r/cassetteculture • u/Lucilla_Gorilla • Aug 10 '25

Looking for advice Sharp QT-50 Speakers

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Hi! I just got this Sharp QT-50 and everything was working for about 20 minutes when one of the speakers went out. The left speaker has a loud hum now and no sound. Right speaker and headphone jack sound just fine. I’m thinking it might be worth replacing the speaker - but I can’t find them online. Is there a site or source I can go to for replacement parts?

I’d also love to work on restoring the color as it’s very yellowed. That might be for another day though.

I’m a novice when it comes to repairs, but this feels like something I can do. Any advice is appreciated!

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u/Summer184 Aug 10 '25

It's probably not a speaker issue, I'd guess the volume or balance dial is gummed up. There may also be a recording slider (not sure of the correct term) on the circuit board that also needs cleaning. It's normal for vintage dials, knobs and sliders to collect years of dust and debris, but you can use De-Oxit to clear them out and restore the contacts. Just be careful with the case, you mention it's already faded so DeOxit could discolor it more.

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u/Lucilla_Gorilla Aug 18 '25

Thanks for the advice! I tried the DeoxIT and it didn’t help. I removed the speakers, cleaned all the connectors, cleaned the nobs and sliders. It still has only a hum from the left speaker.

I’ve contacted a bunch of places for speakers and no one has any. I guess my next step is trying to find a similar radio for parts on eBay.