Nakamichi RX-505 Restoration: Polypropylene Film Capacitors Upgrade & Dolby Fix

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In this video, I dive into the restoration and upgrade of the Nakamichi RX-505, focusing on the replacement of the Orange Polypropylene film capacitors. This upgrade has completely transformed the deck's performance, bringing its frequency response in line with my other Nakamichi decks. Now, the RX-505 plays tapes recorded with Dolby B and C (both factory and custom) with unmatched clarity and detail.
Before the upgrade, the deck struggled with muddied and muffled sound when Dolby was engaged-a common issue as Dolby emphasizes level differences 3x to 4x. I also applied a recommended fix from one of my subscribers to perfect the Dolby switch. After finding that switches purchased from China (Panasonic and other brands) didn’t fit the layout, I found an effective solution to restore the switch to optimal operation.
🔧 Key Upgrades:
Polypropylene Film Capacitors: Watch how replacing the Orange Polypropylene film capacitors has improved the frequency response, making it a full match to other Nakamichi decks.
Dolby Clarity: See the dramatic improvement in how the RX-505 now handles Dolby B and C recordings, delivering clear and detailed sound without the previous muddling.
🛠️ Dolby Switch Fix:
Subscriber-Recommended Fix: Learn about the effective fix recommended by a subscriber to make the Dolby switch work perfectly again.
Switch Compatibility Issues: Discover the challenges faced with replacement switches from China and how they were overcome.
🎶 Improved Sound Quality:
Before & After Comparison: Experience the difference in sound quality before and after the upgrades, particularly in how the deck handles Dolby recordings.
👂 Share Your Thoughts:
Join the Conversation: Have you made similar upgrades to your Nakamichi decks? Share your results and tips in the comments below!
Don’t miss this detailed restoration and upgrade journey of the Nakamichi RX-505. Like, share, and subscribe for more vintage audio restorations and performance demonstrations.
🔍 Tags: #NakamichiRX505 #CassetteDeckUpgrade #PolypropyleneCapacitors #DolbyFix #VintageAudio #AudioRestoration #SoundQuality

[@larryreich2154]

I always learn something from your videos

[@AudioGuyBrian]

The dreaded Orange Cap disease. Lots of the great Naks are plagued with that problem. Nice work fixing it all!

[@Runco990]

The dreaded Orange Cap disease. It cropped up in my Teac C-3X this year. 12 of them.

[@darekw325]

👍

[@MrPitatom]

Great work. One question, what brand will you use when the Nichicon capacitors run out?

[@stackoverflow8260]

Hello, did you replace all orange polypropylene caps with wiima film caps ? I'm trying to get a kit for my LX3s, RX303.

[@hifirulezzz]

I am buying WIMA and Nichicon film capacitors. Digikey is a good source.