Mort’s TV & Video Blog

How to Clean Your Vintage Audio Equipment

Posted & filed under Vintage Audio.

A lot of music fans are also fans of vintage audio equipment. There are few things that are more thrilling to a vintage audio and music fan than finding that perfect record album or perfect record player. So what are a few precautionary measures you can take to ensure vintage audio repair isn’t in your future? As a company that provides vintage audio repair in Bethlehem and the surrounding areas, we have a few suggestions for you.

Most vintage audio equipment is not still under warranty, so you will not have to worry about voiding it. If you suspect the equipment is dirty and needs to be cleaned out, use a soft brush to dust off the power supply and circuit boards. Do not use compressed air because it could damage the components of the equipment. The air could send the dust and dirt onto other components. And then you will definitely need more help with vintage audio repair! (You can use a Q-tip moistened with isopropyl alcohol to clean smaller parts of the equipment.)

If you are using a turntable, try to remember to not lift the record off of it until the turntable has come to a full and complete stop. If you do that, you could damage the needle, not to mention the record itself. Try to keep your records clean as well. Clean records play better and sound better. Plus, when the stylus hits the record to play it, it can push the dust and other dirt into the record and cause permanent damage.

However, when you’re in doubt about how to properly clean your vintage audio equipment, or if you suspect you’re in need of vintage audio repair, call on professionals like the ones at Mort’s TV & Video.

For more information on vintage audio repair in Bethlehem, call Mort’s TV & Video at 215-945-8381 or you can Contact Us.

To Fix Or Not To Fix: That Is The Question

Posted & filed under TV Repair.

If you have an LCD TV and it breaks, you might be asking yourself if getting it repaired is worth the cost or if you should go out and buy a new one. We here at Mort’s TV & Video have a few things for you to consider when you are faced with this decision. As one of the best LCD TV repair shops serving Levittown PA, we have seen a lot of broken LCD TVs!

There is a good rule of thumb when it comes to LCD TV repair. If the repair is going to run you more than 50% of the cost of buying a new one, you should go ahead and buy a new one. But if you come to a shop like ours where we’re fair with our prices, you might find that our prices are more reasonable than other repair shops and getting your LCD TV repaired is your best bet.

You can buy an extended warranty for your TV that will cover your LCD TV repair. The cost of the warranty is about 15% of the overall cost of the TV. And these TVs are designed to last for 40,000 viewing hours, which is approximately 20 years.

It’s tough to say if the LCD TV repair will be more than 50% of the cost of a new one. The most common repair is on the display, and the average TV repair cost is around $500. However, that price can go up or down drastically depending on what type of repairs need to be done. Experienced shops like ours will not nickel and dime you just to get as much money from you as we can. We are honest and up front about our services and what we will charge you. (We even offer in-home service, so you don’t have to lug your TV into our shop for LCD TV repair!)

For more information on LCD TV repair in Levittown PA, call Mort’s TV & Video at 215-945-8381 or Contact Us.

Vintage Audio Repair and Buying a Vintage Turntable

Posted & filed under Vintage Audio.

Vintage turntables are often seen as a collector’s item. They are incredibly popular and thanks to a resurgence in vinyl’s popularity over the past couple of years, vintage turntables are a hot item. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re buying a vintage turntable. We here at Mort’s TV & Video are experts in vintage audio repair, so if you end up buying a used turntable and it needs some TLC, we’re here to help with all of your vintage audio repair needs!

Vintage turntables are popular not just for their retro feel, but also because they can play 78s, which are records that are played at 78 RPMs. Most of the time, 78s were made before 1940, so you’ll find a lot of old music on them – classical, blues, jazz, etc. Trustworthy vintage audio repair is especially needed for these older record players!

These older turntables are usually made out of plastic, steel or aluminum. A plastic turntable is generally less expensive than steel or aluminum. They became popular in the 1980s, and they usually have weak-running motors, no mats and a plastic plinth and the plastic arms generally won’t have any counterweight. Turntables used to be made out of steel because they were less costly to make, but it also resulted in more unstable motor speeds, which were then more pronounced when one listens to a record. An aluminum turntable was generally more expensive but it has a much higher sound quality, and these turntables were topped with rubber. There was less friction and noise because ball bearings or roller bearings were used in the spindle.

Another thing to look at is the drive type of the turntable. A belt drive system uses a less expensive motor than an idler-wheel drive system, but it still absorbs a lot of the vibrations and motor noise. An idler-wheel drive system was the most common type until the 1970s. This was a rubberized drive system that wore down and decomposed over time, which could mean that if you buy one, vintage audio repair might be in the cards for you later down the road! A direct drive system is usually one that you see in DJs turntables, not audio turntables. These caused the motors to vibrate, which would then cause the entire record to vibrate. So these types of turntables are not produced that often anymore.

When you buy a vintage turntable, maintaining it is key. Finding a reputable and trustworthy vintage audio repair shop is your first step.

So when you need vintage audio repair, call or visit Mort’s TV & Video. Call us at 215-945-8381 or Contact Us to learn more about vintage audio repair.

Why We Love Vintage Audio

Posted & filed under Vintage Audio.

Collecting vintage audio equipment can be pretty addictive. When you’re an audiophile, you’ll take any excuse you can get to go out and buy a new piece of equipment. Vinyl has been making a comeback for years now – there’s even an annual event called Record Store Day (April 19, 2014) that celebrates independently-owned record stores. Participating stores offer special discounts on vinyl and other music formats. And thanks to this surge in all things vintage audio, a service like vintage audio repair in New Jersey is even more necessary than ever.

So why are people so gung-ho about vintage audio equipment, leading to this need for vintage audio repair? Well, for one thing, vintage audio equipment has a clear and outstanding sound quality to it. People who truly appreciate this type of old-school equipment probably have a keen ear for music. Audiophiles believe vintage audio equipment is superior to what’s available nowadays, and they will search high and low for just the right equipment or parts. And when their precious apparatus breaks, vintage audio repair is all the more necessary!

Plus, people seem to have a soft spot for things that remind them of their childhood and teen years. CDs and even tapes are relatively “new” when compared to vinyl and 8-tracks. So when people want to take a trip down memory lane, they often think of putting a record on a turntable and dancing and singing along. And when that turntable breaks, they want vintage audio repair they can trust! After all, sometimes it’s hard to find just the right turntable, so folks don’t want to trust their vintage audio repair to just any old store.

And that’s where Mort’s TV & Video comes in. We are a trusted name in vintage audio repair around New Jersey and we can repair just about any piece of vintage audio equipment. So when you need our help, give us a call at 215-945-8381 or Contact Us.

Merry Christmas from Your Friends at Mort’s TV & Video!

Posted & filed under News.

Are you decking the halls of your home with holiday decorations? Are you going out to the grocery store to get all of the delicious food you’ll need to keep your guests well-fed and happy? Are you tidying up your house, preparing for all of your family members and friends who will soon be visiting? While you’re taking care of all of those items on your To Do List, Mort’s TV & Video would like to remind you of one thing: what do people like to do after they’re fed and feeling sleepy? If your family and friends are anything like ours, all they want to do is curl up in front of the TV and watch a good movie or a football game! So make sure your TVs are all in good working order so your guests have something to do while they let all that food settle.

Mort’s TV & Video can help you cross off this off your To Do List! We repair ALL brands of TVs and, just to make your life a little easier, we can even come to your home to do any necessary TV repairs. So you won’t even have to leave the comfort of your home to ensure your TVs are all in good working order for the upcoming holiday season. You won’t have to tear yourself away from baking Christmas cookies or pumpkin pie just to make sure your TV is working properly. And, just in case any other appliance decides that now is the time to break down, we also repair microwaves and other consumer electronics.

We want you and your family to have the best and most entertaining holiday possible! No Christmas would be complete without a football game or a showing of “Miracle on 34th Street.” Just give Mort’s TV & Video a call today at (215) 945-8381 or contact us online to see how we can help you get some of your chores done this holiday season!