Akai SA 1200

[wallace]

There are quite a few good soldering tutorials on already.I honed my soldering skills with them.Just google "how to solder".Save the doc the trouble.
If i can do it anybody can. It's very satisfying when you get it right.

[istari_knight]

IIRC Maplins used to sell soldering kits that you could learn on, could be worth a look ?

Watch all the video tutorials in the world but IMO the only way to learn is give it a go & bugger up a few things learning what not to do !

[Dr Bunsen Honeydew]

OK the tutorials are good, BUT what everyone needs to know is that if you solder a wire to a plug you are doing it wrong. 1/ You apply clean flowing solder to the things you wish to join (tinning) 2/ Place them together in contact 3/ Apply the iron without extra solder until the solder *already* on the items flows into one.

AND make sure you keep your soldering iron tip clean and bright and tinned.

Don't get a mains iron get a Maplin cheap temp controlled soldering station.

Forget silver solder when learning, the stuff is a pain in the arse for beginners, forget the warnings and use tin/lead solder.

[BristolBoy]

Have the opportunity to pick a pair of these up.
just getting into the hi-fi world so not clued up yet and there seems to be very little information about these online
worth it for £30? seen a few comments about 'modding' them but absolutely clueless about that sort of stuff at the moment.

[Fretless]

Hi there BristolBoy

As you can see from the comments here, some folks know how to improve these big boxes.
I haven't fired them up again for some years but they do have a pleasant room-filling character although I wouldn't regard them as being particularly special.

Maybe others here have a better idea (Lindsay?).

[Geoff.R.G]

OK the tutorials are good, BUT what everyone needs to know is that if you solder a wire to a plug you are doing it wrong. 1/ You apply clean flowing solder to the things you wish to join (tinning) 2/ Place them together in contact 3/ Apply the iron without extra solder until the solder *already* on the items flows into one.

AND make sure you keep your soldering iron tip clean and bright and tinned.

Don't get a mains iron get a Maplin cheap temp controlled soldering station.

Forget silver solder when learning, the stuff is a pain in the arse for beginners, forget the warnings and use tin/lead solder.

Rather too late for Richard but I agree absolutely with all this, except that the soldering iron will have to come from Amazon.

Six years down the line you won't get lead/tin/antimony solder you'll only find lead free.

[savvypaul]

Can't see you falling off for £30.

The Doc Mods would definitely improve them, I think, but I'd rather have those, as is, than any budget bookshelf.

What's the rest of your system?