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Calling all Optonica fans

classic carl

classic carl

Without Music, Life Would B FLAT.
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I just returned from picking up these three pieces of gear on the local CL. Does anyone have any experience with any of these items?

125 wpc monster receiver SA-5905
quartz-lock direct drive turntable RP-7705 (this is way too cool)
cassette deck RT-6205

I've been doing some research and it appears that this brand is well regarded and somewhat rare. The TT and receiver both look rather interesting. The build quality seems robust.

Did I mention that the receiver is a monster? All are in top notch condition bought from the original owner. They haven't been used in years, but everything appears to work as it should, except for an issue with the FF and RW on the tape deck, which basically was a throw in. It plays and sounds fine, but may need a belt for the fast functions.

The receiver has a switch for the tuner section that not only turns off the dial light, I believe it turns off the entire circuit.

The TT has a second arm that rides next to the tonearm with a sensor of some sort and there are controls to select individual tracks on the record. Everything seems to work, but I need to test it further. It has an AT cartridge, but I don't know which one.

I'm posting the photos from the CL ad until I can take some of my own. Now, out to the car to retrieve these beauties. It finally stopped raining. :banana:

More photos added to post #22 and #23.
 

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I have no experience with those particular models, but I do own an Optonica 4545 integrated amp. Extremely well built, and is one of the better sounding "mass-market" amps I've owned. Especially good phono stage.

I've recapped it, and did a total overhaul of the phono stage. I would put it up against any integrated amp produced by Pioneer, Kenwood, Marantz, etc. From the little bit of research I've done, Sharp shut down the Optonica experiment after only a few years. It appears that they entered the market a bit late, just as the exchange rate was beginning to cut heavily into the profits of Japanese manufacturers.
 
Very nice find. My first ever decent stereo setup was made by Optonica which comprised of a receiver,cassette deck,and TT. My nan gave it to me for my birthday back in 1982. I've still got it,and it more-or-less still works fine.
 
I'm really liking the look of the receiver with it's power meters and stepped volume knob. The TT has a heavy glass lid that won't stay in the up position, but the lid and hinges lift right out of slots at the rear. There may be an adjustment to the tension, but I'm not seeing it. I'm not a fan of leaving dust covers on tables while I'm using them anyway. Very cool design to this one.
 
Optonica

I sold all of those units new in my store back in the day. I still have some optonica in my stash. It was always a great line that Sharp tried to get into the audio world.. Great stuff and fantastic score.:banana:
 
How does that turntable sound? Local thrift shop had a nice one several years ago, but they also had a mint KD550 Kenwood, so bought the Kennie.

That table sure looked nice.
 
It sounded fine at the sellers house through headphones. I haven't had a chance yet to hear it through speakers at home. I just played it enough to make sure all of the functions worked.
 
Fantastic find! Optonica was extremely well designed and beautiful to look at. Love those tear drop knobs. My everyday system is a SM-4646 Amplifier, and a RP-4705 TT like yours but without the tracking arm. Currently running Advent Anniversary speakers. I’m adding a ST-3636 tuner to this.
My other Optonica system consists of a RT-5405 receiver in black another RP-4705 TT, RT-6505 cassette deck and Advent Laureates. The receiver looks like yours but at 65 or 85W can’t remember.
I see complaints on the internet about the opto lock system. I’m not sure what that’s about. It works fine for me. Would like to hear more about yours after you get them set up.
 
A friend of mine has that tt.

It is as lovely sounding as it looks. Fantastic score!

And welcome, Ranchman!
 
Ranchman said:
Fantastic find! Optonica was extremely well designed and beautiful to look at. Love those tear drop knobs. My everyday system is a SM-4646 Amplifier, and a RP-4705 TT like yours but without the tracking arm. Currently running Advent Anniversary speakers. I’m adding a ST-3636 tuner to this.
My other Optonica system consists of a RT-5405 receiver in black another RP-4705 TT, RT-6505 cassette deck and Advent Laureates. The receiver looks like yours but at 65 or 85W can’t remember.
I see complaints on the internet about the opto lock system. I’m not sure what that’s about. It works fine for me. Would like to hear more about yours after you get them set up.
Click to expand...

I'm looking forward to hooking it all up, but I don't really have a place for it until my son moves out in the near future. He just started his first out of college job last week and has started to look for a place.
We plan to make a workout room in his BR, so it will go in there. I want to connect it where it sits temporarily, but I have to buy an extension cord first. I don't have one long enough in my stash.
 
Classic Carl Life is funny your son is moving out and your getting a room. My son just moved back in and I'm giving up my music room. At least he has a good job. Just some hard times.
 
I have a Optonica SM1400 integrated. Very nice little piece with a sweet sound to it. I've debated on restoring it... Perhaps I should!
 
Those are made by Sharp, which is generally considered a low end company, but they can do what they want. They had decent engineers. All they have to do is tell them to do quality instead of cheap. I guess they did because I hear good things about them.

Sharp also made audio, even separates under the Sharp name, but I really doubt they were the quality of Optinica. One thing they did that was really interesting was a turntable that could play both sides of an LP. (probably a 45 as well of course) At the end of a side it would take the aarm back and around the back and the spindle motor woud reverse and it wold play. It also had the track seek so you didn't have to do your own cueing.

Sonically those were not all that good for sure. We sit here and put weights in the middle or a record and make sure the mat is just right and the right material and all this, and they don't even have a platter. They clamp on it like a CD player. Plus the record sat vertically so the in phase bass is feeding back just right for it to howl like a wolf at the moon. However these were low power all in one systems, not an Optonica.

Just though you might be interested.

Actually playing both sides of a record is "kewl" but it is not the first time, it was done in juke boxes back in the old days. I mean with tubes when there was no choice. Yup, tubes running those solenoids and all that instead of a chip and a few transistors. There was a reason they cost so much.

Anyway, there is no doubt those Optonicas are rare, they had a very low market share and low production of course as a result. Start having too much stuff fin the warehouse and guess what, layoffs.

One hting I doubt ould be really good woud be Sharp speakers. I just can't see them building speakers on par with what we're used to. Of course i could be wrong.
 
I'm going to hook this system up today and test it further. I'll be using Polk SDA CRS speakers, since they are the only ones in my house not presently being used. I haven't heard this gear on anything but headphones yet.
 
Nice find! I came across that same cassette deck (without the wood side panels) that has the same problem yours does.

Guessing it needs a belt as well.
 
I've got that receiver good power and sound but the Opto-lock tuning sucks.You'll see what I mean if you use the radio and there's no way to turn it off.
 
I listen to my SM1515 integrated all the time. It sounds and looks amazing, and is still 100% original.

I'm always scouring CL for more Optonica gear but I haven't found anything else yet.
 
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