Hi, My name is John and I'm an audioholic.

[retrex]

Hi all, new member checking in.

Current stuff;
Luxman R-117 receivers, one working, one a nice light show
Luxman D-375 CD player
Luxman K110W cassette deck
Bang & Olufsen 5500 CD player
Bang & Olufsen 1800 turntable, in need of a cart
Phillips GA312 and GA212 turntables
Stax 12S preamp, headphone power amp
Stax SR5 headphones
Magnepan 1.4 speakers

More on how I got here to come if anyone has an interest.

[spartanmanor]

Hi John, Welcome to the club!

[cubdog]

Welcome to AK.

cubdog

[RichPA]

Welcome to AK.

[Sandy G]

Nice schtuff ya got ! Welcome !

[meggy]

Welcome!

[catrafter]

Welcome to AK!

Tom

[Brett a]

We'll cure you of your problem by making you feel good about your behavior!
Welcome.:wave:

[BroonsBane]

Welcome aboard! :thmbsp:

[ehoove]

You will fit right in here!
Regards,
Jim

[Argyle]

welcome and enjoy!

[chewy]

hey john, welcome!

[Tedrick]

Around here, that's considered 'normal' (whatever that is :D).

Welcome to AK. Embrace the madness :yes:.

[retrex]

Hello all and thank you for making me feel welcome and for helping me to gain back my life and self respect.

I would like to start off by saying that I had been clean and audio free for 32 years before I fell off the wagon. No components, no music, no recorded media at all. Just talk radio.

Years ago I was a heavy user. All the usual junkie stuff. Yamaha, Klipsch, AR, Sansui, Dynaco, BIC, Phillips, Scott, Thorens, Infinity Black Widow, ADC, KEF, Pickering, Phase Linear, Dalhquist etc. etc.. I am ashamed to say that at one time I even had a LLoyds 8 track stereo player.

I was out of control. I was spending all on my time researching, reading, and dreaming about stereo components. I would spend hours at audio stores begging for them to let me take stuff home to try it out, promising to pay them for it if I liked what I heard. I was even buying and selling the stuff to my freinds and to total strangers. I wanted nothing more than to sit in front of the speaker dejour and get lost in that sweet sound. Then one day I hit rock bottom. I purchased my second new pair of Klipsch Heresey speakers, just a few short months after I had sold my original pair after deciding that they were just to hard to listen to. Right then and there I realized I had to make the choice, audio or life. It took all my will but I was able to ween myself off the sound. I got clean and stayed that way until just recently.

Gotta stop for now, jonesing for some Pink Floyd, Dark Side, before the rains.

More on how I fell off the wagon in AA meeting Part 2.

[Gohan]

Welcome to AK retrex!

Gohan

[ybaolywa]

Welcome!

[ozmoid]

Welcome to AK, retrex! :music:
More on how I fell off the wagon in AA meeting Part 2.
I await the story with baited breath. :D

[VintageFreq]

Welcome to AK and sorry to hear about your addiction........NOT!!:banana:

....one a nice light show.....

Would that be from the sparks when you try to power it up?:scratch2:

Mike :D

[Glimmer]

Hello all and thank you for making me feel welcome and for helping me to gain back my life and self respect.
...
More on how I fell off the wagon in AA meeting Part 2.

There is much to learn from your experience. Looking forward to Part 2.

[stereodctr]

retrex, welcome to AK!

[Divotdog]

Welcome aboard!:thmbsp:

[AnalogDigit]

Welcome!

[cfranz]

Hi John.

Our 12 step program promises to make things worse. :D

[electronjohn]

Hmmmm...another hopeless case. Don't count on any help from THIS bunch.

[Holst]

Howdy John from another Luxman fan.

[ArizonaMatt]

Hi John. I'd say "welcome" but since I placed my very first post all of about 60 seconds ago, I think that would be presumptious. So, I'll just say "hi."

You may be aware of all of your options on your Beogram 1800 cartridge, but I just went through the process of replacing my failed MMC2 cartridge for my 1800 and I thought I'd share. I ended up placing an order for a replacement MMC4 clone ($162) from this place "SoundSmith." Best I could find on-line. From the customer reviews I've read on line and from my phone calls with them, they seem top notch. They manufacture a full range of B&O cartridge clones, sell replacement, remanufactured original B&O cartridges, and will even attempt to repair yours (expensive).

--Matt

[E2theNth]

haha.... I thought the title read "... alcoholic.'

maybe that's just me, welcome either way though.

[retrex]

My fall from audio sobriety started, as it so often does, as a series of seemingly innocuous events. The first occurred on the day that my VCR went into a steady state mode of stillness and turned into a nifty clock. A clock that was right only twice a day, but a clock none the less. I had used the VCR for the sole purpose of taping sporting events, and of course to view rentals of Arnold Schwarzenegger movies, the ones with one word titles only. This loss created a void in my life. To fill that void I sought the advice of coworkers. The second innocent turn down the wrong path.

My coworkers, after they had stopped laughing at the age and make of my recently departed VCR, recommended that I buy a DVD/VCR combo unit(All the cool kids were doing it). They proclaimed that the video/audio quality of DVD was far superior to tape for watching movies and that I could still tape my sporting events. Being the impressionable middle age lad that I am I took their advice. Besides I didn’t have anything to fear with regards to the superior audio part tempting me back to my old ways as I listened through my TVs little 2 inch speaker. I could handle it, no problem. So I purchased a DVD/VCR combo unit and for a while I returned to my happy audio free state of being, until I was blindsided by the “Enabler” and led further down the path by the next inconspicuous event.

The “Enabler”, let’s call him Kenny, since that was his name, made me an offer I couldn’t refuse. You all know a Kenny, he’s the guy who has all the things that audio video junkies lust after. You know what I’m talking about, large screen plasma, 7.1 Dolby surround sound, CD/DVD/DVR HD and some other Ds that I had never heard of. Anyway, so one day at work Kenny sidles on over to me at the water cooler and says to me, “I hear you just got a new DVD/VCR unit”. I said “Yeah, that’s right, why? What’s it to ya?” He say’s “Nothing, it’s just that I got these speakers that I’m not using and I gotta get rid of it because my old lady is harping to me about getting rid of some of my stuff to make more room. She want’s me to put them in a tag sale. But I ain’t selling my stuff to just anybody.” And I said “I not in the market for speakers, I don’t really want to buy any at this time.” Then he say’s to me “I’m not talking about selling them to you, I wanna give them to you, for free. I rather you have them for free then sell them to somebody for a few dollars.” To which I, after considering all of the implications of the offer and in recognition of my past history with audio, said “Sure, why not.”

Next, how the hook is set and my pusher my pal.

[centralflori]

Welcome to AK Sir!:thmbsp:

[ozmoid]

Next, how the hook is set and my pusher my pal.:lmao: Oh man, you got it bad...

Will we be able to order the complete series in hardback? :D

[dread31]

Welcome Retrex!

However, coming here in an attempt to stop your audio addiction is like going to a crackhouse to kick a drug habit.

Dave

[cableguy]

Welcome aboard....




Bill

[Speaker Fan]

Welcome !

After reading your posts, I already feel a book in the making.... looking forward to the next chapter :music:

[tensleep]

Well, you seem to have taken Step 1:

Admitted that we are powerless over audio--that our living rooms had become unmaneagable.

However, you're sitting at the bar! Next to me! Let's have another and you can tell me your story. I just got here, too.

[Divotdog]

Welcome aboard!:thmbsp:

[retrex]

Correction, now 3 R-117s. Did I mention that I was an audioholic?

[ozmoid]

Did I mention that I was an audioholic?

:yikes: NO! Say it isn't so!


:D

[retrex]

So the all the events that lead up to my Jim Ignatowski fall from audio sobriety having come to pass the only thing left is the hook. The speakers Kenny wanted to give me were nothing special, some floor standing three way model made by Fisher. But, they were free and I couldn’t resist. The next day after work we met at lowest level of the parking garage at work and he transferred the speakers from his mini van to my car. And with a sleazy “Enjoy” from Kenny , the deed was done. I took them home and immediately hooked them up. It had been so long since I had done anything like this and I wasn’t sure that I would remember how. As it turned out it was just like riding a bike, you never forget how. I had a Sansui 221 that I kept in the basement along with a Toshiba cassette deck, just in case, that I brought upstairs and hooked them up to the speakers, to my new DVD/VCR, and to my TV.

I had rented a DVD for my first session and popped it into the DVD side of the player, cranked up the volume on the 221 sat back in my easy chair, and prepared myself to watch and listen. When the THX sounder came up on that DVD I don’t know whose head popped up faster, mine or my dogs. I can’t remember what the movie was, the only thing I remember was that it sounded good, real good. But it wasn’t only DVD movies that sounded good, everything sounded good. Regular TV programming, sports, public TV specials(Australian Pink Floyd, David Gilmore inconcert) and even commercials.

My choice of videos expanded out from my usual one word Austrian actor type to include a wider and more sonically varied selections. The more I listened the more I wanted. (Pause while I listen to Jim Croce’s “Recently” and “The Hard Way Every Tme”, on vinyl, beautiful stuff). A couple of things that I found especially interesting on DVDs are listed below;

The opening music to the movie Bad Company, starring Chris Rock and Anthony Hopkins music “BMBBO” by Trevor Rabin,. I watched the movie once, and played the opening couple of minutes a dozen times or more.
Taste, jut the first part, spit out the seeds that are the second.
http://www.last.fm/music/Trevor+Rabin/+videos/+1-n5PFvxsV938

The music for the movie Serenity music by David Newman, especially good is the music for the final epic fight scene of Summer vs. the Reavers. For those that “got” the series and the movie, there are lots of little gems to enjoy.
Taste, google the below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pv3Tt0fFJkU

From Not Another Teen Movie the Marilyn Manson cover of “Tainted Love” was interesting, not my usual cup of tea, but interestingly done.
Taste, with viewer discretion strongly advised,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1MAkEVAXyE&feature=relatedIt sounds much better on the DVD, nicely mixed.

Well, those are some of the hooks, my pusher and my pal later.

[Dark Knight]

Welcome to AK....although this forum most concentrates on "finding more power" not a "higher power" ;-)

DK

[retrex]

Had another setback this week, I'm starting to think I need accelerated therapy. Perhaps going to a concert?

[retrex]

Ok, so all NIB and unopened, Luxman, CD113, K110W, and yes another R-117. Am I wrong or is this just good stuff and worth the addiction. I'm not wrong, and I can stop anytime I want. I just don't want to. In case you haven't figured it out yet my pusher is one Mr E. Bay. He dangles wonderful dainties in front of me and I just can't resist. He along with his partner, Pay Pal work in unison to provide me with all the stuff I can handle.

I am short on time so this part is short on verbiage, but I have one last confession to share. The reason I choose Luxman as my preferential poison.

Also, on a technical note, are there any techies in the forum? I am working on the non working R-117 #2 and would like to pick the brain of someone knowledgeable in the technical stuff.

Cheers and good listening.

[john_w]

Also, on a technical note, are there any techies in the forum? I am working on the non working R-117 #2 and would like to pick the brain of someone knowledgeable in the technical stuff.

Cheers and good listening.

retrex - hopefully by now you've discovered the "techie" forums and threads on this site. Some of the best vintage techs around are AK members. And welcome! Thank you for letting us help you feed your addiction!

- jw

[mulester7]

.....Welcome, Retrex!.....

[retrex]

retrex - hopefully by now you've discovered the "techie" forums and threads on this site. Some of the best vintage techs around are AK members. And welcome! Thank you for letting us help you feed your addiction!

- jw


Thanks JW, will start post when I can put something with some kind of clarity and detail into words. Something a little more than it's broke, help fix. One thing I learned from my other addiction, restoring Vintage Japanese Mortorcyles, is that if you can clearly state what you have done and what is wrong, someone out there will recognize the problem and have the solution.

So far I have removed the left, I think it's the left, amp board and found three of the six power transitiors shorted. But this is probably best left for a tech post.

I would have more time to work on the repair if Ebay would just shut down for a few weeks. :)

[john_w]

I would have more time to work on the repair if Ebay would just shut down for a few weeks. :)

Ironically, I would have more time to play with audio gear (including repair) if AK would just shut down for a few weeks. :yes:

Not that I'm advocating that. :no: Too much fun here. :yes:

[clydeselsor]

Welcome!

[BajaGringo]

That's the first important move in any 12 step recovery program. Unfortunately most of us here never get any farther...

:music:

[johnda]

Welcome to the group John! Now here's what you do...Whenever you come across a super deal at a flea market or yard sale, say for example, a McIntosh MR1900 or a pair of Klipshorns for $50, DON'T reach for your wallet! Instead call someone else from the AK group and they will be GLAD to step in and make the purchase, and save you much grief from your girlfriend or wife.:D

[retrex]

Welcome to the group John! Now here's what you do...Whenever you come across a super deal at a flea market or yard sale, say for example, a McIntosh MR1900 or a pair of Klipshorns for $50, DON'T reach for your wallet! Instead call someone else from the AK group and they will be GLAD to step in and make the purchase, and save you much grief from your girlfriend or wife.:D

So what you are saying johnda is that instead of buying the NIB unused R-117, DC-113 and K110W for a pitance I should just post where and how much they are here on AK and I'll be free of my addiction?

If so then viva la addicione.:music:

I feel I'm slipping.....

[retrex]

I feel I'm slipping.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go&feature=related

So it all comes down to what's gonna be my poison. I looked back into my past, way back into the bygone times. I tried to draw from aging memory what it was that made me smile, what struck me as unique and especially what I remembered as being stuff that I never sampled because it was beyond my means. Macintosh popped into mind immediately, and almost as quickly left. Although now within my means, I remembered Mac as being built like a tank with sound more akin to a humvee. Don't send the hate mail please, I was going on past memory. Sansui came to mind next. I had a 9090 and paid less for it new than what I see them going for on Ebay now, hard to justify that cost for 30+ year old component parts. I liked it but it, but it did not hold any special memories of audio excellence, again no hate mail please. Although it was a beautiful machine when all lit up. I ran Yammie NS1000s(Ebony Wood), AR3as, two separate sets of K Heresy’s, KEF104s, and Dalhquist DQ10s with it. Ok, but been there, done that. Marantz next, a good name but nothing special there for me, no exceptional memories. Ditto for the other stuff I owned, too much to list. Yamaha up next. Good stuff, real good, in its day, but once again aging electronics and from what I've read component level issues. Tandberg, HHScott, HK and all the others wrested from my failing memory all came up short of the gotta have its. One name that came to me that was always out of reach, and from what I remember often referred to as the Japanese Macintosh, but with excellent sound, was Luxman. So I go into research mode and find that the last great era for Luxman was mid to late 80s and in particular they made a receiver, the R-117, which rivaled separates. A high current brute of an amp section with very good audio characteristics. From what I could piece together, this was Luxman’s last statement of excellence before going under the Alpine umbrella. So I go to EBay and score my first Luxman component, a very nicely kept R-117. I also picked up a NIB D-375, and a like new K110W. I liked the R-117 so much that I got an addition two working and one hopefully soon to be working units. The last working R-117 being my pride and joy a NIB unit sold to me by a very nice lady who received it and the DC-113 and another K110W, both also NIB, as anniversary presents but never used them, because she had no room. But that is only half the story. It’s all in the speakers man, the speakers. :)

[Ol Sparky]

Amen Brother... wonderful testimonial!

[retrex]

Anybody know where I can get a Fukushima Futaba MPC722 2x5W .22 Ohm resistor or two or three.

See http://www.nova-elektronik.de/english/resistors/mpc.php


This is a three terminal resistor that is one of the components I will need to replace in my non-working R-117.

Any thoughts Sparky? I'm guessing your name indicates you know your components inside and out.

[Mr. Lin]

My name is Dave and I too am an audioholic. There, I said it.

[retrex]

Hi Dave, welcome to the twelve step process. You have taken the first step and admitted your addiction.:tresbon:

[retrex]

Lost link.

[MrZero63]

My name is Dave and I too am an audioholic. There, I said it.

What he said. :D

[retrex]

The only bad thing about life is there is never enough time to live it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqnnIRPSPIE&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Abjt2K4E3w&feature=related

Speakers I love them and I hate them. On the one hand they are the only way to listen to music in the manner it was meant to be listened to, coming at you from in front, framed in a large soundstage with all the subtle nuanced passages clearly defined and pleasingly placed. On the other hand, this rarely happens, well not to the extent that you can clearly say that this the way I want live with my music, well at least I haven't. The only thing that has ever gotten me close to where I want to live with my music has been my trusty STAX headphones. When I dumped all my stuff years ago the only things I could not bear to part with was my SR5s and the companion STAX 12s Class A power amp/pre amp. There is just something about the electros that sets them apart. So when I started looking into what kind of speakers I wanted to live with I immediately thought that I would look into electrostatics. When I dropped back into audio sobriety years ago there were a few high price units around that produced some really amazing sound. I thought that after all the time that had passed since I kicked my addiction that manufacturing advances would have made electros better and cheaper. I was really disappointed to find that this was not the case. Instead, what I found is that we are still like the cavemen in the movie 2001 A Space Odyssey. Circling tentatively around coned boxed speakers fearfully touching them with our hands in wonder and awe of the enigma that is before us. So once again I was forced to look into the past and find something unique that I always wanted to try but for one reason or another never did. Since I had electros on the brain, the next thing closest to them I recalled was something called Mangnepan Planer speakers. Not true electros, but as I recalled they were showing some promise at the time I turned off from the audio scene. So I go into research mode and sure enough they are still around, and they have gotten better and used ones are fairly cheap to boot. I checked with my pusher, EBay, and fall into a real sweet deal with a very lightly used mint condition pair of Maggie 1.4s. When I got them and hooked them up to the R-117 and played some favorites through them, the sound that came from those two large flat thin panels made me question, except for the STAX, whether I had really every heard my music. Although I don't have the time that I would like to listen, I find myself listening at every free moment to this new wonderful addiction. I found that I have come home, and it is a good place to live.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5Al1DGzto4

[retrex]

I am working on my damage R-117 and would like to ask for help from anyone who is willing to take the time to do so. I am using the schematic from the below website, that I assume alot of you already know about. If not, check it out, it is interesting. Anyway I come here hat in hand looking for help and advice.

http://www.hifiengine.com/manuals/luxman/r-117.shtml

Ok, so what I have done and found out so far in my repair project. The seller, I bought the unit on ebay, stated that his tech said the only thing wrong with the unit was an op amp gone bad. When I first opened the unit up there were several wires diconnected from their connectors on the right Main Amp PC board, so I reattached them. The connections were obvious plus I had the left board to reference. After reconnecting everything I turned the unit on and was treated to a very nice fireworks display so I shut it down. I removed the right Main Amp PC board to examine the damage. The sellers tech, I assume, had unsoldered two of the terminals on three of the power transitors to test them and did not resolder them when he put the unit back together. I did not see this before I plugged it in. Maybe he expected to do the repair, but the seller didn't ok it so that is how it got to me. I have listed below the components that I have determined to be damaged. For anyone interested in helping me out I listed the schematic source above.

I am having difficulty finding the R608 MPC722 three terminal resistor, and I am unfamiliar with the ZD502 and ZD504 diodes and not sure what parts to order. If anyone would care to take a look at the schematic and offer any help or observations I would greatly appreciate it.


Q538,2SC3281Shorted
Q540,2SC3281Shorted
Q534,2SA1302Shorted
Q518,2SC3467Blown
Q522,2SA1370Blown

R602,4.7ohm 1/2 watt F.R.Open
R604,4.7ohm 1/2 watt F.R.Open
R616,330ohm 1/2 watt F.ROpen
R608,.22 ohm + .22 ohm 5 watt C.E.Open on one side
R584,470 ohm 1/4 watt F.R.Open
R562,1K ohm 1/4 watt F.R.Open

D506,1S1588Shorted
D508,1S1588Shorted
ZD502,Zener 1/2W 12.2V ZD50-122Shorted
ZD504,Zener 1/2W 12.2V ZD50-122Shorted

[retrex]

I have finally been able to obtain several of the the R608 MPC722 three terminal resistors. I had been delaying getting the other parts until I was sure I could find this item. I understand that I could probably have substituted something, but I would like to use OEM wherever possible. My next parts hurdle is the power transistors, the 2SC3281 and 2SA1302 pair. I have done some research and found that these transistors, even if they are available, may not be the real thing. I hear that the newer 2SA1943 (PNP) and 2SC5200 (NPN) pair can be substituted in their place. Does anyone know what the differences, if any, in sonic quality of this substitution. Also, I am still not sure what I can use to replace the Zener Diodes. Any help or observations would be much appreciated.

[terra1]

I feel I'm slipping.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SmVAWKfJ4Go&feature=related

So it all comes down to what's gonna be my poison. I looked back into my past, way back into the bygone times. I tried to draw from aging memory what it was that made me smile, what struck me as unique and especially what I remembered as being stuff that I never sampled because it was beyond my means. Macintosh popped into mind immediately, and almost as quickly left. Although now within my means, I remembered Mac as being built like a tank with sound more akin to a humvee. Don't send the hate mail please, I was going on past memory. Sansui came to mind next. I had a 9090 and paid less for it new than what I see them going for on Ebay now, hard to justify that cost for 30+ year old component parts. I liked it but it, but it did not hold any special memories of audio excellence, again no hate mail please. Although it was a beautiful machine when all lit up. I ran Yammie NS1000s(Ebony Wood), AR3as, two separate sets of K Heresy’s, KEF104s, and Dalhquist DQ10s with it. Ok, but been there, done that. Marantz next, a good name but nothing special there for me, no exceptional memories. Ditto for the other stuff I owned, too much to list. Yamaha up next. Good stuff, real good, in its day, but once again aging electronics and from what I've read component level issues. Tandberg, HHScott, HK and all the others wrested from my failing memory all came up short of the gotta have its. One name that came to me that was always out of reach, and from what I remember often referred to as the Japanese Macintosh, but with excellent sound, was Luxman. So I go into research mode and find that the last great era for Luxman was mid to late 80s and in particular they made a receiver, the R-117, which rivaled separates. A high current brute of an amp section with very good audio characteristics. From what I could piece together, this was Luxman’s last statement of excellence before going under the Alpine umbrella. So I go to EBay and score my first Luxman component, a very nicely kept R-117. I also picked up a NIB D-375, and a like new K110W. I liked the R-117 so much that I got an addition two working and one hopefully soon to be working units. The last working R-117 being my pride and joy a NIB unit sold to me by a very nice lady who received it and the DC-113 and another K110W, both also NIB, as anniversary presents but never used them, because she had no room. But that is only half the story. It’s all in the speakers man, the speakers. :)

So you're the one! :thmbsp:

That eBay listing was discussed on the Dollars & Sense board when it was listed. Some were wondering if it was legit. Good to hear everything went ok.

If you are have technical issues, the best thing to do is post them in the Vintage Solid State board and start a thread like Luxman R-117 Fireworks! Need help

Very few techs are going to see your tech requests here in Introductions.

But you described what you have observed and tried which will save techs a lot of time figuring out what happened, so be sure to post all of that.

Eventually, you'll start to recognize some of the tech names.

Welcome!

[McMagMan]

What he said. :D

OK, I guess it's time to come out of the cabinet. So I'm looking around the house and I have the HT, the 2 channel system, the bedroom system, the kitchen system and the garage system. Now I still have all these speakers, amps, rcvrs, & cables etc. scattered around the house not connected to anything. Of course I'm going to put them online to sell this weekend or was that last weekend or last month or last year??? Yep, I'm one too! :yes: Oh and the kicker, I'm sitting here at o-dark-thirty posting on an audio forum. There's no hope, I'm lost. Step 1 is as far as I'll ever get. :smoke: Now what was that I saw over on Agon?
Oh I almost forgot, WELCOME ABOARD!!!
:music: