Yeah, the third orphan type is definitely a big thing. I worked in HiFi retail in the late 80s, and customers often wanted a Kenwood/Technics/Pioneer midi-system *without* the included turntable. Mostly they were "proper" self-contained models though, with regular power/audio connectors. Often they'd have a 3.5mm "system" cable, which was optional/could be ignored. We didn't sell brands like Yorx. Lol. Even if we couldn't do a deal "sans turntable", the turntable would often end up in someone's attic, still new-in-box. I bet there are millions of such decks hiding in attics! Mostly nothing-special Aiwa-esque ones (long after Aiwa's heyday!).
Just to add a little more....the higher-end midi-systems tended to have much nicer linear-tracking turntables, far better build quality. These, even if people weren't really buying records anymore, tended to get set up with the rest of the system...so there won't be too many of those NIB in attics! Sadly! Just the super-basic black plastic belt-drive cheapies, most of which came out of the same factory.
If these turntables had standard audio and electrical power connections, what was the 'system' connection used for? Did it turn the turntable on and off when the appropriate function was selected?
@@stevesstuff1450 I see. So if that system cable isn't use, does that mean the turntable is always powered on when connected to AC power? Did such turntables also have a power switch?
@@Lachlant1984 "system" was for remote control operation, or synchro-start of recordings, or auto-source select on the amp, that sort of thing. Not really seen on the budget models so much... something you'd find on linear tracking decks etc.
Mr Westlife (represent), your videos have been incredibly useful for someone with a current "cheap" vintage turntable addiction. It's really nice to see someone break away from audiophile bs and use common sense and factuality. Your videos have given me a good sample size of good and bad turntables and what to look out for so now I have no trouble finding obscure tables without any documentation and knowing whether they're going to be good and how to fix them. If you ever do come across a Sanyo, Fisher, or JVC turntable with a "normal" pivoting tonearm but track select, do not pass up on them. They use a cartridge which has an IR emitter and sensor to see the tracks and work much faster than linear turntables. Most also have a remote control option. They're super hard to come by and will definitely have some minor issues, but if you get them working it's something to keep for life.
I have to admit I have a liking for the cheaper stereos from the 80’s too. Not for the sound but nostalgia. Some of them can actually sound quite good. Think our equivalent to the American Sounddesign and yorx is maybe Amstrad or Bush of which I’ve a few. The cassette decks even on them is still ac bias recording. I’ve one with a slide out turntable and the amstrad is a one piece in a rack looking like separates. I have an old amstrad receiver too which sounds really nice.
@@TheErador the weakest point of the whole rack system units were the speakers! If you swap them out for something better they sound quite good. AC bias cassette decks, metal tape compatible, decent tuner. The bsr auto return decks work great once you clean out the old grease and replace it. Last one I did was completely seized!
Good research job on those old, cheap turntables. A few points here: 1. I never really got a good look at the underside of the Yorx platter, but I was thinking that since you essentially "armed" the shutoff mechanism, there may be a "boss" molded into the platter that trips the shutoff when the tonearm gets to the runout. 2. I'm also a big proponent of making reversible modifications. I would have gone so far as to remove the original power cable on the Yorx, cut the plug off of the adapter (DC adapters are easy to find) and soldered the cable directly to the original attachment points. Likewise, I would have removed the ribbon cable from the Aiwa and installed suitable cables. But then again, that's just me. 3. The intro to "The Colonel Bogey March" at 20:51 bears a striking resemblance to the intro of Steely Dan's "Do It Again."
#1 if you watched closely you would see that the tone arm activated the switch as well as shut off the switch. But the thing about that set up it puts side pressure on the tone arm that puts pressure on the outer edge of the record. For me to not ruin my records, I would have bypassed the switch with a external one and not used the clicking mechanism since it ride the outside of the record groove..
I was just thinking how rad it would be if you were an AM or FM radio DJ and you only used the devices you repair to air your daily playlists. I would have your station as a preset, my friend. Always love the history, mods, repairs and the music selection! Hope your holiday is most excellent.
Speaking of "orphan turntables", several years ago, I bought an "orphan cassette deck" made by Scott that had a ribbon cable to connect to its matching amplifier. Luckily, I bought the Scott amp (with remote included) for only $11.99, its matching tuner for $10, and the next day, the aforementioned cassette deck for only $5 on a half-price electronics sale day at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store. They all worked well and I added a Nikko CD player (only $5) to the set. I had assumed that the Scott amp and tuner would likely be picked up by someone else, so I jumped on them on the non-sale day, but I figured the "orphan cassette deck" would be useless to anyone else since it did not have typical RCA cables to connect to any amplifier, so I took a chance on the half-price sale day, got there early, and scooped up the cassette deck. :)
Given that Aiwa's design, if I were going to the trouble to convert one I would've just desoldered the original wire from the circuit board, completely replaced it with new wiring for a separate wall wart and RCA jacks, and taped up / stowed the original wiring somewhere in the body of the table. That way the mod is a bit cleaner and less destructive if I ever had to revert it back to its original state. One could even do something with pin headers on the board if they were up to it, but let's not get crazy.
I had that Yorx stereo, that starts around 8:32. Got it for my birthday in 1987. It also came w/ a rack and the most ridiculous speakers. The latter were about three feet tall, but each had one 8", full-range driver, down near the bottom. I later found some better speakers at a yard sale.
Back in 1988 I was the proud recipient of an Aiwa hi-fi system for Christmas, and it included the very turntable in this video! It was a CX-770, and included a 5-band GEQ (with spectrum analyser - so cool back in the 80s!), a digital tuner and twin tape decks with auto reverse on the recording deck. I had it for 10 years before embarking on a journey into sepearates that continues to this day. Thanks for bringing back some great musical memories!
That ultra-80s-arrangement with the 5 1/4" floppy-drive and that cheap 14" Monitor in the back; and the black plastic stereo system in the front really made my day! It gave me a nice warm reminder of my childhood. Thanks a lot! I really enjoyed that view. I recently searched for an old book in my parent's attic and ran across my cheap plastic "Schneider" system I had when I was 12 years old. I had to take it home with me. Twelve band graphic EQ, ridiculous claim of "500W PMPO", the "Metal" sign on the tape deck door and all the other goodies are there. It deserves a nice place in my man cave.
I haven't owned a turntable or any vinyl records since 1993. I would never voluntarily descend into the fragile, inconvenient hell of LP playback again. Yet, your video is almost a half-hour long and I watched all of it. Success?
I did this with a pioneer turntable, very similar to an lp60 like the aiwa. It was my main turntable for many years. Still used in a secondary system and sounds great
Title is very true. I repaired/rescued my mom's old turntable/stereo. It really wasn't worth the time I spent replacing the bad capacitors, belts, and stylus. It was good practice though, and I was broke. Now a days I'd just buy one
Hello Sir, very interesting video. Here in the UK in 1994 I bought an Aiwa midi system z1500 and with it a fully automatic turntable px-e850. I believe you have one. System had a double cassette,3 CD changer and 4 band radio. It also had different sound categories like pop,rock,hall,live etc. It cost £399 including 3 way speakers as well. The next year was my dad's 60th birthday and we all got together to buy him a new music system. We looked at different brands for around the same price eg Sony, pioneer, Kenwood. Couldn't beat the Aiwa and bought the same as mine. I still have the turntable,I sold it recently as it worked perfectly. I'd bought a replacement cartridge years ago for £11.99,an Audio Technica clone. As it had a built in pre amp I used it with a Sony NX1 system. Some people are asking silly money for it,one £95!!!.
Funny and great subject! I bought a full-automatic Technics SL-JS16R (with T4P cardridge) a few months ago for only $10 with the same idea, trying it to use it. Much cheaper than other turntables of this brand only because of the plug. Before I bought it, I searched for the service manual of the system and turntable online to figure out the pinout of the 12-pin connector. With success, made a breakout board for the connector (preserve the connector similar reasons you mentioned) and yes, now I can use it. To a surprise there was a preamp section inside this model, the AN7310N so I was able to use it on a line-level input. Works great. Test the speed and such and is spot on after all those years. Worth to do this? Yeah, for sure! Great turntable for what it is and an alu platter. Creativity and to learn something is always a good thing. Please don't translate any action you take into money, don't be afraid to try it. It is a very satisfying process. Tip for power jacks like you showed us, you can buy male and female jacks with wire screw terminals at the end. With these you can make your own power adapter cables and you can also swap the polarity if you want. Very useful, no need to solder (you need some wire and a screwdriver) and you can make any combination you need. Great video and subject, as always.
Ha ha. I grew up with that Command Stereo Checkout record. My dad bought it before I was born, (I'm in my 50's now), I still use it to check frequency responses of stereos, speakers and the rumble, wow and flutter of turntables. My favorite track is the last one on side 2, Enjoy Yourself Cha Cha. :) LOL I typed all that BEFORE you played track 4.
I have a couple of stereo demonstration albums including Audio Fidelity’s “Stereo Demonstration and Sound Effects” album, Bel Canto’s Stereo Demonstration album with multicolored vinyl which was really cool, the Decca stereo demonstration record, RCA Victor’s “Sounds in Space” stereo demonstration record and the Project 3’s “Stereo Test Record” which was in conjunction with Popular Science Monthly magazine. I’ve never came across this Command Stereo Check Out record, but I would really love to hear the entire album. I also have the “Fantasia” soundtrack which were 3 LP’s with a gatefold booklet, and it was a stereo release on the Buena Vista label which was originally on Disneyland, and it was soundtrack to the Disney animated musical of “Fantasia” released in 1940, but it was a 1957 release since stereo was about to come in.
Even though I'm not particularly into vinyl (..yet) this video is awesome because I actually have an orphaned set of speakers that came with an old Gateway monitor I used to have. Monitor died but the speakers sounded pretty good for what they were so I salvaged the speaker bar, which has one of those male barrel connectors on it that's meant to plug into the monitor itself. Been wanting to figure out how to get it running again and this video reminded me I should probably get on that. Also didn't know polarity reverse adapters were a thing, either. Good to know.
That Yorx reminds me of the hours I spend as a child reading the "Consumers Distributing" catalog, here in Canada. I like the colorful stickers on it, and the compact size.
Thanks so much. Your narration provides a very understandable explanation of what is going on. I’m a boomer and many music fans were also basic audiophiles. And many audiophiles had a very simple understanding of electronics. I can basically understand your description. It seems a shame that the low voltage connectors weren’t standardized. That probably would have frustrated me if I were to attempt the procedures you went through. I may not need to make a connection like this but it would be a confidence booster if I could.
Thank you for your nice guide on how to make use of "orphaned" turntables. From center positive to center negative, tracing the L, R & g wires and finding out if it is ceramic, MM or if it comes with its own phono preamp. These things are very helpful indeed. A warm handshake from my humble country the Philippines 🇵🇭.
The small realistic sa155 amps like the ones you’ve reviewed in the past equalise a ceramic cartridge perfectly too. They can actually sound quite good even with only under 2 watts a channel.
Those little SA150 and 155 amps are indispensable and very versatile. I insist on having at least one around at all times. Give 'em some reasonably efficient speakers and they sound fantastic despite the limited power.
@@xaenon I’m the same I have two lying around. The older one with the silver facia I also have the matching tuner and cassette deck. It’s a great wee system and I’ve not even had to change the belts on the cassette deck.
When i find these, I stockpile them and do research about the stereo models that correspond to the model of the turntable. Then, i have a list of those stereo model numbers when i go hunting. I match them up and pass them along as sets. Most people would rather have something like this that they know where to get it worked on and upgraded (me) than spending a ton of money on a modern one.
This video has brought back all of the reasons I've always stayed away from those composite rack systems. Mix and match has always been my motto when it comes to stereo equipment.
Great tutorial on how to give an otherwise useless item new life. Very neat to see the origins of the AT-LP60. I assumed it was a new/modern design. I actually have an orphan Technics AM/FM tuner that I found at a thrift store a couple of years ago. I went a bit further and drilled holes to put jacks for the line output and power. It takes a strange power input - 9V AC.
I don't suppose it's the ST-Z990 by any chance? It had a ribbon cable connector carrying power, audio and even remote control signals. At the time I was so desperate to find a standalone component tuner that I decided to spin the wheel and bought it, even though I had to take the matching cassette deck with it. (The latter got tossed after kicking around for a while.) I did get it to power up (also 9 VAC) and even haphazardly wired it up to hear it play. That was as far as it went, because an analog Kenwood standalone tuner came along. I'm not sure if the Technics tuner is still around or not...
Right - barrel plug polarity is important - LOL - and they used Male barrel as a power input instead of an output. I recall a great deal of Casio music keyboards being center-negative. - oh wait - you just said that too. :)
Plenty of Sinclair ZX Spectrum (and presumably Timex Sinclair 2068) computers have been killed or badly injured over the years by people using power supplies with centre positive barrel jacks... oof.
Brilliant entertaining video there as ever VWestlife! I planned to skip through given the length but watched it all. I am just trying to work out which is the silliest thing - the lack of standard on centre positive/centre negative power plugs or those graphic equaliser controls with two slider knobs per control to make it look like there are more bands than there really are!!
This was a lot of fun, I always adopt an orphan, especially in that condition. The Yorx sounded really good Thru the sound design. “Low end” got to be pretty bad ass by the late 80’s and mid 90’s. Making things work with mis-match was the way it was done when garage sales and maybe Christmas got you something cool here and there growing up.
Wow, great research on the old phone. I was thinking of doing just that with an old player of mine. Saved me the trouble. Or, just hear me out, I could use my VW van that drives around the LP with its speaker on top! Other than the doppler sound and no 45 mode, kind of fun to watch
Slightly off topic, but I was born in 1984, so I'm only just old enough to remember the decline of the vinyl record. We had a record player when I was very young, but we stopped using it when I was about 7, I think the cartridge or stylus failed and Dad never replaced it, I believe this happened in very early 1991 when I was 7. I have a younger brother who was born when I was 15. When he was very young my step father lamented the fact his son wouldn't grow up knowing what a record is. 23 years later, my younger brother loves records, he has a record player and a collection of records, so now, I can spoil him by going to one of my favourite shops and I can buy him vinyl LPs to play, it's just so interesting that a music format that was abandoned over 30 years ago has regained popularity again and that you can buy such a large library of music on vinyl record. Makes me wonder if the CD will regain popularity in the future. The CD is my favourite music distribution media.
Fantastic rescue. I love what Yorx did in the late 80s, I imported a couple of their triple cassette deck boomboxes for my collection a while back. I hope you find the system to go with that turntable. Interesting how they used the "Q" in the model name too, like Sony''s PS-Q turntables you mentioned that were designed for their FH boombox series. I just think Japanese manufacturers were fascinated with "Q" as a great shortening for 'Cute", even Sharp did a QT model name for their smaller mini boomboxes. Much like how they used "W" as an indicator for anything with two, like a double (w) cassette deck.
Superb video. God I was so glad I was there in the 80s (I'm 54 now). Yourself & Matt make brilliant videos that take me back, and i can watch vicariously and enjoy. I thank you.
You can test with multimeter if it's a center positive or center negative, set the multimeter to continuity test and touch one of the probes to the center pin and the other probe to a grounded place if it beeps it's center negative, if it doesn't beep it's center positive. To find out the voltage just give it three volts and increase the voltage slowly until it starts to play at correct speed.
I have an old 1970s turntable that at first did not work at all, but once I got it repaired it worked great. It came with the original stereo system and everything thankfully.
Ha! I actually had a Yorx record player stereo system back in 1984 or 1985 with an attached (not separate) record player (either a Q100 model or Q200), two cassette decks, AM/FM tuner, and two "tower" speakers for around $200 back then. I enjoyed it for many years as an entry level system as a teenager and ironically, even though I eventually chucked it because the belt had dried out, the cassette decks were chewing tapes or not functioning at all, etc, I still kept the dust cover and the 45 rpm adaptor for some silly reason. :)
I remember that old thing pulling the tone arm to the right. One of our old players we had to do that (cheap one) JC Penny's didn't but it needs some repair as it has the turntable cassette and 8-track player. Used to play the latter quite good. Dads much older Unisonic never really played 8-tracks well. So eventually I bought my own that I could use to record to cd's. But I had it open to make sure nothing was spewed out inside. Because of this channel I one of the $90 now $200 record players by AT
9:09 - I knew I had seen that Yorx New Wave before - my brother had an identical Schneider New Wave in the eighties but it was red. It also had a mechanized drawer like a CD player but it was where you put the remote control! The three band eq was just a single slider for tone.
I remember picking up my first orphaned turntable in 1988, a Tensai. Cheap and nasty with a Chuo denshi 800 cart with plastic cantilever stylus. Used a 12v scalextric power supply ! Since then I have picked up many of those proprietary decks and usually drill a small hole at the rear and fit a panel-mount barrel socket for the DC (cost pence, add a wall wart form some old router picked up for a pound or less at second hand places) and add an RCA cable (if not fitted). You can then at least sell them on with minimum outlay. If new cart is needed it's not worth it. You can use ceramic carts into a line in if you add a 1 megohm or just under in series with the signal leads. Then you at least get bass.
The auto stop works by moving the pawl over where a cam located on the platter center will contact it and flip the switch back over. Almost all record changers used a similar system to initiate operation of the mechanism at the end of the record.
I came to DC in 1991 for "a one year project." I rented an apartment vs staying in a hotel. Bought a Technics rack system that I would have sold when I was ready to head back. Didn't bring any of my records so I kept the turntable in its box, in the closet. Fast forward to 2014: The cassette simply died. The CD changer was failing. Then, one of the channels on the integrated amp failed (STK power pack). I gave the components to someone who fixes up gear because I went back to 70s analog...but I kept the turntable (SL-BD27U) which I still have in the rig. Moral of the story: Sometimes the orphaned turntable can be a good thing.
another very detailed video ..which you are known to do..very good!i also like the eclectic selection of records that you play on those turntables...i like cheap record players as well as high end....
Great Deal! Others may rarely notice, making a 'misfit' useful is a Big Deal. Investment: Time, Money & Fun Video, for some to say, Now i know. *Thanks!*
I say the technics ramge form the 8ps had the best compact design with the liniar tracking I have the sl6. Merry Chrostmas & a happy new year look forward to see what you have for 2023
I've seen many of these orphan turntables for sale, usually at heavily discounted prices, and always passed them up for fear of the unknown. Nice to see how easy it is to retrofit them to use with a new foster stereo system. That AIWA sounded on par with my Audio Technica AT-LP60 (as it should, since it shares the same cartridge). As an aside, those Command and Time Records used to be a dime a dozen; now they're almost impossible to find for reasonable prices. I snagged a few many years ago for less than a buck a piece. They make the perfect test material for turntables old and new, or even just for marveling at the over-the-top stereo effects employed when stereo was new. Perhaps that album can make an eventual appearance on your music channel?
I need to find a better copy of "Stereo Check-Out". It sounds like someone played my copy over and over again with a worn needle, because it has high surface noise and a loss of high frequencies, while my other Command records sound quiet and bright.
@@vwestlife I was wondering about that. While it sounded good on video, it didn't sound quite as clear as I remember most of the Command records sounding, namely, as you pointed out, with regard to the high frequencies. Still a great record to listen, even if a little tired.
@7:48 - based on yours and a few other videos, I have ordered in a a couple of fully adjustable (current and voltage) as well as polarity switching wall warts for testing and powering some of my various device. They both have a large assortment of barrels and connectors including wago-style connectors for bare wire testing.
Another fun video again, Kevin! Good job spreading awareness about orphan turntables as there still many people out there are getting into records... As they want to avoid in buying as such.
Nice video! These turntables might not be the highest end piece of equipment, but they are still pretty decent considering that they were made when the format was declining. Glad to see you got them working even with the proprietary nature of how they are designed to work with matching Hi-Fi systems.
13:00 To start the player by moving the tonearm to the right was the standard way in many manual record players. I had two players working this way, I saw some record players from the 1930's working exact this way and also some record players, where you have to move the tonearm left, especially with a tonearm lift. Very interesting was Mr. Hit and its East European clones, a better one has a slider, push it to the front to move the tonearm to the position, release it to move the tonearm to the record, push it to the back to lift the tonearm and move it to the rest position.
The Philips UFO from the late 1960s uses the same method. Best to leave any labels on as otherwise even people familiar with turntables won't work it out.
I saved an orphan! It just spoke to me. Saw the turntable section of a Panasonic SS-7000 for 15 dollars. Spent about 70 to get the receiver and I love it, she’s a ceramic cart machine, so about 8 grams of force. Kinda high.. but sounds good and I just don’t play super collectible vinyl with it, and replace the needle once every other year or so. All four papers tho. And so pretty.
Funny, I think they both were worth saving. Though I would have gone "non destructive" by unsoldering connections inside and adding in new cables. In the case of the AWAI both power and audio jacks, and for the Yorx just the power with a short length and the barrel input. The original cables could have been set aside, but honestly, nobody is going to reunite these with their "components." The turntables are perfectly adequate for 99% of applications. Even featuring auto stop that many new models don't have.
In my living room is a Toshiba budget compact system that belonged to my Grandfather from the late 80s. It has an amplifier/control, and a double cassette deck intended to look like seperate components but was all one unit model SJ-3438. Interestingly, the digital tuning radio componment was a physically seperate unit but connected to the amp with propreitary ribbon cables (threw away this part a long time ago as it didn't work). The turntable component, Toshiba SR-3648, was very similar to the Aiwa unit and the bevelled front dust cover looks identical. It had an attached cord with RCA plugs, and a cord with a barrel plug for power that went to the amp unit. It was not a very good record player, i had to weigh down the tone arm with a few "twoonies" (heavy Canadian $2 coins) to keep the needle from skipping.
Center negative connectors show up on some battery powered devices because it's easy to configure them to disconnect the batteries when you plug in auxiliary power. The jack has an internal normally-closed switch that's used to connect the battery to the power rail when nothing is plugged in
@@Bob-1802 Haha... I really don't care either way. I would just like for one connector to stick around for a while. Every time I build up a collection of cables and chargers, it changes, and I have to start over again. So whether it's Lightning, or USB-C, the 30-pin dock connector, or the old Motorola 3-pin thing.. just pick one and leave it alone! X-P
Actually managed to do this to what I feel is a half way decent orphan. My friend picked up a tiny Fisher linear tracking table in really good shape, it needed a split +/- 12v power supply though; I kinda just guessed the voltage based on the design of the internal preamp but it works perfectly. The internal preamp was garbage though; absolutely no low end. I wired the RCAs directly up to the cartridge and it sounds shockingly good; I'd say on par with a halfway decent Audio Technica p-mount cart. The only con is that the cartridge is permanently affixed to the tone arm. We've been using it as the main table in the living room for a while now! So sometimes you can get a decent little table out of these poor orphans!
Aaah yea, those all-in-ones masquerading as component systems lol. It's cool that you got the Yorx going without modifying a single thing, and the Aiwa would make a decent, inexpensive turntable if you soldered on a regular RCA cable and power cord.
i had the same aiwa turntable, i actually added the missing transformer and cables, it was nice, i paid nothing for it so for the price it was fine for the time.
You're right. Probably not worth to rescue these orphan audio equipments although if you do have an unused magnetic cartridge lying around, that Yorx turntable represents an opportunity for an upgrade. Would like to see how and if that tracking force knob really works.
That Aiwa turntable matches my Aiwa system, Wich I am desperately trying to find a player and tapedeck for that uses the umbilical so I have the controls Edit: Aiwa did sell a standalone version, I own it, it's the PX 800 instead of the PX 770 Wich you have
Recently saw a drawer style Yorx which uses a barrel plug. Also had a Soundesign that was the same deal but converted it to a standalone. I personally like the CZ-680 because it’s basically a Varco TN4B and styli for the TN4B will fit on the CZ-680
I noticed some distortion when using the CZ-680 with the Soundesign, probably because it was intended to be used with the lower-output CZ-800 cartridge. The CZ-680 has high output and quite loud "needle talk".
There's nothing era-inappropriate about cheap 80s equipment paired with cheap 70s equipment. That would've been suuuuuper common to see WELL in to the 2000s even.
CD is still the king despite the hi-res and online streaming hype, Every time I bring a load of CD's from the dump I enjoy sorting through them and rip the ones I like and attach the album artwork to the FLAC files, Even though it's just 44.1/16 but that's more than enough to produce the master copy of the studio.
@@Yeen125 Not all CD's, Some of the late ones only, Be careful of re-mastered recordings, they don't all sound good, some of those sound worse than the original masters.
Same as with the polarity of DC jacks, I wouldn't always assume that red wire is positive and black/blue is negative, I think more reliable way to find polarity is to look for ground, on electrolytic caps which have ground marked or housing of the DC motor, for example.
Yeah, I got burned with that when I was younger, I guaranteed myself barrel jacks were center positive. Even on modern electronics it's not always true.
Certainly, ignore coloured cabling, the Chinese built products ( which let's be honest is almost all ) don't follow any particular protocol ! I've seen black, white , green , red you name it connected to positive. When debugging/troubleshooting switch your eyesight to monochrome!
To be fair they didn’t sound bad at all, but I would probably just buy a turntable with a plug and rca cables. Still a very interesting video. Thank you
I was talking to my 17 year old nephew the other day, he only buys music on CDs... For the same reason some people in my generation would buy the LPs. I wonder if my grandfather's friends would only buy the Edison cylinders!
In your and your grandfather’s generation, recorded music on physical media was the only thing available. Streaming music can be equal to or better than cd 💿 just go into the settings and turn the quality up. For me if a song drops off streaming media , that’s ok , I’ve probably listened to it too many times anyway
@@jjcoolaus Better than CD means going beyond the human range of hearing. Audiophiles who claim to be able to go beyond CD quality should not be listened to.
I work with a lot of gen Z folks at my job and they're into collecting music on any format they can get, but several of them specifically want to get more into CDs. It makes a lot of sense, and I encourage it! Although it's a bummer that some old CD prices are slowly creeping up there
@@CKT1138 I love CDs, I have hundreds of them - probably 500 - but vintage CD players are tragically flakey. But they are very cheap, so you don't really have to worry. Any given DVD player will play CDs anyways, though it likely won't sound as good as a *cd player*.
Awesome video! I've never came across a "orphan" turntable that I know of....I really like that term for these. There's a record store I visit in a college town near me and there was a Goodwill the next block over and they had one of these late 80s/early 90s all-in-ones and I think it was made by Sharp. It looked similar to the Yorx NEWAVE you had a clip of. Cassette and turntable only, it was definitely made before CD was affordable enough for these style stereos. Same budget components similar to what you have....I think that one had a 7" or 10" platter as well. I couldn't believe the price tag they had on it.....$150.00!!! It wasn't new old stock either and the stylus didn't look the best. It's amazing what some think turntables are worth because of the popularity of the revival 0_0 It's interesting the Yorx has index markings on top of the cover .....I usually only see that on linear tracking turntables. I have that same Command Stereo Check Out record too! I love it. It's very helpful for setups. I have a few of these style test records. Most are actually really affordable on Discogs.
Around 2007 a older guy asked me if I wanted his old rack system. Being a broke college kid who loves music I said yes. It was some cheap 80s rack system with a more modern Sony 5 disk changer. I donated the amp to my buddy, kept the 5 disk changer and chucked the cassette decks and turntable straight in the dumpster. A couple days ago I payed money for a used turntable. Funny how things have changed.
Techmoan keeping my 80's memory alive. Love your channel and the gadgets you present. Would love to see you show those Sony SW digital radios which I loved during those times. These days SW listening has died and all the popular stations have been taken over by religious groups. Oh and AIWA made some great stuff back in the day and I prefered their portablle casette player over the Sony walkman.
In the late 70s we had a Philips turntable with built-in amplifier and external speakers (plastic square cabinets with coarse plastic built-in grille), which you needed to pull back the arm to turn it on just like this one. It had a very distinct sound as the built in amplifier switched on, like two low buzzes in sequence. I can still hear that in my head very vividly 😁. Also, when I tried to record it to my portable cassette boom box via a DIN cable the sound was very tinny. Now I know why. Good times. Not very high quality sound times for me, but good times nevertheless 👍👍
I love when old audio systems use the term "cycles". I have an ild RCA "frequency record" that plays a continuous tone gping from "30 cycles" to "10000 cycles".
I thought I recognised that Yorx turntable from somewhere. When the still of complete system came up at around 8:35, that totally confirmed it. These were sold in the UK under the Schneider brand. My brother bought one second-hand and, when he had had enough of it, he passed it on to me. I thought it was funny how they styled the thing to look at first glance as if it had a CD player, but it was a spring loaded tray for keeping the very limited remote control in. The remote only had volume up/down and mute. As for the turntable, to get anything to play without skipping I took to balancing a half penny piece on the head of the tonearm...
It probably would have been cleaner to de-solder the ribbon cable on the second TT, solder the new connectors on, and store the old ribbon cable if you wanted a reversible modification. Same with the wall-wart for the first TT. Buying the system end socket connector, soldering the wall wart wires on with the correct polarity, and heat shrinking over the solder terminals probably would have been cheaper. I know solder-less repairs appeal to the all thumbs crowd that throws out stuff as soon as they have the first problem with it, but if you're a collector that's serious about keeping and maintaining vintage equipment like this you either have to learn to solder and be your own technician, or pay someone who already is a technician to keep your stuff alive.
Yeah, the third orphan type is definitely a big thing. I worked in HiFi retail in the late 80s, and customers often wanted a Kenwood/Technics/Pioneer midi-system *without* the included turntable. Mostly they were "proper" self-contained models though, with regular power/audio connectors. Often they'd have a 3.5mm "system" cable, which was optional/could be ignored.
We didn't sell brands like Yorx. Lol.
Even if we couldn't do a deal "sans turntable", the turntable would often end up in someone's attic, still new-in-box. I bet there are millions of such decks hiding in attics! Mostly nothing-special Aiwa-esque ones (long after Aiwa's heyday!).
Just to add a little more....the higher-end midi-systems tended to have much nicer linear-tracking turntables, far better build quality. These, even if people weren't really buying records anymore, tended to get set up with the rest of the system...so there won't be too many of those NIB in attics! Sadly! Just the super-basic black plastic belt-drive cheapies, most of which came out of the same factory.
If these turntables had standard audio and electrical power connections, what was the 'system' connection used for? Did it turn the turntable on and off when the appropriate function was selected?
@@Lachlant1984 : Normally, Yes! It was a remote control function.
@@stevesstuff1450 I see. So if that system cable isn't use, does that mean the turntable is always powered on when connected to AC power? Did such turntables also have a power switch?
@@Lachlant1984 "system" was for remote control operation, or synchro-start of recordings, or auto-source select on the amp, that sort of thing. Not really seen on the budget models so much... something you'd find on linear tracking decks etc.
Mr Westlife (represent), your videos have been incredibly useful for someone with a current "cheap" vintage turntable addiction. It's really nice to see someone break away from audiophile bs and use common sense and factuality. Your videos have given me a good sample size of good and bad turntables and what to look out for so now I have no trouble finding obscure tables without any documentation and knowing whether they're going to be good and how to fix them. If you ever do come across a Sanyo, Fisher, or JVC turntable with a "normal" pivoting tonearm but track select, do not pass up on them. They use a cartridge which has an IR emitter and sensor to see the tracks and work much faster than linear turntables. Most also have a remote control option. They're super hard to come by and will definitely have some minor issues, but if you get them working it's something to keep for life.
I have to admit I have a liking for the cheaper stereos from the 80’s too. Not for the sound but nostalgia. Some of them can actually sound quite good. Think our equivalent to the American Sounddesign and yorx is maybe Amstrad or Bush of which I’ve a few. The cassette decks even on them is still ac bias recording. I’ve one with a slide out turntable and the amstrad is a one piece in a rack looking like separates. I have an old amstrad receiver too which sounds really nice.
I love those cheap stereos too! Theres something about them that speaks to me.
The old amstrad midi system we had in the 90s/00s was a beast. Must have been nearly a 14” (35cm) cube
@@TheErador the weakest point of the whole rack system units were the speakers! If you swap them out for something better they sound quite good. AC bias cassette decks, metal tape compatible, decent tuner. The bsr auto return decks work great once you clean out the old grease and replace it. Last one I did was completely seized!
Agreed
Good research job on those old, cheap turntables.
A few points here:
1. I never really got a good look at the underside of the Yorx platter, but I was thinking that since you essentially "armed" the shutoff mechanism, there may be a "boss" molded into the platter that trips the shutoff when the tonearm gets to the runout.
2. I'm also a big proponent of making reversible modifications. I would have gone so far as to remove the original power cable on the Yorx, cut the plug off of the adapter (DC adapters are easy to find) and soldered the cable directly to the original attachment points. Likewise, I would have removed the ribbon cable from the Aiwa and installed suitable cables. But then again, that's just me.
3. The intro to "The Colonel Bogey March" at 20:51 bears a striking resemblance to the intro of Steely Dan's "Do It Again."
#1 if you watched closely you would see that the tone arm activated the switch as well as shut off the switch. But the thing about that set up it puts side pressure on the tone arm that puts pressure on the outer edge of the record. For me to not ruin my records, I would have bypassed the switch with a external one and not used the clicking mechanism since it ride the outside of the record groove..
I was just thinking how rad it would be if you were an AM or FM radio DJ and you only used the devices you repair to air your daily playlists. I would have your station as a preset, my friend. Always love the history, mods, repairs and the music selection! Hope your holiday is most excellent.
Speaking of "orphan turntables", several years ago, I bought an "orphan cassette deck" made by Scott that had a ribbon cable to connect to its matching amplifier. Luckily, I bought the Scott amp (with remote included) for only $11.99, its matching tuner for $10, and the next day, the aforementioned cassette deck for only $5 on a half-price electronics sale day at my local Salvation Army Thrift Store. They all worked well and I added a Nikko CD player (only $5) to the set.
I had assumed that the Scott amp and tuner would likely be picked up by someone else, so I jumped on them on the non-sale day, but I figured the "orphan cassette deck" would be useless to anyone else since it did not have typical RCA cables to connect to any amplifier, so I took a chance on the half-price sale day, got there early, and scooped up the cassette deck. :)
Given that Aiwa's design, if I were going to the trouble to convert one I would've just desoldered the original wire from the circuit board, completely replaced it with new wiring for a separate wall wart and RCA jacks, and taped up / stowed the original wiring somewhere in the body of the table. That way the mod is a bit cleaner and less destructive if I ever had to revert it back to its original state.
One could even do something with pin headers on the board if they were up to it, but let's not get crazy.
Thank you for writing down my thoughts.😄
Strange approach saving that really crappy York then gut the Aiwa.
@@Varangian_af_Scaniae I think he was showing ways anybody might be able to do it.
Yep, exactly what I was thinking. Would have been much, much cleaner.
I had that Yorx stereo, that starts around 8:32. Got it for my birthday in 1987. It also came w/ a rack and the most ridiculous speakers. The latter were about three feet tall, but each had one 8", full-range driver, down near the bottom. I later found some better speakers at a yard sale.
Hate fake full range speakers. Just unnecessary cabinetry
How about fake tweeters and EQ controls? When the manufacturer puts more into deceptive decoration than actual functionality I lose my mind.
@@AndyBHome you should check out the analognic needleator by Funk Logic then.
It was so nice to watch a video that had NO mid-roll ads. Thank you.
Back in 1988 I was the proud recipient of an Aiwa hi-fi system for Christmas, and it included the very turntable in this video! It was a CX-770, and included a 5-band GEQ (with spectrum analyser - so cool back in the 80s!), a digital tuner and twin tape decks with auto reverse on the recording deck. I had it for 10 years before embarking on a journey into sepearates that continues to this day. Thanks for bringing back some great musical memories!
That ultra-80s-arrangement with the 5 1/4" floppy-drive and that cheap 14" Monitor in the back; and the black plastic stereo system in the front really made my day! It gave me a nice warm reminder of my childhood. Thanks a lot! I really enjoyed that view.
I recently searched for an old book in my parent's attic and ran across my cheap plastic "Schneider" system I had when I was 12 years old. I had to take it home with me. Twelve band graphic EQ, ridiculous claim of "500W PMPO", the "Metal" sign on the tape deck door and all the other goodies are there. It deserves a nice place in my man cave.
I 'm an ordinary follower...
Oliver from The Netherlands...
A new video from you is like a friend is comming by... You're welcome!
I haven't owned a turntable or any vinyl records since 1993. I would never voluntarily descend into the fragile, inconvenient hell of LP playback again. Yet, your video is almost a half-hour long and I watched all of it. Success?
Ha, that Yorx system tries to look like a linear tracking technics turntable it seems. The markings on the top are uncannily similar.
I did this with a pioneer turntable, very similar to an lp60 like the aiwa. It was my main turntable for many years. Still used in a secondary system and sounds great
Title is very true. I repaired/rescued my mom's old turntable/stereo. It really wasn't worth the time I spent replacing the bad capacitors, belts, and stylus. It was good practice though, and I was broke. Now a days I'd just buy one
Thanks for adopting these two orphans,at least now they'll have a good home.
Merry Christmas!🎅
Hello Sir, very interesting video. Here in the UK in 1994 I bought an Aiwa midi system z1500 and with it a fully automatic turntable px-e850. I believe you have one. System had a double cassette,3 CD changer and 4 band radio. It also had different sound categories like pop,rock,hall,live etc. It cost £399 including 3 way speakers as well. The next year was my dad's 60th birthday and we all got together to buy him a new music system. We looked at different brands for around the same price eg Sony, pioneer, Kenwood. Couldn't beat the Aiwa and bought the same as mine. I still have the turntable,I sold it recently as it worked perfectly. I'd bought a replacement cartridge years ago for £11.99,an Audio Technica clone. As it had a built in pre amp I used it with a Sony NX1 system. Some people are asking silly money for it,one £95!!!.
Funny and great subject! I bought a full-automatic Technics SL-JS16R (with T4P cardridge) a few months ago for only $10 with the same idea, trying it to use it. Much cheaper than other turntables of this brand only because of the plug.
Before I bought it, I searched for the service manual of the system and turntable online to figure out the pinout of the 12-pin connector. With success, made a breakout board for the connector (preserve the connector similar reasons you mentioned) and yes, now I can use it. To a surprise there was a preamp section inside this model, the AN7310N so I was able to use it on a line-level input. Works great. Test the speed and such and is spot on after all those years. Worth to do this? Yeah, for sure! Great turntable for what it is and an alu platter. Creativity and to learn something is always a good thing. Please don't translate any action you take into money, don't be afraid to try it. It is a very satisfying process.
Tip for power jacks like you showed us, you can buy male and female jacks with wire screw terminals at the end. With these you can make your own power adapter cables and you can also swap the polarity if you want. Very useful, no need to solder (you need some wire and a screwdriver) and you can make any combination you need.
Great video and subject, as always.
Ha ha. I grew up with that Command Stereo Checkout record. My dad bought it before I was born, (I'm in my 50's now), I still use it to check frequency responses of stereos, speakers and the rumble, wow and flutter of turntables.
My favorite track is the last one on side 2, Enjoy Yourself Cha Cha. :)
LOL I typed all that BEFORE you played track 4.
I have a couple of stereo demonstration albums including Audio Fidelity’s “Stereo Demonstration and Sound Effects” album, Bel Canto’s Stereo Demonstration album with multicolored vinyl which was really cool, the Decca stereo demonstration record, RCA Victor’s “Sounds in Space” stereo demonstration record and the Project 3’s “Stereo Test Record” which was in conjunction with Popular Science Monthly magazine. I’ve never came across this Command Stereo Check Out record, but I would really love to hear the entire album. I also have the “Fantasia” soundtrack which were 3 LP’s with a gatefold booklet, and it was a stereo release on the Buena Vista label which was originally on Disneyland, and it was soundtrack to the Disney animated musical of “Fantasia” released in 1940, but it was a 1957 release since stereo was about to come in.
@@Musicradio77Network I've got the Project 3 Q4 test record, for calibrating SQ Quadrophonic systems. Produced by Enoch Light and Jeff Hest.
You have some lovely records to play. Great for getting past YT content ID too!
Even though I'm not particularly into vinyl (..yet) this video is awesome because I actually have an orphaned set of speakers that came with an old Gateway monitor I used to have. Monitor died but the speakers sounded pretty good for what they were so I salvaged the speaker bar, which has one of those male barrel connectors on it that's meant to plug into the monitor itself. Been wanting to figure out how to get it running again and this video reminded me I should probably get on that. Also didn't know polarity reverse adapters were a thing, either. Good to know.
That Yorx reminds me of the hours I spend as a child reading the "Consumers Distributing" catalog, here in Canada. I like the colorful stickers on it, and the compact size.
Thanks so much. Your narration provides a very understandable explanation of what is going on. I’m a boomer and many music fans were also basic audiophiles. And many audiophiles had a very simple understanding of electronics. I can basically understand your description. It seems a shame that the low voltage connectors weren’t standardized. That probably would have frustrated me if I were to attempt the procedures you went through. I may not need to make a connection like this but it would be a confidence booster if I could.
Thank you for your nice guide on how to make use of "orphaned" turntables. From center positive to center negative, tracing the L, R & g wires and finding out if it is ceramic, MM or if it comes with its own phono preamp. These things are very helpful indeed. A warm handshake from my humble country the Philippines 🇵🇭.
Phonograph,Turntable and Record Player, all in one small device. That’s high tech! 😃
Your video makes me want to find an orphan turntable. You made the ultra cheap Yorx sound really good with that 70's stereo.
The small realistic sa155 amps like the ones you’ve reviewed in the past equalise a ceramic cartridge perfectly too. They can actually sound quite good even with only under 2 watts a channel.
Yes, my SA150 has a CER-MAG switch & phono ground lug
Those little SA150 and 155 amps are indispensable and very versatile. I insist on having at least one around at all times. Give 'em some reasonably efficient speakers and they sound fantastic despite the limited power.
@@xaenon I’m the same I have two lying around. The older one with the silver facia I also have the matching tuner and cassette deck. It’s a great wee system and I’ve not even had to change the belts on the cassette deck.
When i find these, I stockpile them and do research about the stereo models that correspond to the model of the turntable. Then, i have a list of those stereo model numbers when i go hunting. I match them up and pass them along as sets. Most people would rather have something like this that they know where to get it worked on and upgraded (me) than spending a ton of money on a modern one.
This video has brought back all of the reasons I've always stayed away from those composite rack systems.
Mix and match has always been my motto when it comes to stereo equipment.
Great tutorial on how to give an otherwise useless item new life. Very neat to see the origins of the AT-LP60. I assumed it was a new/modern design.
I actually have an orphan Technics AM/FM tuner that I found at a thrift store a couple of years ago. I went a bit further and drilled holes to put jacks for the line output and power. It takes a strange power input - 9V AC.
I don't suppose it's the ST-Z990 by any chance? It had a ribbon cable connector carrying power, audio and even remote control signals. At the time I was so desperate to find a standalone component tuner that I decided to spin the wheel and bought it, even though I had to take the matching cassette deck with it. (The latter got tossed after kicking around for a while.)
I did get it to power up (also 9 VAC) and even haphazardly wired it up to hear it play. That was as far as it went, because an analog Kenwood standalone tuner came along. I'm not sure if the Technics tuner is still around or not...
@@uxwbill Yep! That's the one.
Edit: Whoops, it's actually an ST-Z550. Looks similar :)
Right - barrel plug polarity is important - LOL - and they used Male barrel as a power input instead of an output. I recall a great deal of Casio music keyboards being center-negative. - oh wait - you just said that too. :)
Plenty of Sinclair ZX Spectrum (and presumably Timex Sinclair 2068) computers have been killed or badly injured over the years by people using power supplies with centre positive barrel jacks... oof.
15:30 there are AC adaptors, where you can change the polarity. With switch or the detachable cable.
Brilliant entertaining video there as ever VWestlife! I planned to skip through given the length but watched it all. I am just trying to work out which is the silliest thing - the lack of standard on centre positive/centre negative power plugs or those graphic equaliser controls with two slider knobs per control to make it look like there are more bands than there really are!!
This was a lot of fun, I always adopt an orphan, especially in that condition. The Yorx sounded really good Thru the sound design. “Low end” got to be pretty bad ass by the late 80’s and mid 90’s. Making things work with mis-match was the way it was done when garage sales and maybe Christmas got you something cool here and there growing up.
Those old records had very good stereo separation.
Wow, great research on the old phone. I was thinking of doing just that with an old player of mine. Saved me the trouble. Or, just hear me out, I could use my VW van that drives around the LP with its speaker on top! Other than the doppler sound and no 45 mode, kind of fun to watch
I love when people cut the connector off far enough away from the end so you can actually reconnect/repair it later!!
Slightly off topic, but I was born in 1984, so I'm only just old enough to remember the decline of the vinyl record. We had a record player when I was very young, but we stopped using it when I was about 7, I think the cartridge or stylus failed and Dad never replaced it, I believe this happened in very early 1991 when I was 7. I have a younger brother who was born when I was 15. When he was very young my step father lamented the fact his son wouldn't grow up knowing what a record is. 23 years later, my younger brother loves records, he has a record player and a collection of records, so now, I can spoil him by going to one of my favourite shops and I can buy him vinyl LPs to play, it's just so interesting that a music format that was abandoned over 30 years ago has regained popularity again and that you can buy such a large library of music on vinyl record. Makes me wonder if the CD will regain popularity in the future. The CD is my favourite music distribution media.
Fantastic rescue. I love what Yorx did in the late 80s, I imported a couple of their triple cassette deck boomboxes for my collection a while back. I hope you find the system to go with that turntable. Interesting how they used the "Q" in the model name too, like Sony''s PS-Q turntables you mentioned that were designed for their FH boombox series. I just think Japanese manufacturers were fascinated with "Q" as a great shortening for 'Cute", even Sharp did a QT model name for their smaller mini boomboxes. Much like how they used "W" as an indicator for anything with two, like a double (w) cassette deck.
Thank you for taking time to go where no audio enthusiast has gone before!
“But in case I ever come across one of the matching Yorx stereo systems, I want to preserve the originality.”
Never change, Kevin. 😌
Superb video. God I was so glad I was there in the 80s (I'm 54 now). Yourself & Matt make brilliant videos that take me back, and i can watch vicariously and enjoy. I thank you.
Very good. Interesting how you managed to get these all working.
Beethoven "Spring" sonata in background - excellent!
You can test with multimeter if it's a center positive or center negative, set the multimeter to continuity test and touch one of the probes to the center pin and the other probe to a grounded place if it beeps it's center negative, if it doesn't beep it's center positive.
To find out the voltage just give it three volts and increase the voltage slowly until it starts to play at correct speed.
I have an old 1970s turntable that at first did not work at all, but once I got it repaired it worked great. It came with the original stereo system and everything thankfully.
Oh nice a new turntable related video I love them and orphans turntables are really interesting
Ha! I actually had a Yorx record player stereo system back in 1984 or 1985 with an attached (not separate) record player (either a Q100 model or Q200), two cassette decks, AM/FM tuner, and two "tower" speakers for around $200 back then. I enjoyed it for many years as an entry level system as a teenager and ironically, even though I eventually chucked it because the belt had dried out, the cassette decks were chewing tapes or not functioning at all, etc, I still kept the dust cover and the 45 rpm adaptor for some silly reason. :)
It's really nice that they are very likely finally being used for the first time.
I remember that old thing pulling the tone arm to the right. One of our old players we had to do that (cheap one) JC Penny's didn't but it needs some repair as it has the turntable cassette and 8-track player. Used to play the latter quite good. Dads much older Unisonic never really played 8-tracks well. So eventually I bought my own that I could use to record to cd's. But I had it open to make sure nothing was spewed out inside. Because of this channel I one of the $90 now $200 record players by AT
9:09 - I knew I had seen that Yorx New Wave before - my brother had an identical Schneider New Wave in the eighties but it was red. It also had a mechanized drawer like a CD player but it was where you put the remote control! The three band eq was just a single slider for tone.
I remember picking up my first orphaned turntable in 1988, a Tensai. Cheap and nasty with a Chuo denshi 800 cart with plastic cantilever stylus. Used a 12v scalextric power supply ! Since then I have picked up many of those proprietary decks and usually drill a small hole at the rear and fit a panel-mount barrel socket for the DC (cost pence, add a wall wart form some old router picked up for a pound or less at second hand places) and add an RCA cable (if not fitted). You can then at least sell them on with minimum outlay. If new cart is needed it's not worth it. You can use ceramic carts into a line in if you add a 1 megohm or just under in series with the signal leads. Then you at least get bass.
The auto stop works by moving the pawl over where a cam located on the platter center will contact it and flip the switch back over. Almost all record changers used a similar system to initiate operation of the mechanism at the end of the record.
I came to DC in 1991 for "a one year project." I rented an apartment vs staying in a hotel. Bought a Technics rack system that I would have sold when I was ready to head back. Didn't bring any of my records so I kept the turntable in its box, in the closet. Fast forward to 2014: The cassette simply died. The CD changer was failing. Then, one of the channels on the integrated amp failed (STK power pack). I gave the components to someone who fixes up gear because I went back to 70s analog...but I kept the turntable (SL-BD27U) which I still have in the rig.
Moral of the story: Sometimes the orphaned turntable can be a good thing.
another very detailed video ..which you are known to do..very good!i also like the eclectic selection of records that you play on those turntables...i like cheap record players as well as high end....
I love your eclectic music collection :)
Great Deal! Others may rarely notice, making a 'misfit' useful is a Big Deal.
Investment: Time, Money & Fun Video, for some to say, Now i know. *Thanks!*
I say the technics ramge form the 8ps had the best compact design with the liniar tracking I have the sl6.
Merry Chrostmas & a happy new year look forward to see what you have for 2023
This is extremely pleasurable
I've seen many of these orphan turntables for sale, usually at heavily discounted prices, and always passed them up for fear of the unknown. Nice to see how easy it is to retrofit them to use with a new foster stereo system. That AIWA sounded on par with my Audio Technica AT-LP60 (as it should, since it shares the same cartridge).
As an aside, those Command and Time Records used to be a dime a dozen; now they're almost impossible to find for reasonable prices. I snagged a few many years ago for less than a buck a piece. They make the perfect test material for turntables old and new, or even just for marveling at the over-the-top stereo effects employed when stereo was new. Perhaps that album can make an eventual appearance on your music channel?
I need to find a better copy of "Stereo Check-Out". It sounds like someone played my copy over and over again with a worn needle, because it has high surface noise and a loss of high frequencies, while my other Command records sound quiet and bright.
@@vwestlife I was wondering about that. While it sounded good on video, it didn't sound quite as clear as I remember most of the Command records sounding, namely, as you pointed out, with regard to the high frequencies. Still a great record to listen, even if a little tired.
@7:48 - based on yours and a few other videos, I have ordered in a a couple of fully adjustable (current and voltage) as well as polarity switching wall warts for testing and powering some of my various device. They both have a large assortment of barrels and connectors including wago-style connectors for bare wire testing.
Another fun video again, Kevin! Good job spreading awareness about orphan turntables as there still many people out there are getting into records... As they want to avoid in buying as such.
Nice video! These turntables might not be the highest end piece of equipment, but they are still pretty decent considering that they were made when the format was declining. Glad to see you got them working even with the proprietary nature of how they are designed to work with matching Hi-Fi systems.
13:00 To start the player by moving the tonearm to the right was the standard way in many manual record players. I had two players working this way, I saw some record players from the 1930's working exact this way and also some record players, where you have to move the tonearm left, especially with a tonearm lift. Very interesting was Mr. Hit and its East European clones, a better one has a slider, push it to the front to move the tonearm to the position, release it to move the tonearm to the record, push it to the back to lift the tonearm and move it to the rest position.
The Philips UFO from the late 1960s uses the same method. Best to leave any labels on as otherwise even people familiar with turntables won't work it out.
I saved an orphan! It just spoke to me.
Saw the turntable section of a Panasonic SS-7000 for 15 dollars.
Spent about 70 to get the receiver and I love it, she’s a ceramic cart machine, so about 8 grams of force. Kinda high.. but sounds good and I just don’t play super collectible vinyl with it, and replace the needle once every other year or so.
All four papers tho. And so pretty.
Funny, I think they both were worth saving. Though I would have gone "non destructive" by unsoldering connections inside and adding in new cables. In the case of the AWAI both power and audio jacks, and for the Yorx just the power with a short length and the barrel input. The original cables could have been set aside, but honestly, nobody is going to reunite these with their "components." The turntables are perfectly adequate for 99% of applications. Even featuring auto stop that many new models don't have.
Out of the two, the Aiwa seems to be the worth saving and using. It has a better cart and is automatic.
Fun fact: "Aiwa" (as it's pronounced) is Arabic for "yes".
In my living room is a Toshiba budget compact system that belonged to my Grandfather from the late 80s. It has an amplifier/control, and a double cassette deck intended to look like seperate components but was all one unit model SJ-3438. Interestingly, the digital tuning radio componment was a physically seperate unit but connected to the amp with propreitary ribbon cables (threw away this part a long time ago as it didn't work). The turntable component, Toshiba SR-3648, was very similar to the Aiwa unit and the bevelled front dust cover looks identical. It had an attached cord with RCA plugs, and a cord with a barrel plug for power that went to the amp unit.
It was not a very good record player, i had to weigh down the tone arm with a few "twoonies" (heavy Canadian $2 coins) to keep the needle from skipping.
Center negative connectors show up on some battery powered devices because it's easy to configure them to disconnect the batteries when you plug in auxiliary power. The jack has an internal normally-closed switch that's used to connect the battery to the power rail when nothing is plugged in
Wow, you've just made an Apple turntable: 3 adapters and converters to be able to use this as an accessory.
You say "Apple," but we can really thank the USB Forum for taking the "universal" out of USB. "That connector is _so_ 2015. Use this one instead."
@@nickwallette6201 Yep! USB has become a real mess. Maybe Apple should stick with Lightning after all 🤭
@@Bob-1802 Haha... I really don't care either way. I would just like for one connector to stick around for a while. Every time I build up a collection of cables and chargers, it changes, and I have to start over again. So whether it's Lightning, or USB-C, the 30-pin dock connector, or the old Motorola 3-pin thing.. just pick one and leave it alone! X-P
Actually managed to do this to what I feel is a half way decent orphan. My friend picked up a tiny Fisher linear tracking table in really good shape, it needed a split +/- 12v power supply though; I kinda just guessed the voltage based on the design of the internal preamp but it works perfectly. The internal preamp was garbage though; absolutely no low end. I wired the RCAs directly up to the cartridge and it sounds shockingly good; I'd say on par with a halfway decent Audio Technica p-mount cart. The only con is that the cartridge is permanently affixed to the tone arm. We've been using it as the main table in the living room for a while now! So sometimes you can get a decent little table out of these poor orphans!
Aaah yea, those all-in-ones masquerading as component systems lol. It's cool that you got the Yorx going without modifying a single thing, and the Aiwa would make a decent, inexpensive turntable if you soldered on a regular RCA cable and power cord.
i had the same aiwa turntable, i actually added the missing transformer and cables, it was nice, i paid nothing for it so for the price it was fine for the time.
@8:32 - that's the exact system i bought in high school around 1987. Still have it today. It's a relative POS, but i used it every day
I am always happy to see the Techmoan/Vwestlife love
@azoriusmage
I love techmoan's dry and sarcastic sense of humor, I love it!
You're right. Probably not worth to rescue these orphan audio equipments although if you do have an unused magnetic cartridge lying around, that Yorx turntable represents an opportunity for an upgrade. Would like to see how and if that tracking force knob really works.
That Aiwa turntable matches my Aiwa system, Wich I am desperately trying to find a player and tapedeck for that uses the umbilical so I have the controls
Edit: Aiwa did sell a standalone version, I own it, it's the PX 800 instead of the PX 770 Wich you have
Recently saw a drawer style Yorx which uses a barrel plug. Also had a Soundesign that was the same deal but converted it to a standalone.
I personally like the CZ-680 because it’s basically a Varco TN4B and styli for the TN4B will fit on the CZ-680
I noticed some distortion when using the CZ-680 with the Soundesign, probably because it was intended to be used with the lower-output CZ-800 cartridge. The CZ-680 has high output and quite loud "needle talk".
@@vwestlife stock stylus for the CZ-680 gives 500mV, CZ-800 is 350mV
I use Varco styli on mine. Stock also gives 500mV but TN8T “865” gives 800mV
There's nothing era-inappropriate about cheap 80s equipment paired with cheap 70s equipment. That would've been suuuuuper common to see WELL in to the 2000s even.
CD is still the king despite the hi-res and online streaming hype, Every time I bring a load of CD's from the dump I enjoy sorting through them and rip the ones I like and attach the album artwork to the FLAC files, Even though it's just 44.1/16 but that's more than enough to produce the master copy of the studio.
The issue with many CDs is that they are the victim of the loudness war; and thus have terrible mastering compared to vinyl and “high-res” FLAC files.
@@Yeen125 Not all CD's, Some of the late ones only, Be careful of re-mastered recordings, they don't all sound good, some of those sound worse than the original masters.
Thanks for the video, Kevin, appreciate it.
Man I love late 80's to early 2000's electronics sales stickers on demo models
Getting serious, this is a totally useless video. Yet, I enjoyed it immensely!! Keep making these videos, I love 'em!
Same as with the polarity of DC jacks, I wouldn't always assume that red wire is positive and black/blue is negative, I think more reliable way to find polarity is to look for ground, on electrolytic caps which have ground marked or housing of the DC motor, for example.
Yeah, I got burned with that when I was younger, I guaranteed myself barrel jacks were center positive. Even on modern electronics it's not always true.
Certainly, ignore coloured cabling, the Chinese built products ( which let's be honest is almost all ) don't follow any particular protocol ! I've seen black, white , green , red you name it connected to positive. When debugging/troubleshooting switch your eyesight to monochrome!
To be fair they didn’t sound bad at all, but I would probably just buy a turntable with a plug and rca cables.
Still a very interesting video. Thank you
I was talking to my 17 year old nephew the other day, he only buys music on CDs... For the same reason some people in my generation would buy the LPs. I wonder if my grandfather's friends would only buy the Edison cylinders!
In your and your grandfather’s generation, recorded music on physical media was the only thing available. Streaming music can be equal to or better than cd 💿 just go into the settings and turn the quality up. For me if a song drops off streaming media , that’s ok , I’ve probably listened to it too many times anyway
@@jjcoolaus I never said it wasn't. Just musing that there's a tendency to think the previous generation somehow had it better.
@@jjcoolaus Better than CD means going beyond the human range of hearing. Audiophiles who claim to be able to go beyond CD quality should not be listened to.
I work with a lot of gen Z folks at my job and they're into collecting music on any format they can get, but several of them specifically want to get more into CDs.
It makes a lot of sense, and I encourage it!
Although it's a bummer that some old CD prices are slowly creeping up there
@@CKT1138 I love CDs, I have hundreds of them - probably 500 - but vintage CD players are tragically flakey. But they are very cheap, so you don't really have to worry. Any given DVD player will play CDs anyways, though it likely won't sound as good as a *cd player*.
I love this channel. Super interesting stuff.
Who would refuse an invitation to a party VWestlife's home with that record collection? Not me.
Re: Center positive/negative. Another extremely common usage for center negative plugs these days is for instrument effects such as guitar pedals.
That's what the adapter he used was designed for
The wire with white the stripe is usually indicating the positive wire. 13:13 the Platter turns that switch finally off.
Awesome video! I've never came across a "orphan" turntable that I know of....I really like that term for these. There's a record store I visit in a college town near me and there was a Goodwill the next block over and they had one of these late 80s/early 90s all-in-ones and I think it was made by Sharp. It looked similar to the Yorx NEWAVE you had a clip of. Cassette and turntable only, it was definitely made before CD was affordable enough for these style stereos. Same budget components similar to what you have....I think that one had a 7" or 10" platter as well. I couldn't believe the price tag they had on it.....$150.00!!! It wasn't new old stock either and the stylus didn't look the best. It's amazing what some think turntables are worth because of the popularity of the revival 0_0 It's interesting the Yorx has index markings on top of the cover .....I usually only see that on linear tracking turntables. I have that same Command Stereo Check Out record too! I love it. It's very helpful for setups. I have a few of these style test records. Most are actually really affordable on Discogs.
"There's a limit to how small record players can be"
Sound Burger: "Hold my beer"...
Entertaining as always with wacky and wonderful music selections. 👍👍🎅
Around 2007 a older guy asked me if I wanted his old rack system. Being a broke college kid who loves music I said yes. It was some cheap 80s rack system with a more modern Sony 5 disk changer. I donated the amp to my buddy, kept the 5 disk changer and chucked the cassette decks and turntable straight in the dumpster. A couple days ago I payed money for a used turntable. Funny how things have changed.
That’s a nice record collection!
Techmoan keeping my 80's memory alive. Love your channel and the gadgets you present. Would love to see you show those Sony SW digital radios which I loved during those times. These days SW listening has died and all the popular stations have been taken over by religious groups. Oh and AIWA made some great stuff back in the day and I prefered their portablle casette player over the Sony walkman.
In the late 70s we had a Philips turntable with built-in amplifier and external speakers (plastic square cabinets with coarse plastic built-in grille), which you needed to pull back the arm to turn it on just like this one. It had a very distinct sound as the built in amplifier switched on, like two low buzzes in sequence. I can still hear that in my head very vividly 😁. Also, when I tried to record it to my portable cassette boom box via a DIN cable the sound was very tinny. Now I know why. Good times. Not very high quality sound times for me, but good times nevertheless 👍👍
I love when old audio systems use the term "cycles". I have an ild RCA "frequency record" that plays a continuous tone gping from "30 cycles" to "10000 cycles".
I thought I recognised that Yorx turntable from somewhere. When the still of complete system came up at around 8:35, that totally confirmed it. These were sold in the UK under the Schneider brand. My brother bought one second-hand and, when he had had enough of it, he passed it on to me. I thought it was funny how they styled the thing to look at first glance as if it had a CD player, but it was a spring loaded tray for keeping the very limited remote control in. The remote only had volume up/down and mute. As for the turntable, to get anything to play without skipping I took to balancing a half penny piece on the head of the tonearm...
It probably would have been cleaner to de-solder the ribbon cable on the second TT, solder the new connectors on, and store the old ribbon cable if you wanted a reversible modification.
Same with the wall-wart for the first TT. Buying the system end socket connector, soldering the wall wart wires on with the correct polarity, and heat shrinking over the solder terminals probably would have been cheaper. I know solder-less repairs appeal to the all thumbs crowd that throws out stuff as soon as they have the first problem with it, but if you're a collector that's serious about keeping and maintaining vintage equipment like this you either have to learn to solder and be your own technician, or pay someone who already is a technician to keep your stuff alive.