Olson tube stereo RA-664 need schematics. Who made it?

[daveyh]

Although it says OLSON and do not think they were the makers. I think it must be a re-badge. Does anyone know who made this stereo / amplifier? I need the schematics for this. I have looked everywhere. I have found that Olson sold many types or receivers and speakers. I have seen their catalog posted online. I thought it might be someone like Kenwood but the RA in front of the numbers throws me off.

 

[kirkendoll]

Martel maybe

 

[turnitdown]

Olson Radio. Made their own stuff. May have made them for others under another name. I'm only sure of the first sentence.

 

[TriodeLuvr]

My first integrated amp came form Olson. No one else ever sold anything similar. That aside, the styling on this reminds me of my Claricon 36-210 stereo tuner. Not sure if that means anything. (Not my pic)



Love the "HAM" adjustment on your location diagram.



Jack

 

[daveshel]

Yep, they made their own stuff and had their own stores - I had a co-worker who had previously worked for then in northeastern Ohio.

 

[Tom Bavis]

Seems like most of Olson's model numbers tarted with "RA" - transistor radios, CB radios, etc. And most have no information available unless someone lucks into an owner's manual with a schematic... Kenwood and Lafayette had single-ended receivers (that were identical inside). Might be close enough to follow:

 

[trainbuftony]

I was on here a few years back asking about a similar Olsen. They made their own stuff or had it made, and they were a brand at one time. Mine was a very cheaply built push pull stereo receiver, which used 6bm8s and had about 10 resistor in the whole unit.

The entire amp was PECs.

It ran and sounded ok once I got new electrolytic caps in it. I ended up selling it to a guy at the coffee shop who didn't pay.

I found it interesting to note that at one point it was possible to build an entire stereo recieving unit with PECs. That time came, and went.

 

[gadget73]

they were hailed as a great advance in assembly speed and economy over discreet components. They're also more compact than discreet components. All the same reason semiconductor ICs exist. The AGC (Apollo Guidance Computer) was packed with custom IC chips, which theoretically could have been done with individual transistors but the space required would have never worked.

 

[george99]

Olson was like an early Radio-Shack business model. They would get Japanese and Taiwanese manufacturers to make medium-quality stuff with "Olson" silk-screened on the cases. This was mostly before Japan upped its quality game. The stuff was about as good as today's Chinese stuff-- i.e. often very marginal. Lots of mediocre paper capacitors and carbon-zinc batteries and one-hunj-lo-brand tubes. I remember in particular some cheap neon indicators that would barely light up, and for like two weeks at best. They did well for like 10 years and then faded away.

 

[trainbuftony]

I've heard that before but the example I had was chock full of American components.
American PECs, Alan Bradley resistors. Elco sockets and European tubes. Mine was either made in America or "of American components" the transformers even looked American. I concluded: mine was American made.

 

[gadget73]

Some Japanese tube stuff was good, some was crap. I think all of it was loaded with those garbage paper in oil capacitors though. Things were built to a price point, same as they are in China. Not everything from those places is or was garbage but when the primary design goal is to do it as cheaply as possible the results are predictable.

 

[EastPoint]

Some Japanese tube stuff was good, some was crap. I think all of it was loaded with those garbage paper in oil capacitors though. Things were built to a price point, same as they are in China. Not everything from those places is or was garbage but when the primary design goal is to do it as cheaply as possible the results are predictable.

Much of it had the oil caps, but I’ve seen some that had brown film caps that worked perfectly. Sometimes you get lucky.

 

[old 2080]

Although it says OLSON and do not think they were the makers. I think it must be a re-badge. Does anyone know who made this stereo / amplifier? I need the schematics for this. I have looked everywhere. I have found that Olson sold many types or receivers and speakers. I have seen their catalog posted online. I thought it might be someone like Kenwood but the RA in front of the numbers throws me off.

I picked up this RA-665 a couple days ago, I knew ahead of time that finding any info would be next to impossible, I bought it along with an early Realistic STA-50 from either '61 or ;62 model years, the 665 has many of the same tubes as the RS unit which is why I bought it, the RS unit is the one I'll be having repaired and the Olson will be a parts donor then shelved for possible repair if any info becomes available, the only thing I found on the 665 was it shown in a 1965 sales flier by Olson. The second image of the sales fliers I provided shows your 664 as well as the 665 (sorry about the sideways image), pretty sure it was dated from 1965 as well.

 

[daveyh]

Are you going to be selling the tube receiver as a whole or just parts?

 

[old 2080]

Are you going to be selling the tube receiver as a whole or just parts?

The only things I may use from it would be tubes if needed and possibly the reverb switch, otherwise complete.