Today's scroe

[Zolton]

Long time no post. I hope the term "scroe" is still a thing here.
Yesterday an acquaintance offered me a Hitachi SR-903 receiver, Hitachi PS-48 turntable and a pair of Polk model 10 speakers which he bought new back in 1977 or so, for free, all apparently in functional condition. His wife just wanted them out of the house. After a few google searches to find out more about these pieces, I was off on a two hour round trip to collect up said gear.
I definitely don't need more stuff, but I hate the thought of vintage audio gear ending up in the dump. Going into this, I knew that these pieces had spent the last 49 years in the home of heavy smokers. And, that although Hitachi audio gear isn't high on the "most sought-after" lists, it's considered under the radar, quality stuff. The Polk model 10's on the other hand, are very highly regarded vintage speakers.

I have yet to test any of these.

 

[Zolton]

PS-48 turntable;
Nice looking direct drive unit with sort of a Marantz vibe. Still has the original VS Hitachi cartridge. Looks as if the stylus is bent. The lid has lots of nicotine staining but appears to have very minimal scratches. Platter spins freely. It's fairly hefty so not all plastic. Smells of cigarettes but I think this is a keeper.

 

[Zolton]

SR-903 receiver;
75 watts per channel, class G amp. As such, it will put out 160 watts per channel during peak bursts of music (so I've read). LOTS of nicotine on this baby. Hopefully it will clean up nicely. The face has a vintage 70's look and has all script intact with the exception of the numbers around the volume/balance knob. Some of the numbers are worn off. No nasty scratches on the face or case and the case is vinyl covered plywood thankfully. The inside is fairly dust free and looks well laid out and well built, but again, smells of smoke. This one I would probably keep.

 

[dbuz]

SR-903 receiver;
75 watts per channel, class G amp. As such, it will put out 160 watts per channel during peak bursts of music (so I've read). LOTS of nicotine on this baby. Hopefully it will clean up nicely. The face has a vintage 70's look and has all script intact with the exception of the numbers around the volume/balance knob. Some of the numbers are worn off. The case is vinyl covered plywood thankfully. The inside is fairly dust free and looks well laid out and well built, but again, smells of smoke. This one I would probably keep.

That Hitachi is sweet. There's one about an hour away from me, in way worse shape (rusty, filthy, probably not working), that would already be in my house if the asking price was 75% less than it is. I've never heard one, but people say that class G amp is awesome, and I think they look great. Definitely a clean it up and keep it piece in my opinion.

 

[Zolton]

Polk model 10;
These I had high hopes for as they get lots of praise from Polk heads. These are the original version with Peerless tweeters (and the Polk hole poked in them). The tweeters have a fair bit of corrosion on their face plates. The 6.5 inch mid-woofers have quite a bit of nicotine stickiness and dust stuck to them, as do the10 inch passive radiators. The serial numbers are 4,096 apart and are of different construction. one back panel has a lap joint on the outer edge, the other is squared off. The covers have two different means of attaching to the front baffle. One cover has a tear in it, the logo is missing and it's warped, the other is OK. The factory optional speaker stands suffered water damage and are long gone.

I'm deciding what to do with these.

I'm definitely not looking a gift horse in the mouth, just reporting the 'as found" condition of all these free pieces. I'm quite grateful for them and thanked the fellow who gave them to me more than once.

 

[dbuz]

Edit: Nevermind, the magic of the search function answered my question.

 

[loudnoises]

PS-48 turntable;
Nice looking direct drive unit with sort of a Marantz vibe. Still has the original VS Hitachi cartridge. Looks as if the stylus is bent. The lid has lots of nicotine staining but appears to have very minimal scratches. Platter spins freely. It's fairly hefty so not all plastic. Smells of cigarettes but I think this is a keeper.

That table is screaming CEC.

 

[doctor fuse]

“Zolton”? Surely you have misspelt your own name, which would be “Zoltan”?

 

[malden]

That Hitachi is sweet.

It's nice looking on the outside but the inside is another story, looks like a nightmare to work on...

 

[tadawson]

All discrete . . . . shouldn't be too bad, and a lot easier than SMD.

 

[dbuz]

It's nice looking on the outside but the inside is another story, looks like a nightmare to work on...

View attachment 3827154

Nope. Way above my skill level.

 

[Ray66]

The PS-48 turntable is good. I got one as a fixer-upper that came with a PS-38 as a parts unit. I've had it running for a little while and I'm happy with it. And it was manufactured by CEC as @loudnoises suggested.

As for using the term 'scroe' beware, it appears to be triggering for some of the gang here LOL. There's another thread started last week where the OP asked in the title if it's still in use.

 

[malden]

All discrete . . . . shouldn't be too bad, and a lot easier than SMD.

I see at least two IC's in the tuner section

the large circuit boards and spaghetti wiring seem to be a cost-cutting design

compare it to another 75 wpc receiver, the Marantz 2275.... maybe the "Marantz Tax" as some call it, is worth the extra cost...

 

[Zolton]

“Zolton”? Surely you have misspelt your own name, which would be “Zoltan”?

Nope, that's on purpose and not my actual name.

 

[Zolton]

the large circuit boards and spaghetti wiring seem to be a cost-cutting design

I agree, it's not very tidy in there is it. Knowing the person who donated this gear to me somewhat, I would think cost would have been a big factor in the original purchase. Hence Hitachi not Marantz or Sansui. He would have been in his late teens at the time of purchase.

 

[malden]

I agree, it's not very tidy in there is it.

Your Hitachi is actually built better than the NAD 7020

 

[Zolton]

I think there's a zip tie or two missing in mine. The mass of wires that prompted the "spaghetti" comment was once a bit tidier I believe.

 

[Zolton]

The gem of this scroe would have been the Polk Monitor 10s had they been in better condition. I've since read as much as I could find on this speaker and apparently, it's the speaker that made Polk famous back in the glory days. Lots of praise is heaped on these babies.
Instead of parting them out, I may take them on as a restoration project (as if I need another one). If I can bring them back to near their past glory, they would have a welcome home here.

 

[Markoz]

Polk model 10;
These I had high hopes for as they get lots of praise from Polk heads. These are the original version with Peerless tweeters (and the Polk hole poked in them). The tweeters have a fair bit of corrosion on their face plates. The 6.5 inch mid-woofers have quite a bit of nicotine stickiness and dust stuck to them, as do the10 inch passive radiators. The serial numbers are 4,096 apart and are of different construction. one back panel has a lap joint on the outer edge, the other is squared off. The covers have two different means of attaching to the front baffle. One cover has a tear in it, the logo is missing and it's warped, the other is OK. The factory optional speaker stands suffered water damage and are long gone.

I'm deciding what to do with these.

I'm definitely not looking a gift horse in the mouth, just reporting the 'as found" condition of all these free pieces. I'm quite grateful for them and thanked the fellow who gave them to me more than once.

The Polk woofers were sticky when new, due to whatever they're coated with. Any accumulated dust from the decades does not seem to affect their sound quality. I would not attempt to clean.

The crossovers would definitely need to rebuilt for them to sound their best. It's an easy and not terribly expensive project if you decide to keep them.

 

[malden]

The crossovers would definitely need to rebuilt for them to sound their best. It's an easy and not terribly expensive project if you decide to keep them.

Do you have photos of the Polk 10 crossovers you rebuilt, before and after?