Felipe's HH Scott Console and 2225 Receiver

[felipegeek]

Created a new topic on advice.

I have the same console as SeniorSteve with a 2225 receiver at my home and the reason I joined the forum. I've attached 3 photos. I have not disassembled any components other than to disconnect the speaker connections to determine if a hum I was hearing is the amps side or a speaker/wiring issue. The hum follows is on one channel regardless of the speaker connected. The tuner brings in station with the strong ones pushing the signal needle to the max. Audio quality overall sound good except for the hum on the right-channel. The rumble and compensator add more low frequency depth to the sound.

I have not tried the mic inputs nor the "earphones" outputs, nor the associated record player (for which I will have to buy a vinyl record for at a local store. I also have not tested the AM side tuner.

Honestly, I was surprised it worked at all and I was quite taken with the sound. I may need some tips on removing the speaker grilles to see what the speakers look like. Any extra hints and info are appreciated!

Bonus pair of Kenwood KL-2070, also untested, were part of the deal.

[TC Chris]

Just remember that Scott equipment was still made in the U.S. at that time, and to high engineering and manufacturing standards. The electronics are likely an adaptation of a stand-alone Scott receiver. Their devices were generally first-rate and performed well in RF and AF realms. Of course, the better Asian electronics at the time were also of high quality. But the point is, this was before everything-on-one-chip, when tuners and amps could be designed for high performance.

Chris Campbell

[hermitcrab]

Nice looking set, and it's got a the dual changer with the 8 lb platter....of course it will need to be cleaned the controls gum up easy on them

[felipegeek]

Just remember that Scott equipment was still made in the U.S. at that time, and to high engineering and manufacturing standards. The electronics are likely an adaptation of a stand-alone Scott receiver. Their devices were generally first-rate and performed well in RF and AF realms. Of course, the better Asian electronics at the time were also of high quality. But the point is, this was before everything-on-one-chip, when tuners and amps could be designed for high performance.

Chris Campbell

Thanks for the background, Chris. I can appreciate differences in technology change over many decades. It leaves a wide range technology differences, aesthetics of the hardware and the character of the sound between them. It's not much different to how I feel about my photography hardware, primarily shooting digital but also using 35mm and medium format film cameras and lenses for the difference of experience, visual character and the look of various films. I develop at home and scan the negatives to digital, and soon to have a small darkroom kit to adapt a bathroom to that purpose when I want to make darkroom prints.

[felipegeek]

Nice looking set, and it's got a the dual changer with the 8 lb platter....of course it will need to be cleaned the controls gum up easy on them

I'm guessing that an 8lb platter has better vibrational dampening and less variance in motor speeds than a lightweight platter?

[TC Chris]

It's a flywheel-effect theory--yeah, helping to subdue minor speed variations and sound resonances.

Actually, I think the latter itself is not 8 lbs. I found specs that state that the entire device weighs 8 or 9 lbs, depending on the platter diameter:

Specifications:
Line Voltage: selector for 110, 150 or 220 volts
Line Frequency: 50 or 60 ha with appropriate motor pulleys
Drive: two-pole, single-phase, induction motor
System: Idler whell drive
Wow and Flutter:
with 8-1/2" turntable, max. ±0,25%;
with 11" turntable , max. ±017%
Turntable Speed: 78, 45, 33-1/3 and 16-2/3 rpm
Signal-to-Noise Ratio: at 100 cps better than 42 dB; at 250 cps better than 50 dB
Pickup Cartridge: tonearm will accept all crystal and ceramic cartridges with 1/2" mounting.
Standard is stereo crystal cartridge CDS 620/4/45
Dimensions (W x D): 329 x 274 mm
Weight:
With 8-1/2" turntable : 8 lbs
With 11" turntable : 9 lbs
Power Consumption: 6,5 watts approximately

I found that here: https://stereonomono.blogspot.com/2017/ ... 010-a.html

It also shows a two-pole motor. This device was a step down from the 1009/1019 models but probably a good performer for the time.

Chris Campbell

[Firedome]

These were very high quality consoles, among the best factory-made ones, equivalent to Fisher, and quite expensive. I believe the receiver was basically a Scott 342 or 342b adapted for consoles with N-S orientation. Scott was using FETs at this time and never diddled around with Germanium xstrs as many did, but went straight to Silicon. As mentioned still all US made and they used better resistors and caps than many mfrs. My '68 Scott receiver is completely original and works perfectly in my office system, used regularly. I kinda like that red speaker cloth on this console!

[Firedome]

BTW a console with the same model of Scott receiver (pic) and Dual was on either CL or FBM recently, I think it was in Mass or CT, and that model was called "The Berkeley", the styling was different, asking $150, a fair price.

[felipegeek]

Chris - appreciate the details on the turntable!
Firedome - thanks for the background on the unit.

Is DeoxIT D5 the right thing to clean out the RCA jacks for the speaker connections? If so, would the Faderlube spray also help by improving conductivity? I will be replacing the RCA jacked speaker wires as well. They are quite crimped by the staples holding the wire down.

[Firedome]

BTW the knobs with missing end caps can be obtained at Antique Electronic Supply in AZ (google it, it's online) because the Scott knobs are the same as used on Fender guitar amps (I think it was) and they are available there.

[felipegeek]

BTW the knobs with missing end caps can be obtained at Antique Electronic Supply in AZ (google it, it's online) because the Scott knobs are the same as used on Fender guitar amps (I think it was) and they are available there.

Thanks for the info. I found two caps inside the console so I could glue a couple of them back on.

[SeniorSteve]

Felipe, to remove the grills in front of the speakers just grab behind the wood grill at the top and pull. There are a couple of friction latches on the sides and pegs in the bottom of the grill. The grill should tilt out from the top. I have not pulled any of the speakers out of the console to replace the crossover capacitors. There is some sort of sealant that doesn't want to release on the woofer and I didn't want to push my luck. I was wondering what was originally in the console for the changer, now I know. Even though it's not the 1009 or 1019, it is a very decent changer (I like all Duals). I liked that Scott used a good changer with a magnetic phono cartridge, plus the fact that they suspended the changer board to isolate any vibration to changer from the speakers. The console is a heavy beast!

I wasn't online for a few days and didn't see you picked up the Scott. The tuner/amp is like an early Scott 382, but not exactly. There are differences so you can't rely on just one schematic. The one I had used a 382 front end a 342 MPX board and a different model tuner. I went to HiFi Engine and downloaded several schematics to get a combination of ones that I could use. I would recommend signing up and downloading them. On mine I still have issues with the MPX being not very sensitive and the console starts up like a tube unit on FM in the fact that it takes about 10-13 seconds to "warm up". I know what board is causing the issues and I will look into later, but it has had a full recap.

[TC Chris]

Felipe, to remove the grills in front of the speakers just grab behind the wood grill at the top and pull. There are a couple of friction latches on the sides and pegs in the bottom of the grill. The grill should tilt out from the top. I have not pulled any of the speakers out of the console to replace the crossover capacitors. There is some sort of sealant that doesn't want to release on the woofer and I didn't want to push my luck.

On mine I still have issues with the MPX being not very sensitive and the console starts up like a tube unit on FM in the fact that it takes about 10-13 seconds to "warm up". I know what board is causing the issues and I will look into later, but it has had a full recap.

Two comments. First, acoustic-suspension drivers are often sealed to the enclosures with Mortite, the clay product sold as a press-on sealer for windows. I just downloaded info on Advent speakers and they specifically name Mortite. It's also what my KLH 17s use. It seals well without being very adhesive. Advent recommends prying gently with a screwdriver.

And as to the slow warm-up. Any chance there's a Nuvistor in the FM front end? I found a Fisher 600-T and was all disappointed when I turned it on and nothing came out. But while I fiddled around, the FM came to life. Turns out it was solid-state except for the Nuvistor front end, and the filaments took a while to come to life.

Chris Campbell

[SeniorSteve]

Hi Chris, this console doesn't use nuvistors, their tuners used "FETS" as it says on the dial. The slow turn on is in the preamp that is used by both the phono and FM circuits. I took the receiver out and am playing with it and so far I'm satisfied with the performance of the FM stereo. I don't know all what happened to it before I picked it up, but there was extensive front end work done. There is a station I like which is low power (3000 watts) and on the other side of the twin cities way far north. If I look at what I should be getting for signal strength it is considered fringe level. The Scott seems to be picking it up fine (although not in stereo) so I'm ok with it. I have a good receiver and it picks up the station in stereo, but I choose to listen in mono as the background noise is rather irritating. The other receiver I'm using is a top of the line JVC from the early 90's. They are both connected to the same antenna.
As far as the speakers, the midrange and tweeters seem to have plenty of output, and they seem balanced so I will hold off on trying to remove the woofer. I just wish the placement of the console was better, the room it's in leaves a lot for acoustics.