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taut
23-05-2012, 19:55
A while ago I stumbled on this system on the forum via a google search:

http://theartofsound.net/forum/showthread.php?t=403&highlight=quad+cabinet

And was captivated by the hifi cabinet. I am a bit obsessed with having my system as small and as neat as possible, and really liked the idea of getting wires and clutter hidden out of the way.

A while later, I happened to see a near-identical cabinet for sale near me, with cutouts for a Quad II system and Garrard 301. I don't have Quads and can't afford them, but it so happens that the size of my Marantz Music Link components are near identical, and the part that hold the record player is a removeable plate, so I got it.

I had a local joiner make a plate to fit my Denon DP-80 and fit some supports behind the face plate to support my Marantz components (I presume the Quads stayed in via a flange on their fronts, but I don't really know).

They didn't do a very good job, but as it turns out it there is a more serious hitch - a big plate of asbestos! This was hidden behind a piece of plywood I had to remove to fit the Marantz units in with enough clearance for cables, and was a bit of a nasty surprise. In retrospect, it seems obvious: a hifi cabinet from the 50s would use asbestos to protect from the risk of fire from hot valve amps. As a result, I cannot fit the face plate flush with the cabinet because then I run the risk of disturbing the asbestos. Nor can I remove the plate of asbestos from the cabinet...:doh:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7257445028_acc983b454_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/7257445990_570865ba50_b.jpg

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8143/7257446584_0ecebc215f_b.jpg

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/7257447444_48384222c7_b.jpg

The system comprises of a Marantz SC-22 line level preamplifier feeding a couple of MA-22 monoblocks. Speakers are Technics SB-E200, a hord tweeter/mids design from the late 70s. The Denon DP-80 is my only source, with a DA-309 tonearm (bearings could do with a service) and, for the moment, an Audio-Technica AT-95 cartridge.

I would be using an Accuphase C-220 as my phono-pre, but at it has been off for repair for the last nine months and at the moment I can't seem to get in touch with the repair guy to find out what is going on!

So I am using a very basic Sony battery operated unit from the early 80s. All things considered, it still sounds pretty good!
Roy S
23-05-2012, 20:02
They didn't do a very good job, but as it turns out it there is a more serious hitch - a big plate of asbestos!



How is the Asbestos attached?
taut
23-05-2012, 20:29
There are slots in the panels if the cabinet - it looks as if during manufacture, the asbestos was slid in before the back panel was attached. By the look of things, it would require major woodworking to get it out.
Reid Malenfant
23-05-2012, 21:28
They didn't do a very good job, but as it turns out it there is a more serious hitch - a big plate of asbestos! This was hidden behind a piece of plywood I had to remove to fit the Marantz units in with enough clearance for cables, and was a bit of a nasty surprise. In retrospect, it seems obvious: a hifi cabinet from the 50s would use asbestos to protect from the risk of fire from hot valve amps. As a result, I cannot fit the face plate flush with the cabinet because then I run the risk of disturbing the asbestos. Nor can I remove the plate of asbestos from the cabinet...:doh:
Oh shite, not good stuff to have floating about in the house :doh: As long as it's a slab it's probably not too bad though as it shouldn't give off fibres (someone please correct me if I'm wrong! Please!). The nasty stuff was the blue asbestos or any in a fibre form. I remember that kind of crap on an old coke burning boiler as a kid. Thankfully not blue though :rolleyes:


http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7073/7257445028_acc983b454_b.jpg

At last we get to see those rare Technics speakers - thankyou :)


Do they work ok tucked into those alcoves like that?
walpurgis
23-05-2012, 23:16
I haven't seen a pair of those Technics speakers for donkey's years, nice. Anyway, to your aspestos. Until you've figured out what to do with it, I'd suggest spraying with hair laquer from a moderate distance so as not to blow particles about. This will stabilise the surface. Geoff.
walpurgis
23-05-2012, 23:23
I just knew I'd spelt asbestos wrong. Oh Bum!!
sq225917
23-05-2012, 23:42
Wet wood rot treatment, basically thin epoxy resin, paint it on to seal it forever.
jazzpiano
24-05-2012, 05:33
Sorry to have a different focus but I am captivated by your speakers- And what is the album you have framed? Please tell us something about these speakers. Very nice.

Best,
Barry
Beobloke
24-05-2012, 07:41
All I see when i look at those pictures is the penny on the headshell - aargh! ;)

Seriously, though, that looks a nice job. I must admit I like those cabinets too but there's no point in me even attempting to bring one into the house. It would not be well received!
twelvebears
24-05-2012, 16:50
While I like the idea, that thought of a DD motor unit and armboard attached to a hollow wood cabinet make me fear for the turntable performance. :rolleyes:

It may be made from a solid block of wood or filled with concrete of course....
Barry
24-05-2012, 18:01
All I see when i look at those pictures is the penny on the headshell - aargh! ;)

Seriously, though, that looks a nice job. I must admit I like those cabinets too but there's no point in me even attempting to bring one into the house. It would not be well received!

Ha ha - I noted the penny, but thought it best not comment! :lol:
taut
29-05-2012, 22:05
Hi all!

Yes, the penny is a bit embarrassing. Trouble is, without it I can't seem to get the light magnesium headshell and cartridge to get enough tracking force - so it stays on for the moment till I sort things out properly.

The hollow plinth probably isn't truly ideal from a sonic viewpoint, although the cabinet is made much more solidly than any modern furniture. However, it's a compromise I am prepared to put up with, and at the moment the sound is limited far more by the phono-pre and cartridge than anything else. One day, though, I'd love to get something similar but much more solid made up.

Until then, I think I will take the suggestion of spraying hair lacquer on the plate and hoping for the best - sounds like it is less risky to leave it undisturbed.

Lastly, about the speakers:

When I first started getting into hifi, the one thing I found really hard to get right was the speakers. Amps and decks sound different, better or worse, but I never really came across anything terrible, whereas with speakers I found it far harder to find something satisfactory.

A few years ago, I was living in Germany, where second-hand hi-fi from the early 80s is a bit more plentiful than here, and got a pair of Technics SB-E-100s, to be honest mostly because they looked cool, but they turned out to be the first speakers I was really happy with.

When I moved back to the UK, they got quite badly damaged in transit, which was really gutting. Then I stumbled upon these SB-E200s on a Japanese website (quite cheap) and got them sent over (really expensive, but at least I could trust them to pack them properly so they were safe in transit). They are essentially identical to the SB-E100, but in a wider and lower cabinet designed to be used on top of stands, which has the added beneift of allowing me to use more of the space on the side of the fireplace for record storage.

I'm really happy with them, and can't imagine changing them unless they break.
Marco
29-05-2012, 22:18
Hi Aidan,


Yes, the penny is a bit embarrassing. Trouble is, without it I can't seem to get the light magnesium headshell and cartridge to get enough tracking force - so it stays on for the moment till I sort things out properly.


Lol - here's a radical idea: fit a heavier (and better quality) headshell, thus dispensing with the need for the penny! You're not short on choice of separate headshells these days ;)

Marco.
synsei
29-05-2012, 22:20
Hi Aidan and welcome to AoS ;)

I really like your system it's so different. You can buy headshell weights that fit between the cartridge and headshell if you want to tidy things up a bit, however if your solution works for you then it has only cost you a penny... :lol:

Lovin' the Techie speakers... :cool:
jazzpiano
03-06-2012, 20:35
Hello again Aidan. Can you tell us the name of the Japanese web-site you found the speakers on? Not that I will understand or be able to afford anything, but would be fun to look around...

Best,
Barry
taut
04-06-2012, 09:22
Hi, take a look at:

http://www.hifido.co.jp/KW/G2/P/A10/J/50-50/S0/

They seem like the best source for used hi-fi for non-Japanese (they have someone who speaks English, and can take card payment). However, with the exchange rate at the moment, nothing really worth buying unless you can't get it elsewhere.