My Very Best RCA New Orthophonic

...is this 1958 RCA Victor SHF-4 New Orthophonic radio-phonograph, which I recently restored. I found this player on Craigslist in northwest Arkansas and, the owner even delivered it to me in Little Rock. I have since recapped the amplifier, cleaned and detailed everything (it was pretty clean to start with), rebuilt the AM-FM tuner, and fully serviced the RCA RP-205 record changer and added a stereo compliant cartridge-needle. I also replaced the speaker crossover capacitor with a new Solen 8.2 mfd. speaker cap. The player sounds absolutely phenomenal, with whole house filling sound. It has one of the larger RCA amps, two 12 inch woofers and two tweeters. This New Orthophonic flat rocks.

Wow! This looks truly outstanding. I have an RCA New Orthophonic SHF-9 portable that I would love to get repaired. I haven't quite figured out how to recap everything.

wwilber wrote:Wow! This looks truly outstanding. I have an RCA New Orthophonic SHF-9 portable that I would love to get repaired. I haven't quite figured out how to recap everything.

Are you experienced in recapping an amplifier? If you can solder, it's easy.

I can solder, and understand the basics, but I dont really know how to replace the large electrolytics with multiple leads.

Actually, replacing the electrolytics with multiple leads is easy. It is identified on the can(s) what electrolytics are inside by mfd. value and voltage. If you have a three-section paper electrolytic mounted underneath the amp, your amp is an AC/DC set and here's how you do it. Let's say the electrolytic is labeled as follows: red- 50 mfd 150-volt; blue-50 mfd. 150 volt; yellow- 20 mfd. 150 volt; black--common. You just take the paper can out and clip all the leads off. Solder the positive lead of a new 50mfd 150 volt electrolytic to where the red wire is attached; solder the positive lead of a new 50 mfd. 150 volt electrolytic to where the blue wire is attached; solder the positive lead of a new 20 mfd. 150 volt electrolytic to where the yellow wire is attached; then cut out all three colored wires (leave these three colored wires in place until you solder in the new electrolytics so you don't forget where they go); twist the negative (-) leads of all three electrolytics together along with the black common wire and solder all this and you're done. Replacing one of the large four section metal cans on top of a transformer powered amplifier is another story entirely. I'll give you guidance on that if you need it.

BTW, your SHF-9 is an AC/DC set and it will have a three section paper electrolytic underneath. I think there is another smaller electrolytic elsewhere in the amp. I've restored one of these in the last six months.

Thanks for the detailed info, very helpful. That is how I thought things should be done, I guess I have just been a little hesitant to try....

I have lots of vintage radios I can practice on, so I think I'll start there and see how things go. Do you have any recommendations for capacitor brands/types? I know there are several places to order from.

You should replace the paper capacitors with 630-volt caps to be on the safe side. You can order from Antique Electronic Supply in Tempe, Az., or JustRadios in Canada. Both have websites. Be sure to add the $2 air mail if you order from Canada, or it will take weeks for you to get your order. I would order the electrolytic values you need for your RCA in 160-volt sizes. I'm not sure what your amp calls for in mfd. values there, so check what is written on the side of that big 3 section electrolytic underneath the amp before ordering.

If you order electrolytics for radios, I would always order 450-volt values. The AC/DC record players, however, have only 150 volt electrolytics in them.

Truly amazing! Ya can't help but love these things. I could sit and stare at a recordplayer all day and just watch the record spin and needle tracking...(I need help).

Okay, I've seen a lot of things back in the day and my memory is slipping, but please explain to me this "Orthophonic" thing. I do have many of the old Orthophonic High Fidelity LP's (with the knipper...hell, what is that dog?). I don't think these albums were stereophonic. Were these albums made to showcase the performance of said recordplayers, just like Columbia and some others? I think I may even have an LP or two of some type of "demo" albums that Magnavox used to showcase their phonographs. Just curious. --BB

Bobby Basham
Tucson, Arizona

Orthophonic was the name of the first RCA wide range recordings and reproducers.

They first used it for their large folded horn acoustics players in the late 1920s.

In the late 1930s, they used it for the 78s with treble boost (the RCA 800N-8 curve, and the later 800N-12 curve).

RCA developed what is now the RIAA recording curve in 1952. They called it New Orthophonic (500R-13.7).

Explaining the recording curve notation:

The first number is the bass cut turnover frequency. RIAA uses 500 Hz.
The second number is the treble boost level at 10KHz in dB. RIAA uses 13.7 dB.
The letter indicates the rumble shelf in dB:

N - none
I - IEC 20 dB with 15 Hz and 22 KHz sharp cutoffs (1974 revision to RIAA because of CD-4 records)
R - RIAA 20 dB
B - NAB 18 dB
C - Columbia 14 dB

D is used instead of a number for the treble boost to denote the Decca ffrr 3 dB/octave rise reaching 6 dB at 10 dB, to distinguish it from the american 6dB/octave reaching 6 dB at 10 KHz.

Very nice restoration work, looks awesome!
What are the other machines in the back?

The two machines behind it are my RCA Victor 1958 SHF-6 console and RCA 7HF45 New Orthophonic 45 player.

I guess you can see I love blondes...........

5 stars!!!..seeing that kind of beauty in this times really reminds me of the good old times when ABBA was the "thing" LOL