Two little caps...

[radioripster]

Hey everybody...

About a year and a half ago or so, I made a post about a pair of Realistic MC-1200 two way bookshelf speakers that I found for $12.99 in a thrift store. These speakers were just like the ones that I had back when I was a teenager..30 something years ago.

Since then, I have enjoyed the speakers and they sound pretty good, but in the back of my mind, I've thought about recapping them and if would make any real difference in their performance.

Just takes two little 50v 2.2uf capacitors to perk things up with these speakers.

There certainly is a noticeable amount of clarity and definition in the upper frequencies and the bass has lost some boxiness. Fuller sounding.



I have them hooked up to a Realistic SA-1001 integrated amplifier with a matching TM-1001 tuner and it's not a bad setup with a little bit of eq fiddling.



I'm glad I went ahead recapped those speakers now.

Now about that amplifier....

heh.

Thanks for reading.

 

[Splatter Pak]

Did you use audio-grade caps?

Are you considering recapping the amp? If I still had my SA-2001, I would be recapping it.

Your TM-1001 is a great tuner, one of the best. Don't sell yours like I did mine.

 

[radioripster]

Hey Splatter Pak...

Yeah, the tuner is pretty good. I just wish there was better programing on the air these days.

I had a SA-1001 when I was younger, but it went away a long time ago.
You know that a good part of us here are nostalgic types. heh. I had to recreate my high school dream system!

Like you, I was bummed that I let my old SA-1001 get away and just had to get another one....bucket list stuff, ya know.

They're hit and miss on ebay; months will go by and there won't be any listings for them and then all of a sudden, you'll see them and then poof..they're gone again.
The TM-1001 is even harder to find. Then again, they go in spells too, just not as many it seems.

These amps and tuner were a one year item in the RS catalog in 1979, so that is probably another reason they aren't growing on trees.

The caps were sold as for use in audio..whatever that means, but they are Elgen 50v 2.2uf non polorized caps and seem to be ok for right now.

The reason I bought these caps because it was on a whim and 10 caps for a $1.~shrugs~

I have a '62 Capehart tube reciever and a '38 Zenith tombstone slated for restoration soon. I'll order some nice Panasonic caps then for these speakers.

So..get busy and raid the piggy bank and get yourself another 2001..tick tock...tick tock.

Thanks for your interest and take care.

yep...


By the way, I almost forgot. Yes'em, The 1001 will get a power supply recap soon as well. Then later on, I'll get to the rest of it. The DC offset is in tolerance for both channels, but the left is a little higher than I like. It's fine for right now though.

okie dokie.

 

[Soundphile]

Your system looks great ... But could not help noticing that the equaliser is resting on and blocking the ventilation slots of the power amplifier. That can't be good at all !!!
Cheers,
Robert.

 

[50nstillhifi]

Good point about the ventilation... "Soundphile"!

And I happen to have a pair of those speakers. They are rather enjoyable in their original form ... haven't considered recapping them.

Not sure about the power rating, I have them at 15WRMS... not sure if this is correct. However I do consider them to be a "low power" speaker system and would only match them with an amp 30W or below.

What I enjoy most about them is the "warmth" flowing from a vintage tuner or amp. I mated mine with an old Kenwood receiver 900.

Certainly brought back memories..... of simpler times gone by ...

 

[radioripster]

Your system looks great ... But could not help noticing that the equaliser is resting on and blocking the ventilation slots of the power amplifier. That can't be good at all !!!
Cheers,
Robert.

Hey soundphile..

Thanks. When I had my first SA-1001, I liked how it looked. To me, it was a bit subdued compared to the typical silver face stuff out there back then. It was just a little different.

This photo is a couple of months old and the CD player is with another system in house now and the eq has been on the tuner since then.

This amp has a massive heat sink and grill. I've kept an "eye" on it and it doesn't run hot at all; it barely gets warm even when the EQ was on it.

I normally don't block any type of venting on an amplifier, hence the tuner being by its side as opposed to being on top as some folks do, but with this amp being in such a small room, it doesn't get pushed at all.

I primarily use this system with a bluetooth reciever and stream music online and from my computer and it does it quite well.

 

[radioripster]

Good point about the ventilation... "Soundphile"!

And I happen to have a pair of those speakers. They are rather enjoyable in their original form ... haven't considered recapping them.

Not sure about the power rating, I have them at 15WRMS... not sure if this is correct. However I do consider them to be a "low power" speaker system and would only match them with an amp 30W or below.

What I enjoy most about them is the "warmth" flowing from a vintage tuner or amp. I mated mine with an old Kenwood receiver 900.

Certainly brought back memories..... of simpler times gone by ...

Hey 50nstillhifi..

Recapping these speakers is a piece o' cake. You could install film caps or non polar electrolytics like I did.

You might hear a difference or maybe not. Maybe from the batch of capacitors that were installed in mine were a little subpar to begin with ..who knows.

As cheap as the caps are and with the ease of installation, why not? That was my thinking.

I'd recommend using a little dab of hot glue on the cap after it's soldered in place. That's what they did at the factory.

The advertised power rating is 50 watts and the response 85 -17,000 hertz.



I've found it odd that in both sets that I've had, the woofer has a 10 watt label on the magnet and the tweeter's label reads 5 watts nominal and 10 watts music.

The speakers as a whole certainly handle more than that, but I think at 50 watts, you're not
going to be running a lot of bass.

When I was a kid, with these speakers, I ran them hard and pushed the bass, or tried to push the bass through them at high levels and the speaker cone would pop.

Who knows, but I feel that they match up with a 35 watt amp pretty well..even better with a 15 - 25 watt amp.

With all that said, They really are good speakers for what they are.

 

[BrocLuno]

I always add feet glued to the factory feet to almost everything so it sits a bit higher...

Ventilation is good. Heat is bad.

Nice system and I like your game plan