I have always treasured analog audio. I think maybe this mentality comes down from my mother. She buys most of the furniture and appliances once and uses it forever. However, in order to do this she buys it right the first time.
Buying it right doesn't always mean to buy the most expensive item listed but she calculates it by incrementing 10 years. Will this last more than 10 years? Will the value of it increase as it ages? Will the brand still be available in 10 years? She really does consider a lot of this into the purchase and till this day most of my parents furniture at their home is still the same ones since I was born. The fabric they replace it with new ones but the stucture itself is still the same. The applies the same way with her audio equipment... :)
This is her audio system (below pics)... the core. McIntosh Audio....
I didn't even know what it was until I was in high school... and then I was like....daaayyyym momma!!~~~
The Pre-Amp for input - Turn tables, CD players, Tape Players...ect
The Main Amp for the speakers
The entire rack... the very top is a radio tuner
After I was born she was looking for an audio system during the mid 80's. Since my mother is a music major she was an audiophile. I didn't know till I got older but all this time she was using a McIntosh Audio System. The best stuff was right under my nose but I never realized how valuable this brand was.
She gave me the pre-amp when I was moving to Taiwan and with my Vinyls I was ready to have some good quality sound at home. Thanks momma! :) This pre-amp is just as old as I am and while it worked well back in the states. I was having some issues with it when I brought it to Taiwan. The left and right speaker volumes dont match as it should and when I turn the knob it creates a static scratchy sound from the speakers as the volume is going up or down.
I looked it up online and there were a lot of factors on why it can happen.. one of the main I think was because of the humidity. Taiwan is much more humid than Georgia and I have been playing my music here in a humid environment. And the biggest reason for this is because its just OLD. It has never been serviced at all.... that is just amazing. For 30+ years it has been working without a hiccup.
It was time to clean the terminals and since this is an analog system I really wanted to see what was inside of this shell. So here is my post on analog audio system galore.
I wasn't able to find the pictures of the cleaning process however I was able to get a hold of disassembly of the whole unit.
Model : McIntosh C34V Audio/Video Control Center
Online Review : https://www.audioaficionado.org/showthread.php?t=7049
Ebay Resale Value : https://www.ebay.com/p/1808120198
To my surprise this preamp still held its value. It has become vintage now however the cost still is considered pretty high end for how old it is... from 1986.
To think about it I should have placed the turn tables on the bottom for stability. Looking at it now it sure looks unstable. However, since each device is so heavy it was actually more stable than it looked... .still I should change it.
The legendary Technics 1200, This one is an MK5 made at the year I believe 2000... they just never break. Keeps going and going. Made for DJ'ing but perfect for listening to Vinyl as well.
So the quest begins... I have read through the web on disassembly and excited to see what is inside. Keep in mind this is an analog system so I am expecting some steam punk like visuals... ultra complex wiring. :)
Looking at the condition my mom really took great care of this. The knobs and surface are still considered how old it is... its practically scratch free. Nice.
First need to take out all the knobs to clean them after 30+ years of operation. The all metal with a brushed spin finish in the center really makes it look premium.
Time for the main top cover to come off to see the beauty of it all.
Alright top cover removed.. that was pretty easy.
Now that's what I am talking about.... I am about to discover the wired brain maze. :) But before that I need to take out the front face board.
By looking at the reflection it is really well taken care of... I am absolutely surprised cause it was used a lot!
So since the front facia is off time to carefully wrap it up ready it for cleaning and polishing.
Power is everything in audio and the bold print label is the only thing legible here inside the casing.
I have no idea how this was mass produced. It looks like it was all done by hand! To the very circuit boards as well. I can see that the solder is not done by a machine.... which mean every component in there... every wiring layout was all assembled by hand. This is some ultra complex electrical machinery for just audio... Its amazing how now we can put all this into a chip the size of a penny or smaller.
Look at all those transistors, resistors, and capacitors~ Really brings me back to the old days where we can buy these kits to solder them ourselves and create a radio. I wonder if they still exist... it must be a dying art by now.
I can see some handwriting and maybe its was a lot number for passing inspection on these handmade circuit boards. Its so cool to see all those resistors soldered in place.
I have no idea how people will be able to fix this if any of the resistors or practically if any component busts. Not ever sure where to start with when there is a major problem. I would like to have a professional fix it but I also heard that with vintage being so rare, some evil minded people will swap components and try to make it legit. Hearing this I rather take my time to find the right guy for the job. In the meantime I can do some circuit board cleaning myself since I worked with a lot of PC building.
Not really sure if the circuit board cleaning will do any good but I have sprayed and cleaned every bit of rust or oxidation that were around the plugs and every electrical terminal available. It took several days but I didn't have a chance to take pics of those due to the fact that there were so much chemicals being sprayed everywhere.
The sound of contact with the audio cables seemed more connected however the static sound still remained. I think I will try and find an authorized repairman to get the rest of it done... if there is any even left.
I always wanted to share this to our community cause I thought the old analog audio days were so complex yet till this day analog audio is still the best sounding and probably will hold its ground. On the contrary, I have to admit the convenience of digital is just.... the winner when wanting to listen to music on the fly. :)
The best is to have both. hehehe...
Thanks for checking out my post. I will always try to find interesting things that crosses my path and share them with you guys to inspire one another.
Set the Tone!!!!
Cheers!