Hi Guys,
I recently received another Ebay box, this time it's a Sony CFS-85S I won for $81 AUD. The box was well packed and shipping was super fast.
According to the Ebay listing, the tuner sounded 'excellent' but unfortunately, in the real world, the FM tuner is weak (no stereo) and AM is non existent!
All the FM stations are there, it just won't lock in and the sound is 'waffley' if you know what I mean. 
After a quick pull down, I now have the deck sorted and it's almost fully operational including the music search function.
I just need to JB Weld the Record key that's broken at one end.
View attachment 3474
The line in on this unit is nice and sensitive and works very well with my old Iphone3.
The sound from this unit is very clear and crisp. The bass is OK too for a late 70s box but doesn't compare to my late 70s Hitachi TRK-9150 for example.
View attachment 3475
View attachment 3476
Overall it is a good unit with all controls, sliders etc all working fine. The sound output is strong and even across both left and right channels. All 6 speakers sound fine too, it's just a pity about the tuner. Other issues include a small crack in the tuner window and the left tweeter cone has been pushed in by some bright spark.
View attachment 3477
View attachment 3478
The removable speaker grills will need recovering at some stage - I think I might go black this time around.
The simulated 'wood' is in excellent condition with barely a mark to be seen. I was amazed to find that the mount for the speaker that sits in front of and surrounds the woofers is actually made of cast alloy! Even the tweeter surrounds are real steel, not chromed plastic! 
​
View attachment 3479
View attachment 3480
As other owners would know, the CFS-85S is a very easy box to work on too with plenty of room in side with the amp and tuner boards nicely spaced with easy access to the deck.
View attachment 3481
Just need to find a parts box with a working tuner! Anyone?????????????????????
Thanks,
James...
I recently received another Ebay box, this time it's a Sony CFS-85S I won for $81 AUD. The box was well packed and shipping was super fast.
According to the Ebay listing, the tuner sounded 'excellent' but unfortunately, in the real world, the FM tuner is weak (no stereo) and AM is non existent!
All the FM stations are there, it just won't lock in and the sound is 'waffley' if you know what I mean. After a quick pull down, I now have the deck sorted and it's almost fully operational including the music search function.
I just need to JB Weld the Record key that's broken at one end.View attachment 3474
The line in on this unit is nice and sensitive and works very well with my old Iphone3.
The sound from this unit is very clear and crisp. The bass is OK too for a late 70s box but doesn't compare to my late 70s Hitachi TRK-9150 for example.
View attachment 3475
View attachment 3476
Overall it is a good unit with all controls, sliders etc all working fine. The sound output is strong and even across both left and right channels. All 6 speakers sound fine too, it's just a pity about the tuner. Other issues include a small crack in the tuner window and the left tweeter cone has been pushed in by some bright spark.
View attachment 3477
View attachment 3478
The removable speaker grills will need recovering at some stage - I think I might go black this time around.
The simulated 'wood' is in excellent condition with barely a mark to be seen. I was amazed to find that the mount for the speaker that sits in front of and surrounds the woofers is actually made of cast alloy! Even the tweeter surrounds are real steel, not chromed plastic! ​ View attachment 3479
View attachment 3480
As other owners would know, the CFS-85S is a very easy box to work on too with plenty of room in side with the amp and tuner boards nicely spaced with easy access to the deck.
View attachment 3481
Just need to find a parts box with a working tuner! Anyone?????????????????????
Thanks,
James...
got to get me another wood grain boomer. Beautiful box James 
