Sony Qbric 101... an improvement over the T1

Last year, I did a writeup on the 1995 Sony Qbric T1. It's a small, modular stereo from Sony that resembles 2 (or 3) cubes connected together. It was clearly made to emphasize Sony's commitment to technology style, something that was very much a trend close to the Y2K era. In my article, I highlighted all of the serviceability problems that it had as well. I think for its time, it was very remarkable. In 1997, Sony made the T1 even better by introducing the 2nd generation Qbric... the 101. I was left a little high and dry when I purchased my T1 because it was the cassette variant, and the MD player is what I was going out for. Because of this, the 101 model went on my radar... but only the MD version.


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This was a JP TV CM for the 2nd Gen Qbric. Funny enough, Jamiroquai, one of my favorite artists actually heavily promoted this product, among many other Sony products in 1997-1998. (Jamiroquai is not for everyone, and his reputation in the west isn't stellar, but in Japan he was dynamite at this point). The commercial does a great job at showing the most important update to the setup... the faceplates. More on this later. The commercial does state that the main bundle (CD/AMP + SPEAKERS) was 46,000yen, and the MD was an additional 46,000yen. Add it all up, and the entire setup would cost a little over $300US back in '97, or $600 today... certainly more expensive than most small stereos were!

But let's talk about my OWN Qbric. Just like with the T1 I bought last year, I imported my 101 from Japan, and I paid $80 + shipping for it. (I think it was around $175 landed). It was sold with boxes in good shape, and it was the nicer CD+MD combo I wanted:



Not bad! Qbrics (both 1st and 2nd gen) are fairly common in Japan, but ones with the boxes are harder to find. Here in the US, they are essentially unheard of... hence the need to import it from Japan. Condition and price varies a good deal, but if you keep an eye peeled, you can usually find a decent 101 for sale.

I saw something else I wanted too on my search, the hard to find Sony SU-Q101 audio rack. That 'Q101' designation means Qbric 101!. Again on JP Mercari, also new in the box:



This was $40 + maybe $50 in shipping. I was shocked to have found this since small audio racks/furniture for stuff like this was usually beat up and then tossed. I personally don't think the Qbric looks as good without the audio rack; you need something to stage it with. It has real tempered glass sides, polished metal rods, and MDF shelves with an artificial oak veneer. The shelf unit was a valid OEM option back in 1997, and Sony definitely featured it. Here's the whole setup as taken from this (not so high quality) photo from a December 1997 JP catalog:



So after shipping, I was in about $300 for all of the components necessary to make my bedroom look just like this photo. And that's what I did:



$300 to some might be a right bargain, for others, way too much. I kinda see it as more of a bargain. You cannot find good quality stereos nowadays, and considering all that this one can do, it's a decent price. Some of the main features of this unit include CD/MD digital synchro recording, full CD/MD titling & memo, full remote operation, surround sound/Bass Boost functions, and world tuner. Really, it's quite the impressive list, and coupled with high-output sound of very good quality, it's an attractive and compelling setup.

What's different about the 101 from the T1?



The first and most striking difference is the design. While the T1 was a blocky flat faced cube with a cube display, the new 101 has a sculpted look, like the control/display area within the main cube was carved out with a chisel. It also has a more generic display as well. (The display is much brighter in person) I think it looks more like a car stereo headunit, and even though it doesn't look quite as premium, I prefer its simplicity and superior control layout. I just love it. Looking specifically at the HCD-101, which is the CD unit/AMP cube, it now features a slot-loading CD unit, which is super cool. It's very slick when taking the disc in and out, and I'm fairly certain the drive was pulled from a car stereo. It's quiet and more reliable than the CD-ROM based tray loader found in the T1. Another interesting item is that Sony decided not to use a set of powered speakers as with the T1... they managed to fit an entire amp in this main cube.




Now on to the MiniDisc deck. It's good! Good smooth operation, very quick TOC readtime, and a nice display for showing MD text, recording levels, and track times. Again, it has a more defined control area than the previous model, plus a better laid out display. There is more charm in a cube display on the face of a cube component, but it doesn't read as well. Honestly, it amazes me that the Qbric's face is slightly smaller than a CD jewel case, and yet it has zero compromises to features. I'd much rather have this than the cassette deck. I like cassettes, but some of Sony's cassette mechs from around this time are... special (not in a good way).

In summary, the 1997 Qbric 101 is the clear winner against the older T1. New built in amplifier, slot loading CD, updated styling, along with display/control improvements. I also had to stow away the boxes in a spare closet, I was shocked at how new they look; Does my heart good to see fresh Sony boxes for something obscure!



I had to service all of these components, and I took many pictures as I did with the T1 article, so I will be posting a followup in this thread. Stay tuned!

 

I want to address a common fault with the HCD-101 main amplifier cube. When I turn the unit on and select an input, it will not play any music until I turn up the volume fairly loud. At this point, the volume suddenly cuts in. I can turn the volume down and the sound will keep playing for a while, but after a short time, either left or right channel will start dropping out. These symptoms commonly point to the speaker protection relay, which I will usually hear clicking once when I turn the unit on or off. We need to disassemble the cube to remove it and replace it. Sadly, there was no info online on what relay it uses, so I cannot buy the part beforehand. This is a very common problem with the HCD-101; A lot of units for sale have distortion/one channel missing/no audio. This guide will fix those issues.

(Please understand that my unit has already been cleaned very thoroughly, so it will be very easy to find the necessary screws and cables. Your unit will most likely be very dusty due to the cooling fan blowing in dust over the years.)



Taking this unit apart is more simple than the previous generation, but it's not easy by any stretch of the imagination. There are many fragile ribbon connectors, easy to break wires, edge connectors, and lots of screws. As you will see, you also have to disassemble the unit from all angles. Tool wise, all you need is a medium sized Philips screwdriver, pair of tweezers, and ofc lots of patience. To remove the relay, you also need a soldering station. Also, please remember to put a cloth down so you don't scratch anything as you move the unit around the work area.



The first step in this lengthy process is to remove the top panel. This can easily be done by taking out the 4 screws holding it in-place. There are two on each side, and then the top cover lifts straight up and then away from the unit. Do not try to lift the panel at an angle, or move it forwards or backwards, as it will only come off by being lifted straight up. Just place one hand on either side of the panel and lift it up. Set it aside along with its 4 screws.



You can see here now that we have the top cover off that most of the 'secrets of the cube™' are still hidden within... in other words, you have a long ways to go. The board you are seeing here covering up the rest of the works seems to be an audio logic board of sorts.



Now we have to remove the front panel. This is done by turning the unit upside down, and removing the two screws keeping it in-place. Once you have removed those two screws, place the unit back on its feet and examine the two tabs on either side of the panel clipping it in. These are added for stability, and to ensure you don't remove the front without first removing the top. Just bend gently on these tabs and start to separate the front from the main unit. DO NOT PULL THE FRONT COMPLETELY OFF YET... ONLY GENTLY MOVE IT FORWARD ABOUT 2".



You cannot simply pull the front away, you must remove these two cables. The big flat-flex cable provides logic/communication to the front panel, and the other cable provides audio to the front headphone jack. The large white flat-flex is very fragile, the pins will come off if not pulled away straight. Wiggling it can damage the pins on the cable. After gently disconnecting both cables, you can set the front panel aside along with its two screws.



Now we can start to see a little more of what's going on in here. This new part that is revealed is the slot-loading CD drive. It looks like a reader you would find in a car stereo headunit. Notice the small belt to the right side. This operates the rollers that ingress and eject the disc. This belt was still perfectly fine on my unit, but at this point you would want to check it and see if it needed replacement. I don't think you can buy a kit specific to this model, so a generic small round belt would have to be fitted out of a universal assortment kit.



We need to remove this board now. There are these two screws holding it in place. Simply remove those with your Philips driver. There is a white flat-flex cable in the lower left corner, and an interconnect port in the upper right corner. Remove the flat-flex gently, and pull up gently on the upper right corner to disconnect it from the neighboring circuit board. DO NOT REMOVE THE BOARD FROM THE UNIT YET.



You must first detach this cable under the board in order for it to come away from the rest of the device. You can also see a better look at that interconnect connector as well. After you have carefully removed the last cable, set this board aside along with its screws.



Next, we need to get this CD drive out. It's connected to a long sled that anchors to the bottom of the main chassis with 4 screws... 2 on each side. Remove these screws, but do not attempt to remove the CD unit yet. There are two cables underneath the CD drive that need to be removed first, one large white flat-flex, and a small 2-pin wire. Once these are disconnected, you can begin to remove the CD assembly... BUT DO NOT COMPLETELY REMOVE IT YET



There is a cable behind the CD assembly which needs to be disconnected. This cable provides power to the CD drive, while the white flat-flex you just removed in the previous step is for logic/audio. Once you have removed this last cable, set the CD assembly aside along with its 4 screws.



Now we can see almost everything happening with this unit. The board on the bottom is the world tuner board, and does FM frequencies from 76mhz all the way to 108mhz. The board to the left side is the amplification board, and the board to the right is the audio preamp board. The lump towards the back is the power transformer (100v).



We still can't get to the relay, so we need to remove the back plastic panel. This can be done by removing all of the screws circled in red. There is a grounding screw near the bottom left that I didn't circle, because removing it is not necessary. We also get a good opportunity here to see what inputs/outputs this unit has... and for such a small unit, it has a lot of ports.



As you pull the back panel away from the main chassis, you will see this cable. This is for the fan and needs to be disconnected. Just gently pull on it and it will come out. Set the back panel aside along with all of its 10 screws. Make sure to give this piece a good clean like I've done here to ensure good ventilation.



Next, we want to remove that pre-amp board which is on the right side of the main unit (it has the input ports on it). It's almost ready to be removed; There is only this screw holding it in at this point, so go ahead and pull it up some. DO NOT COMPLETELY REMOVE THE BOARD YET



As you pull straight up on this board to remove it, you will spy another cable connected to it. This provides power to the board. Unplug this cable gently and then set the board along with its screw aside.



OK, we are almost done now. The relay we need to get to is right behind the transformer, soldered to the amplifier board. In order to get to it, we need to remove the transformer.



To remove the transformer, we need to unplug this large yellow connector on top, and cut the tape holding it to the transformer block. In case you didn't realize it, this cable is for the main power lead, coming in from the wall. Let's hope by this point that you remembered to unplugged it. Once you disconnect that cable and cut the tape, turn the unit over and remove 4 screws holding it in place.



I chose not to remove the transformer completely, as there were a few cables yet to undo. Instead, I just moved the transformer out of the way so I could get to the relay.



There it is! Finally. This is the component responsible for the audio dropouts and either left or right channel being intermittent, or not working at all. We need to remove this so we can replace it.



On the other side of this relay, above where it is soldered to the amp board, you will see this other board plugged in via a deep through board connector. I highlighted it in red for this demonstration. This board needs to be pulled straight out of the main amp board, but first, you need to unscrew the component soldered to it.



Once you remove this screw, pull that board straight off, wiggling it until it frees up. Set it aside along with its screw.



At this point, you can finally desolder and remove the relay. There are two clips on each side of this component, so I tried removing it to clean the contacts. I used some isopropyl and a tooth brush to scrub both sides of the leaf contacts, and also bent the contacts closer to each other so it would make a better connection. I don't imagine the contacts being physically dirty coming from an enclosed box, so I am skeptical that a simple clean could fix the problem. The real issue is that the contacts become pitted and worn from use.

After putting the unit back together, the problem was alleviated to some degree, but is still present. It will sometimes just turn on and work, and sometimes it will turn on and only one channel be working. I definitely don't have to turn it up loud anymore to get it to cut in. I will order another relay and post an update soon. The relay is a DEC 24v unit with part number DG2SU. There are very few 24v relays with that part number, most are only 12v. Do not get the 12v version, only get the 24v relay. I had to order mine from Germany, and I live in the US.

 

Wow, quite expensive! I'm glad I was able to secure this one for a bit cheaper.

The speakers are solid. Quality wise, they are built well... thick MDF with thick plastic veneer. The drivers are also solid, and each speaker unit is pretty heavy. Definitely not cheap in the least.

Sound wise, they do the job. It's a 2-way system, so there's an extra bit of extra pep on the treble side. The bass isn't terrible, but it can be muddy if you stand in the wrong spot. It is punchy though. You really have to be standing at the optional angle (directly in front and level with them) for the sound to be great... otherwise, it's mediocre. Don't get me wrong, it's much better than the previous Qbric (to me), and it's better than you'd expect, but I think a large boombox (high end), such as a DT680, could make better sound.

I'll post some detailed photos of the grills removed tomorrow.

 

@Mister X As promised, here are some photos of the drivers:



The brown color around the speaker surrounds is original, and an odd choice I thought... it doesn't match anything. It's not brown from yellowing either, it was made this way.