Recieved a free pair of Sansui’s LM-330 speakers. How should I go about restoring them?

[CNRetro]

Received a pair of old Sansui LM-330’s for free from my father recently. So far, I am liking the sound from them; I heard good things about this line of Sansui products. I would like to know the basics of restoring them. I mainly want to replace or restore the plastic wood finish, recap the speakers, and find a fitting amplifier for them. I don’t know much about HiFi or speakers, as I am new to this website, and to vintage HiFi in general. What do I need to restore them, and what should be my first step?

(I will post pictures later)

 

[hjames]

Plastic Wood finish? No judgement, but ... would that be a vinyl material wrapped around the cabinets? Contact paper sort of thing?

 

[painttoad]

clean it with windex and then use furniture polish is what i do on fake woodgrained receivers. i'd do the same for speakers.

 

[CNRetro]

Plastic Wood finish? No judgement, but ... would that be a vinyl material wrapped around the cabinets? Contact paper sort of thing?

Correct, sorry for the misunderstanding.

 

[swechsler]

These are an interesting design (especially the tweeter) and not the typical Sansui fare. Here's a previous thread. There's some recapping info in there, but you should probably remove the woofer and get the values of the existing caps, as designs sometimes change during a production run. How comfortable do you feel with soldering?

Regarding an amplifier for them, they shouldn't be too difficult to drive. What signal source(s) do you plan on using (e.g. vinyl, CD, streaming, radio)? Do you have any existing audio equipment? What size is your room, and how loud do you think you'll be listening? Are you planning on buying new or used? What's your budget?

 

[CNRetro]

These are an interesting design (especially the tweeter) and not the typical Sansui fare. Here's a previous thread. There's some recapping info in there, but you should probably remove the woofer and get the values of the existing caps, as designs sometimes change during a production run. How comfortable do you feel with soldering?

Regarding an amplifier for them, they shouldn't be too difficult to drive. What signal source(s) do you plan on using (e.g. vinyl, CD, streaming, radio)? Do you have any existing audio equipment? What size is your room, and how loud do you think you'll be listening? Are you planning on buying new or used? What's your budget?

I am somewhat comfortable with soldering, I have not recapped any older electronics, but I know most of the basics of soldering.

As for signal sources, I mainly buy CD's, but I will definitely incorporate vinyl and streaming as secondary sources of playback. I do not have any existing audio equipment, this is a new experience for me. The speakers are located in my bedroom, so the room is a small/medium size. I don't listen to my music very loud usually, depends on my mood. I mainly want to buy used, but I don't mind buying new either.

I looked inside of the speakers for the first time, and they look very neat and clean inside. I see the area to work on in the back of the speaker, how would I go about removing it without ripping or damaging that soft cushioning material? I am going to read those cap values.

 

[elitopus]

You have to remove the insulation to get to the caps on the input panel. It should come out in pieces. Remove it gently and pay attention to how they have it stuffed in there. Then reinstall it the same way when you put it back.

Sometimes they’ll have a piece of cloth material in between the insulation and the woofer. Make sure to put that back before reinstalling the woofer.

 

[CNRetro]

You have to remove the insulation to get to the caps on the input panel. It should come out in pieces. Remove it gently and pay attention to how they have it stuffed in there. Then reinstall it the same way when you put it back.

Sometimes they’ll have a piece of cloth material in between the insulation and the woofer. Make sure to put that back before reinstalling the woofer.

Also, where would I find the correct replacement parts? Is there a special website I need to go to?

And how should I reapply the wood vinyl finish?

 

[elitopus]

You can get the capacitors from Parts Express if you’re in the US

If the vinyl veneer is peeling off you could probably use some kind of contact cement to stick it back on.

 

[Dswankey]

Here's what the CO's should look like, cap values are visible to an extent

 

[Stuart Pedaso]

Here's what the CO's should look like, cap values are visible to an extent

And here's a schematic, because why not.

 

[elitopus]

NPE caps

22uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover Capacitor

22uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover CapacitorElectrolytic non-polarized (bi-polar) capacitors are perfect low-cost solutions for use in passive speaker crossovers. These capacitors feature axial leads, a 5% dissipation factor, and are rated at a 100 VDC working voltage which equates...

www.parts-express.com

8.0uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover Capacitor

8.0uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover CapacitorElectrolytic non-polarized (bi-polar) capacitors are perfect low-cost solutions for use in passive speaker crossovers. These capacitors feature axial leads, a 5% dissipation factor, and are rated at a 100 VDC working voltage which equates...

www.parts-express.com

Or Jantzen poly caps

Jantzen Audio 8.2uF 400V Cross Cap Crossover Capacitor

Jantzen Audio 8.2uF 400V Cross Cap Crossover CapacitorProduct FeaturesDimensions: (Ø 24mm - L: 36mm)The Cross Cap is offering a high-level of performance and quality at a very reasonable price point.A great multipurpose entry-level audiophile capacitor.A single foil (standard type MKP/PP foil)...

www.parts-express.com

Jantzen Audio 22uF 400 V Cross Cap Crossover Capacitor

Jantzen Audio 22uF 400 V Cross Cap Crossover CapacitorProduct FeaturesDimensions: (Ø 34mm - L: 44mm)The Cross Cap is offering a high-level of performance and quality at a very reasonable price point.A great multipurpose entry-level audiophile capacitor.A single foil (standard type MKP/PP foil)...

www.parts-express.com

There are some other flavors as well. If you prefer Dayton, Audyn, or Solen

 

[CNRetro]

And where would I get suitable replacement vinyl veneer?

 

[swechsler]

If you think you're going to keep these, and you're willing to spend the money, might want to get real wood veneer instead. You're putting in the labor, may as well make it worthwhile.

 

[VW1200]

NPE caps

22uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover Capacitor

22uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover CapacitorElectrolytic non-polarized (bi-polar) capacitors are perfect low-cost solutions for use in passive speaker crossovers. These capacitors feature axial leads, a 5% dissipation factor, and are rated at a 100 VDC working voltage which equates...

www.parts-express.com

8.0uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover Capacitor

8.0uF 100V Electrolytic Non-Polarized Crossover CapacitorElectrolytic non-polarized (bi-polar) capacitors are perfect low-cost solutions for use in passive speaker crossovers. These capacitors feature axial leads, a 5% dissipation factor, and are rated at a 100 VDC working voltage which equates...

www.parts-express.com

Or Jantzen poly caps

Jantzen Audio 8.2uF 400V Cross Cap Crossover Capacitor

Jantzen Audio 8.2uF 400V Cross Cap Crossover CapacitorProduct FeaturesDimensions: (Ø 24mm - L: 36mm)The Cross Cap is offering a high-level of performance and quality at a very reasonable price point.A great multipurpose entry-level audiophile capacitor.A single foil (standard type MKP/PP foil)...

www.parts-express.com

Jantzen Audio 22uF 400 V Cross Cap Crossover Capacitor

Jantzen Audio 22uF 400 V Cross Cap Crossover CapacitorProduct FeaturesDimensions: (Ø 34mm - L: 44mm)The Cross Cap is offering a high-level of performance and quality at a very reasonable price point.A great multipurpose entry-level audiophile capacitor.A single foil (standard type MKP/PP foil)...

www.parts-express.com

There are some other flavors as well. If you prefer Dayton, Audyn, or Solen

If you think you're going to keep these, and you're willing to spend the money, might want to get real wood veneer instead. You're putting in the labor, may as well make it worthwhile.

Hi, i recently acquired the same speakers in VG condition. Working and sounds great. Would changing the xover capacitors improve the sounds more (detail, clarity?tweeter protection) Some people said
"if it ain't broke. Don't fix it"
Thanks

 

[danixmen01]

+1