Tag Archives: restoration

Philco 39-45 Retrofit to 40-201 Cabinet Vintage Radio Repair

Posted on January 16, 2015 by jwk

Cross-posted from the Rain City Audio Repair Blog: A local customer approached me with his family’s Philco 40-201 vintage radio to be restored back to working condition. It had sat for several decades, very well preserved, but ultimately needed some … Continue reading →

Posted in Electronics, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Harman/Kardon Control Amplifier A-401 Restoration

Posted on November 19, 2014 by jwk

This little Harman/Kardon Control Amplifier, model A-401, just came through the shop for a full overhaul. It was in a pretty sorry state to begin with – one channel distorted, one barely gasping for air, and a world of scratchy … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Electronics, Hi-Fi, Projects, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

EICO Stereophonic Integrated Amplifier HF-81 Repair

Posted on November 7, 2014 by jwk

From the late ’50s, I had this nice example of an EICO HF-81 amplifier come through my shop. These are nice little stereo amplifiers with a built-in phono pre-amp and RIAA equalization and feature about 14W of power output per … Continue reading →

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Esteemed Bose® Model 901 Active Equalizer – Serial #230 Repair

Posted on October 17, 2014 by jwk

Cross-posted from Rain City Audio: I had the distinct pleasure of working on one of the earliest  Bose® Model 901 Active Equalizers from Series I’s first production run. Serial #230, in fact! It’s made entirely by hand and shows traces … Continue reading →

Posted in Audio, Bose, Hi-Fi, Radios and Tubes, Stereo, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

1934 RCA Victor 119 Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 23, 2014 by jwk

I just finished a new project over at Rain City Audio – 1934 RCA Victor 119 Antique Radio Repair

An example of the 1939 RCA Model 119 radio made its way through my shop recently. I like RCA’s engineering – they were pioneers of radio and even their entry level models like this set had great performance. The styling is classic mid ’30s, too – great in almost any home….

Check it out at http://www.raincityaudio.us/blog/1934-rca-victor-119-antique-radio-repair! Continue reading →

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Oregon Electronic Model A3 Variable Voltage Regulated Power Supply

Posted on April 20, 2014 by jwk

Here’s another project I just finished at Rain City Audio:

This vacuum tube power supply from an engineer’s test bench can replace a radio or test circuit’s power supply to help with troubleshooting or experiments, with up to 400V for B+ and 6.3V 5A for the heaters. It needed some new capacitors, then fired right up and works perfectly! Continue reading →

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1931 Westinghouse WR-8 Columaire Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 14, 2014 by jwk

I recently got to work on another beautifully reconditioned Westinghouse WR-8 Columaire radio all the way from Bellingham. It was originally in for service with the SPARK Museum, but the repair technician reportedly suffered some health complications and was unable to … Continue reading →

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1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone Antique Radio Repair

Posted on April 7, 2014 by jwk

A local client just brought in a very interesting Zenith tabletop radio from just after WW2, the 1946 Zenith 6-D-029 Consoltone mantle radio. This is one of the iconic “boomerang” dials Zenith produced for a couple of years after the … Continue reading →

Posted in Projects, Radios and Tubes, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

1940 Philco 40-185XF Antique Radio Restoration

Posted on April 2, 2014 by jwk

I had the privilege of working on a very well preserved Philco 40-185XF recently. These are top performing pre-war sets featuring 8 tubes, an RF amplifier front-end and push-pull audio output into a 12″ speaker. Definitely worth fixing up! This … Continue reading →

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Bose Equalizers on eBay Need Service Too: A Photo Comparison

Posted on March 31, 2014 by jwk

You’ve had your Bose 901 Series I or Series II speakers in storage for a few years, the Active Equalizer packed away with them and now you’ve pulled them out to set up your vintage system once again. Great – … Continue reading →

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