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I would not be surprised.

Glad to hear it!

Thanks for your kind words!

As for the length of the screws, that I cannot attest to. But as for the insulation of the screws, as I said in reply to your other comment, the transistor sockets usually have raised rims that fit into the holes in the heatsink, and they act as bushings to insulate the screws.

Because.

If it were mine, that's what I'd do as well. But, the client wanted to keep the 5AR4, so that's what we did.

I don't know Bill, but I can tell you that some Dual turntables have no ground wire from the factory. That can be undone and a ground wire can be added, but your friend may not be changing anything. Some Duals just come that way.

Thanks for your suggestion!

The Dragon is one of the Nak's that I don't work on. To do justice to their transports you have to have alignment jigs and tools I do not have. That said, the Nak I always wanted was the 582. came really close to buying one a couple of weeks ago, and then a Pioneer CT-F950, rebuilt four years ago my a tech whom I trust completely - ahem - fell into my lap.

Check the two links in the description.

@phillipfaircloth3807 You'll see more tomorrow. Ryan, and young folks like him, are the future of keeping our favorite old gear running. I'm really proud of him.

There will be another video of him tomorrow, and perhaps another Wednesday. He repaired two units today! In another year he'll be taking a lot of work away from me, but that will mean people get their stuff fixed faster, and someone will be around to do it after I'm gone.

Glad you liked it.

Thanks!

If it doesn't hum, then you're good!

@@melockavich9596 I used to do the same thing when I had mine!

OH, my. Yes, what' you're seeing is called "sticky-shed syndrome," or "SSS." I'll try to explain it here, but it's probably going to be kind of long-winded. It needs a video of its own. So recording tape is made up of either three or four layers. Older tapes had three layers; the clear plastic backing, the brown oxide that the music gets recorded on, and a binder, or glue, that holds them together. In the early 1970's, two changes were made. First, whaling was banned worldwide, and as the binder was made from whale oil, they had to come up with a synthetic alternative, which they did. Second, the fourth layer was added to higher quality tapes, a black graphite or carbon layer on the back of the tape, referred to as "back-coating." This combination would later lead to sticky-shed syndrome. The new binder material turned out to be hygroscopic, which means it absorbed water out of the air. This would not have been much of a problem, as the tape is packed tightly in layers on the reel, so air can't easily get in. This is where that back coating comes in. The back coating lets air and moisture get into the tape pack, where the moisture is absorbed by the binder, and the binder oozes out through the oxide layer, making it sticky, and later, making the oxide fall off the tape. When you play a tape with SSS, the binder sticks to all the parts of the tape deck that the tape touches. It can grind the machine to a halt and it will inevitably foul the entire tape path with goo that must be carefully cleaned off before the machine can be used again. Usually, no damage is done to the machine, but the tape can be ruined by playing it this way. The "spotty-looking" area on the tape is where the oxide has flaked off. There's no fixing that. SSS can be TEMPORARILY reversed by baking a tape in a temperature-controlled environment at around 135 degrees F, for four to eight hours. This is for normal 1/4 inch tape - wider tapes take longer. The baking process drives the moisture out, and the binder recedes, and the tape may be playable for upwards of a month thereafter, but it will usually do it again. New tapes, made in the last half-dozen years or so, supposedly have this issue licked. Older tapes that are not back-coated rarely have SSS - almost never. It's back-coated tapes made from the early 70's through the early 2000's that you have to be wary of, with the exception of Maxell-branded tapes, which for some reason never had the problem. I'll try to do a video on it eventually, but here lately I just have not had the time or energy to make many videos. I can fix your machine, though. Until I can make my own video, here is one from Canada that explains it well. th-cam.com/video/EWe7V4nDzO0/w-d-xo.html

@@ScottGrammer Thanks for your thorough and educational reply. I'll contact the seller and see what they say. Any advice on how to buy tapes that won't have this problem? I imagine most tapes fall into the category of 1970-2000. Is it likely that they all will have this problem?

@@dougfluegel No, mainly the ones that have the black back-coating. Tapes without a back coating, regardless of age, rarely have SSS, but it does occasionally happen. Usually, pre-recorded tapes, that is, ones sold by record companies back in the day, do not have SSS. It's ones that were home recorded, or studio tapes (which your Akai will not play) that you must inspect for SSS before playing. The Canadian video I linked to in my earlier comment shows how to inspect a tape before playing.

BONUS REPLY! While I'm sitting here at home with my legs up in the recliner, dealing with lymphedema issues, I wanted to add that there is an excellent video out there on SSS, by Gene Bohensky of Reel To Reel Warehouse. I've done business with Gene, and he's a great guy who knows EXACTLY what he's talking about. Here's the video link: th-cam.com/video/m32ijFAf5t4/w-d-xo.html. BTW, he uses the exact same food dehydrator to bake tapes as I do. I don't know which of us bought it first....

@larryjex6485 Go to my website, redbankvintageaudio.com, and there you will find my contact information. Holler at me and we can discuss it on Tuesday. (I'm open for business Tuesday through Saturday. )

www.ebay.com/itm/372688887906 (I am not affiliated with this seller.)

@@ScottGrammer Thank you!

You'd likely do better to use purpose-designed woofers in a car. A car is a "pressure environment," meaning that you're actually sitting inside the woofer cabinet. That requires a different kind of woofer than what goes in home stereo speakers.

Thanks!

That's an ... interesting ... handle you have there!

Sigh.... I don't know why I keep having to reiterate this. This is a method used for decades, originally published by Nortronics, a tape head manufacturer. Further, see this video: th-cam.com/video/9krRzG0zm_M/w-d-xo.html. Then, when you're done looking at that video, here is a link to the actual Nortronics relapping guide, showing the method I adapted into my own. You can download a copy for yourself. drive.google.com/file/d/1daPs3MM7LCB8HrsSiPAkF4sJP0UUIHmx/view?usp=sharing

Thanks for the kind words! I need all the positivity I can get.

Thank you for your kind words. As for the meters, I simply took the original circuit, which was a single diode and a single resistor for each meter, and recreated it on a perforated board as you can see at 8:10. I added a switch which parallels a second resistor across the original resistor for each channel, but I would have to refer to my notes, which I don't have with me, to recall what value of resistor I used. I believe I experimented to find a value that would cause the meters to read 0VU at 5 watts output. You may be surprised to find that the original circuit displays 0VU at 200 watts output, so that the meters can swing all the way to the right at the amp begins to hit its limits.

@@ScottGrammerOk thanks for the answer, in fact I'm doing some tests but to avoid arguing with the neighbor again I ordered the material to build a resistive load so I can continue to try without disturbing anyone I will continue to try. Thanks and congratulations again for the excellent work

When I titled the video, it was intended to be part one of a two-part set. The second part was to be an actual tutorial on how to use a machine. I just never got around to making it. My apologies if the current title led you to believe the video was other than what it is. Hopefully, I will get to make that second part before I leave this planet!

@@ScottGrammer ok I understand! Yes that would be great. Thank you for the information anyway though!

Glad to hear it.

No, I have not laid hands on the other units. This one was pretty cool, though.

Well, what you're describing could be the microswitches, one in particular that is used as a tape presence switch. But I doubt that that's what's wrong, based on your description. I'd say you need to replace the belts and idlers, and hope against hope that the clutch pack is not broken. Your specific complaint usually occurs when the idler tire on the center clutch pack wears out, and the result is that the take-up spindle does not turn. This would cause the tape to be eaten, except that the auto-stop system stops the transport, which is what you're seeing happen. You can find sellers on fleabay who sell the belt and idler kit for this unit, and if you're really confident with handtools and small parts, you can change them yourself, but if not, I strongly suggest you have a professional audio tech do it. As for the switches, they are available from Mouser Electronics as their part number 653-SS-01GL13P. I do not recommend the Chinese knockoffs. www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/653-SS-01GL13P

It has been sold. Thanks.

Thank you for your kind words!

I began by running it on dummy loads that absorb about 99% of the power, and send the other 1% to a pair of small JBL speakers. Once I was through power and spec testing it, I connected it to my Smaller Advents to hear what it actually sounded like. They cannot handle anywhere near its full output, but very few speakers can. It sounded great, and I played it for a couple of hours while working on other gear. The client has had it back for some time, and has played it at his home and at his father's home, and the father liked it so much he borrowed it for a month to run in place of his McIntosh amps.

@@ScottGrammer. Thanks, Scott. That's great. I re-coned some Advent speakers for my sister. I really liked em. They didn't sound good at low volume but sounded very good at medium volume. It's impressive that the customer's father used it for a month and pushed his Macs to the side. I'm a music lover who unfortunately stumbled into the audiophile world 30 years ago. I've found over and again that price has very little to do with the end result of a bit of kit's performance. I don't mean that in a technical way, but in the way I like the sound. I bought a fully serviced Quad 405 about two years ago and I immediately loved the sound. This unassuming little fella gets the music across in a beautiful way. You take care, man and enjoy the ride. Mark. (Melbourne, Australia)

Glad you liked it!

Glad to be of assistance.

Yes I do, provided, of course, that there is suitable replacement foam available for the driver in question.

@@ScottGrammer I have the correct orange surrounds and glue for these speakers. I re edged a 10 inch pair, and couldnt get the cone on one exact.I lack confidence I can do these myself. What is the labor and cost for return mail for my pair of 12 inch speakers - out of the cabinets.

@@robertballard8833 Check out my website, redbankvintageaudio.com. There you will find a contact page with my contact info. Connect with me through one of those means and I'll be happy to talk to you about it. Remind me that we spoke in the comments here. BTW, I'm not at work today due to a health issue, so please contact me tomorrow (Thursday).

Thank you, and I'm glad to hear it.