I'm new to this site and have been seeing all the nice older equipment alote of people here are using. I am kind of a pack rat, so I have several older recievers and amps etc lying around that were given to me thru the years. I've been inspired by this site to get them out and get at least one fixed up to use. I plan to work on them myself, but wanted to know what order of importance I should give the pieces of equipment? Which one should I focus on first, second, etc? Here's what I've dug up...

1. Realistic STA-850 w/ wood case, in good cosmetic shape but bad output section.
2. Fisher studio standard RS-2003 w/ wood case, in rough shape also bad output. This one I remember finding over 10yrs ago in the weeds off a mountain bike trail I was riding on :D.
3. Marantz 2235b w/ metal case, in decent cosmetic shape. In need of output section repair too.
4. H. H. Scott stereo master 350-c tuner, no case, missing 6EJ7 tube and trim piece in center of tuner dial. Other than that I think it's okay.
5. Scott type 222b stereo amp that goes with #4. Years ago I used it and should still be in working order. No case.

I guess it depends on what you plan to do with them. Are you keeping them or are you going to sell them? What's your repair skills and experience? Are you familiar with tube audio more than or less than solid state?

I'd fix the easist repairs first so you don't get discouraged and then move on to the more challenging repairs. But if you already know that the outputs are bad then you shouldn't have too many troubles isolating the bad components. If you run into snags, well, that's why we're here. Ask questions - most of the AK community are very gracious and willing to help out new members.

The SS receivers, my order would be:

1. Marantz
2. Realistic
3. Fisher

That's just my $.02 worth, mind you.

As pretty much a newby as far as the insides of receivers are concerned I would offer one word of caution before you start.

There are some 'easy fixes' for some problems. Then there are lots of issues that are just not as simple as reading AK makes them sound ! This is especially so if you are like me and, while I enjoy puttering a bit with relatively simple stuff, I don't really have a clue about what makes these electronics work.

I have recently tweaked a Champagne-faced 2215 and a 2216 successfully (simpled main power and filter cap placement...three caps each unit plus come cleaning) but the third unit, another 2216, is proving very troublesome .... to me (I suspect Merrylander or Echowars would just do a laying-on of hands and all would be well but I don't have either their hands or their knowledge). I have cleaned and I have now replaced every capacitor except for the AM-FM board and the unit is worse than when I began !

Personally I'm not sure the Realistic or the Fisher are worth any effort, and I don't know about the two Scott units.

The Marantz 2235B is a unit well worth repairing .... but whether you really want to cut your teeth on a nice piece of gear or simply find a decent tech to do it for you is another question. Me, I would try the simple stuff but would not be afraid to give the job to someone else if it is beyond your means. On my troublesome 2216 that is where I am and only my stubbornness causes me to spend more with a tech to repair the unit than it has a $$ value ! !

But back to the Marantz .... do what you have to do to get it working....you will definitely enjoy it. If you can do it yourself, great ! Have at it. But I would hesitate to go too far unless you really understand what you are doing. I think I have replaced a lot of perfectly good capacitors .... and I still don't have a working unit. On the other hand, the first tow units I played with worked out OK ... but this is not really an activity where '2 out of 3' really is a valid rationalization.

GOOD LUCK !

I plan to keep and use whatever I can get working. Unless I get them all going, then I won't need all of them.

I haven't worked with tubes really at all. I have worked on plenty of solid state stuff. Mostly industrial linear and switching power supplies and older servo motor drives. Not extremely successful with home audio amp section repair yet, but have had better success with car audio amps (though I've never had schematics or service manuals for any of the audio stuff). Most of the car audio amps were power supply problems though.
I was leaning towards the Marantz too, I have an extreme advantage already having found the service manual pdf on this site with schematics :thmbsp:.

The Realistic looks like an early 80s unit. It might be pretty nice, some of their receivers even through the late 80s are pretty well regarded. I'd love to have that Marantz, though.

I'd go with the Scotts stuff first.. but I like tubes is my reasoning..

here are some more pics of the realistic. It really is a handsome unit. I did work on this unit years ago, but not extensively. I know at least the final stage on one channel was burned out, if I remember correctly.

here are more pics of the Fisher. I worked on it years ago briefly. Must have thought one of the output ICs was bad.
I knew that being outside for awhile didn't mean it couldn't ever work again. I found 2 Fender Rhodes super satellite speaker cabinets that were outside so long they were quite rotten. I saved the amps out of each and have been using one to drive an 8" sub for years. Only needed minor repair for corrosion.

I've started working on the Marantz. When powered up, the relay on the power board (p800) doesn't click in. The left channel NPN final stage output transistor H001 gets quite hot after a short time. I pulled the main amp board (p700) and started checking components on that channel. Here's what I know so far...
All the final stage transistors (H001, 002, 003, 004) test good as far as basic junction drops. All the electrolytics on the board are in spec. The thermistors (r727, 728) are both similar reading. The power resistors are in specs, the trim pots seem fine. The inductor for left matched the right side. I started working my way back thru the transistor stages and found H705 testing bad in and out of circuit. I have 6 more small transistors to check on that channel.

Edit; I decided to start a seperate thread on this adventure.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=208838

Here's a realistic sta 850 on ebay, it says Sansui under brand. Is that a misprint, or did Sansui make the innards?

http://cgi.ebay.com/Realistic-STA-850-AM-FM-Stereo-Receiver_W0QQitemZ360082167486QQcmdZViewItemQQptZR eceivers_Tuners?_trksid=p3286.m20.l1116

My opinion is that the Scott pieces will have the best sound.

get the scotts working, then tinker with the marantz.

I'd go with the Scott units. In fact, if you decide to do something else first I'll be glad to take the Scotts off your hands:D:deal:

I'm going to see if I can locate a tube for the Scott tuner, since that may likely be the only thing keeping it from working.

PM me... I have a number of 6EJ7s, I think...

My thoughts are with those who recommend fixing the Scott pieces. First off, it's probably EASIER to fix than any of the solid-state stuff, and secondly, as was mentioned, it'll probably sound better. Thirdly, it'll probably bring WAY more in relative resale value (amount you can sell it for vs. amount to fix) compared to the other stuff, should you decide you don't want it, later...

Regards,
Gordon.

The Marantz is the best of the bunch. I don't know how your troubleshooting skills are, but here is a suggestion: why not try your skills on the other receivers? Then when you get more confident, you can repair the Marantz. Good luck and welcome to AK.

Go with the tubes. At least that's what I'd do. I would think they'd be the most musical. :thmbsp:
Steve

Well you can tell by my avatar which ones I would start with. :D Of course Marantz is a no brainer but I am also a sucker for Realistic stuff too. So My answer is fix them all at some point but start with the tube stuff. When it comes time to start on the SS stuff I would suggest doing little sleuthing on each to get an idea of what is the level of difficulty for each and go from there.

mike

Well you can tell by my avatar which ones I would start with. :D Of course Marantz is a no brainer but I am also a sucker for Realistic stuff too. So My answer is fix them all at some point but start with the tube stuff. When it comes time to start on the SS stuff I would suggest doing little sleuthing on each to get an idea of what is the level of difficulty for each and go from there.

mike

Another line of thought would be to practice (or re-practice) on something less valuable, then move up to the Marantz and the tube gear.

I'm already in to my elbows with the Marantz :D. Check this thread for an update http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=208838. If all goes well this afternoon, I'll just be worried about replacing lamps in it. I hope, I hope, my fingers are crossed.

I'm also going to look for a tube today, if I get a chance.

The Marantz lives again :music:. I just ordered a couple tubes for the Scott tuner. I also started looking at the realistic reciever. I wish I had a service manual for it :scratch2:.

....Unless I get them all going, then I won't need all of them.


You're new hear aren't you :)

Oh, listen, that Scott stuff is junk. Send it to me for proper disposal.

[I'm surprised we're into Page 2 and someone hasn't already said it.]

You're new hear aren't you :) I do find myself looking for more vintage recievers lately. I think I'm addicted already :drunk:

I'd go with the Scotts stuff first.. but I like tubes is my reasoning..

+1. Tube stuff is easier to work on as well.

I played with the fisher a little. It needs at least one of the darlington packs replaced. One seems shorted and the other is very quite and distorted. They are stk0040 packs. They seem hard to find, but I can find stk0050 packs all day. Can 40s be upgraded to 50s? Has anyone ever tried this upgrade? They seem to have the same equivalent circuit.

If I can use cheaper stk0050s and that's all it needs, I think It would be worth spending the $15 or so to fix it (but not much more).
It would make an excellent garage stereo.

thanks

It looks like the stk0050 uses a HD2 case and the stk0040 uses HD1 or H01 case. Everything else looks compatible.

I found a possible source for the stk 0040 for $6 each. I also recieved the tube for the scott tuner. I put it in and after reseating all the tubes got it fired up and working. The tuner and amp both need lots of cleaning now.

What's good and safe to use on the tube sockets and switches for poor connection?

well I think i'm gonna give up on the fisher reciever. I can find the stk chips but I have yet to ID one of the bad components, some sort of diode. Here's a thread on it http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=213086

I did get around to working on the realistic sta-850. I got everything repaired on it and am very pleased with it's performance. It has good performing transistor thru the audio stages.

Since you are getting ready to jump into the Scotts soon here is my standard advice. Before powering up go ahead and replace all electrolytic caps and all paper or wax caps (except in the tuner section). Also check carbon comp resistors for drift. Especially look at grid leak resistors as too high a value can lead to the China Syndrome. :) Replacing tired caps is cheap insurance in my book.

mike