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Here are some useful links: Link; Link; Link. The Marantz cost about $58 using good quality replacements. I did a H/K 330B for $9.58. The Marantz 2285 I am working on cost about $90 for parts.

 

You will need a decent soldering iron; solder sucker; desoldering braid; lead solder; flux; and most importantly a multimeter. Here is another gear thread. Most of the manuals are available on Hifiengine. What you can't find there you can check the forums or Sams. Manuals on Fleabay should be an absolute last resort.

 

I would recommend going to a local thrift store and getting some practice junker units. It will take you some time to good at it and you certainly don't want to screw up your good unit. I still don't know anywhere near enough to do more than replace the parts and do basic troubleshooting. Fortunately for people like us, there are a lot of very helpful and knowledgeable persons on the forums who are always willing to lend a hand. Edit: Forgot about the Dim Bulb Tester.

For $25 it could be worth it, but you'll probably want to look at it and/or ask for a demonstration first. Like /u/AmadeusK482 said, parts such as the headshell or cartridge make or break a deal, and if they're missing it could cost you a good amount for a replacement (an entry level cartridge like the AT95e costs ~$50 for example). Ultimately it probably is a step up from you're current TT, but before you pull the trigger shop around a little bit and make sure you know you're getting a clean and functional table.

On a side note, if you're concerned about the amount of wear you're putting on your records, you might want to consider investing in a tracking force gauge like this or this. This will let you see the amount of pressure the LP60, or any TT you upgrade to, puts on your records. As general rule of thumb a vertical tracking force of under 4g is considered healthy, but the ideal weight varies according to the specific cartridge.

Looks like that stereo only puts out 50 watts total, so 25 watts per channel. That's pretty low, but it shouldn't hurt your speakers. You could use the stereo and those speakers to play cds, stuff off your phone, etc. What you cannot do at this point is use this stereo with your dad's turntable. A turntable outputs at very low power. You could plug it into the stereo aux input, but the sound would be very small. You have two options if you want to use the turntable, first you could buy a phono preamp. I wouldn't spend less than 50 dollars and at that range this one is recommended often. You would plug the turntable into this preamp, and then use rca cables to plug the preamp in to the stereo. That would work.... okay. The stereo will still be your real weak point here. So your other option is to find a different receiver with a built in phono preamp. What did your dad use to power to turntable and speakers? If he has an old receiver left over from the 80s, it could be a real gem! Even if it is a lower end receiver from back then, it will probably produce much better sound than that Walmart stereo. If he doesn't have the receiver anymore, go check out thrift shops. You can almost always find vintage stereo equipment for pretty cheap at thrift shops and flea markets. Look for names you've heard of before and you'll probably be fine. See if they will let you test it first. Make sure it powers on, hook it up to some cheap speakers if they let you and see what kind of noises it makes. Turn the dials. A lot of old receivers will produce static when you turn the dials, but this is an easy fix (spray it with deoxit!). Even if you can find like a Denon or Onkyo or something from the black plastic era, if it has a phono input you'll be better off.

Dirt cheap, low on features but OK quality: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/9141

Avoid the Wal Mart multimeter...I'm not happy to see a non category rated meter from GE of all companies. It's actually a rip off at $20....I've seen similar meters online for $5 and had the unfortunate experience of using one.

http://www.amazon.com/Extech-EX430-Autoranging-Multimeter-Capacitance/dp/B0000WU1AC

The Extech 430 is a good all rounder. It's Cat III with auto ranging and has bare bones capacitance and frequency counting. True RMS measurement allows you to measure AC things other than just 60Hz sine waves. (you need true RMS for checking amp output at 1kHz among other things) I own one and aside from the nasty yellow-green backlight and somewhat short battery life, it rocks. Comes with a temperature probe too, which you'll find useful.

If you're serious and want data logging without going all out on a $300-500 industrial meter from the likes of Fluke, give this a try. It looks cool as heck but possibly has a bit of a learning curve due to the menu instead of a dial. Cat III to 600V too. It does everything the Extech 430 does and more. https://www.circuitspecialists.com/dm620.html


Soldering Irons...

The classic pencil tip "fire starter": https://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2062758&filterName=Type&filterValue=Soldering+irons

You get what you pay for there but I've fixed many things with ones just like this. Larger joints may need more heat, they make 40 and 60W irons for that. Tip life on these cheap irons is poor. Poor tips make poor joints. Replace them if they go bad. Do not sharpen one.

BUT...instead of having 3 low quality irons knocking around the shop, I recommend people go straight for an adjustable heat soldering station like this one: https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10707

Buy a couple spare tips if you order a soldering station. Local availability of these is nil. The stations usually have better irons, heat control that actually works and far better tips.

This soldering station and its more expensive digital counterpart, the WESD51 are a bit pricey. On the other hand, they're totally awesome and the gold standard in many shops: http://www.amazon.com/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU

Once you get a station, you'll wonder how you ever got along without one. Good tools make the best repairs.

I'm glad to assist as I'm a fanboy of this type of Technics turntable. I have an old hobby of restoring and collecting Japanese TTs and there's an SL-10 in my collection. I'd love to have an SL-7 too, however I'm falling behind in the "restore" area the last few years.

You will need a phono preamp since the SL-7 does not have one built in, and neither do your Miccas. The sky's the limit on phono preamp prices, however they're a rather simple beast so even the cheapest ones work pretty damned well. To keep things simple for now I'd recommend this one for sixteen bucks.

https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-PP999-Phono-Turntable-Pre-Amp/dp/B00025742A

Assuming the SL-7 is good to go and has a cartridge/stylus with some life left in it, that'll be all you need to make music. Your Miccas have amplification built in, so that's it.

If you do need a new P-mount cartridge, this one is very good for the $27 it costs. It's what I have on my SL-10 because I can't afford high-end carts on everything. Be aware there's a small screw that holds it in place on that little tonearm and it must be completely removed first. It's hard to see, so people have ripped off the entire arm trying to pull the cartridge free.

https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT92ECD-Universal-Replacement-Cartridge/dp/B00006HO3L

Last thing I should mention, there are two plastic ears on the SL-7 that are a failure point, since all examples of this turntable are very old now. They latch the lid to the lower portion, or plinth. Treat them very gently as there are no replacements for them.

What's your budget for a TT? Are you looking for something new? Would you like something that matches the era of the rest of your setup? There's quality in every era and something decent in a lot of price ranges with tons of opinions all over the place.

Personally I'll recommend the Audio Technica AT-LP60BK. It's from a respected brand, audiophile reviews are glowing, and the thing is built solidly. There's not much of a better value for something new at $100. You can be up and running in a couple days.

That said, the joy of vintage is finding something old and special for a steal. If you're patient, you can almost always get something better than what you can buy new, and even with all the advances in electronics over the last 45+ years, I still like the sound of my old pioneer TT that I got for $60 over a new one that cost $300. But that kind of find takes time. All depends on what you want.

Yeah i really like the true vintage look and sound. I picked up a HomeSpot NFC-Enabled Bluetooth Audio Receiver for Sound System for my AUX needs, works pretty good $15 although i haven't found a way to make it so i don't have to unplug it and plug it back in every time i want to use it lol. I have seen those stands around and they seem pretty popular. I was thinking either those or maybe some wire stands like these ikea ones i like the stance of the speakers, but these stands don't seem to be around anywhere. Anyone know of any that look like that or know where i can snag a pair?

Do you need speakers too, or just a record player? If you need both, I'd recommend this setup. I have the same record player but a slightly older version of these speakers. It's nothing fancy, but it's all ready to go right out of the box & in my opinion it sounds great. I'm not a hardcore serious audiophile, so I'm sure there are much better options out there, but they're gonna cost you way more than $200.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008872SIO/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NXAEPDC/ref=sspa_dk_detail_0?psc=1&pd_rd_i=B00NXAEPDC&pd_rd_w=y7bqO&pf_rd_p=45a72588-80f7-4414-9851-786f6c16d42b&pd_rd_wg=lGFOc&pf_rd_r=RR2Q11QK2JZVHPHWXPCV&pd_rd_r=cc3b9316-4e6b-4706-8fae-f33bd7d9f922&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUEzN0xVUzZGVDlLS0hQJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwOTA0ODczQ1ZBM0xHQlVZSUczJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTA0MDc3OTgzRFQzVFNHTE5BMFIyJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfZGV0YWlsJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==

angros-official is correct; but i would add that you can use a paintbrush along with the hose attachment to a vacuum cleaner. hold the hose close to where you're working and there all the dust goes.

before spending any real money on this thing, get a can of deoxit and clean all the knobs and switches with it.

something as dirty as this, i would not be surprised if both channels were mucked up just at the pots and switches level.

i'd like to add that this receiver is a beauty and should clean up well. 70 watts per side was a whole hell of a lot in 1976. definitely worth a little time and money.

I personally use the Shure M97Xe phono cartridge, on a 1970's vintage Technics SL-1200 MkII turntable hooked up to the phono input of a 1970's Marantz 2230B receiver. I use a Focusrite 2i2 for analog to digital conversion, hooked up to the Marantz's tape out. I capture and edit in Audacity.

I use the Marantz with a pair of '80s vintage DCM bookshelf speakers in nearfield fed audio from my desktop computer's soundcard into the receiver's tape monitor circuit.

The Marantz was a thrift store find that I cleaned, adjusted and replaced the capacitors in. The DCM speaker's woofers were refoamed with Simply Speakers refoam kits as well as the capacitors replaced in the crossovers.

The Technics turntable has a modern cartridge installed as most vintage phono cartridges would be a downgrade. Fresh manufacture is your friend here as the rubber suspension would be suspect on a new old stock cartridge and the diamond styli wear out, ruling out used cartridges with unknown use and wear (my vintage records are more important!). I also replaced the cue light on the Technics and repalced the DJ style platter mat with a more appropriate Technics OEM mat.

For my time and effort of restoring my vintage gear, I find it sounds better than entry level audiophile gear. It also is easier to service (for me) and looks just cool (IMHO).

I love my vintage gear, but there is nothing wrong with his amp, and there are a ton of decent cheap phono amps out there.

​

It will be hit or miss finding decent vintage equipment for $200, unless you are lucky or know what you are doing, & his Yamaha should put out a clean 80 watts per channel. I'd suggest a cheap amp for $20. He could easily wind up with a downgrade in sound by blindly picking a $200 vintage unit.

​

Yep, all inherited, along with a Shure SFG-2. I didn't know how to use it, but it was pretty evident after reading the manual. I think I scaled it to about 1g or so, anyhow lower than what the manual said. Both of my cartridges still had the original packaging and documentation that cam along with them. One is a Micro-Acoustics 2002e and the other is a Grado Series "8". :)

Well, if you can use the lab and it has a scope in it then you just scored big time.

As far as $100. I would get:

(amazon links for convenience, use any supplier you wish)

• DMM (digital multimeter) - must have diode check, DC volts, AC volts, Ohms, and continuity. Extech EX330 ($50) or Equus 3320 ($20)
  
  
• clip leads for the meter such as these - these are important because you will need to take values while the amp is on, and you don't want to be poking around a live amp
  
  
• variable power/temp soldering iron - cheap one good one better one
  
  
• 60/40 leaded solder - I like this kind
  
  
• desolder braid
  
  
• rosin flux
  
  
• contact cleaner
  
  
• (de-oxit d-5)[http://www.amazon.com/Hosa-D5S6-Deoxit-Contact-Cleaner/dp/B00006LVEU/]
  
  
• flush cutters
  
  
• solder sucker
  
  
• shrink tube of various diameters
  
  
• 92%+ isopropyl alcohol
  
  
• windex
  
  
• q-tips
  
  
• paper towels
  
  
• needle nose pliers
  
  
• nice set of phillips head screwdrivers
  
  
• standard screwdriver
  
  
• miner's headlamp
  
  
• digital camera for taking many many pictures before and during disassembly
  
  
• printer for printing service manuals
  
  
• heat gunor hair dryer
  
  
• canned air
  
  
  EDIT: Light bulb socket, 100W + 60W real light bulbs (not the hippy engery saving kind), electrical outlet - these are for making a dim bulb tester.
  
  All I can think of right now.

I had a good friend recommend the Shure M97xe http://www.amazon.com/Shure-M97xE-High-Performance-Magnetic-Cartridge/dp/B00006I5SB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1409524694&sr=8-1&keywords=shure+m97xe+cartridge

Opinions?

That metal tube I believe is the AM Antenna. What you can do is buy something called an FM Antenna. It looks something like this. That is American side, I do not know the UK equivalent. I would recommend just going into your generic audio parts shop (Whatever the UK equivalent of radio shack is and getting help).

Second you need to fix your speakers. Put both on A Speaker Right and Left. Or B Speaker R + L but not as it currently is B Speaker Right and A Speaker L. A + B speakers are there for you to hook up two sets of speakers and allows you to change from A to B speakers via dial or you can use both A + B speakers together although the volume will be a little less overall since you are trying to power more.

Bluetooth dongle is this one:

http://www.amazon.com/HomeSpot-NFC-Enabled-Bluetooth-Receiver-System/dp/B009OBCAW2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1413776582&sr=8-1&keywords=bluetooth+receiver

Can't beat it for the price! I have had pretty great results with it.

That’s beautiful. You may want to consider using some of this on it to make it look really nice.

Jim knows what you're looking for, OP.

I've found the parts you'll want to get as well. It's definitely a real budget set up, but it'll get you started.

Phono preamp

Patch cable (from phono to iHome)

Just plug the turntable into the phono input, then use the patch cable to go from the phono's output and into your iHome, and you're good to go.

thank you! i wasn’t sure if it was standard or not. any recommendations on a headshell? i think i might go with this audio technica one.

Audio-Technica AT-HS1 Universal Headshell for LP120-USB, LP240-USB, and LP1240-USB Direct-Drive Turntables https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0048XFL18/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_dt-PDb54DATD0

There are tiny slots in the EQ sliders where you would spray the contact cleaner order Deoxit D5 on Amazon. Use the link below to learn how to use it to clean the volume control.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/the-idiots-guide-to-using-deoxit-revisited.207005/

Hehehehe...

What you said: "First guesses? Input differential pair transistors have drifted in gain with respect to each other or you have a leaky coupling cap."

What I heard: : "Blah freaking blah blah la di da blah loo de loo blah transistors yadda yadda whatever gain la de doo blah blah blah coupling cap."

I have far to go.

Also - this is what I was going to get: http://www.amazon.ca/Weller-WES51-Analog-Soldering-Station/dp/B000BRC2XU/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1404330430&sr=8-1&keywords=weller

$125 CDN. I can do that. I don't wanna, though. My Radio Shack 40 watt station gets terrible reviews, and I think I might upgrade.

I'll look into the little Weller. Thanks!

Oh, then I will ask "what's a coupling cap?" Those the big ones between the PS and the main boards?

You can get serviceable speakers very cheap. If you don't want to go through the legwork of buying used: https://www.parts-express.com/6-1-2-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-pair-and-hi-fi-mini-amplifier-bundle--300-6534 AND https://www.amazon.com/Pyle-Phono-Turntable-Preamp-Preamplifier/dp/B004HJ1TTQ/

Or just go to a couple of garage sales and buy the speakers + receiver you'll inevitably come across at one of them. Just make sure it has a phono input and you're good to go.

EDIT: I see you already have that amp. You won't need the receiver then. Just a phono preamp and speakers. https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-b652-6-1-2-2-way-bookshelf-speaker-pair--300-652 For the Dayton speakers alone. For $42 with the phono preamp, you're up and running.

You can simply use a pair of wires, other wise there are other compact dipole antennas around that can sit behind it.

https://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-FM-Dipole-Antenna/dp/B000M9EREE

It all depends on your budget. A super highly recommended pair of new speakers are these Pioneers, but they might be a little too big to hang on the wall. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008NCD2LG/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B008NCD2LG&linkCode=as2&tag=bldi-20

Good thinking. I put this guy in my cart earlier today. Maybe I'll have to bite the bullet.

Something like this?

Thank you so much! I am looking at the Audio technica AT92ECD in this link: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-AT92ECD-Universal-Replacement-Cartridge/dp/B00006HO3L/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1419799964&sr=8-3&keywords=phono+cartridge I dont suppose there is any way you could tell me how to install it in the head? There dont appear to be any holes to screw it in.

Sheesh, actually I just checked and it is like $15 a can now, price must've gone way up. I bought mine like 5+ years ago and it's still got plenty left but I have used it on lots of stuff.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00006LVEU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1459267926&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=deoxit&dpPl=1&dpID=41esA2w9C%2BL&ref=plSrch

It isn't the speakers. If they sound okay with your iPad, they should sound okay with the turntable. If the tt RCA cord is removable, try a different cord. Also, make sure the record you are using is in good shape, or try another one if you can. Another option is to plug some headphones into the amp, and see if that reproduces the crappy sound. Lastly, you can spray de-oxit electrical contact cleaner onto the phono contacts to clean them. Let it dry (a few minutes tops) and try again. If your phono input is dead, you can get one of those external phono inputs and run it through an aux or tape input.

Any chance you have a preamp you can fit in the middle of that run? Of course, you'll have to plug into your amp thru the AUX or a tape input instead, since you'll have (more or less) a line-level signal after the preamp.

I use a cheap Pyle preamp with my Kenwood receiver (the phono stage sucks on it).

Do you have the platter?

Belts are here: http://www.lpgear.com/category/P4.html

...and you'll need a new headshell in addition to a cart: http://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-ATHS1-Universal-Headshell-AT-HS1/dp/B0048XFL18

Kill-a-watt. Every home owner should own one.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00009MDBU/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1422372206&sr=8-1&dpPl=1&dpID=41I8LHj5wJL&ref=plSrch&pi=AC_SY200_QL40

Actually right now on sale below $100, http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B008NCD2LG/ref=redir_mdp_mobile?SubscriptionId=AKIAJ7T5BOVUVRD2EFYQ&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=B008NCD2LG&linkCode=xm2&pc_redir=1413805375&tag=camelalerts-20

Coax is ~75 ohm impedance; Twin lead antenna cable is ~300 ohm. You can strip coax to connect it to the 75 ohm lugs, or you can buy a matching transformer to connect it to the 300 ohm lugs:

https://smile.amazon.com/300-Ohm-UHF-Matching-Transformer/dp/B0002ZPIOG

I use this stuff for all of my wood.

https://www.amazon.com/Howard-FW0016-Feed-N-Wax-Conditioner-16-Ounce/dp/B001BKQYGW

http://www.amazon.com/IEC-Speaker-Wire-Pair-Males/dp/B003U46G8I/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1393720185&sr=8-2&keywords=rca+to+speaker+cable

You will need one of these

https://www.amazon.com/300-Ohm-UHF-Matching-Transformer/dp/B0002ZPIOG

Here is the desktop version of your link

http://www.amazon.com/Parts-Express-FM-Dipole-Antenna/dp/B000M9EREE/

This is probably would I would get (and plan to in the near future).

If this was /r/vinyl they would tell you minimum [This one] (https://www.amazon.com/Audio-Technica-Magnet-Phono-Cartridge-AT95E/dp/B004NRVUMI). I forget where but someone did a test on cheap cartridges whether or not they're a good value. The ones for $3 on ebay seem to do the job if you want to listen to records.

edit: [Found the video] (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nsPGILzrRs)

I see, that would be the smarter choice yes. Too bad, I really wanted this turntable. There are Step down AC converters from 230V 50Hz to 110V but it doesn't specify anywhere if the frequency output is 50Hz or 60Hz. :/

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Step-Down-Converter-230-115v-100W/dp/B000L99ZJ2

Hello, I recently did the same with a Marantz turntable. 120volt US model. I’m using a step down converter bought from amazon. Reviews of it are a bit hit & miss but it works. I was told to make sure you attach the ground wire from the TT to the amp to avoid any interference. My Marantz is a direct drive (not belt) so there’s been no problems (that I’ve noticed) so far with the speed.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Step-Down-Converter-230-115v-100W/dp/B000L99ZJ2

Hope this helps.

You'll need to stick some RCA males onto the ends of your speaker wire. You can buy them from Amazon, or if you're really lazy you can even buy lengths of speaker wire with them already attached.