Vintage HiFi not as loud as it was

[Rerobinsonuk]

My Father passed away recently and I've inherited his lovely HiFi comprising a Marantz Superscope receiver, Pioneer PL-112D turntable and KEF Kit 3 Speakers (he built) all 1976 vintage, all in great nick. I grew up listening to my records on this system to about 1992 when I flew the nest. It always sounded incredible with thumping base and capable of filling the room with high volume. I now have it set up in my lounge and it ain't cutting it anymore. It seems to struggle putting out anywhere near 'what I remember' before distorting. The base just doesn't kick like it did (although the Kef B139 driver moves like I remember). I'm suspecting possibly ageing crossovers, however could it be the Amp or maybe the cartridge?

Does anyone have experience of vintage gear and the best place to start or how/where to get it tested to discover where the problem may lie. Maybe it's my ears??? Our lounge is a similar size to what my parents was. This kit means a lot so I would love to have it back how I remember.

 

[davedotco]

Expectation bias and rose tinted glasses, I should guess.

The room might have an effect but otherwise.....*unknw*

It is hard to imagine a fault that would allow a system to play fine but at a reduced volume, check the setup and amp controls and maybe a new stylus/cartridge but it is most likely your 'audio memory' that is the issue.

 

[Vladimir]

I used to own the KEF K2 Celeste mkll. The crossover capacitors need to be checked/replaced. Also from experience the B139 bass driver might be stuck/stiff, it also needs to be checked. Maybe you have blown tweeters or squawkers, also should be tested.

Have you tested the speakers with a different amp just to make sure they are the issue?

 

[Freddy58]

You need to run a process of elimination. First of all, maybe try a different source, a CD player or something, using the appropriate input on the amp. If there's no change, try another amp, maybe borrow one? If there's still no change, then you'll know it's the speakers at fault, and it's those that will need further investigation. I suspect it's the speakers, fwiw.

 

[Rerobinsonuk]

Hi Vladimir. Thanks for your comments. I noticed the midrange quieter on left so swapped crossovers (as they are kit affairs the circuit board simply unplugs) and the fault followed the crossover. Now is it best to bite the bullet and buy new crossovers (SP1004 at around £60 for the pair online) or just replace caps assuming inductors will be fine? If you reckon just the capacitors, where do you buy them?

 

[Vladimir]

Capacitors would be 99% of the time the issue unless it is just a broken off or cold solder joint. Best to replace them on both crossovers, it's nothing complicated, and you're good to go for another 20 years.

You can buy new caps from Mouser online, avoid ebay.

To be safe keep both the voltage V and capacitance uF same as the old caps. You can go for higher voltage, but never lower. Keep capacitance exact, it's part of the speaker design.

Stick to name brands such as Nichicon, Panasonic, Elna etc. For the small values you can buy film caps (MKT). They will last longer than the typical can electrolytics.

If you don't want to mess about, that 60 quid option sounds great.

 

[stefanom]

Most likely the elec caps have dried up.

I think Falcon Acoustics in the UK has DN12 SP1004 crossover and replacement capacitors.

 

[Rerobinsonuk]

Brilliant, thank you. I'll let you know if it makes a difference