I know we have a few threads going specifically about vinyl and record players, but I wanted to get one going that serves as a catch-all for ALL things Home Audio. This can be for home stereo components, home theater stuff, and everything in between.
One of the reasons I wanted to start this one was from a recent acquisition. I have been looking for a cassette deck to add to my office hi-fi stack for a while, and if you have tried finding a working cassette deck in the past few years, you've probably found that 90% of them out there don't work due to stretched or broken belts. I bought a bag of belts online a few months back and have been waiting for a decent deck to come along, knowing it would need repair. That brings me to yesterday: I happened to be in one of my favorite record stores and noticed a couple of Pioneer cassette decks behind the counter. Owner of the store said he just pulled them from storage, and if they worked, they were $30/ea. Well, neither one worked. So he gave me one for free!
It's a Pioneer CT-W103, which is an entry level, basic unit from 1994 that was likely packaged with a complete system. It matches my Kenwood from 1995 pretty well aesthetically. While I'd like a full logic unit eventually, an entry level Pioneer for free is not something I was going to pass up.
So, I decided to crack it open today.
5 screws and you can access everything.
Since this is a basic unit, it has one motor that runs both decks in the middle of the mechanism. Not only were the belts broken, they had decomposed into this black tar goop, which was all over everything! I cleaned that up the best I could.
After popping some new belts on, I confirmed the motor and all the gears/pulleys did their thing.
And after much trial and error with finding the right size belts, we have a working cassette deck! The left side works fine, but I think I need to crack it open and find another belt for the other side that's a little smaller, as it plays a little slow. I tested it out with a few cassettes, and it sounds as good as cassettes sound. I still have all of my tapes from back in the day, and I can't wait to revisit some old favorites. Sounds like 1987 in here!
Quick update on the Pioneer cassette deck:
One of the belts I used was too long, causing it to bind up and slow down the left side mechanism and jam up the right mechanism. I swapped to a smaller belt, and all is good! Thing sounds pretty great (for a cassette deck) and now plays at the proper speed on both sides. Been having a ton of fun going back into my old cassettes and cranking stuff I haven't heard in years.
Good job, can't beat that for free!
I haven't had a good system for a while but am looking at trying to set something up soon. I have the components, just need the space and time. However, I do have a nice "library" sounds setup (small speakers, CD player, and receiver) that I should take pics of; it looks cool.
I've started building audio stuff. Sounds swanky, but it's really easy with kits from websites. I don't know how to select components, but I know how to solder and do woodworky things.
So rewarding.
I made this bluetooth speaker for Hot for Teacher for Christmas this year
11GTCS
Dork
1/26/23 12:47 p.m.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Is that from Parts Express? I'm thinking about making this cool "giraffe" themed box that came with some tasty scotch in it into a bluetooth speaker. They have a similar kit with two 4" drivers, the amplifier and batteries. I did some measuring and just to be sure made up the speaker support board to be sure it would fit. The box cover has holes in it so I can use it as a grille. If it's Parts Express curious on how the kit was? Thanks!
My home theater uses C-notes for the main F/R. Those were fun to build too.
In reply to 11GTCS :
It was Parts Express. I was hesitant with that BT kit because of the reviews. The cuts aren't great. Fortunately I keep a radial arm saw set up with a dado stack so I could fix it easily. The rabbets aren't very accurate.
The rest of the kit is lovely. I used some laminated maple for the top and bottom, and ultrasuede for the body. I strongly suggest getting a second battery holder and batteries. It's not short-lived with just one battery board, but I can leave it on for 48 hours on a single charge with the double. There is also debate about sound quality and having the second battery board in parallel which doubles the amp capacity.
Edit to add: Sound quality is excellent given that it's small drivers. As you can expect, the dB drop off quickly below about 100Hz, but you can still here a tone sweep down to 30Hz. 50-60Hz is about it's practical limit, which I think is pretty impressive for the small enclosure and tiny drivers. Overall volume is great for home or office, but it might struggle a bit at a party with a lot of people talking.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Awesome, thanks. I'll be ordering their "large ammo box" kit and adapting it to the "giraffe" box. The two full range 4" drivers will just fit inside the box, the amp / battery stack looks similar to what you have and will fit between the two speakers with room to spare. Sound quality probably won't be quite as good as yours but the reviews on the ammo box kit are decent. It should look pretty cool when complete.
I can say that the Overnight Sensations kit from Parts Express is also top-notch. Son #1 is still enjoying these for his bedroom speakers while off to school. Impressive sound from a small package.
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
I would love to do a side-by-side comparison of the overnites and the c-notes. I mostly went with the c-notes for cost reasons and I prefer MDF enclosures, although it doesn't really make much difference when the panel resonance is so different from the audio range it's producing. Bigger deal on subs, not a big deal on bookshelf speakers.
Relevant. We're looking at a new place tomorrow and if it works out I'll have a dedicated music room for all my things. Right now my home audio setup is several pairs of different headphones.
VolvoHeretic said:
Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to 1988RedT2 :
I would love to do a side-by-side comparison of the overnites and the c-notes. I mostly went with the c-notes for cost reasons and I prefer MDF enclosures, although it doesn't really make much difference when the panel resonance is so different from the audio range it's producing. Bigger deal on subs, not a big deal on bookshelf speakers.
And where is your sub? 
Hiding right here. 300W 8" with a passive radiator.
In reply to Curtis73 (Forum Supporter) :
Good job.
The best home audio speakers I've ever used are the ancient Shure Vocal Master columns. They aren't meant for home audio but I do love them.
I do need to add a sub to them though
These are my library speakers:
ampex model 815 speakers; I blew the original drivers and re-drivered them with modern stuff and they sound great. Driven by this:
which a tenant left behind when they moved out. The cd player skipped horribly; disassembling it and cleaning the laser took care of that. The whole thing is quite vintage looking and sounds fantastic. Perfect for a quiet listening environment like our home library.
