RCA 'The Livingston' working original state!

Begun the recap:

http://imgur.com/a/6QhFg1q

[Kevin Kuehn]

That is sweet. Nice size speaker for the cabinet size and a 6V6 audio output. Must have a pretty good thump to it.

It has more bass than my ford fusion, and when it gets loud it gets LOUD. it's got a great clarity. It has some hum, and definitely can't believe it works so soon to be recapped while I pause on my tv.

'The Livingston' by RCA, 1955. I'm enamored by this radio, superheterodyne system and learning more! https://imgur.com/gallery/R7BDJ1r

A few sound clips in that link

[dieseljeep]

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

That is sweet. Nice size speaker for the cabinet size and a 6V6 audio output. Must have a pretty good thump to it.

I have the Mahogany model in immaculate condition. FM isn't quite as good as the Zenith C845 but the output stage and power supply is superior!
Full power transformer and 5Y3 rectifier.

[bgadow]

I repaired one for a friend (his parents bought it new) and was equally impressed. I've also owned a couple of the bakelite versions. If you only had room for one table set, this would be an excellent choice.

It can really fill a room with decent music

[Electronic M]

I had a beat up mahogany one. Bought it when I was around 13 years old for $5 at a radio swap meet. Mine worked great as found and I used it for several years till something in it smoked....I could have recapped it, but the grill cloth was the only presentable part so I sold it and got my money back out of it. It was a darn good sounding loud beater set when I had it.

I've been keeping an eye out for a while now for a nice one to put with one of my early RCA color sets...no luck yet.

[vortalexfan]

I have one of these as well, although mine doesn't have its original speaker anymore, someone replaced the original speaker with a modern PM Speaker and at that a very crappy one so the audio doesn't sound very good so its just a shelf queen because I've got other radios that sound better that I use.

Originally Posted by Kevin Kuehn

That is sweet. Nice size speaker for the cabinet size and a 6V6 audio output. Must have a pretty good thump to it.

I just learned about the 6v6, so it offers 5W single direction and 14 W push-pull, what does that mean? Figured it out

Inside of what I presume is an untouched chassis. 6-RF-9 Livingston.

Finally got to the point where I can do a recap. I felt guiltier and guiltier for forcing it to run.

I've got two of the three lytics installed under the chassis, but I've lost bass in the tone control. I wonder if that is the missing 20 mfd lytic now just the original, plus a few old caps in the amp series. Bass is there if you leave tone at mid-range. Also the one old cap in the tuner was responsible for the signal dropping out (I think).

See edit in top of this thread for sound examples.

http://imgur.com/gallery/RlHrcK2

Pre-restoration audio

Dumb question during restore process:

Maybe it's me but I hear several sound anomalies as the radio is on. If I run an audiobook to the Phono input you get a fairly decent rendering of voice, and it allows me to interpret the silence in the 'room'. Zippy, bright tracers either ascending or descending, long single or dissonant tones, or drops in audio entirely.

The sound drop out is only during the AM/FM selection, mono input does not drop out.

The 'tracers' I hear sound like a car spinning out, as though several pitches blossom from a single source, equally expanding in velocity but frequency either speeds up or slows to 0. Capacitor failure sounds? Interesting to say the least.

[Electronic M]

If it has been recapped I doubt those noises are cap fails.

Is the set opperating in close proximity to any computer equipment of newer electronic devices that might have switch mode power supplies? Many devices with switch mode supplies emit a wide variety of RF noise...Some of which is similar to what you describe....A good test would be to get a transistor radio that can work on both AC and battery. Plug it in in the same place and see if you get the same noises on it...If so it's definitely external (to the radio) noise. If you unplug the transistor set and run it off batteries and the noise vanishes then the noise is conducted through the wall outlet wiring and may be hard to find(turning off breakers may help you find what circuit it's on and narrow things down). If the noise remains on battery listen on AM and walk around looking for the place it is loudest...You should be able to find the offending device (if it isn't your neighbors device).