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Vintage Receiver Used in the U.S. on 240 Voltage Selection

ArthurTut

ArthurTut

AK Subscriber
Subscriber
I’m in the U.S. and my outlet provides about 117 Volts. I just bought a vintage Sony STR-6060F. I haven’t plugged it in yet. I opened it up to examine it. I discovered that the voltage selector was set on 240 V. I’m not sure what to think of this. I bought it from someone in the US and I’m sure they were using it on this 240 V setting but providing it with around 120 V. I wonder what I should do.
 
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BmWr75 said:
If you have a dim bulb tester that would be very helpful the first time you power it up.
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Yes. I have one. It’s at my office, and I’m at home. I’ll bring it home tomorrow.

Edit: Actually, I’m going to go get it now. I’ll be back in 20 minutes.
 
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The Sony STR-6060F passes the dim bulb test. But, it’s going to need service for sound issues. I have only checked it using the headphone jack, but …
The AM Radio is loud, clear, and seems to be working as intended.
The FM Radio has a low output. I have to turn the volume up at least halfway to hear it, and all the way up is still quiet.
The same with the Auxiliary input; it’s low level. But it is quiet in terms of static or other unwanted noise.
I have nothing connected to the Phono input, but there’s static/shushing noise when it’s selected.

This is disappointing, but I didn’t pay much, and it’s probably serviceable. I’ll be sending it out soon.
 
BmWr75 said:
Might just need the pots and switches cleaned. Very common vintage gear issue.
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I will try cleaning the potentiometers tomorrow. I need to learn how to clean switches. I’m not sure that I know how to clean switches.
 
I cleaned all the switches and potentiometers that I could reach. The Treble Pot is hard to reach, and I’m not sure I got it.
Now, still using headphones, …
The volume using the Auxiliary Input is no longer low. It seems to function as intended. It sounds fairly good.
However, the FM mode is still at an abnormally low level. It’s low even when the volume is maxed out.
Nothing is connected to the Phono input, but it has a low level shushing that sounds like steady rain as if you can hear it about a mile away. Also, when it’s flipped to AM mode, I can hear AM radio slightly bleeding into the Phono section.
 
Ensure you aren't testing the receiver with the dim bulb tester (DBT) installed. Also, try testing with speakers if you haven't already.
 
Oops! I did listen to the headphones with the unit plugged in through the dim bulb tester. What do I do now?
 
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ArthurTut said:
Oops! I did listen to the headphones with the unit plugged in through the dim bulb tester. What do o do now?
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Just take the plug the receiver into power directly and listen again.

Glad the Deoxit worked on getting AUX to sound OK.

It is not unusual for electrical components to go bad in phone preamp sections or FM tuner sections, so some refurb maybe needed to both of those.
 
I’m listening to all the modes now plugged directly into the outlet. Nothing is really different. I did notice that the auxiliary inputs seem loose and can fail to make a good connection if not pushed in just right. Wiggling them can cause some momentary disconnections.
I also noticed how long the music continues to play after the power is turned off. It’s between 5 and 10 seconds of play before it fades out. I assume that means the filter capacitors are strong? Not sure.
 
ArthurTut said:
Oops! I did listen to the headphones with the unit plugged in through the dim bulb tester. What do o do now?
Click to expand...
It’s not going to damage anything when using the dim bulb, it will just have low voltages and won’t operate as intended. What you observe when using the DBT can’t be trusted.
 
Continuing to play after powering down is common as the power supply caps discharge. Don’t know if it indicates cap health though. A 60 Hz hum would indicate power supply cap issues.
 
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