Service articles focussed on the maintenance of hi-fi equipment to restore functionality.
I recently serviced this gorgeous little Harman/Kardon T-20 belt-drive turntable. Harman/Kardon, or H/K as they were known, made some lovely gear, all of it uniquely styled and much of it uniquely engineered as well. There are some quite desirable pieces out there and for a simple direct-drive vinyl spinner, this tasty little T-20 is well […]
The Technics SL-23 is an affordable, loveable belt-drive turntable that I highly recommend to anyone looking for their first ‘proper’ deck. Updated March 2024! Technics is perhaps best known for the SL-1200 series of direct-drive turntables and the lovely SL-10 linear tracker. They manufactured a huge range of machines at varying price points, many of
The Kenwood KD-2055 is one of Kenwood’s other synthetic composite decks. Think of it as the belt-driven cousin of the famous Kenwood KD-500/550 and KD-600/650 direct-drive machines. The KD-2055, also found somewhat confusingly designated as a KP-2055, is a belt-drive turntable from Kenwood, featuring the same Anti Resonance Compression Base (ARCB) proprietary synthetic chassis as
The beautiful and elegant Luxman PD-264 direct-drive turntable is delightfully different, in the way Luxman gear often is and would make a wonderful first ‘proper’ turntable. The Luxman PD-264 is a deck you see often here in Australia. Sold at an affordable price, in a competitive market and when Luxman was a heavy hitter, there
Regulars will know how much I love monster receivers. The Sansui G-8000 Pure Power DC Stereo Receiver is one of the best! The Sansui G-8000 receiver was created at a time when Japanese manufacturers were competing to produce the meanest hi-fi beasts, like this Pioneer SX-1250 I restored. The G-8000 is not quite as mean as
The Kenwood KD-650 is an amazing turntable, one of the very best to come out of the 1970’s and 80’s. If you ever get a chance to purchase either the KD-650, with Kenwood tonearm, or the KD-600, go for it. The KD-650 is also one of the best-performing turntables you can own for sensible money.
I recently had the opportunity to work on an iconic Rega Planar 3 belt-drive deck. It reminded me of all that I like about these classic decks, and a couple of things I really don’t… The Rega Planar 3 has deservedly won a place in the hearts and minds of many vinyl lovers over the years.
A customer recently asked me to service and align his latest acquisition – a stunning Kenwood KT-3300D FM analogue stereo tuner. Due to other repair commitments, it took me longer than I would have liked to get to this gorgeous KT-3300D. The wait was worth it though. As you’ll see, aligning a tuner like this
Arcam makes some nice equipment, so when a customer asked me to service his Arcam Alpha 9 integrated / power amplifier setup, I was happy to assist. The Arcam Alpha 9 amplifier was a mainstay for Arcam for many years. The amplifier is fairly straightforward in design and neat in internal layout. There is nothing
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
