I recently overhauled this lovely old Pioneer PL-530 direct-drive turntable. Let’s take a closer look. This model is not especially common, but it has a great vintage look and some great features that I think make it one to keep an eye out for. Pioneer made some great belt-drive and direct-drive decks and many of […]
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I’ve just finished repairing and servicing a lovely old deck that one doesn’t often see – a Denon SL-7D direct-drive turntable. My customer received the run-around from several technicians and wanted me to have a look to see if I could get her going again. This Denon SL-7D came fitted with a gorgeous old AKG P25MD moving iron
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A friend of mine recently asked me to take a look at her Ericsson Ericofon, commonly known as the Ericsson ‘Cobra’ phone, just the other day. I was away from home and so I had no test and measurement gear, no soldering iron, no tools, but we made do with a few things she had
In this second article on the Marantz SC-80 and SM-80, we look at the SM-80 power amplifier and a tricky repair and restoration. The Marantz SM-80 stereo power amplifier is a reasonably powerful, well-made, mid-range consumer amplifier from around 1990. It typically sold with its companion, the Marantz SC-80 preamplifier and I have just finished
I’ve recently restored an immaculate Marantz SC-80/SM-80 pre/power combo. In this article, I look at the SC-80 preamplifier. The Marantz SC-80, and its partner, the matching Marantz SM-80, are quality mid-range separates hailing from around 1990. They are unremarkable in terms of circuit layout and construction, but well made and thoughtfully laid out, making service
In this article, I discuss problems with my 2009 BMW R1200R motorcycle. Warning: the list is extensive, but the biggest problem isn’t the bike… Updated: 2023, with a twist! This isn’t an article I enjoyed writing back in 2015, or updating in 2017 before I sold the bike, but it’s the sort of article that
I recently worked on a very cool and lovely old JVC QL-F4 direct-drive, fully automatic turntable. Let’s take a look inside. The JVC QL-F4 is a mid-range deck from the once-great JVC. Even in the late ’70s and early ’80s, JVC was not known for its hi-fi separates. This is a shame because this series
