JKent

Cizek made a matching subwoofer (the KA-18). I have never seen one "in the flesh" but found a photo on google http://www.audiocostruzioni.com/r_s/diffusori/diffusori-2/cizek-satelliti-sub/cizek.htm Fantastic! Looks like these are in Italy. Maybe Paolo has seen and heard them. Speaking of the KA-1. I saw some on ebay but was too late to buy. Good thing! These "Cizek KA-1" speakers were KA-1 cabinets with who-knows-what inside. And they're ported! Sacrilege Here are 2 photos: My (real) KA-1s and the impostors. -Kent

Pete, I think the new thread was a good idea. These long threads get a little disorganized. So I'm not going to go muck up your pristine new thread, but wanted to post a comment: I built the 4.7K version some time back, but did not keep the OLAs for long. To my ears they did not measure up to the AR-2ax's I was using at the time. But I do use it. It's in an External Processor loop so it can be easily switched in and out. What I find is that some recordings seem to benefit from the BSC while others sound better without. The current speakers are AR-3a with MicroStatic supertweeters and a VMPS sub (crossed over at 30Hz). Source is usually a Tivoli CD player. Other equipment includes DB Systems pre-amp and tone controls, an AR-SRC remote (that's where the EPL is) and an Adcom 555/II power amp. I haven't kept careful track of when the BSC is in or out of the system but IIRC I usually keep it out for classical and jazz recordings but switch it in for "some" rock or popular recordings. Does that make sense? Anyway, it's a fun little gadget. -Kent

Update: Dan at Akitika (it's a palindrome) has just announced the release of his preamp kit. I have not built it but it looks like a winner. Sort of a 21st century PAT-4. It has a remote and expansion panels for future additions and improvements. Not much is made in the USA anymore, and the hi-fi components that are cost a fortune. This is a return to high quality affordable kit philosophy behind Dynaco and Hafler. btw--I get nothing from this--I just think it's a worthy product and Dan is a good guy. -Kent check it out: http://www.akitika.com/.

I sold my Dynaco gear years ago in a quest for something "better." But as described in this thread, http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=8166 , I recently bought an ST-120 to restore and play with. As it turned out, I replaced virtually everything except the transformer so it's no longer a Dynaco. And although its 60wpc seems fine for driving my AR-3a's I'd rather have more oomph. I was using a MAC-4100 (100 wpc) for the past few years but recently switched to an Adcom GFA-555 II, which will deliver 325 watts into 4 ohms. BUT, I'd love a nice Dynaco 400 (especially one with the cool-looking meters!) Kent

Interesting. I decided to replace the two A15 appliance bulbs (upper left and right corners in the second and third photo above in Post #1) with LED bulbs to eliminate some of the heat. When I did, those bulbs remained lit--no flashing. Apparently whatever makes them flash is dependent on a temperature increase. I reinstalled the incandescent bulb on the right (first one in the circuit) and now the flashing works again, even with an LED in the other socket. That's good because the fibers tend to brush against that bulb and the LED is totally cold, so no chance of melting or scorching. -Kent

OK. My first attempt at posting on YouYube. We'll see how it turns out.....

Found this cool KLH sign on ebay for what seemed like a good price compared to the one or 2 others I've seen. Of course when it arrived I found "issues." These must have been dealers' signs back in the '60s or '70s. The sign lights up: The turquoise bars in the background flash on and off, and the "KLH" letters flash on/off and also sparkle! On this one the background did not light at all and the KLH letters only came on--no sparkle Opened it up. The background lights were no problem--they're just refrigerator type incandescent bulbs. I may replace them with A15 LED bulbs to cut down on the heat. The "sparkle" effect is produced by an odd looking bulb (obsolete projector lamp as it turns out) and a slowly-turning wheel. The light is transmitted to the KLH letters by fiber optics. Two big issues: The motor did not work, and what if the projector lamp blows? The back says new bulbs are available from Fibre-Lite Displays, Inc. but they're long gone. The bulb is marked "Sylvania DJS 6v 30w" and after extensive searching I found one.....for 50 bucks! But further searching turned up a substitute: DKN 35w 6v. And an ebay seller had them for $10. I don't think the additional 5w will be a problem. The motor is marked "Singer" (of course. So maybe this is from the '70s) "Model 414-173-20 115v 60Hz 3w 4RPM CCW". I was SURE I wouldn't find one of those! But.... Good ol' ebay to the rescue again! I found a Chinese seller who sells motors that "looked" a lot like the original. Metric of course but for $8.50 shipped I took a chance. This one is 4w and 5/6 RPM but close enough. And instead of a threaded shaft to hold the plastic wheel it had an internally-threaded shaft. This required some modification, but very little: Cut the aluminum bushing on the wheelUse a metric machine screw to affix the wheel to the motorBecause of the length of the motor's shaft I had to mount the motor on some spacers from my junk drawer.Not bad. The new motor was otherwise a perfect fit, right down to the spacing of the mounting holes! So that's it. First photo shows the Chinese & Singer motors. Second is the innerds "before" Third the innerds "after" and finally the sign lit up. Wish I could post a video here because it looks really cool! -Kent

Find the landfill that dumpster went to! I did not know Scott tubes amps had a center channel output but that sounds perfect to me. Don't know nothin' 'bout no bluetooth but maybe Pro could expound a bit. Any interest in making a mono system for somewhere? Have fun with this. -Kent

Many of us "of a certain age" had our first real hi-fi experience as a result of building dynakits. They were well-designed and, in kit form, cheap enough for a student or newly-wed to afford. The instruction booklets were well-written and illustrated. Darn near fool-proof. My first project was a Dynaco ST-35 tube amp that cost $45 including the tubes! A few years later I stepped up to the ST-120 and although some would argue the ST-35 was a "sweeter" little amp the 120 was pretty ground-breaking in its day. I eventually sold both (along with a PAT-4) but a couple of years ago I decided to get a used ST-120 to restore. CSP member John O'Hanlon helped me find some replacements for the big capacitors but the amp had other issues so I put it aside until a couple of weeks ago. I was looking for mods and upgrades (the 40+ year old design does have shortcomings) when I stumbled across a gold mine! http://www.updatemydynaco.com/ is a great site that offers a load of upgrades and improvements for the ST-120. Long story short: I ordered every possible upgrade (the "Full Monty"), leaving only the original chassis, power cord, binding posts and transformer. I opted to spend an extra $10 for the amp modules used the AkitikA GT-101 power amplifier. The difference between those and the regular ST-120 replacements: 0.1% versus 1% gain setting resistors, 10,000 uF output capacitors versus 3300 uF output capacitors. I also bought the new heat sinks (very nice but unnecessary), power supply upgrade, power supply and C12 caps and a blue LED mod for the power switch (purely cosmetic). The prices were very reasonable IMHO (total was under $200). I installed new RCA jacks and new feet that I had on hand but those are also available on the site. Delivery was FAST. All of the parts are high quality and the new printed circuit boards are well-made and clearly labeled. Instructions (available on the site) are as clear and complete as the original Dynaco manual. Best of all: The owner/designer Dan Joffe provides super-fast helpful tech support (I had made one bone-headed goof). So today I finished the amp and after bringing it up on a Variac (just a precaution) I gave it the real test: Powering the AR-3a's. The 3a's are supposedly power-hungry and at 4 ohms they pose a tricky load. I played a variety of music: Jazz, Rock, Classical (including organ) at decible levels WAY higher than normal. They sounded great. And the amp wasn't stressed at all. The heat sinks got barely tepid and there was no hint of clipping. According to Dan, the updated modules put out more than 50 Watts, but a shade less than 60 Watts into 8 Ohms and nearly 90 Watts into 4 Ohms. I plan to take the amp to my favorite tech for testing but to my ears it's all good. A few photos below of before & after, and the amp being auditioned. IMHO the updatemydynaco kits are true heirs to the Dynaco legacy and Dan Joffe may be the latter day David Hafler. And the tech support is incredible. If you have a tired old ST-120 do yourself a favor and update it with one or more of these modules. Don't have an ST-120? The AkitikA GT-101 provides the chassis and a modern torroidal transformer. Updatemydynaco also sells some modules and upgrades for the PAT-4 preamp, SCA-80 integrated amp and the mighty ST-400. Makes me sorry I sold my old PAT-4! I have no connection with this outfit--just a really satisfied customer. -Kent

How's the Dayton project coming along? Looks like the surround protrudes quite far. Does it hit the stock grille? What about xo? Does the PZ-2.1 xo design work? I have a pair of Mini 7s with one bad woofer. Had bought a pair of the MCM 55-1856 as replacements but it's a very tight fit. Kent

No. Virtually all speaker crossovers use standard sand cast resistors like those Erse ones. Here is a discussion: http://www.diyaudio.com/forums/multi-way/128821-non-inductive-resistors.html

alkermes, Thanks for the kind words. Now I have a question (I'm not an electronics expert by any means): Why do you advise against the metal oxide? I know that metal film may be more precise (+/- 1%) than metal oxide (+/- 5%) but is that critical? My recommendation for flame-proof comes from working on tube radios so I guess that's not a major consideration for solid state? Please 'splain. Carl, Good point regarding that metal plate. I'll reiterate my point that there is little reason to replace the binding posts--they work just fine. Leaving them preserves the vintage appearance (and value). If you want the convenience of dual banana plugs, Xmas's "dongle" is perfect. -Kent

They are fine. No need to get the Mills (guess you blew your budget on those Clarity Caps ). It's just their small size that makes them convenient. Here is a link to a Model Five Crossover I did with Erse caps. It's the later style crossover on a printed circuit board. Also used some Madisound surplus caps and Carlis http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=7890 Replacing all the resistors with Erse cost $3.50. Using Mills would have cost $42.50. You can see the PCB is kind of crowded, especially with the physically larger Erse resistors, but it certainly can be done. On the hard-wired xo you have a bit more flexibility. A real cheapskate (like me) could use even more surplus caps: the 25uF could be 2 surplus 10uF + a Carli 4.7the 16uF could be 1 surplus 10uF + 2 surplus 2.7uFthe 4uF caps could be 2 surplus 2uFthe 3uF could be a surplus 2.7uF-Kent

Interesting post! Guess that settles once and for all what the cap values are. Wish I'd known this when I still had the Minis! I assume you plan to replace the unreliable PVC 90uF, now that you know the correct value. Not that you asked but if I were doing it I'd use either a 90uF electrolytic or maybe mix a 50uF 'lytic and four of the Madisound Surplus caps. The Mullard caps OTOH are considered to be desirable and should be retained. There's nothing mysterious about the color coding. I have a handy little cardboard pocket color code guide from Rat Shack that has capacitors on one side and resistors on the other. Here's what Wikipedia says about the color codes: The electronic color code is used to indicate the values or ratings of electronic components, very commonly for resistors, but also for capacitors, inductors, and others. A separate code, the 25-pair color code, is used to identify wires in sometelecommunications cables. The electronic color code was developed in the early 1920s by the Radio Manufacturers Association (now part of Electronic Industries Alliance[1] (EIA)), and was published as EIA-RS-279. The current international standard is IEC 60062.[2] Colorbands were commonly used (especially on resistors) because they were easily printed on tiny components, decreasing construction costs. However, there were drawbacks, especially for color blind people. Overheating of a component, or dirt accumulation, may make it impossible to distinguish brown from red from orange. Advances in printing technology have made printed numbers practical for small components, which are often found in modern electronics. I'd suggest testing the cabinets for air leakage by pushing in on the woofers, then decide if you want to use Roy's goo. If all the surrounds are cloth it probably couldn't hurt, but it may not be needed. Nice find! -Kent edit: I was baffled by your caps at first. They look like Red, Green, White, Red. Should have 5 bands so they must be Red Red Green White Red, in which case they would be 2,200,000pF 10% 250V, or 2.2 uF.

Hey Geoff I agree re the Advents. I spent a lot of time and too much money restoring some OLAs and they did not sound as good as AR2ax's. THE #1 classic KLH speaker is the Model Nine but that's an oddball. Electrostatic and really an Arthur Janszen speaker. The TOTL aside from that was the Model Twelve. Truly great speakers often available dirt cheap because they are big and heavy with a low WAF. Probably my fave is the Model Five. These were meant to compete head to head with the AR3a and they succeeded well. Basically the same drivers as the Twelves but in a cabinet about the size of the 3a. I have never seen the Model Twenty Eight but they are very cool looking, sort of like AR-LSTs. The Seventeen has a following but it's a step down from the Five. The Twenty is identical to the Seventeen but it's 4 ohms. Twenties are usually cheap. The Twenty Plus is a compact stereo system identical to the Twenty but with nicer cabinets and cool mid-century tulip stands. These sell for more than they're worth. The Twenty-Three is a fave of KLH guru Andrew Hayden. I have not heard them. KLH recycled the same basic 2-way design for a few of its speakers, both stand-alone and as part of a system. So there are some others in the Twenty-xx series that are similar. All of these speakers had cloth-surround woofers that benefit greatly from RoyC's butyl doping compound. That era KLH speakers have 2 Achilles' heels: Most used black and red PVC caps that are notorious for leakage. And the 5w resistors in the bigger speakers are too small--they should be replaced with 10w resistors when you recap the crossovers. Hope this is helpful. Kent

Nice find! You can download the service manual here: http://www.hifiengine.com/library/pioneer/sx-828.shtml Personally, I would not replace all the resistors. All the caps, yes but resistors don't normally go bad.* I did use Mills crossover resistors in Jim's Fives but in your receiver you want to use low tolerance flameproof metal oxide resistors and I would go up a step in wattage (replace 1/4 watt resistors with 1/2 watt, replace 1/2 watt with 1 watt). Here is an excellent overview of resistors: http://www.justradios.com/resistors.html and these people are good to deal with. On the off chance that they don't have what you need, Mouser is a good source. Finding 6 ohms could be tricky. Here is a 1/2 watt 5.9 ohm 1% http://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/KOA-Speer/MOSX1-2CT52R5R90F/?qs=EI3zrt7d7sP0ZliK5XUlaQ%3d%3d Here's a 6.2 ohm 1w 5% from PE http://www.parts-express.com/62k-ohm-1w-flameproof-resistor-10-pcs--003-6.2k Kent *PS. But I WOULD replace all the resistors in your Model Fives. KLH used 5w sand cast resistors in those and I have seen more than one burned, blackened or cracked resistor in a KLH Five or Twelve. Use 10w resistors for peace of mind.** **PPS 8 years later(!!) Roy and I have discussed this on and off for a while. I think he found the best answer: Do replace the 5 ohm resistor with a 20 (yes 20) watt resistor. You can also replace the 15 ohm resistor in the Mid circuit with a 10 watt. The other 5 watt resistors should be fine.

Dig those super-tweeter cabinets!

Ah! Here it is. Post #25 by XMas111: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=7994&page=2

Hi baski I re-capped some Fives (wonderful speakers) with Clarity Caps for one of our members, Redstone7: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=2557#entry74180 Regarding the binding posts: I agree with Roy but if you want to use banana plugs you could make little "dongles." One of our members posted a nice photo of some he made. Unfortunately I can't find them but the pic below should give you the general idea. Basically you take a short length of speaker wire and crimp a sta-kon ring terminal on one end and a female banana jack on the other. Put the ring terminal on the Five's stud and tighten it down well. Kent

Thought I'd revive this thread. The comments above from Fred Pinkerton are informative. Here is another Advent 402 thread: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=7438&hl=%2Bfred+%2Bpinkerton So I've managed to acquire 5 Advent 402 speakers and have started to restore them. One will go with my Advent 410M mono FM radio (currently using a single Minimus 7) and a pair will go with my 450 mini stereo system. The other pair will be reserved for the future acquisition (I hope) of a 420S stereo radio. The 402 speakers are similar in size and construction to the 400 but unlike the 400 they are 2-way and the woofers have foam surrounds that rot. The 400 has a single full-range driver with rubber surround. I bought surrounds and dust caps from our old friend MSound. His ebay account is defunct, as is his web site but John can be reached at msound@shentel.net He specializes in complete kits but will sell just the surrounds and dust caps if you ask (tell him you are a CSP member). I happened to have some leftover shims and WD glue so all I needed was the surrounds and caps. Speaking of "caps".... I also replaced the capacitors. The xo is on a PCB and consists of a pair of resistors, a pair of inductors and a pair of caps. Original caps are NPE: 8uF and 16uF. I replaced them with Carli film caps (8uF & 15uF) but had to move them off the PCB because it's too tight on the board. Here are the original components: C1 16uF 50v NPE C2 8uF 50 v NPE R1 & R2 2 ohm 5w sand cast L1 & L2 0.8 mH The woofers have thick gaskets that should be retained to get a proper seal between the back-mounted driver and the plastic baffle board. I destroyed one getting it off so it was replaced with some foam gasket tape from PE, cut in half lengthwise. edit: Use a heat gun or hair dryer to soften the glue on the gaskets then use a putty knife or similar. The second photo shows one 402 with rotted surround and one with new surround and dust cap.The third pic shows the original xo, the fourth pic shows the new Carli caps. The last photo shows the woofer with shims in place and clamps around the perimeter. This shot just makes me grin Decent sounding little speakers. Won't replace your OLAs but nice radio speakers. Kent

Have the Cizek logos now. These "may" not be exact duplicates--Cizek seems to have had several different styles and colors. These are glossy black with bright brass lettering. About 1.75" x 1". The Cizek Model One brochure here http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/cizek_2/cizek_brochures/cizek_model_one_brochure/ seems to show gold lettering on a brown or black background. The badges shown in our Library http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/library/cizek_2/cizek_pictures/cizek_badges/ show two versions from Model Ones — “The one with black background/gold lettering is from an earlier set S/N 1675 and 1709 when Cizek was at 149 California Street in Newton, MA and the one with gold background/brown lettering is from later set, S/N GF-1313 and GF-1315 when Cizek was at 15 Stevens Street in Andover, MA” These appear to be flat, engraved. I was able to borrow a badge from a Model Two. It was embossed aluminum—gold lettering on a brown background. So I believe the badges I have are authentic for at least the earlier Cizeks. The very first Cizeks, made in Bloomington Indiana and the last ones made in Torrence CA used a different style badge altogether. Kent

Hi Carnivore I may be overly cautious but I would not use 80 grit to start (and would not stop with 220). If the scratches are deep they may not come out. I would sand those areas by hand, WITH A BLOCK (see Harry's comments in post #22) then use the orbital sander, being careful to avoid edges and corners where it is very easy to sand through the veneer. When I sand SOLID wood cabinets I generally progress: 80, 100, 120, 150, 220, 320, 600. With veneer I would skip the 80 through 120. If you use the iron & damp cloth trick, I'd do that first--before any sanding. The Mohawk epoxy is good for gouges and corner bashes and again should be done before any sanding. I've seen recommendations for oxalic acid to bleach dark stains but i have not used it and have not found anything that will take out dark water marks. That's one reason for using Dark Walnut Watco. You can Google "oxalic acid wood bleach for dark water stains". The BLO did darken the wood and AR recommended re-applying periodically (every 6 months--see post #4). The walnut veneer tends to lighten or fade (counter-intuitively) with age and the Medium or Dark Watco helps bring back the original color. Watco Oil is not really a stain and I have found little difference whether using Neutral, Medium Walnut or Dark Walnut. Kent

still need a Cizek logo. Borrow or buy. Kent

Here's the latest: I'm using a new supplier, so I've deleted the photos from earlier posts and will attach photos of the new stuff. Here is what I have now: AR: Small brass "AR INC." for 4 series and turntable. Large brass "AR INC." for AR-1,2,3. Brass "a" for 2a. Brass "3" for 3dynaco: Brass dynaco speaker logoAdvent: OLA type aluminum logo used on several modelsKLH: Aluminum "KLH" stick-on in 2 sizes suitable for most KLH speakers. I don't have the heavy cast logos that were used on the Five, Twelve and others but the large aluminum ones look right until you examine them closely. Also have all of the metal labels and logos for the Model Eight, Thirteen and their associated speakers. KLH logo for the Model Eleven Suitcase.That's all for now but if there is sufficient interest I can have other aluminum or brass plates made. Anybody have a Cizek logo I could borrow? PM me with your needs and I'll quote a discounted price for CSP members. Kent

Don. I don't know how bad the woofer refoam is, but here are my AR91s: http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?showtopic=6565#entry88793 See post #12. The previous owner did what I considered a sloppy glue job and I did not know how to undo it so I sent the woofers to Bill LeGall (Millersound in PA). He fixed 'em up good as new and I thought the cost was reasonable. He's a good guy and a master of his trade. If you're like me you have no hesitation to do a routine re-foam. But when I have a mess on my hands I send the speakers to Bill. He recently reconed my Cizek woofers and they're better than new! Kent