The Russian Mosin Nagant Forum

I've have my dad's reel to reel it was made by AKAI, speakers are kinda shot. One speaker cuts in and out and they're both have a lot of static.

Do modern speakers work ok in these things or do I need to look for specialized speakers. Figured I'd ask before I start to tear into this thing.

Along with the reel to reel, I got a bunch of his reels also so it kinda of cool listening to these old recordings.

There are outfits that will create digital recordings from the reels. This machine is about 50 years more modern than what I play with, but I don't see any reason why a modern speaker wouldn't work just fine. I just attached modern speakers to a 1970's aftermarket radio in a '68 Buick and they work. There are also outfits that can recondition the original speakers, I never had it done but I have sold speaker cores from antique cars to people who were having it done. Try Hemmings motor news for the speaker rebuilders, probably the guys who fix the antique radios do it. The Victrolas I play with don't have speakers, they have horns, whole different technology. I have a reel to reel someplace, Wollensak I believe, I haven't dug it out in many years. It's speakers aren't built in and I never found any with it when I picked it off a trash pile in 1982, I used regular late 1970's vintage Centrex stereo speakers plugged into it's external speaker jack. Check your dads machine, it might have a headphone jack that you can adapt for external speakers, or a specialized jack specifically for doing that.

If your just wanting it to play again, find a used stereo store and get a good used set of JBL or equal, for $100. If you see a Fender guitar amp with the right input that would be interested too. Doug was our long hair guitar man in the band in '70-73, One day we took a Fender super bassman cabinet and put in the back seat of his '64 Galaxy. We cruised 2 towns blasting old ladies panties off wired up to AM radio. The first Boom-Boom car ?????

Most speakers in electronic equipment have the impedance printed on the back normally it is 8 or 4 ohms,if you match that with a new speaker you will be ok, also there is a wattage rating for the speaker you need speakers with rating equal to or greater than amp output.

Cheap Modern speakers will not work well with good old stereo equipmemt. For pure stereo music the old receivers are the best and they are still costly. Older speakers are also better. As the poster above said you want to match the impedance. Akai made decent electronic equipment. My father still has his old Akai cabinet system.

Seems every year audio equipment gets worse and worse. Many of the best speaker manufacturers are out of business. Paradigm is still left and I highly recommend them. As for new receivers Anthem which is owned by Paradigm is nice, but I have always been a Denon guy. Even though their offerings seem to get lower and lower end each year. However it is the box store/Amazon pricing that most people want and corners have to be cut to get to that price point.


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