Receiver needs servicing..........hope I don't have to replace it

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by The Pinhead, Aug 7, 2021.

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  1. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    IF I can get a tech who's willing to make me a list of parts, I'll take you up on your very kind offer; thanx so much !:righton::cheers::wave:
     
    Benzion likes this.
  2. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    Receiver in the hands of a new tech I've been referred to by the tech who fixes my musician nephew's guitar and bass amps (Mesa Boogie valvular stuff BTW). Had to drive 3 hours today from home to the old tech, then to the new tech, and back home. New tech, though, is just a 40' drive away. He'll get back to me with diagnostic next Monday. Fingers crossed
     
  3. Halloween Jack

    Halloween Jack Forum Resident

    I'm awaiting with interest and anticipation for your Pioneer :eek: :-popcorn:

    Regards, che :righton:
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  4. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    Gracias ché. Forgot to mention I managed to convince the tech to give me a 45% refund on what he'd charged me, so, provided the current tech manages to get the unit fixed, I'd prolly will have benefited from some 75% of the money I initially spend, because of all the work the tech DID do to the unit, like DC offset, bias adjust, repair of the tuner section (although I hadn't used it in 2 2 decades, it apparently didn't work properly) cleaning of all the switches and pots on the frontal panel, and refinishing of the paint on the top cover, one of its corners have developed some rust and the painted had chipped off; sanded and repainted.

    Gas wise, the ordeal has already set me back some 55 american bucks, and more to come. Thanx everybody for your interest and concern, and of course I'll keep updating the thread as things develop.
     
    Halloween Jack likes this.
  5. ranch 22b

    ranch 22b Forum Resident

    Location:
    Texas
    The guys at Pyramid successfully repaired a Pioneer SX-636 for me a few years ago. More recently, I've had good results using Tapehead Electronics.
     
    AL01 likes this.
  6. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    Wished I were in Texas, but I'm in Buenos Aires:laugh:
     
    timind likes this.
  7. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    You mean there's no bus?
     
    mreeter likes this.
  8. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    Hi man ! The tech told me, and I quote : ¨I usually replace everything inside these puppies¨ Upon getting the receiver out of the car, and seeing in how mint a condition it was, he exclaimed : ¨what a beautiful beast¨! and ¨used to own its bigger brother, the 1280¨, ¨this is the kind of audio I love to work on¨ Guy has THE most untidy lab I've ever seen ever, with measuring instruments everywhere. He's a speaker maker to boot, and a jazz lover; he cringed when I told what speakers I was using:laugh:. Fingers crossed.
     
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  9. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    The Klipsch are good for heavy metal. If the guy likes jazz - I know why he cringed.
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  10. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    :laugh::righton:
     
  11. jesterthejedi

    jesterthejedi Forum Resident

    Location:
    Phoenix
    Did you investigate if you have dirty power? DC off set can occur on toroidal transformers. It can cause a hum buildup inside the donut. I’d test with a blocking device and see if you still have that issue.
    *Edit, see you got it fixed, ignore my above advice unless you have that issue resolved. :)
     
  12. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    Not yet fixed, but thanx for the suggestion.
     
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  13. allied333

    allied333 Audiophile

    Location:
    nowhere
    $600-$700 will replace all electrolytic caps and receiver should be good for 40 or more years.
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  14. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    I wished I could do that, but no parts, no labour down here. They replace what they can to keep it running.
     
  15. Benzion

    Benzion "Cogito, ergo sum" Forum Resident

    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    And that's in a country that exports small nuclear reactors, and managed to build a viable Condor ballistic missile as early as the 70's, before Uncle Sam shut it down...

    Strange.
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  16. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    Indeed:shake:. Not to mention all the inventions and medical breakthroughs. My own gramps was a Nobel candidate. The doc invented a more humane variation of the forceps (obstetrician) and gave away the patent.
     
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  17. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    The Pioneer is up and running. The guys does full recapping (had to ask; guy assumed I wouldn't do it) Asked whether the sound would change. Guy answered that he does an upgrade, with parts better than original, that the sound will change for the better. Yet he says that if I like how it sounds now (which I do) he doesn't advise the recapping ( brutal, incredible honesty here). Says capacitors start degrading and changing the sound 10 years on the shelf, and 15 years in use inside the receiver.

    I love the forward presentation of my Klipsch floorstanders, but I would not like them sound any brighter,in the 2-4khs range. So what to do ? Recap and risk not liking the new sound ? Or keep it and risk degradation of the 40-years old over the next few (years ?) The total cost for the recapping would be only 200 dollars.

    PLEASE ADVISE. What a conundrum !:sigh:
     
  18. AL01

    AL01 Eh?

    Location:
    Texas
    I would advise recapping based off of my experience with older NON-AUDIO (maily vintage game consoles) electronics purely for the sake of reliability.

    Of course, for the sake of full disclosure, the unit I am running right now has only been partially recapped.

    If I was willing to spend the $$, I would get it fully recapped.
     
    Tullman and The Pinhead like this.
  19. OhHiMahk

    OhHiMahk The search function is your friend

    Location:
    USA
    Get it recapped. Power supply caps can degrade over time and you get used to the sound. So it may sound fine to you because it happened so gradually. It’s also possible that a recap could make the bass sound a little tighter, but it might not. I’d do the recap because you like your gear, you want to keep it, you finally found a decent tech and might not be able to later, and if old caps were to have a catastrophic failure it could kill good parts with it.
     
  20. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    Thanx man ! The post was written in rush, with my wife breathing fire cuz we had to leave for the super (deep discount day today).

    The tech already changed, an I quote ¨ 20 transistors at the supply stage and preamp¨ . Said I'll notice more detail already. Also said the full recapping will bring it ¨up to orig spec, so it's really an upgrade¨and ¨modern caps he uses are of way better quality, but I will notice a difference in sound, and I might or not like it, used as I am to the sound the receiver is delivering right now, after all these years¨ Brutal honesty. Guy runs a small busy shop and works as fast as a shark, so he wants me to contact him tomorrow and tell me whether to go ahead or not, but he's not pushy in the least about doing the job.

    He was afraid I, like most clients. would call him everyday for updates on when the job would be don, to which I replied hey that's not me in very least, that I had another vintage amp in use and could wait. To this guy, a week is a lot of time, he wants to get things done and move on. To me it's nothing ! So glad I found this man ! And he's not in the least expensive to boot. I mean 300 bucks for a full revamping ? When a Rotel A14 retails for 2K down here ? C'mon !
     
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  21. The Pinhead

    The Pinhead KING OF BOOM AND SIZZLE IN HELL Thread Starter

    Everybody who's recapped an old unit please free to share their experiencies regarding sound improvements. Do amps get brighter ? Mine would seem to need a 5db boost with most recording, but on those, the spectrum analyzer show little activity on that band, whereas other recordings need no to little boost. Maybe the recap will restore upper highs ? Afraid brightness might creep in in the 1to 4 khz area, where my Klipsch floorstanders are great, but unforgiving of bright recordings.
     
  22. RiCat

    RiCat Forum Resident

    Location:
    CT, USA
    You have gotten used to the sound. You can't remember what it sounded like when it was new. Our audio memory is not that good. Re-Cap is what I would do. It will sound different. That does not necessarily mean in tone or frequency response. The dynamics of how it responds to the soft to loud passages, bass power demands and similar demands of the changing signal can be expected to improve. GL and keep us posted.
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  23. Riotvan

    Riotvan Forum Resident

    Location:
    The Netherlands
    Recap, you can always tune the sound so it fits your preferences again. Speaker placement, tone control and i'm pretty sure that tech can help with some crossover adjustments.

    Besides if done right you have an amp that should work for decades to come.
     
    The Pinhead likes this.
  24. Tullman

    Tullman Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston MA
    I also have experience with vintage stuff and I agree.
    Get it recapped.
     
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  25. timind

    timind phorum rezident

    Definitely recap the receiver. About a year ago I bought a vintage Harman Kardon integrated amp on ebay. The amp had a hum which was noticeable from maybe 2 feet away so I recapped the power supply. While in there, I also swapped about a dozen caps in the signal path. Did I notice a difference? Heck yeah, the hum was totally gone. Can't say whether the sonic qualities of the amp changed, as I never heard it without the hum before.

    Do it for the peace of mind. It'll probably sound better.
     
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