Renovating 1930s RCA Sound System

[Austin Lugo]

I'm working with a movie theater that has been in business for 100 years, and is cureently undergoing some major renovations. Although some of the equipment hasn't been used in decades, we still have the original sound system and projector from when the theater first opened.

While we've found someone who may be able to rennovate the projector, we've yet to find anyone who can rennovate the original RCA sound system. I've scoured the internet, and if there's anyone that can help us, it's you all.

HELP!

[Frank Cox]

You should probably specify what RCA sound system you have there. Photophone? Something else?

[Austin Lugo]

Maybe this will help?

[Frank Cox]

So it's an old speaker that you want to rehab, not an actual sound system?

[Ryan Gallagher]

I’m guessing he means whole system?

Is this being undertaken in a historic preservation mindset? If you are trying to get the whole system functioning again for showing film there are probably more modern routes to consider for sound?

[Tony Bandiera Jr]

I’m guessing he means whole system?

Is this being undertaken in a historic preservation mindset? If you are trying to get the whole system functioning again for showing film there are probably more modern routes to consider for sound?

Exactly, Tubes in particular are hard to come by and if you do find them, they're stupid expensive. Plus you'll most likely end up having to replace dried out or failed capacitors, etc. Better to get a modern processor (like the CP 65 I have for sale) and some amplifiers.

Those old speakers may be salvageable, IF you have a speaker reconing shop nearby.

[Austin Lugo]

The restoration is for historical preservation, as well for special events. Our day to day system will be a much more modern set up

[Frank Cox]

Ok, but you still haven't shared enough details about exactly what you have and what you want to accomplish.

Is this system currently installed or is it in a junk pile "out back"?

Whatever you pay to restore it is going to be more than it's worth so if it's a pile of rusty junk then that's probably what it is.

You'll have to decide how authentic you want it to be. It's possible to rip the guts out of something like an old amp and replace it with a modern circuit board and use led lights to illuminate the meters and dials, or you can replace the tubes and caps and whatever else needs doing and use as much of the original components as possible. Or something in between.

You might be well off to consult someone who restores old tube radios, if there's anybody left who does that any more.

[Ryan Gallagher]

You might be well off to consult someone who restores old tube radios, if there's anybody left who does that any more.

For tube amps and preamp servicing, the most knowledgable community these days is likely to be dedicated guitar amp repair shops, but be prepared to wait, they are in high demand.

[Tim Reed]

Also consider that a full-on restoration of a tube type sound system will be invisible to the audience. Money would be better spent on things the audience can benefit from. They may notice the old sound system aurally, but not in the way you might be hoping. Using an old mono optical sound system isn't going to impress anyone, while upgrading a modern multi-channel sound system will wow them. You'd be better served by just cleaning the old RCA rack up and parking it in a corner of the lobby with a card explaining what it was. Just my suggestions.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I'm working with a movie theater that has been in business for 100 years, and is cureently undergoing some major renovations. Although some of the equipment hasn't been used in decades, we still have the original sound system and projector from when the theater first opened.

While we've found someone who may be able to rennovate the projector, we've yet to find anyone who can rennovate the original RCA sound system. I've scoured the internet, and if there's anyone that can help us, it's you all.

HELP!

You must be working with the people in Pioche, NV. The Gem theater there is almost that old. I got a call from the guy there about 6 months ago, and he wanted to get the projection system going and reopen the place. I told him that getting the film projectors going was a waste of money, because he'd have to ship film it at great expense, and the small number of people may not be enough to support it. I tried to explain to him the industry has gone all digital and that he'd be far better off going that route, even if he had to get a used Series 2 projector. Anyway, he was against that, and I told him I'd ask around and see if anyone else could help him out. But no one was interested. Another tech that knows of the place laughed when I brought it up, and he declined too. Pioche is actually a neat little mining town, and a lot of people from California have retired there. I used to go there to explore the old mines... Generally on the way to and from Cinemacon. The next closest theater is in Ely. Or Lost Vegas.

[Ryan Gallagher]

The restoration is for historical preservation, as well for special events. Our day to day system will be a much more modern set up

Also we love seeing the old stuff, you may get more input and interest if you share exactly what equipment (and photos) you are looking to either clean up for display, or get working in some capacity.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

To be honest, that speaker is not really usable in a system playing back today's audio tracks. Mono sound tracks in the heydays of this speaker often rolled of at 6 to 8khz, because of the 1.5 mil tall slit in the sound scanning lens of those days. The high frequency driver in this speaker system rolls off at 8 khz which is way under the reproduction requirements for todays sound tracks that extend to 16khz and beyond... They make a good display pieces in a lobby though.

[Ryan Gallagher]

To be honest, that speaker is not really usable in a system playing back today's audio tracks. Mono sound tracks in the heydays of this speaker often rolled of at 6 to 8khz, because of the 1.5 mil tall slit in the sound scanning lens of those days. The high frequency driver in this speaker system rolls off at 8 khz which is way under the reproduction requirements for todays sound tracks that extend to 16khz and beyond... They make a good display pieces in a lobby though.

For sure. I hope Austin was not even considering driving a consumer or DCI digital system through those. I was, perhaps optimistically, reading "Our day to day system will be a much more modern set up" to mean they were hoping to have the historic system functional in parallel to a refreshed system. The inevitable problem is speaker placement though, they may compete for ideal placement. And if no one will see the historic item behind the screen, why keep it there.

Also all the nooks and crannies need a good cleaning judging by that photo. Don't go installing anything "new" or vintage reconditioned in the booth or auditorium until you get all that dust out of there! Dust being an enemy of all things film.

[Mark Gulbrandsen]

I hope so! The worst RCA's are the Ubangi speakers... They came out with Cinemascope in the mid 50's. If you're lucky, they will have an 80 HZ bottom end, but lower response was not needed with 4 track stereo. The low frequency horn is physically too small to go any lower. Audio fools go gaga over these speakers, and I can't explain why. The Klipsch LaScalla is about the same. But you can use a Klipsch subeoofer with them.