Hello all. I am very new to this and very intrigued by it. I really like the vintage receivers, the way the look and the way the sound. I was born in 65, so am somewhat familiar with the brand names from back in the heyday of receiver building. I am on my first project and that is a SuperScoper R-330. I've powered it up and it appears to be working fine. All I've been able to test at this time is the tuner and have it hooked up to some Fischer XP-1A speakers. Sounds pretty good. Have some veneer peeling off the cabinet, not torn or in bad shape. Should be able to just glue it back down, any particular type of glue I should use? I've removed the hood and looked inside and it is very clean, some dust but not much. Have a few bulbs out on the dial that I would like to try and replace. Does it matter what size fuselamps I get and do you know of a good source to get them? Would also like to try and clean the knobs up real good but looks like I'll have remove the face plate for that or maybe the bottom? Would like to add a turntable in the near future (any recommendations for that would be appreciated) Don't want to spend big dollars but would like to hear what you all think would be good for someone just starting out. Have spotted a Realistic STA-860 in a thrift store and they want 40.00 for it. Not sure if it works or not but it's in very good shape cosmetically. Thought I might offer them 20.00 and see what they say. Sorry for such a long post, it's my second one. Thanks for reading and hope to get some good advice.
SuperScope R-330
- Thread starter specenka
- Start date
ChrisMarantz
Super Member
I've always liked some of the Realistic Receivers. The STA-860 is a far better receiver than your R-330.
bobaloniny
newt
When you say clean the knobs up, I will assume you mean cleaning the controls and switches themselves. If thats the case, then iirc you can drop the bottom off for access, I know I never took the face off for the 2 Superscope receivers I had here recently.
As to the lamps,send a PM to AK member dgwojo, he would have the correct lamps you need. If you go bigger (voltagewise) then they would display dimmer than intended..another option is to convert it all to LED, I personally wont and havent gone that route, so know nothing about it, but I am sure others could help you out with that.
Gluing down pieces of veneer, not sure..I think I would just dab a little Aileens Tacky Glue (craft dept Walmart) and press it in, cleaning anything that squished out with a kind of wet rag. Put something heavy on it and let it set up for an hour or two. Not the most elegant, but it would work.
Not sure what the budget would be for the turntable, or whether you want direct drive, belt drive or idler drive, so you should maybe get a little more specific with that.
As to the lamps,send a PM to AK member dgwojo, he would have the correct lamps you need. If you go bigger (voltagewise) then they would display dimmer than intended..another option is to convert it all to LED, I personally wont and havent gone that route, so know nothing about it, but I am sure others could help you out with that.
Gluing down pieces of veneer, not sure..I think I would just dab a little Aileens Tacky Glue (craft dept Walmart) and press it in, cleaning anything that squished out with a kind of wet rag. Put something heavy on it and let it set up for an hour or two. Not the most elegant, but it would work.
Not sure what the budget would be for the turntable, or whether you want direct drive, belt drive or idler drive, so you should maybe get a little more specific with that.
Well the SuperScope was free!!! So is the STA-860 worth 40.00??
Brian
An Old Geezer
Nope. Those Superscope are quite nice sounding receivers. For now put the money in something you do not have and want. Or, where the most improvement may be such as speakers. The Fisher speakers are the weaker link. If they have the original Hecht tweeters, the tweeters are well past end of life due to the rubber components. You can improve them with a new tweeter and new caps.
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ChrisMarantz
Super Member
Well, $40.00 it's not a lot of money. For me it would depend on the cosmetics, if it's really worn, then I'd pass on it. Better to wait for a really nice unit that needs repair
bobaloniny
newt
Totally agree, those Fisher speakers werent really all that when they were new, as far as I'm concerned anyway. A different pair of speakers altogether can elevate things to a whole other level.
I project that Superscope will sound very lively, actually somewhat aggressive in its presentation, given a pair of speakers where that can take place. The Fishers of that era are way mellow in what they give,mellow bottom, alot of mid, and rolled off highs. Easy to drive, and good for casual background stuff, you could probably listen for days straight and not get tired.
I think before swapping in tweeters and caps..I would try to find maybe some Minimus 7's and a powered sub.. be some high styling for under $100, or maybe some Advent 3's..something like that. Just my 2 yen.
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Thanks a lot to all of you who replied. Good advice, love hearing everyone's opinions. Chris, the Realistic STA-860 is in very good shape cosmetically but I have no idea if it works or not. Like I said, I may offer them 20.00, the worst that can happen is they can say no. Yes, I would have to agree with you guys on the speakers. They were free too 
I will look to upgrade those and will do some research in addition to what advice has been offered on the speaker topic. Turntable on the horizon as well. I've heard direct drive is the way to go but you'll pay for it from what I've seen. I also know when it comes to this stuff, you need to do some research and make sure you don't overpay. I've heard a lot of good things about audiotechnica but I would rather land a vintage turntable. Not sure what I am going to allow myself just yet. Might wait and see if Santa thinks I was good last year or not Thanks again guys and any more thoughts you might have are much appreciated!!!!
I will look to upgrade those and will do some research in addition to what advice has been offered on the speaker topic. Turntable on the horizon as well. I've heard direct drive is the way to go but you'll pay for it from what I've seen. I also know when it comes to this stuff, you need to do some research and make sure you don't overpay. I've heard a lot of good things about audiotechnica but I would rather land a vintage turntable. Not sure what I am going to allow myself just yet. Might wait and see if Santa thinks I was good last year or not Thanks again guys and any more thoughts you might have are much appreciated!!!!
bobaloniny
newt
I personally wouldnt really go new on the tt, but thats just me. It could definitely be done for around 100 maybe way less.
Vintage direct drive may need the pitch controls cleaned to get stable speed, or a recap. Not all but some. Technics SL Q2 or D2 go for reasonable prices and are pretty well bulletproof. As is the Pioneer PL 518.
Idler drives, its pretty much Dual or Elac. Traditionally speaking, Dual would be more finicky as per required service etc (degrease,grease, clean etc). Elac less so. However, way more support to be had (parts, manuals, etc) for Duals than Elacs.
Belt drive..I dont really know what to keep an eye out for, besides AR (=$$) I have had a few, but kept none. I would guess Pioneer PL 112/115/117 or 514 would be good entry level places to start for not much.
Just a basic food for thought thing..way incomplete of course, but something has to start somewhere.
Vintage direct drive may need the pitch controls cleaned to get stable speed, or a recap. Not all but some. Technics SL Q2 or D2 go for reasonable prices and are pretty well bulletproof. As is the Pioneer PL 518.
Idler drives, its pretty much Dual or Elac. Traditionally speaking, Dual would be more finicky as per required service etc (degrease,grease, clean etc). Elac less so. However, way more support to be had (parts, manuals, etc) for Duals than Elacs.
Belt drive..I dont really know what to keep an eye out for, besides AR (=$$) I have had a few, but kept none. I would guess Pioneer PL 112/115/117 or 514 would be good entry level places to start for not much.
Just a basic food for thought thing..way incomplete of course, but something has to start somewhere.
Great, then buy the Realistic and sell the Superscope to pull some of your money back. The Superscope is rated at 7 watts per channel, and the STA-860 is 65.
Fisher recommended 10 watts minimum for the XP1's. I would want something a bit larger to drive them. 40 bucks isn't bad at all for that receiver, unless it has some serious issues.
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bobaloniny
newt
Plug and play, 30 days as long as it can be counted on, not so bad for a gone through, decent quality, entry level tt. The extra for the new cart is about what they go for online give or take.
