PDA

View Full Version : Getting my old hi fi stack humming!!



Oddball
20-08-2014, 13:41
Bought a 400 Triumph series Stack system from Currys in 1976/77 and have used it a lot over that time , but not so much recently.
Its in the sitting room and my other half tends to watch TV classics like Casual -shitey , and other riviting stuff which usually has me on the pc listening to U tube and cd's via some crap headphones !!
Cant beat a nice system ,and I joined to headlong rush to re energise my turntable and get the record cases open for the first time in yrs , and play some vinyl.
My earlier hi fi , was a Ferguson job , which didnt do the vinyl any favours , but they were always handled correctly and in the main are not in bad condition.

On another thread I hi jacked :lol: I asked advise on some better speakers and having jumped at a set of Mission 754's after finding a woofer was duff in the Marantz speakers I had , I was up and running . (Replaced woofer in the old speaker so I can fit them in a second room.
The Turntable is a Rotel RP 510 Direct drive , (badged as Triumph but the same TT) with a basic Audio Technica cart , so as its 30 odd yr old , I replaced it with an Audio Technica AT95 E.
A set of cheap scales , a cork mat , the original brush cleaner , and its set up on a 1.6 gramme weight and sounds good enough for me !!
Whilst waiting for the cartridge I did buy a Ferguson belt drive TT (£45) with a Shure M 75-6s cart on it , and got my daughter to pick it up in the car as it was close to her in Dorset .
replaced the damaged stylus with a US bought M91E , and that sounds nice too , but it only has a DIN plug and no seperate earth wire and consequently you get some feeback on Phono .
I changed back to the Rotel .
The amp is unlike any I have seen , I must take a photo of it ,but did just wonder if it was a Rotel too ! It has horizontal green led type sound level indicators , and is 220 watts , and 50 watts /channel at 8 ohms .
Tape player needs fixing as its stuck in play all the time but who uses them now?
And a JVC cd player .


Is this going to satisfy me or do I need to get the proper bug and spend loads ??? :eyebrows:

Barry
20-08-2014, 16:32
If you are happy with the way it all sounds now Anto, then leave well alone. :)

Should you decide sometime in the future, that there is something that needs improving then come back, explain what it is you are unhappy with, and then perhaps someone here could advise you.

It is very easy to fall into the upgrade trap, whereby you end up spending a lot of money to simply chase your tail. A lot of people have done it, including myself! :doh:

Anyway, congratulations on the work done so far.

synsei
20-08-2014, 16:48
It's been a long while since I listened to a Rotel TT but if memory serves they ain't too shabby at all. When funds allow grab a hyper-elliptical (http://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGATN95HE.html) or Shibata (http://www.lpgear.com/product/LPGATN95SA.html) stylus for your AT95 from LPGear which will lift its performance into a different league. At todays exchange rate the HE stylus will cost you £50.04 and the Shibata version would be £78.13 ;)

Audio Al
20-08-2014, 17:34
Most people try and eliminate hum :)

Macca
20-08-2014, 18:10
Let's see a picture of the mystery amp.

Oddball
20-08-2014, 18:17
Most people try and eliminate hum :)

Ha , yes , I realise that :) !!
Have not got around to taking the Fergie to bits to try and ground the negative outputs. I take it thats all the ground wire does? The deck came as a not working parts , but some dealer ran me up to my max of £42 ,wether that was for the Shure Cart I dont know , but the people selling it were clearing out their dads Hi fi stuff and it was sold at the same time as a Pioneer PL 12D I think , also for parts and that made £68 !!
The Ferguson has a really nice S shaped arm ,but I dare say I will sell it on if I get another spare TT
http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj205/anthyyyyy/Ferguson_zps38402b49.jpg (http://s273.photobucket.com/user/anthyyyyy/media/Ferguson_zps38402b49.jpg.html)

Oddball
20-08-2014, 18:21
The Rotel TT is not that bad at all , but I dont think it has the quality of some of the better Rotel ones which look (can be deceiving I know ) quite nice .

Its exactly the same as this but badged a Triumph

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rotel-RP-510-Direct-Drive-Vintage-Turntable-Record-Player-Deck-Shure-Cartridge-/261568731715?hash=item3ce6b61a43#ht_768wt_1399