Latest restoration, a filthy grimy 920

[stynger007]

Changed worn floppy belts , Deck wouldn`t lock in . Pressing play, ff , rew, pause, no lock. Ultra grime and sludge between plates like molasses in January. Cleaned it using 99 rubbing alcohol and qtips , relubed , head cleaning, azimuth adjustment . Had to remove 4 solder points and 7 screws to be able to access deck. Lasonic may have skimped on exterior build quality , but their electronics , point to point hand soldering similar to 1970`s stereo receivers, impressive. The sound is raw, and in my opinion rivals the sound the m70 puts out, the 920 with double the output wattage. This 920 grinds and plenty of bling to go around.The M70 @ 7 watts rms per channel , the 920 , 15 watts rms per channel. Anyways, here`s a few pics from today`s project. Leds installed as per request.

 

[stynger007]

The missing knobs are here, this was a test run for the deck and the leds.

 

[Reli]

Cool LED's, the tuner on these is begging to be lit up.

As to 920 vs M70.....

To me, the Lasonic has better bass at low volumes, but when you take it outdoors the M70 wins in overall volume. Also the M70 is way more precise sounding. The Lasonic is kinda muddy and imprecise. Only good for hiphop and electro IMHO.

Lasonic might say 2x15 watts, but I really doubt it. See what the amp chip(s) code number is, and we can check the datasheet to find out for sure.

 

[stynger007]

To me, the Lasonic has better bass at low volumes, but when you take it outdoors the M70 beats it in overall volume. Also the M70 is way more precise sounding. The Lasonic is muddy and inaccurate. Only good for hiphop and electro IMHO.

Lasonic might say 2x15 watts, but I really doubt it. See what the amp chip(s) code number is, and we can check the datasheet to find out for sure.

The M70 is a great midrange sounding deck, but when it comes to punch, it`s a matter of personal taste and the environment they are used in.

 

[stynger007]

The M70 is a great midrange sounding deck, but when it comes to punch, it`s a matter of personal taste and the environment they are used in.

@Reli - do you own a 920?

 

[Northerner]

Nice. I love the 920, such a good box. I have one done and another still waiting to be fixed up

 

[Reli]

@Reli - do you own a 920?

Yes....It's a great looking box and I'll probably keep it forever, but I rarely listen to it. It's all bass and treble, with muddy inaccurate mids. Great for hiphop and electro, but if your choice of music uses real instruments and real singing instead of shouting, use another box.

Lasonic is known for that. They give you great power and bass, but the clarity and precision isn't there......the circuitry just hasn't been tuned as well the big Japanese brands do. But I'm a pretty opinionated SOB, so ehh.

 

[stynger007]

Yes....It's a great looking box and I'll probably keep it forever, but I rarely listen to it. It's all bass and treble, with muddy inaccurate mids. Great for hiphop and electro, but if your choice of music uses real instruments and real singing instead of shouting, use another box.

Lasonic is known for that. They give you great power and bass, but the clarity and precision isn't there......the circuitry just hasn't been tuned as well the big Japanese brands do. But I'm a pretty opinionated SOB, so ehh.

Personal taste is all good. JVC was obviously a behemoth in their era. Hands down, JVChad cabinet integrity, where Lasonic lacked. Broken transformer posts are a common occurence. While the JVC has more complicated electronics, the Lasonic has many point to point solder joints, reminiscent of old school receivers from back in our day.

My Main house system is a Yamaha M-80 recapped power amp, 200 watts rms per channel, a C-80 Preamplifier , Yamaha tc-66 in blackface, analog and punch keys but great sound reproduction , a Yamaha T-7 tuner with memory - when memory is pressed, the tuner knob becomes motorized and seeks the station. Still looking for a Yamaha GT-5000 turntable.

I have 2 sets of pentron 5`s here. They were made for Brack Audio in Toronto in 1968, 500 pairs known, manufactured by a fledgling company that later became Altec Lansing. Took me 7 years to get the second set. The rear firing long throw 10 inch woofer has a rubber surround , the 4 midrange/tweeters are alnico reverse wound. The wattage? 30 watts rms. The idea here was that these were created for the Marantz low power line to prove they could shake the corridors. I have 2 systems in my garage , one a Hitachi SR-502 receiver, the other, a Technics Amp SU-7100 . The sound output even at low volume doesn`t miss a bass note. When turned up, the Hitachi has the edge on the Technics in bass department. When you crank them , the speakers break up a bit with a beautiful muddied sound, yet clarity remains. Yes, they shake the house. The walnut wood definitely accentuates the sound.Guess that`s why i like the raw sound of the Lasonic 920. Here is a few pics of the systems, and the Pentrons.

 

[Reli]

Yamaha is good gear. I would like to get some of the old CA series components. Love the square knobs they had.

 

[MesaAZGuy]

I currently have a Yamaha RX-A2050. Still a class leading amp for today's times. It runs my whole house through different zones controlled by a wall mounted iPad.