The BEST Pioneer Speakers? CS-63DX Restoration
In December of 2023 I picked up a pair of Pioneer CS-63DX speakers in Eastern Washington. Both of the PT-103F tweeters were not working (I fixed one in this video: • Can you fix a Pioneer PT-103F tweeter? ) and the crossover needed to be recapped. The beautiful walnut veneer cabinets were scratched and chipped so I sanded them and refinished them. I also replaced the capacitors in the crossover and made a parts list below for most of the resistors as well. These speakers were top of the line when they were released in 1971 by Pioneer but how has that sound held up over time? I tend to find speakers from the early 70's to have a muddy sound that muddles many of the frequencies together and focuses on mid bass and lacks any solid bass below 45hz and these speakers fit that description. Parts list: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/... Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:15 Talking about the PT-103F horn tweeter and how to fix them 00:35 Sanding the Cabinets 01:03 Filling holes with Silicone 01:16 Staining the Cabinets 01:48 Cleaning the Wood Grills 02:36 Fixing a Manufacturing Flaw 03:32 Wax & Oil for the Cabinets 03:50 Pioneer CS-63DX vs. Tannoy Monitor Gold 12 04:33 Listening Thoughts 05:17 Recapping the Crossover 08:34 Replacing the Metal Lattice Grill Clips 09:12 Sound Test After Recap 10:06 Recapped CS-63DX vs Tannoy Monitor Gold 12 10:46 Thoughts on the Improved Sound 11:19 Veneer Repair & Closing Thoughts •••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• Hey! My name is Matt and I sure do love stereos! I got into this hobby when I was in high school over a decade ago. I had huuuge speakers in my bedroom and way too many pieces of gear (my mom was worried I would become a hoarder haha). I started repairing stereos for friends a few years back and decided to make videos about it! Now I repair gear for people. If you want to send yours in for repair, head to my repair form: https://forms.gle/Tk5xAEkGgVdyZ4w4A Some of my favorite brands are Yamaha (CRxx20 series receivers, CA 1010/2010 integrated amps), Harman Kardon (Twin power receivers 430, 630, 730, 930), and Sansui (X0X0 series receivers, AU 717, 919 integrated amps). Test equipment: (I earn a small commission if you buy from these links) -Dim bulb tester! I made mine but you can find them on various websites -Soldering iron Hakko FX 888 https://amzn.to/3JhyNrK -Hakko FR 301 solder sucker https://amzn.to/4ogUecy -Main Multimeter (Fluke 87V) https://amzn.to/45dvqJS -Get the mini grabber leads for it! https://amzn.to/4qpJzxt -Cheaper multimeter (Fluke 115) https://amzn.to/4o9y0ce -Oscilloscope Siglent SDS 1104X-E https://amzn.to/43ovYMU -Function generator Siglent SDG 1032X (There are newer versions out so finding this used online is the best option) -Capacitor tester Peak Atlas ESR 70 https://amzn.to/3JjBauK (The price here fluctuates, you can usually find them cheaper on other stores) -Transistor tester Peak Atlas DCA 75 (you can get the cheaper 55 model but it’s not as good so if you can afford it this is the one) https://amzn.to/4oaW6TS -Hagerman labs IRIAA (Phone or signal generator gets dropped to phono cartridge level) https://hagerman-audio-labs.myshopify... Tools: -Ratcheting screwdriver https://amzn.to/3WihZED -Needle Nose pliers https://amzn.to/477nQmr -Lead forming pliers https://amzn.to/3JsB1oK -Capacitor drain tool https://amzn.to/4oD6HGZ -Wire strippers https://amzn.to/43r26iU -Magnetic Helping Hands https://amzn.to/4o5BAnF -Plastic Rocket Sockets https://lovemyswitches.com/rocket-soc... -Fiber glass pencil for cleaning metal contacts https://amzn.to/3Jdn0eG -Digital caliper (Don’t cheap out on one like I did, this one is nice) https://amzn.to/3WS5cJ7 Chemicals/glues: -Electronics contact cleaner https://amzn.to/4o7yH5O -Deoxit D100L for metal contacts https://amzn.to/3WRiXaS -Deoxit F100L for graphite contacts https://amzn.to/4hps1xf -Solder flux in a syringe https://amzn.to/4hpNs1f -Dow Corning 340 Thermal paste (Non conductive) https://amzn.to/4o6f65O -Freeze spray (Electronics safe) for finding faulty transistors https://amzn.to/4qlDvGl -Silicone oil for cueing cylinder on turntables https://amzn.to/43osOsw -Acrylic glue for dustcovers and such https://amzn.to/4o87TSZ -Mother’s Mag & Aluminum polish for faceplates https://amzn.to/3L70ip2 -Meguiars ScratchX For light buffing https://amzn.to/4ht58t1 Miscellaneous useful items: -Tuner string https://amzn.to/3Wl6DzK -Parts organizer bins https://amzn.to/4ht3nfp PCB Repair: Eyelets https://amzn.to/4qr8TTH Punches for installing eyelets https://amzn.to/48LJbmE Hand drill for enlarging PCB holes https://amzn.to/3WoxWZQ Instagram: @Shuksanaudio Tik Tok: @Thedealydeal eBay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/shuksan-audio

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