Revox B 795
- Thread starter Robie
- Start date
Hate to resurrect my old thread on the B795 but two events yesterday really impressed me.
I finally hooked up my new Swagman Labs LPS to my Schiit Mani phono section in my modest but somewhat modern living room system. NAD 326BEE integrated (no phono section), old NAD 4020 tuner and NAD C16BEE CD player playing through ELAC Uni-Fi B5 speakers on sturdy stands. Cables are BJC throughout. I use the Revox in this system as it is there largely for winter entertaining and its convenience is wonderful.
While my repaired Revox has always sounded much better than I thought it should, before trying the new Mani/Swagman combo, I decided to finally replace the stylus on the Grado Signature 8MR mounted on the Revox. It has needed it for a long time.
I bought a new replacement Grado 8MZ stylus several years ago but I couldn't get the old worn out stylus out of the body of the installed 8MR. Since the Revox arm is pretty delicate, I didn't want to yank on it too hard to get it unseated from the cartridge body. Grado styli are installed in the cartridge body at a funny diagonal angle with the black goo Grado uses to seat the stylus I couldn't wrestle the old worn-out stylus out of the installed body. I know most would cringe at replacing the stylus on a mounted Revox arm, but I figured it would be far easier than uninstalling it and trying to reinstall it. However, yesterday after I finally found the Grado supplied stylus removal tool, I went at it again and was successful (and delicate).
How do these two improvements sound? All I can say is that the Mani/Swagman combo is a very nice combo but so is the new stylus. So very little noise from the phono section and record noise is much reduced too.
I'm so lucky to have this overly-complicated but ultra-convenient Revox. All of the considerable efforts in getting the Revox running with great help from other contributors are still greatly appreciated.
I finally hooked up my new Swagman Labs LPS to my Schiit Mani phono section in my modest but somewhat modern living room system. NAD 326BEE integrated (no phono section), old NAD 4020 tuner and NAD C16BEE CD player playing through ELAC Uni-Fi B5 speakers on sturdy stands. Cables are BJC throughout. I use the Revox in this system as it is there largely for winter entertaining and its convenience is wonderful.
While my repaired Revox has always sounded much better than I thought it should, before trying the new Mani/Swagman combo, I decided to finally replace the stylus on the Grado Signature 8MR mounted on the Revox. It has needed it for a long time.
I bought a new replacement Grado 8MZ stylus several years ago but I couldn't get the old worn out stylus out of the body of the installed 8MR. Since the Revox arm is pretty delicate, I didn't want to yank on it too hard to get it unseated from the cartridge body. Grado styli are installed in the cartridge body at a funny diagonal angle with the black goo Grado uses to seat the stylus I couldn't wrestle the old worn-out stylus out of the installed body. I know most would cringe at replacing the stylus on a mounted Revox arm, but I figured it would be far easier than uninstalling it and trying to reinstall it. However, yesterday after I finally found the Grado supplied stylus removal tool, I went at it again and was successful (and delicate).
How do these two improvements sound? All I can say is that the Mani/Swagman combo is a very nice combo but so is the new stylus. So very little noise from the phono section and record noise is much reduced too.
I'm so lucky to have this overly-complicated but ultra-convenient Revox. All of the considerable efforts in getting the Revox running with great help from other contributors are still greatly appreciated.
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As Firesign Theater would call it, "Here's a stab from the Past"!
In preparing for my annual Chicago Area Get Together I have been moving some of my seldom used components around. My B795 is now in my main Garage upstairs living room. Grado 8MR cartridge with newish Grado 8MZ stylus.
Last night, I finally was able to make sure it still works and put on an old fave for half a song. BTO's "Blue Collar". Playing through an Audire Legato pre, VA Systems Model 3 amp and my big B&W DM3000s I was surprised how very good this TT is. Huge sound but the B&Ws are too far apart anyway. The TT is super quiet with very little background noise on this album that was played a lot in college in the early '70s.
I'm very lucky to own this rig and lucky to have had all the help in this thread to resurrect it.
In preparing for my annual Chicago Area Get Together I have been moving some of my seldom used components around. My B795 is now in my main Garage upstairs living room. Grado 8MR cartridge with newish Grado 8MZ stylus.
Last night, I finally was able to make sure it still works and put on an old fave for half a song. BTO's "Blue Collar". Playing through an Audire Legato pre, VA Systems Model 3 amp and my big B&W DM3000s I was surprised how very good this TT is. Huge sound but the B&Ws are too far apart anyway. The TT is super quiet with very little background noise on this album that was played a lot in college in the early '70s.
I'm very lucky to own this rig and lucky to have had all the help in this thread to resurrect it.
steerpike2
Super Member
Why would you doubt it? Revox was Studer, THE name in top end studio recorders.
chobochobo
Active Member
Okay, a few days ago my B795 smoked whilst it was just plugged in and not actually playing. It was the Rifa on the power supply PCB as many threads attest to. On the advice of another thread I also replaced the 3 gold Frakos on another board, the power supply PCB I think, with components from DigiKey. I also noticed a 4th big gold Frako (1000microF 25V GPF (P1)) on another board, I think it's the Arm electronics PCB that in the photos in post 18 is blue. It seems to be a 1000microF 25V. I'm guessing I should be replacing this one too but it wasn't mentioned before. I think it's because there seem to be variants of the B795 - on post 372, I see that the arrangement of the Frakos and the disk like things on the power supply PCB are different to mine (the 3rd Frako is in line with one of the pair of 2200microF, and beside it are the disks in a row.), so I'm guessing that for some people there is indeed no 4th gold Frako. I hear that the other PCBs (arm electronics and motor control) are 'double sided' and would be much more difficult for a novice like me.
twiiii
Lunatic Member
We were a Revox dealer and because we were I eventually owned a A-77 MK III and two B-77 HS 2 track and a couple of CD players by Revox. I should have bought a turntable, too, but I was scared a way when the early models didn't allow you to choose other cartridges. So I passed. Not realizing the later versions the cartridges could be changed . Do I regret my decision? Not really. My Thorens and Rabco have worked well for a very long time. Plus like the B&O 4000 and 8000 if the Revox was not kept meticulously clean they would become intermittent with some sticky service issues. Where the old Thorens and Rabco just kept performing with out issue.
Hi all,
I was given a Revox B795 I'm trying to refurbish with a friend. We changed the cartridge, all capacitors, some ICs, completed all the mechanical setup... And the TT was doing well.
After a short playing time, one of the hall sensors passed away.
I saw in this thread some of you also tried to find replacement hall sensors.
It seems the genuine # is supposed to be Siemens SBV566 and some of you proposed links to find replacement #. The discussion is a bit old and the links are now dead.
Do you have a clue what the # were?
I found some parts with specs similar to SBV566 but not sure it is (my electronic knowledge is poor). Do you think these can match:
- Asahi Kasei HW300A
- Chenyang CYTY302B
Thank you for your help, I think this can help someone else later.
I was given a Revox B795 I'm trying to refurbish with a friend. We changed the cartridge, all capacitors, some ICs, completed all the mechanical setup... And the TT was doing well.
After a short playing time, one of the hall sensors passed away.
I saw in this thread some of you also tried to find replacement hall sensors.
It seems the genuine # is supposed to be Siemens SBV566 and some of you proposed links to find replacement #. The discussion is a bit old and the links are now dead.
Do you have a clue what the # were?
I found some parts with specs similar to SBV566 but not sure it is (my electronic knowledge is poor). Do you think these can match:
- Asahi Kasei HW300A
- Chenyang CYTY302B
Thank you for your help, I think this can help someone else later.
Pio1980
AK Member
Maybe worth trying.
Ok all, lets keep this one rolling along with my now refurbed B795. Just got it back from the tech and so far it's playing great. Only able to play 1 song from 1 record, but it sounds spectacular. It's running a Signet TK7Ea, and the stylus is in very good condition. I am posting the tech notes on what was completed. I never thought it would come back. When I bought it, the seller told me he was sure it could use a couple of new caps. But when I got it home, it was doing nothing but turn on and making a strange noise.
Now that I have been able to spin some great records, I have to say WOW. This table has become my favorite of my hoard. I hooked the ReVox up to my system in my living room. The phono stage is the standard one in my NAD 1300, so works fine, but nothing fancy. The Signet TK7Ea sounds so detailed and smooth to my ears. All the buttons work smoothly and everything does click into place. I cannot wait to move this up to my main system and see what we have.
It's a massively underestimated turntable - and often massively misunderstood.
The first thing people miss (and have been missing since the 80's when a highly regarded dealer, sold me a highly inappropriate cartridge, resulting in much disappointment for some years, until I worked out the problem!), is that the tonearm mass is 4g (!!!) - this is a perfect match for very very high compliance cartridges (1g or lower! VTF's) - a good match with high compliance cartridges, and a terrible match with anything else...
ie: as a rule of thumb, if the cartridges optimal VTF is 1.5g or higher.... it is not a good match.
Which is not to say that the arm cannot be adjusted... you can add some weight to it, you can add a p-mount adapter and use (relatively heavy) p-mount cartridges - which will bring it into line with standard high compliance cartridge types ... optimal at p-mount VTF of 1.25g.
When properly matched it tracks incredibly well, and is relatively undisturbed by warps (counterintuitively given the short arm!)
In todays vinyl world, it does not match well with the current tendency towards mid and higher mass arms, with mid to low compliance cartridges (typical VTF's 2g+)
This ignorance can result in disappointment when neophytes try out the Revox Linatrack.... heck it resulted in disappointed when purported experts tried it out in the 80's....
Remarkable how few people (and especially purported professionals/experts in audio) - understand tonearm mass and stylus compliance issues!!!
For those who want to understand the Linatrack.... the short description is a linear tracking, servo driven, UNIPIVOT - of extremely low mass (4g) and short length (6cm) - with very light grease based damping at the unipivot.
Thanks @dlaloum for the information. It's what I have read once I bought the table earlier this year. At some point I plan on buying the cartridge mounting kit to change out the cart down the road. But at this point the Signet really does sound great. I also like the idea of the P-mount cart to make cart changes easier.
What also impresses me is the fact that these tables can be refurbished with parts that are still available. So many of the high end tables back in the late 70's had unobtainium parts so this one being back up to spec is awesome.
What also impresses me is the fact that these tables can be refurbished with parts that are still available. So many of the high end tables back in the late 70's had unobtainium parts so this one being back up to spec is awesome.
Pio1980
AK Member
More a unipivot cartridge carrier than an arm in the usual sense, best mounted with a light tracking low mass cart with an easily replaceable stylus insert ala Shure, Ortofon OM, or a permanent P-mount adapter. Avoid Grados and MCs, cart swapping and mounting access/ procedure is a major PITA.
I sold my B795 and kept the SL-7s. If I had got an SL-7 as my first LT, I could have stopped swapping TTs and stayed with it, but, I'm an inveterate curious tinkerer, and the B795 was another learning experience.
I sold my B795 and kept the SL-7s. If I had got an SL-7 as my first LT, I could have stopped swapping TTs and stayed with it, but, I'm an inveterate curious tinkerer, and the B795 was another learning experience.
Pio1980
AK Member
The tracking motor and planar spindle motor Hall sensors may be an exception for parts availability.
And this right here does keep me in the "Well, maybe Ill look at a change down the road on the cart, and maybe not" At this point the Signet stylus is in great shape, so my focus will be a higher end phono pre. Yet another adventure I'm sure
