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flarosa
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

I picked up a Stromberg-Carlson console stereo at a Goodwill store this
week. Physically it's in great shape. It plays, but I'm not
particularly thrilled with the sound. Even though there are two 15"
woofers, the sound has hardly any bass compared to a modern stereo; it
has hardly any treble either. It gets loud, but the sound is flat.

Additionally, one channel is louder and better-sounding than the other.
I swapped the speakers to confirm that it's the signal that's louder
and not a defective speaker. I also swapped the tubes in the main
amplifier (left for right) but that didn't change anything.

Any advice on what I should do with this thing? Do I leave it as-is and
enjoy the "vintage" sound or should I try to fix it up? I've heard
people say that the Stromberg-Carlson tube amps are good amplifiers so
I'm leaning toward the idea of replacing the old speakers with better
ones.

Should I replace the tubes with modern equivalents or leave the old
tubes alone? There are at least a dozen tubes inside this thing, some
enclosed in metal cylinders and some not. The main amp has four tubes
marked 7408 which seem to be easy to replace (equivalent to 6V6GT). I
haven't looked at the others in any detail.

Oh, here are some photos:
http://flickr.com/photos/flarosa/685...n/photostream/

Thanks for your input.

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Posted to rec.audio.tubes
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

Let's start by recapping it. If the sound does not improve markedly
after that, let us know.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

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flarosa
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

Thanks, I read about recapping and it seems like a good idea.

Do you know offhand where I could get a schematic?

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Posted to rec.audio.tubes
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

Start with Rich Lancaster's site: www.nostalgiaair.org

He has them on-line in .PDF format.

If no joy the http://www.agtannenbaum.com has them in paper format,
nicely bound and clearly copied, but for a price.

Good luck.

Peter Wieck
Wyncote, PA

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Bret Ludwig
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

I picked up a Stromberg-Carlson console stereo at a Goodwill store this
week. Physically it's in great shape. It plays, but I'm not
particularly thrilled with the sound. Even though there are two 15"
woofers, the sound has hardly any bass compared to a modern stereo; it
has hardly any treble either. It gets loud, but the sound is flat.

Additionally, one channel is louder and better-sounding than the other.
I swapped the speakers to confirm that it's the signal that's louder
and not a defective speaker. I also swapped the tubes in the main
amplifier (left for right) but that didn't change anything.

Any advice on what I should do with this thing? Do I leave it as-is and
enjoy the "vintage" sound or should I try to fix it up? I've heard
people say that the Stromberg-Carlson tube amps are good amplifiers so
I'm leaning toward the idea of replacing the old speakers with better
ones.

You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. I would replace any
caps that leaked and get the thing working like it originally did if
you just want something to do, or have a home for it that will enjoy
it. Other than that you are throwing time and money and effort in the
toilet.

The amplifiers in these things have the same circuits and the same
output transformers as guitar amps, so if you want to build a guitar
amp out of it for your own amusement or to sell to some gullible yuppie
son of a bitch on eBay, you could. The speakers are also good for
guitar if played at low volumes, just like the speakers in early
Fifties guitar amps. Because they _really are just like_ those
speakers. Exactly like, if you get the hint.

What you will never get out of it is high fidelity. The amplifier will
never be a hi-fi amplifier. The changer will never be a decent
turntable. The speakers will never be anything but cheap utility
fifties speakers. We are not talking Klipsch, JBL, Altec or even Bozak.

I would troubleshoot it for the experience, clean it up, and get it
working as original if you are going to be able to give it a home,
(maybe a prop for a high school staging of "The Seven Year Itch"?) or
mercifully euthanize it otherwise. The amp chassis will make a guitar
amp for someone. The wood cabinet can be made into a wine cab or if it
has solid wood sections a guitar or violin maker might salvage the
wood.

There is a reason you see old consoles at Goodwill and on Freecycle,
and not Marantz and McIntosh amps and Altec 604s and Klipsch LaScalas.
They have the ACV-actual cash value-of tampons. (Used. By Margaret.)



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cosmotronics
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

Darn, the SA-300b and 400CXII I got from a console won't fit in the
toilet!
RA

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Bill Tomkiewicz
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

Most Stromberg-Carlsons electronics have the schematic glued to the inside
of the bottom cover.


"flarosa" wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks, I read about recapping and it seems like a good idea.

Do you know offhand where I could get a schematic?



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Tom Bavis
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

Sounds like the ASR-120 or ASR-220 amp - schematics are on my web
page:
http://www.audiophool.cjb.net/MadeInRoch.html

Caps are MUCH more likely to be a problem than tubes.


On 1 Dec 2005 22:15:34 -0800, "flarosa" wrote:

I picked up a Stromberg-Carlson console stereo at a Goodwill store this
week. Physically it's in great shape. It plays, but I'm not
particularly thrilled with the sound. Even though there are two 15"
woofers, the sound has hardly any bass compared to a modern stereo; it
has hardly any treble either. It gets loud, but the sound is flat.

Additionally, one channel is louder and better-sounding than the other.
I swapped the speakers to confirm that it's the signal that's louder
and not a defective speaker. I also swapped the tubes in the main
amplifier (left for right) but that didn't change anything.

Any advice on what I should do with this thing? Do I leave it as-is and
enjoy the "vintage" sound or should I try to fix it up? I've heard
people say that the Stromberg-Carlson tube amps are good amplifiers so
I'm leaning toward the idea of replacing the old speakers with better
ones.

Should I replace the tubes with modern equivalents or leave the old
tubes alone? There are at least a dozen tubes inside this thing, some
enclosed in metal cylinders and some not. The main amp has four tubes
marked 7408 which seem to be easy to replace (equivalent to 6V6GT). I
haven't looked at the others in any detail.

Oh, here are some photos:
http://flickr.com/photos/flarosa/685...n/photostream/

Thanks for your input.


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Posted to rec.audio.tubes
flarosa
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

Thanks, I'm sure that what I have is the ASR-120 amp.

Should I worry about the tuner section or is it less likely to have
problems?

Could I plug a line-level signal directly into the ASR-120 amplifer and
bypass the tuner portion of the radio completely if I wanted to play
back a CD or other external source?

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Tom Bavis
 
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Default Advice regarding a Stromberg-Carlson console

On 4 Dec 2005 07:00:49 -0800, "flarosa" wrote:

Thanks, I'm sure that what I have is the ASR-120 amp.

Should I worry about the tuner section or is it less likely to have
problems?

Could I plug a line-level signal directly into the ASR-120 amplifer and
bypass the tuner portion of the radio completely if I wanted to play
back a CD or other external source?

The ASR-120 has a large bass boost, with tone controls that "cut"
only, giving a more or less "flat" response overall. If you use it
separately, see the schematic on my page for a mod to give a flat
response.

I have the rest of the Sams folder for this stereo - I didn't post it
all because it's not a very good scan.



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