WM-F73 incoming after a 20 year search for the right one!

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Beosystem10

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Feb 21, 2013
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I'm excited and can't wait (must do though) for this to get here!

I had one of these from when it was new but it was burgled out of my car back in 1993. I had a Philips in-dash record player as my main source of in car entertainment then and the F73, because of its amazingly stable transport, DC input socket and an output that would go more than high enough to match the record player's amp inputs (even less sensitive than ceramic cartridges, these old crystal ones were, but they could play at massive bias and downforce settings which is useful in a moving car, especially an old one with trap spring suspension). I wouldn't mind, but they could have taken the record player and it would have been covered for far more than its value at the time by my insurance. The Walkman, because it wasn't fitted to the car permanently, was excluded. The miserable ba****ds!

So this one is coming from an Alabama-based seller with lots of excellent positive feedback comments, I've looked at massive and very detailed images of it and if this guy says it works, then it will.
And ironically, what I plan to use it for among other things is to connect to the "Infotainment" system in my current daily car, whose interfaces include a 1/8" stereo input socket at line level which will be easy to match with the Walkman's headphone socket.
Best bit is that I still have the Sennheisers that I bought to use with my original F73 back then and I'm massively looking forward to using them again. Not in the car, obviously. :-D
 

Beosystem10

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Yes, this:


lived in the dash of this:


The car, now reunited with its original plate; 4388DG, is still around but hasn't been out since 2011. The record player was sold in 1989 when I bought a period HMV (as in the people whose "Nipper" icon was borrowed by JVC) valve radio for the Oxford and had to sell something to fund it! :blush: :sad:
 

baddboybill

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Jul 14, 2009
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My dad had an OEM record player in his 1967 Pontiac 2+2 convertible. He special ordered car from factory and chose options. No pics of player but here is the car ;-)




Bad Boy Bill
 

Beosystem10

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I just love the way that packages from the USA can be tracked so easily! :thumbsup:



Global tracking #:
UPAAA000000042059745


Courier:
Multiple Carriers

Status:
AcceptedIn transitDelivered

In Transit-Sorting Complete
Jan-13-14, 09:34 AM, ERLANGER, KY 41018
In Transit-Arrival at Post Office
Jan-13-14, 02:18 AM, ERLANGER, KY 41018
In Transit-Depart USPS Sort Facility
Jan-13-14, 00:00 AM, CINCINNATI, OH 45235
In Transit-Processed through USPS Sort Facility
Jan-12-14, 20:55 PM, CINCINNATI, OH 45235
The Walkman might arrive this month at this rate. :yes: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:
 

Beosystem10

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Feb 21, 2013
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I now have a stupid big grin right across my face and why? Because this thing arrived a few minutes ago and it's totally f'n mint!
It looks even better than the seller's large pictures suggested it was and it sounds absolutely superb!

The yellowness of the thing hasn't been lost over the years and it has quite literally no signs of its age except for a very slight stiffening of the rubber bungs that go into the earphone and DC sockets, but that was soon solved with a quick dose of glycerine just as I would have given the pinch rollers (2 of them of course, seeing as it plays in both directions) had they needed some softening up but they are perfect, the motor is perfect, the speed stability is perfect, the reception on both Medium Waveband and VHF, yep; perfect too.

:-D I know it's only a floating Walkman that nobody ever actually used in wet conditions in any case but it's my personal grail and it's here and it's a - here come that word again - perfect example.

The seller is a credit to Alabama, to the United States generally and to eBay. Buy stuff from him, he's a 100% rock solid honest man and that, sadly, is all too rare outside of this forum.
Off to play some very knarly 1970s rock now...... :thumbsup:
 
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