Jvc MC 70 wanted

[floyd]

The CS 880 is a bad ass boombox . it really makes the m70 look like a toy and it can pound out some loud clear sound. But like the m70 you better have some good help if it breaks lol.

 

[Brutus442]

The CS 880 is a bad ass boombox . it really makes the m70 look like a toy and it can pound out some loud clear sound. But like the m70 you better have some good help if it breaks lol.

Bang on floyd. Beautiful box but when I got my hands on one, the first thing that I noticed and seemed to be a common failure was the foam surrounds had dissolved over time. Still with a little TLC this beast is a GREAT box

 

[floyd]

Bang on floyd. Beautiful box but when I got my hands on one, the first thing that I noticed and seemed to be a common failure was the foam surrounds had dissolved over time. Still with a little TLC this beast is a GREAT box

I refoamed 3 CS 880 for one collector and he gave me a csj 88 for free which is the jdm CS 880.

 

[Radio raheem]

had 3 880 superb boxes lads deffo better than an m70 lol

my last one i gave away as it was in poor condition but fully working

least you lot are chatting about something on here which is a good thing

 

[Tinman]

@Tinman nobody is criticizing inputs, as I said I think that the TPR Aiwas are great. I like them better than the M70 myself!

I just pointed out a matter of foreground and background. A new members clearly prefers the M70 "for both sound quality and also because (I quote) "they sponsored Arsenal FC in the 80s". But if he can't get it, he is open to alternatives.

The main point, however, is not even that. Basically, he's looking for something to buy directly from the community rather than from ebay because he doesn't trust his ability to fix issues. And he seems to always find issues with online sales. I mention this fact in my first post on this thread (he expressed such wish in another thread).

So eventually it's not so much a matter of alternatives to the M70 as a matter of buying a fully working unit from somebody based in the UK. Or, as I suggested, it's a matter of getting help in fixing a unit that he may buy online (with some issues).

First off, it would seem you are criticizing inputs when in your previous post you wrote:
"Yet it's slightly beyond me why in a post entitled JVC RC M70 wanted (*) there are so many members willing to offer alternatives and almost none willing to offer concrete help with the M70"
Obviously no one from the UK that has responded to this point can help him in the way YOU want them to.
I'm in the USA so my only way of helping him is to offer my advice which is all that I did.
Secondly, he doesn't "clearly prefer the M70".
He wrote "I think I've settled on...(quoting him again) BUT I AM OPEN TO OTHER MAKES".
That does not sound like someone who is clearly set on only buying an M70.
Btw, he never stated that (I'm quoting you from above) "if he can't get it, he is open to alternatives".
Because of all the great reviews it gets, I thought I'd love the M70 before I bought one and ended up not liking it for the reasons I wrote in my last post.
Lastly, I took the "they sponsored the Arsenal FC in the 80s" line as more of a joke because right after it he wrote "Hah" but maybe I'm wrong.
Oh boy, now I see the CS 880 has been brought into the discussion.
I'd love the OP to chime back in here about what he thinks about the advice he's gotten to this point.

 

[trippy1313]

I didn't realize how much RR disliked the M70. Lol.

Personally I find it a beautifully sounding radio. Not super bass heavy, but pleasantly bassy.

I'd have to look through, I'm not sure I have any that I'd say are minty, but I have 3. I may be willing to part with one. I can't remember what issues they all have. One of them I finally blew the speakers on, but have a set to put in it.

I'm in the U.S. though. Been a long time since I shipped anything overseas, that may be a big cost issue.

I personally think your choice of an M70 is good. I will agree with others though. Sliders can definitely suck bigtime. But if SuperDuper is still doing them, I'd suggest a rebuilt set from him at analogalley.com

 

[KP2022]

Hi people,
thanks so much for the posts and suggestions. Still looking at things. The Aiwa boxes do look great and by all accounts sound better so I’m going to keep looking for the right one at the right price.
thanks again,

kevin

 

[samovar]

@Tinman. It would seem (subjunctive) that I was criticizing inputs. I was not (indicative). I pointed out at the disproportion between inputs concerning other boxes and the actual help concerning the M70.

Which was clearly KP2022's preference because of the title of his post ("JVC M70 wanted") and because of the order of his discourse: a) "...I think I’ve settled on a JVC MC70"... (b) "But I am open to other makes."

Btw the only thing I want is to help a newbie. I was once and I know how confusing it is to listen to the contrasting opinions of the experts. Especially when somebody who "suddenly had an urge to get [him]self a good old skool boombox" is readdressed to slighlty less easy to find units.

 

[Tinman]

Hi people,
thanks so much for the posts and suggestions. Still looking at things. The Aiwa boxes do look great and by all accounts sound better so I’m going to keep looking for the right one at the right price.
thanks again,

kevin

I actually bought my current Aiwa 950 from England, it's the only boombox I've ever purchased from overseas.
It needed what is usually the basics with any box, new cassette belts and the pots and switches cleaned (I use Deoxit) but it turned out great and is definitely one of my favorites.
Something you might want to consider when looking at a box is verifying which connectors it has since there could be different sub models using either RCA or din connections.
I made the mistake of buying a box with din connectors once.
Another thing to verify is that the FM dial goes up to 108 MHZ vs 90 MHZ in the Japanese versions.
One more thing, be careful because these can be addictive.
I started out thinking I wanted to buy one box a few years ago and now have about 20 sitting in various places around my house (not to mention the numerous ones I've sold).

 

[Radio raheem]

@Tinman. It would seem (subjunctive) that I was criticizing inputs. I was not (indicative). I pointed out at the disproportion between inputs concerning other boxes and the actual help concerning the M70.

Which was clearly KP2022's preference because of the title of his post ("JVC M70 wanted") and because of the order of his discourse: a) "...I think I’ve settled on a JVC MC70"... (b) "But I am open to other makes."

Btw the only thing I want is to help a newbie. I was once and I know how confusing it is to listen to the contrasting opinions of the experts. Especially when somebody who "suddenly had an urge to get [him]self a good old skool boombox" is readdressed to slighlty less easy to find units.

i guess this is my fault Sal there are just so many better boxes than an over rated over priced m70 but the gentleman in question can still buy one if he wants to so no harm done i guess, people gravitate towards the m70 like sheep and i will never understand why......even the m90 isn't the best box in the world but i stand guilty as charged banging on about them for years like many others

 

[Transistorized]

The sound quality of any M70 has everything to do with the alps potentiometers on the tone board. Having repaired a few, along with having Norm rebuild them on one of my other M70 tone boards, I can honest say this with confidence. It's not always as easy to spot as one would think. The treble/bass sliders can fail to where they only increase or decrease tone on one speaker so it may appear they're working. You would be surprised how many people I have met who were disappointed with the sound of their M70, only for me to show them that the bass/treble slider was only operating on the left or right speaker or the loudness switch wasn't making a good internal connection. Then I show them a properly working M70 with a restored tone board and they're blown away.

Unfortunately, getting a M70 that's functioning as intended is more uncommon than most know. There are people I have met that have been listening to their radio performing at 50% for years and didn't know it. Those pesky alps sliders are the Achilles' heel of the M70. If you are tech savvy and/or know someone who can rebuild them or don't mind paying the higher price of one that's working properly, they are one of the best powerful mid-sized boxes made by JVC.

The issues with the tone board might be why others steer clear of the M70.

 

[trippy1313]

I agree 100%.

Years ago I got an M70, and the sound was okay, but sliders were rough to move, and made the sound scratchy trying to adjust.

I was in the middle of cleaning/restoring it and Norm (SuperDuper) kinda walked me through looking at my sliders to see if they were bad beyond repair or still usable. Gave me some tips and steps on cleaning and lubing them, and said if it didn't help he had a reconditioned set he could sell me.

His tips helped a ton and it immensely improved the sound quality and functionality of it, really made me agree it's one of the cleanest sounding boxes out there. Sliders seem like such an awesome thing to use.... till they start getting dry and dirty.

 

[Transistorized]

It's a nice feeling when you unlock the full potential of the M70 . I took a chance when I did my other box. I had never done one before. Fortunately, the outcome was successful so it proves it's possible for someone who isn't a technician to do this if they have mechanical smarts to them.

I won't go too far off track on this topic as it isn't about repair. I only felt it was necessary to bring this up for anyone interested in getting a M70 so they know what they are getting into (likely) if they obtain one. And for the others out there that haven't been rebuilt, they'll likely let loose one one day. I secured all of my M70 sliders with clear epoxy so I hopefully won't have to worry about the internal wipers falling off the nylon block in my lifetime. Those tiny plastic pegs securing the wiper will eventually let loose as the plastic ages. The kicker is, the longer the slide is used after it fails, the more damage it does to the carbon track and the wiper. It bends the heck out it or falls out into the radio and gets lost over time. If you notice your slider has failed, stop using it and get it fixed or your will likely make the issue worse to where you cannot repair it without a donor box. The carbon traces can also crack around the rivets on the board. Usually they can be repaired by applying a conductive paste (I've never had to do this but some have). Usually the issue is the wipers (fingers) falling off the slider.

A few shots from where I removed and repaired my treble alps pot and what the components look like that are usually the problem area of this radio.

 

[Just MV]

Hello

Bienvenue à vous
mon JVC RC-M70 a travaillé quelques jours

c’est une bonne construction

robuste je trouve que le son est assez puissant, propre mais est trop orienté

médium étonnamment, en dehors le son est bien équilibré !

mes lames de potentiomètre (maladies JVC) sont assommées

 

[floyd]

The sound quality of any M70 has everything to do with the alps potentiometers on the tone board. Having repaired a few, along with having Norm rebuild them on one of my other M70 tone boards, I can honest say this with confidence. It's not always as easy to spot as one would think. The treble/bass sliders can fail to where they only increase or decrease tone on one speaker so it may appear they're working. You would be surprised how many people I have met who were disappointed with the sound of their M70, only for me to show them that the bass/treble slider was only operating on the left or right speaker or the loudness switch wasn't making a good internal connection. Then I show them a properly working M70 with a restored tone board and they're blown away.

Unfortunately, getting a M70 that's functioning as intended is more uncommon than most know. There are people I have met that have been listening to their radio performing at 50% for years and didn't know it. Those pesky alps sliders are the Achilles' heel of the M70. If you are tech savvy and/or know someone who can rebuild them or don't mind paying the higher price of one that's working properly, they are one of the best powerful mid-sized boxes made by JVC.

The issues with the tone board might be why others steer clear of the M70.

That's why I sold my M70 because I just couldn't do anything with it.
I'm almost sure it's as you say it had bad sliders too bad but mind you I paid less than $40 for the thing shipped and I bought another box from the same seller mx920 and I paid less than $40 for that. Those were the good old days but that seller was an old man who lived in you know about 45 minutes from me and he had no clue about boomboxes he just wanted to sell them.

 

[Transistorized]

Hello

Bienvenue à vous
mon JVC RC-M70 a travaillé quelques jours

c’est une bonne construction

robuste je trouve que le son est assez puissant, propre mais est trop orienté

médium étonnamment, en dehors le son est bien équilibré !

mes lames de potentiomètre (maladies JVC) sont assommées

Translation to English:
Hello

Welcome to you
my JVC RC-M70 worked for a few days

it is a good construction

robust I find that the sound is quite powerful, clean but is too oriented

medium surprisingly, outside the sound is well balanced!

my potentiometer blades (JVC diseases) are knocked out

I agree about the sound being well balanced and solid construction. Hopefully you are able to resolve your issue with your potentiometers. It will certainly bring it back to life.

That's why I sold my M70 because I just couldn't do anything with it.
I'm almost sure it's as you say it had bad sliders too bad but mind you I paid less than $40 for the thing shipped and I bought another box from the same seller mx920 and I paid less than $40 for that. Those were the good old days but that seller was an old man who lived in you know about 45 minutes from me and he had no clue about boomboxes he just wanted to sell them.

$40 dollars is one heck of a deal Floyd. I'd be happy if I could find one that made any sound for that price

 

[floyd]

I agree about the sound being well balanced and solid construction. Hopefully you are able to resolve your issue with your potentiometers. It will certainly bring it back to life.



$40 dollars is one heck of a deal Floyd. I'd be happy if I could find one that made any sound for that price

When I bought it it was about 13 or 14 years ago mind you it was in rough shape and it was missing the handle the antennas the case was all f***** up looking but I might as well grab it to see what the hell is going on the mx-920 is the only box I ever sold for a profit I sold it somebody in Canada for $300 and I only paid $40 for it.

 

[Radio raheem]

mine everything was perfect each to there own i guess

 

[floyd]

Back when I owned an M70 these could be had in halfway decent condition for around $150.
They literally made millions of these things and yet they still sell for Stupid Money I think the biggest reason for the price of these things is that people own three or four of them which reduces the amount of them for sale which also drives up the cost to buy one Hoarders and collectors Drive these prices up beyond what they'll ever be worth in reality. These are scary box to invest in because they're always problems with these and you need very specific help to even keep these things up and running as with the M90 hardly ever has everything go wrong with it might need a good switch cleaning every now and then and some belts but that's it.

 

[floyd]

The M70 is a must have if you want to have a cookie cutter collection just like everybody else with the standard issue equipment so that everybody can stand around with the same boombox.