Telefunken Studio 1M

[Mike]

I'm posting a second topic after getting a lot of useful feedback to fix my JVC box. Now I have some questions/concerns about this Telefunken that I bought on Ebay.

The post essentially said the cassette player played slow and tape counter didn't work.

What was given to me:

-Cassette player played slow, and then after about 5 minutes it played much slower. I'm going to bring this to my tech and I think this will be an easy fix. I new there were issues with the cassette when purchased.

-Battery Meter is loose in the box and is not flush to the window. It is in their, works, but is not completely visible because it is loose. Again, I think this is a reasonable fix.

-The light for the battery meter is broken. I don't recall if this was in the ebay listing (seller says so), but regardless, can this be easily replaced with new parts?

-Top two speakers on each side hiss loudly....even when the power button is on. This concerns me a bit. Can they be replaced with any speaker type of similar size? Can the speaker bezels from the Telefunken be used with new speakers that I use to replace the blown ones? Any suggested vendors for buying replacement speakers?

-The radio has problems. I thought it didn't work at first. Then I started to play with the Antennae's and I could pick up some stations. Each station required different "antennae configurations", and I couldn't pick up many stations (or didn't play with the antennas enough to find a configuration that would work). For some stations I actually had to hold up the antennae, and when I stopped holding, the radio would immediately drop. What could the issue be here? Does this seem like a major issue?

The seller seems very genuine, but I don't know what to do. I'd prefer to fix this box rather then create a hassle, but I have some concerns if this is completely possible. I'm especially concerned about the radio. If anyone has suggestions for troubleshooting/fixing the radio or advice on replacing the tweeters, I would very much appreciate it.

If anyone has a manual that would be appreciated! I'm good with schematics!

 

[Reli]

I used to have the manual, but lost it. I know someone here has it, because that's where I got the PDF from.

You should definitely demand a partial refund from the seller. How much did you pay? There are 3-4 of them sold every week on Ebay Germany, and they go for $250-500, with $500 being mint condition. Ask for a refund accordingly.

The radio on those units has pretty decent reception. If yours doesn't, then the antenna leads might be loose inside.

The battery meter is easily accessible from the rear. So is the light for it.

 

[skippy1969]

I have the PDF service manual…….

 

[Mike]

Reli, I paid essentially $500 after shipping ($88 for shipping). I paid premium price as I had the money at the time, and always wanted to hear one. I'm going to try to work with the EBAY seller. There were a no return policy, but the box didn't meet the condition stated. Cosmetically, it is in very good condition. But mechanically, I am disappointed! Thanks for the info.

Skippy could I get a copy of that manual? I can paypal you some money for your time!

Mike

 

[Reli]

For the tweeters, it might not be the tweeters themselves, it could be one of the capacitors. Here's a pic of what they look like inside the box. It'd be difficult to find aftermarket replacements, and you'd lose the original "look". I'd recommend taking them to a tech to have them tested to see what the problem is. Or you could just look for another pair of speaker boxes, I frequently see people on Ebay Germany selling them. $50-100 tops.

 

[Superduper]

Mike, I have scores, maybe hundreds of boomboxes and virtually every one I ever bought needed work of one sort or another. Some major, some minor. Some with unexpected blemishes, some with damage that might've occured during shipping, some with the meters off center, some arrived like humpty dumpty, some had holes cut into it, bottom line is that in virtually every case, there was always something that I wish was better.

These boomboxes are mostly all 30-35 years old. It is unreasonable to expect them to arrive like as if they were just pulled off the Best Buy shelf. They will need belts, controls cleaning, circuit adjustments, and unless a technician or service center is selling it as "just serviced," it's almost to be expected that there will almost always be something that isn't working 100% as you might expect. To the seller, working might means it powers on and makes noise. to others, working might mean it works like brand new without a twinkle of static. This is especially true for folks that don't know and scrutinize these old electronics like we do. Of course there are some unscrupulous people that go out of their way to deceive and misrepresent their items, but you can usually tell if the guy is just lying or didn't know what they were talking about. You can file a claim if you like, but eBay will never order a partial refund, they will just ask you to return it and you'll get your money back. As for whether or not that is something that is morally right to do if you've already had the boombox for a lengthy period of time, that would be up to you. We don't know how the ebay ad was worded, nor do we have your boombox to compare to, nor do we know of any extra communications beyond that. We only have your side of the story and for these reasons, I won't be jumping onto the twist the seller's arm bandwagon.

Here's what I can tell you: I have a very minty one and the radio does not receive well at all with the antennas down. I need to extend them but if I do that, then it receives quite well. The manufacturer might have intended it that way, I can't really say since it's my only one, but I only know that with the antenna's extended, it works well. As for the meter not being centered, it could be that the meter got knocked off center by an impact during shipping -- it has happened to me on at least 3 or 4 occassions. Or it could be it was disassembled and put back in place without aligning everything first -- once again, I could not say but it is not unusual. As for your tape issue, sounds to me like he knew and did disclose that.
A service manual is certainly the first step to get it working properly again. If Skippy can't help you with that, I do sell a copy on my website, but it's not free. However, it's a complete version and I know there are some versions our there that don't include service adjustments. Mine does.

Lastly, as for price, one purchased from Germany is not equivalent in terms of price as one purchased from eBay USA. The reason is that many, maybe even most folks, do not participate in eBay germany, nor do they want to deal with the language issue, getting sellers to ship overseas, nor get involved with international transactions due to claims process has it's own negatives. For example, if you want to return an item that is not as described, you would have to pay international shipping costs with signature confirmation out of your own pocket. Think about how much that will cost out of your pocket to return a 40 lb item and you can quickly see how a bad transaction can get worse. But I will say this much, mine costed more than the $500 you paid so depending upon it's cosmetic condition, the price you paid is not out of hand. In any event, it is eBay and you either won it at auction, or you were willing to part with the asking price so that's not the sellers fault. I don't sell much on eBay any more, mostly just buy but I do look at both sides of the coin.

 

[Reli]

People should be held accountable. If a 35 year old radio gets bid past $100, then they bloody well know that an enthusiast is bidding on it. And enthusiasts have high hopes and expectations. It therefore becomes the seller's moral responsibility to do a thorough inspection and report the findings, even if the listing has already begun. Saying "it powers on" isn't good enough. And even if he didn't mean to deceive, he is still responsible for his customer's satisfaction.

It never ceases to amaze me, all these auctions that fetch several hundred dollars, and the seller doesn't think the buyer will have high hopes? Really?

Ebay has no method of judging partial refunds. But that doesn't mean you can't ask. You can open up a claim, and say something like "I talked to a technician and he would charge me $100 to attempt to fix XYZ". Hell, even if you're NOT going to take it to a tech, you're still justified in asking for money, because you suffered financial harm -- your item isn't worth as much as you paid, if you tried to sell it right now as is.

Of course, I didn't see the auction, and I didn't see the communication between you and he. You could be withholding certain information. Or you could have unrealistic expectations about the radio -- hopefully you aren't testing it in your basement, lol. As for the speakers, I'm not sure I understood when it "hisses". Is it a constant hiss, instead of music, or is the hiss on top of music? And with what input source, the radio or what?

 

[Superduper]

Ok but what if it was a dusty barn find and the seller didn't know what it was, nor what it was worth, and was simply hoping to get $20 for it and wasn't knowledgeable about all the nitty bitty important bits that enthusiasts would care about because he (or she) isn't a collector, and he just wants to get rid of it rather than toss it? But then the 200 buyers bid it up to $5,000. Suddenly, the lack of microscopic details that makes such an item hugely valuable wasn't fully described to the T. Then who's responsibility is it then if the buyers themselves, along with the lack of information, bid the price up. I mean nobody is forcing them at gunpoint to bid right?

The presumption that every seller out there is completely educated on boomboxology and all the details that make a boombox important and valuable is misguided. Not everyone knows the difference betwen a black diamond or a piece of obsidian, and if a buyer deludes himself into believing a piece of rock is a diamond without proper proof, and pays 10 million dollars for it, then sure, just file your ebay claim for that rock that the (black diamond shaped rock I found in my backyard) auction that you just won. To expect a seller to suddenly rush to the nearest service center to get their old radio assessed as soon as their auction bidding exceeds $100 just doesn't comport with reasonable reality. All these radios found besides the refuse bins along the sidewalks on trash days just proves that there are folks out there that has no clue that these old radios are worth some money to some people

As for the presumption that every person on the planet knows their way around a boombox, that simply isn't reflected in my experience with non-stereo people. In fact, as much as every knob and function of a boombox is second nature to me, I can't get my wife to figure out how to turn one on or off, and nobody else in my house knows much else beyond turning them on/off. I know for a fact that I'm the only one in my household of 4 that knows that the red stereo light is important. On the few ocassions I asked my wife to turn off the boombox, invariably I later discover that the only thing she did was turn the volume knob down to zero, flip the mode switch to line, turn a band selector to SW, or basically anything that made sound diminish or go away short of actually turning the darn thing off.

To me, I think buyers do need to exercise some due diligence and ensure that the item is what they think it is, and if they don't exercise their due diligence and they find something maybe that was never described, hey it's not always the sellers fault. I mean why buy something if it isn't adequately described in the first place, or bid high if you aren't sure it's 100% to your expectations? With great risk, comes great rewards. So if a buyer wants to take a chance with an iffy auction and bids high on an ill described auction, they are taking a chance and sometimes (lots of members here took risks like that and were rewarded) they can make out big time. But it is a risk and risk goes both ways. You can't have your cake and eat it too is all I'm saying. Want to be safe? Then bid only on those items you are sure is meticulously described. On an old item, it's often impossible to describe down to every last minute detail that every single possible buyer out there will want to know. Buyers are the enthusiasts, they have a mouth to ask, a mind to think, and fingers to PM questions. They know the item they are buying and should ask accordingly.

Oh and btw, I frequently buy things that are described as "sold as-is, unable to test." This is particularly true with old electronics test equipment and instruments. That is because many sellers buy liquidation items at auction and sometimes have no clue what they have. Ultimately, these items sell for less than similar items that are described as 100% tested and calibrated. With a few exceptions that turned out to be duds, most of these items I bought turned out to be good working condition but some sellers have thousands of items they are selling and just wants to flip them so they can buy the next liquidation lot to sell which is why they list like that. I've no problem with that as I frequently get a much better deal than one in fully tested condition.

I do have a choice. I control which items to put on my watch list, I decide which items to bid on, I decide which items are risky and which are not, and I decide how much to bid. Unless an item was deliberately or grossly misrepresented, I never make a capital case out of a regretful purchase if I failed to do my own due diligence or bid over what the lack of details suggests I should have.

 

[Reli]

It's good to ask the seller questions, as I nearly always do......but most sellers do not provide complete answers. You might say "well don't bid then", but then you'd almost NEVER bid. Many times it's worth taking a risk anyway. And if you get burned, then ask for some money back. It's not extortion. If the seller wants positive feedback, then they should attempt to satisfy the customer.

I'm guessing that most electronics sellers are men, not clueless women. And while it's true they might not have any tapes to test, or know how to test the Aux function, they surely know how to hold their ear up to each speaker to see if it produces sound. They surely know how to extend an antenna and change stations. And they know that you should do that upstairs instead of down in the basement. Afterwards, they can simply report whether they were able to lock any stations (several or just 1-2), whether or not the stereo light comes on and stays on, and the type of environment they tested it in. It's not difficult. Any man age 30+ would know these things. And that's who the majority of these sellers are -- middle-aged men. Teenagers and 20-somethings don't usually shop estate sales.

Instead of saying "It powers on, that's all I know", why can't they say "It powers on, but all I get is hiss, and only from one speaker."......or "It powers on, and the radio works, but I only got a couple of stations, and I usually have no difficulty getting stations here, so there might be something wrong with it.'

But no, they'd rather just leave it up to the imagination. They want as much money as they can, so they refuse to reveal everything they know. A lie of omission is the same thing as a lie.

Sure, you can ask them questions, but typically their answers are terse and incomplete. Such is the nature of Ebay. It's always a risk. But it's a two-way risk. The seller needs to accept some risk too. If they don't describe an item thoroughly, they should suffer the consequences.

 

[skippy1969]

Reli, I paid essentially $500 after shipping ($88 for shipping). I paid premium price as I had the money at the time, and always wanted to hear one. I'm going to try to work with the EBAY seller. There were a no return policy, but the box didn't meet the condition stated. Cosmetically, it is in very good condition. But mechanically, I am disappointed! Thanks for the info.

Skippy could I get a copy of that manual? I can paypal you some money for your time!

Mike

Mike, Just P.M. me your email an I'll send you the manual no charge,

 

[Ken]

Skip to the rescue!

 

[skippy1969]

Skip to the rescue!

LOL!!! thanks Pat!
I just sent you the manual Mike.

 

[Mike]

First off, Skippy you rock! Thanks!

Thanks Reli. That photo was very helpful to help understand the electricity flow path, and how the wires tie into the speakers. Apparently they require soldering (which I plan on learning soon enough). I am taking her to a tech on Friday. He is hopefully (at a minimum) going to fix the cassette deck, get the battery meter mounted correctly and replace the light. I'm going to have him look at the speakers and antenna's as well. I'm finding that I can get most stations, but for some I have to just move the antenna's to get reception. There may be a loose lead like you mentioned, but I think I can live with it, as it appears its only one station that I can't get (only if I prop up the antenna slightly with my hand). To be honest I like playing cassettes much more....as I only like very specific music.

The seller recommended that I occasionally spray CRC tuner spray into the vents in the back of the unit with the power off. Then he recommended that I power the unit on a move the knobs and switches. I was told this might make the speakers sound better, and keep parts in better condition? I want to buy this regardless, so I can learn how to clean the pots on some of my other boxes (I know I'm a SUPER newbie).

I hear you SuperDuper./ Reli I'm not trying to be the assh:"" buyer at all, and I fully understand how old this unit is. I wasn't expecting anything close to perfect. Honestly I'm mostly happy with what I got....and I'm hopefully able to fix for minimal cost. Maybe it wasn't exactly what I expected...but that should be expected to an extent. The seller has been great and very responsive. I don't feel like he was being deceptive, and I'm thinking handling during shipping may have not been ideal. I'm not requesting a refund. I'm going to let him know what the problem is once I find out and go from there. I just don't have lots of money for repairs. This is why I want to learn how to do fixes (at least common ones) myself. Superduper, I sent you a msg about this in my other post. What's you website? Reli, it hisses with the radio source is radio or cassette. It hisses right when the power button is engaged. When the box is played loud it can't be heard, but it can be heard when the volume is at 1/8th of max volume (or lower). I have roommates, so I have to play music softly sometimes!

Also, FYI, I bought from a collector. Again, I have much respect for him as he has tried nothing but helping. Before bidding, I always make sure I feel comfortable with the seller and know they deal with this type of equipment somewhat regularly.

Anyways, thanks for the advice. Please understand, I'm VERY reasonable. I do make sure I feel comfortable with a product/seller before making a purchase with a seller. Maybe I overacted a bit because there were some "issues" I was not expecting. I'll just hope this can be reasonably corrected. Mostly, I want the tape deck working properly! And yes, the seller completely disclosed this issue and I had planned on repairing before I bid. I was hoping that I could use if for a couple weeks before I could get it into a tech.

Besides that, I agree with both Reli and SuperDuper on how to deal with EBAY. Everything is situation specific and action should be taken as appropriate. I'll let you know what the tech says, sometime early next week I'm hoping.

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Reli]

The seller recommended that I occasionally spray CRC tuner spray into the vents in the back of the unit

The vents on the back are nowhere near the controls. You will need to disassemble the case in order to reach the pots. And even then, there are some pots that can't be "sprayed" without taking them apart first. I don't have a Telefunken anymore, so I can't check.

 

[Superduper]

The seller recommended that I occasionally spray CRC tuner spray into the vents in the back of the unit with the power off. Then he recommended that I power the unit on a move the knobs and switches. I was told this might make the speakers sound better, and keep parts in better condition? I want to buy this regardless, so I can learn how to clean the pots on some of my other boxes (I know I'm a SUPER newbie).

That's not good advice. The vents on the back frequently harbor dust, dirt and grime. If you shoot tuner spray into the vents, you are going to do several things:

1. you are going to shoot all of that grime and dust onto the electronic boards and perhaps get it into the tuner fins, which can degrade performance or ruin the tuner.

2. you are going to get tuner cleaner everywhere except where it's supposed to go.

3. the aerosolized tuner spray may work it's way onto the dial where it can stain the dial and leave and unsightly residue on either the dial or the window.

4. as a solvent, if it gets on any of the lubricated parts, the grease will wash down and maybe drip someplace where it will do harm rather than good.

Think about it, when the lock on your glove compartment begins to get sticky, you don't drench the car through a window crack with a firehose backed by a 10,000 gallon tank of WD-40, do you? After everything inside gets soaked, do you think any of it got into the lock keyhole?

 

[Mike]

Your advice seems right . how do you clean out those vents anyways? I've used a vacuum on certain electronics (e.g. playstation)...but that doesn't sound right.

 

[Superduper]

If it's just dust, vacuum with a strong shop vac while brushing the slats with a soft bristled paint brush is quite effective. However, more often than not, I find that the best cleaning simply can not be accomplished unless the cover is removed and cleaned/brushed under running water and detergent. Some folks do this in bathtub or kitchen sink. I like to do it in the driveway with the help of a strong garden hose nozzle and with toothbrush and detergent. That will make it look new again.

However, the other alternative is to just ask your tech to clean it for you when he has it apart.

 

[restocat]

The hobby of collecting old arcade video games (Galaga, pacman etc) is similar to this thread. People buy them off ebay and expect them to arrive in great shape. From what I have read, 8 out of 10 times they arrive with some kind of issue, or are just dead.

It is just part of the game when collecting 30+ year old electronics and shipping them out into space. *

http://www.arcade-classics.com/how_to_ship.html

*Well , I am not sure exactly, but I think UPS and USPS launch them into space, then they crash back to earth, close to the destination, where they pick them up and deliver them. Its the only logical explanation of why some of our packages start out as rectangles, and end up as footballs on our doorstep.

 

[riker1068]

For the tweeters, it might not be the tweeters themselves, it could be one of the capacitors. Here's a pic of what they look like inside the box. It'd be difficult to find aftermarket replacements, and you'd lose the original "look". I'd recommend taking them to a tech to have them tested to see what the problem is. Or you could just look for another pair of speaker boxes, I frequently see people on Ebay Germany selling them. $50-100 tops.

DSC07746.JPG

That is a fantastic photo. What are your thoughts on how these units (if in good working condition) sound? I may grab 1.

 

[Reli]

That is a fantastic photo. What are your thoughts on how these units (if in good working condition) sound? I may grab 1.

Better than anything else I've heard. Better detail in the highs than anything else.

But it's an indoor box......not an outdoor one. It can't go really loud outside. The mids can't compete with an M70 or M90.

The bass is home-theater deep and warm....fills a room like a Kaboom......but it's not very tight.