own studing up on the idea of combining a guitar amp with HiFi in the past I found the designs are too different as you want distortion and different sound affects for the electric guitar unless your maybe talking about a regular guitar with some kind of mic added.

If you don't need a lot of power for the tube home stereo amp, the one I mentioned it is also a great choice for looks also. Buy one now as they are sure to go up in price as more discover them. Google is your friend for more info! You could put it in a mono console from the 40's to50's like your talking about and you could probably find one for free.


Maybe post in the tube and guitar forms here and on diyaudio for more info. Other sites I know are diytube, AA (audioasylum) , & antiqueradios. There are big guitar forms also.


Randy

 

[Thangleby]

Forgot to say welcome to the Form!

Just wiith my own studing up on the idea of combining a guitar amp with HiFi in the past I found the designs are too different as you want distortion and different sound affects for the electric guitar unless your maybe talking about a regular guitar with some kind of mic added.

If I understand it correctly there is a significant difference in circuits between home HiFi amplification and guitar amplification. I know there is a big difference between speaker selection as well.

I'm not sure what the exact difference is between them. I am assuming that circuits are circuits. Once one knows the theory and the function of the components and how they relate to one another, it shouldn't be too terribly hard to build decent electronic gear oneself - or at least repair good equipment that simply needs some TLC. There are plenty of schematics available online for the classic tube amps of days gone by. I don't plan on making a business of selling guitar amplifiers based on someone else's designs, but I don't imagine they'll be throwing up any roadblocks for a guy that built his own amp using a classic design.

I don't know. It sounds like a good way to pass some time and learn a thing or two.

If you don't need a lot of power for the tube home stereo amp, the one I mentioned it is also a great choice for looks also. Buy one now as they are sure to go up in price as more discover them. Google is your friend for more info! You could put it in a mono console from the 40's to50's like your talking about and you could probably find one for free.

I remember looking at old tube amps a few years ago and I thought they were expensive back then. I remember looking for an old Dynaco or Heathkit amp to play around with, but couldn't find anything resembling a reasonable price.

So I'll just keep my eyes open and start playing w/ broken DVD players and such to start with, I guess. That was a very good suggestion that shelly_d made.

Maybe post in the tube and guitar forms here and on diyaudio for more info. Other sites I know are diytube, AA (audioasylum) , & antiqueradios. There are big guitar forms also.

Thanks for the leads! I didn't know there was a guitar forum on this site. This is the only subforum I have looked at.

 

[qsaudio]

I wouldn't bring it to a TV place or any chain store, those guys are weird, they must have gotten shocked, way back when, with the high voltage too much, LoL.Then again I never worked on TV's CRT yuck.

But that Pioneer should be done by someone who has worked on audio for at least 10 years.

 

[Thangleby]

I wouldn't bring it to a TV place or any chain store, those guys are weird, they must have gotten shocked, way back when, with the high voltage too much, LoL.Then again I never worked on TV's CRT yuck.

But that Pioneer should be done by someone who has worked on audio for at least 10 years.

By "chain" I meant a small chain of electronic repair shops - certainly not "chain" as in Best Buy.

I wouldn't know how to begin to look for someone w/ that kind of specific audio experience, though.

Anyone here know of anyone in Houston that's good w/ audio gear?