Author Topic: Greetings from Caifornia  (Read 4220 times)

Offline Glenn

  • FNG !!!
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • Karma: +0/-0
Greetings from Caifornia
« on: August 16, 2018, 09:42:00 PM »
Hello and thank you all in advance for offering all the assistance I am going to need. I will be attempting to recreate the console stereo that my parents had built in 1965 by a first class stereo shop. I foolishly let it get away from me years ago. (If my sister comes up missing, I'll admit it now, it was me, and it was about that stereo) So far I have obtained the receiver as a NOS in-box Kenwood KW-70, which is what was in the parents rig. It also had what I think was an Elac? turntable. I do know that for its time, it was good gear. I want to build this as a component system. Turntable and speakers are a bit of a mystery to me and I will humbly be seeking some guidance on those selections. I have played and listened to a lot of music in my 54 years. None bring back better memories than that original system. Perhaps it was just youthful ears, an uncomplicated mind and good acoustics. I do remember a sweet sweet sounding system with good punch and presence. I also remember getting my a** beat for messing up the needle on dads turntable. But that is another story.
63 Trio KW-70U. Klipsch KG 4's. MDC Blue OS DAC.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

  • Ready For Intervention!
  • ******
  • Posts: 3813
  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: Greetings from Caifornia
« Reply #1 on: August 16, 2018, 10:01:50 PM »
Welcome.   There are lots of Elac turntables.   I have a Miracord 10H that is in my Scott Copley console.   It is a great idler.   

Offline Glenn

  • FNG !!!
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Greetings from Caifornia
« Reply #2 on: August 16, 2018, 10:34:23 PM »
Welcome.   There are lots of Elac turntables.   I have a Miracord 10H that is in my Scott Copley console.   It is a great idler.

Thank you. I hope to purchase a turntable that will be easy to own. In my reading, it seems that many or at least some require some tweaking. I have a lot to learn for sure. It would be kind of cool to duplicate the Elac that was in it. By "Idler" do you refer to the drive? I am assuming that there is an intermediate tension pulley or something similar?
63 Trio KW-70U. Klipsch KG 4's. MDC Blue OS DAC.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

  • Ready For Intervention!
  • ******
  • Posts: 3813
  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: Greetings from Caifornia
« Reply #3 on: August 16, 2018, 10:57:59 PM »
Yes, idler refers to the drive.   If the table was parked for a long time engaged, the idler will often develop a flat spot.  There are people on line who rebuild idler wheels (and pinch rollers for tape decks, same idea). That said, it is likely that any table of that era will require some sort of maintenance.   Mine had the brake stuck on the platter.   I don't have a great aptitude for mechanical intricacies.   I had mine refreshed by a guy in The Bronx who I became aware of on AudioKarma.   We have a member here who is turning into a bit of a local Dual guru, I don't know exactly how similar the Elacs are to the Duals.   Seems like Elac used more metal at the very least.   I suppose Elacs and Empires were probably the primo tables of the late 50s/early 60s.   Perhaps doing a Google image search of "Elac Miracord" will help you to remember just which table it was.   The 10s and 10Hs (like the 20 and 20H or 50 and 50H) look the same.   The "H" models have the better motor (I forget what the H stands for, but it's the motor).

Offline MacGeek

  • Ready For Intervention!
  • ******
  • Posts: 1464
  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: Greetings from Caifornia
« Reply #4 on: August 17, 2018, 07:20:56 AM »
Welcome to the Forum, Glen and good luck with your mission.  I recently repurchased my first high school system and Stahl is correct; expect the gear to need some service.
Mac stuff, Sony HDR-F1HD AM/FM/HD tuner, Denon DRS 810 cassette, Denon CDR-W1500 CD recorder, Music Hall MMF-9 w/B&O MMC2, B & O 4002 w/B & O 20 CL, Revox A-77

Offline Kingman

  • Southern Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 3127
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • OCCD...I GOT IT BADD!!!!!!!!!
Re: Greetings from Caifornia
« Reply #5 on: August 17, 2018, 04:09:02 PM »
Welcome Glenn! Glad you found us.
IN REALITY IT ONLY MATTERS WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE TO YOU!!!!!

Offline scorpio333

  • Ready For Intervention!
  • ******
  • Posts: 1182
  • Karma: +0/-0
  • got mule?
Re: Greetings from Caifornia
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2018, 10:09:50 AM »
Welcome aboard.

We have a member here who is turning into a bit of a local Dual guru, I don't know exactly how similar the Elacs are to the Duals.

If this was referring to me, the term guru is far too generous. I love the old Duals and like to tinker with them. They have a dubious repstation of being hard to work on or “leave it to a pro”. Time and patience can go a long way in getting them back in service. Dual, Elac, and Perpetual Ebner (PE} share similarities, they were all made in Germany. Duals are likely the more over engineered or tougher to get running tables. Haven’t had the chance to own or play with an Elac, but have read many good things about them. What we you decide on, don’t ever hesitate to reach out for help.

Offline Sir Thrift-a-Lot

  • Ready For Intervention!
  • ******
  • Posts: 3813
  • Karma: +1/-0
Re: Greetings from Caifornia
« Reply #7 on: August 18, 2018, 11:56:26 AM »
Welcome aboard.

We have a member here who is turning into a bit of a local Dual guru, I don't know exactly how similar the Elacs are to the Duals.

If this was referring to me, the term guru is far too generous.

You built your own jig, you're a guru.   That's just how it is.

Offline Glenn

  • FNG !!!
  • *
  • Posts: 3
  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Greetings from Caifornia
« Reply #8 on: August 24, 2018, 08:02:20 PM »
Welcome aboard.

We have a member here who is turning into a bit of a local Dual guru, I don't know exactly how similar the Elacs are to the Duals.

If this was referring to me, the term guru is far too generous. I love the old Duals and like to tinker with them. They have a dubious repstation of being hard to work on or “leave it to a pro”. Time and patience can go a long way in getting them back in service. Dual, Elac, and Perpetual Ebner (PE} share similarities, they were all made in Germany. Duals are likely the more over engineered or tougher to get running tables. Haven’t had the chance to own or play with an Elac, but have read many good things about them. What we you decide on, don’t ever hesitate to reach out for help.

Thank you for the kind and informative words. I am on the hunt for the right Dual or Elac. In the mean time, I stumbled upon a set of 99% Klipsch KG-4's, by purely dumb luck for a very fair price (That never happens to me) and the DUDE tossed in a bunch of great vinyl and an older Denon automatic table. It at least gets the itch scratched while I look and learn a bit more. I think I am going to rebuild the Trio KW-70. Modern caps and some optimizing would be super cool. We have the famous folks out here from AEA (Analog Engineering Associates). I am going to see if they will do a Trio (Kenwood) rebuild. It would pretty much be an honor if they will do it.
63 Trio KW-70U. Klipsch KG 4's. MDC Blue OS DAC.