When vintage worlds collide

[genlabs]

My humble system. Not the typical mix of components though but provides a great deal of pleasure & enjoyment
.
From top:
Schiit Modi MultiBit DAC
SAE D102 Compact Disc Player w/ coax SPDIF connection to DAC.
SAE C102 Cassette Deck, recently re-belted.
SAE P102 Pre-Amplifier, modified with electronics to provide remote control capability.
SAE E102 Equalizer.
SAE E101 Parametric.
SAE A202 Amplifier, modified with larger A502 capacitors and all Toshiba output stages upgraded to more robust Sanken devices.
Klipsch RF-7 Mark III Speakers, reverse mounted bases.
Mark Levinson 332 Amplifier, major restoration project, all caps replaced. Stripped covers and hand polished.

Above & Out of frame:
Sony DA7 DAT connected via optical cable to DAC .
Streaming PC connected via USB to DAC.

I have replaced hundreds of capacitors in this mix of components along with some diodes, transistors etc. The most expensive updates came with the Levinson amp. The main caps are larger than Pepsi cans and do not come with a cheap price tag. Those can run about $400 for four. And there are still four more large caps in the mid-section. The SAE Pre and EQ's have had every cap replaced with higher quality modern equivalents.

I added remote control capability to the pre-amp via a custom interface I built from an Arduino Nano. I stole HEX codes from a Dish Network remote for the most important functions and mapped them to the various controls on the SAE device. All the controls are dumped into a Phillips Pronto remote with a custom control surface. The CD player already had IR capability so I just added those functions to the Pronto remote.

I built a custom interface with another Nano which sits in my rack and monitors the Standby ports of the SAE gear and translates those controls into commands that the Mark Levinson amp can understand. This provides a complete, one button solution, to turn the system on and off.

I hope you enjoy looking over my collection.
I have videos documenting some of the mods. PM me if interested.

 

[Nightwisher]

Sweet!

 

[jcamero]

I've got the same C102 Cassette Deck, (needing belts). Where did you source your belts, and did you replace them yourself?
Nice system

 

[luxmaster]

SAE equipment has a timeless look to it. Beautiful setup. Reminds me of Robocop

 

[Rome]

Mighty fine!

Rome

 

[Marine0811]

Niiiiice!

 

[gizzyman47]

Nice system! Also like your wavy wall! The wife just ordered that for a wall in our living room. Should be here some time this week.

 

[newzealand]

cool

 

[genlabs]

I've got the same C102 Cassette Deck, (needing belts). Where did you source your belts, and did you replace them yourself?
Nice system

I got the belts from vintage-electronics.net. I did replace the belts myself. It is a complex install and if your belts decomposed in the machine there will be rubbery goo all over. The motor spindle has to be cleaned well and the motor shaft has to be lubricated if the goo got in there. If you take your time and document/photograph everything as you go it is not too bad.

 

[jcamero]

I got the belts from vintage-electronics.net. I did replace the belts myself. It is a complex install and if your belts decomposed in the machine there will be rubbery goo all over. The motor spindle has to be cleaned well and the motor shaft has to be lubricated if the goo got in there. If you take your time and document/photograph everything as you go it is not too bad.

Thanks

 

[MaxP]

One word: WOW!

 

[Drugolf]

Nice.
I have a Pronto around here somewhere........unused for 15 years.

 

[Old-School]

Very nice system! Love the SAE!

 

[rick3803]

Love the 332! Such a Nice sounding amp. Rebuilding it was right thing to do and I bet it sounds as good as or better than when it was new. I just rebuilt my 336 using Chemicons and Cornell’s. Replaced anything that was questionable. Wow what a difference. I’m never gonna sell that amp. Spoke to an engineer “Abe” I think his name was. He was known in audiophile circles on the web. He said he rebuilt his own 336 using Cornell’s best caps but they’re typically much larger than the coke can size caps we have in our amps. He had to compensate for the wider and taller main caps but they did fit under the hood and didn’t take up much more space around them. He said his amp was incredibly delicate and detailed in the highs, punchy deep base, much more open and just phenomenal overall - blew away the stock amp when it was fresh and new. He also remarked that you can go higher in the voltage than Levinson recommends. He’s done that and said his amps always sound better and it’s safe. I did that with the Chemicons. I didn’t use Cornell’s huge “Ferrari” caps because the guys at Pyramid wouldn’t custom fit them. Amp still sounds great IMO. Those guys are familiar with levinson’s 336 and other amps in that series which is why I sent mine to them. PS: I partially disassembled my amp and cleaned out all the dust and some soot inside. Techs won’t do that for you.

 

[rick3803]

Began disassembly for cleaning. Had a bad channel and all old caps were done. Black soot was alarming. No leakage. Larger Black Cornells are not their Ferarris but the smaller blue cans are their good ones. “Abe” convinced me to go with Cornell’s saying they sound about the best. It’s sometimes good to get opinions but often I find me wanting to hear it for myself.