Been a while since I bought anything let alone posted..................
This arrived just after Xmas in a right state (dirty) but complete nonetheless
Stripdown took place soon after arrival - tape deck belt was very slack, easy fix so I thought!
Noticing that there was no gear damage, I changed the one drive belt & one counter belt......
So good so far - In fact, I got as far as achieving a nice working deck (still out of the stereo) & as I stopped the tape after adjusting azimuth & speed (Always both out on Philips machines) there was a catastrophic failure of the head block loading gear (Orange)
I forgot to take any images of the deck when split for belt change & when I took a peek at the gears after the ratchet noise!! lol
I will find another deck as it's a common mechanism used in many stereo's of the time - So if any of you in the UK have one I can buy for parts, that would be awesome!!
I will fix this as these things are f**king party machines
Reno has been on at me over the phone to get it up on the forums, curious as I was to hear this huge boomer & it doesn't disappoint! In fact this is the first one to completely overload my Samsung S7 Edge's stereo microphone limiter such is the power & depth of the bass response
The tuner & amp work perfectly as do the speakers - I can't wait to get the cassette deck going even if I have to buy another machine with the same deck!!
In short: The sound is really good, very powerful & forget the video audio quality, it sounds so sweet with crazy but well rounded bass & sparkling highs, way more than I expected & it just affirms that this needs a donor deck to make 1 that works properly!!
I quite like working on Philips stuff & am often left wondering how did this thing ever work???
Truth is, when a Philips does work correctly they can sound so good & often do!!
I know some don't care much for them but I have always a soft spot for Philips!!
I cut my teeth on servicing Philips Vcr's in the late 80's & early 90's that used the 'Charley' deck - an absolute nightmare until you understand how to repair them!! I kid you not, I made a small fortune for a few years as no one else locally would touch them! Could do at least 3 or 4 a day if needed & the local repair shops kept them coming
Here she is anyway: The Mighty D8644 Boomer
https://youtu.be/xhbPWQmVtWM
