Thank you sir.. So many of the other folks in your space annotate/edit their vids to more fit into RU-vids preferential algorithms. I appreciate you giving us 2 hours of your time and letting us see it all.
While your sentiment is appreciated, there is another viewpoint, one that says many people don't have the time (or patience) to sit around for that length of time to watch a video. I am into computers in a big way and there is another RU-vidr that shall remain nameless that will make videos sometimes four hours or longer. Videos of that nature become tedious to watch, especially if the person just drones on and on. At the same time I don't like them so short as to be useless. Having said that, I believe that is why many videos are short.
Happy to share a trick from a UK restorer ... the facia ... take high res images of the original screenprint, logos, pot scales, etc and rebuild the facia in photoshop 1:1 . Take the original coat off the facia and all the sscratches out with orbital sander... heat the clean aluminium facia to 40°C. fire a dusting of primer at it, then colour coat matching the original .... take it to a screenprinter.
Thank you for walking us through the restoration of this beast. I've always wondered what the person whose SSAN is etched in the back panel would think if they could see their equipment all these years later still performing at or near peak levels with just a little love after 35-40 years. It looked like some real thought went into the design phase when it came to technician access and component locations for maintenance. It sounds very good with just your CD player. Enjoy!
You are very welcome. Thank you for watching. The vintage audio equipment was engineered/built to a standard that is rare to find in electronics today. She's really a great sounding amp.
Watched the entire video! Took me most of an afternoon to do so, but well worth it. I do have a couple questions: 1. What was the middle output transistor that looked like its metal cover was missing? You stopped the video right before you came to it. Also, since you have the outputs all removed for thermal compound renewal, do you ever test them to see if they are still in spec. Also should be sure to tell newbies to NOT use their old CPU thermal grease on those outputs. 2. Why didn't you show us beginners how to use solder braid? Not everyone can afford a vacuum solder sucker gun like the Hakko. Thanks again for an enjoyable video.
Your welcome and thank you for watching. 1. - I think you are probably talking about the thermistor that will disconnect the outputs if the amps heatsink temperature gets to high. 2- No, I never test them unless I have an issue. I do bench test after I do a repair/restoration so that will check them out well. 3.- Well, if you have your amplifier apart and you are using CPU compound, you probably should have never started the project. 4.- I am terrible with using solder braid and I'm not the one to teach anyone about that.
Thank you for walking us through every detail it really helps to demystify the process. I would also add that the brand history segments are a nice touch. 👌🏾
Thank you Chris for another outstanding restore, the Panasonic history was an excellent feature into what companies were back in the day and what employees meant to a company's success, you don't see that anymore, they'll replace you at the drop of a hat. Again, thank you !
R P your very welcome. Thank you for the kind words. Your right, it certainly was a different world then today. There doesn't seem to be a whole lot of loyalty between company and employee anymore.
Old technology but how they stood the test of time is a mark of a truly excellent piece of electronic equipment. Build like a tank with first class specifications.Thank you for bringing them back to life..Enjoyed your video, beautiful work done and I could sense your love for it. Vintage it is but obsolete it is not for all we care.
Greetings to All! When performing final performance testing while monitoring the output waveforms or distortion output, thump the speaker protection relay with your finger. If you see distortion on either channel output, take the relay out, remove its cover and gently polish its contacts with a 4800 grit, polishing paper and then retest the amp. Hope this helps. 😊
What a great videos. I have restored a dozen or so vintage receivers but I still enjoyed watching the entire video. It felt like I had a fellow enthusiast validate what I have been doing down in my basement.
@@vintageaudioaddict Many thanks for this great video and walkthrough, I would like to ask you a question regarding Vintage power amplifier I have bought last year, well last year I was lucky guy ! I have bought ADCOM GFA 555 MK2 this power amp is/was built from the 90's 90-95 , I have bought it from a guy which never opened it from the original box , it was originally manufactory sealed box, so it was stored in a closet for more then 25 years. When I got it I connect it to mains and removed the top cover to look inside and checked the bias , of course all is good and new, and it is sound incredibly amazing. So what I want to ask you is should I replaced all the electrolytic caps ? should I be worried about if they will not be replaced , do they are in good shape as we dill of course with new amp that never been used all this years it was stored ? Thanks in advance and continue your great Job ❤👍
Excellent video, and thank you for sharing. My very first hifi system was a Technics by Panasonic back in 1979. In addition, I have a Technics SL-1200MD3 turntable from 1989 in prestige conditions and sounds great.
It's sad to see that some people don't appreciate what they have, and don't take care of the equipment they own. This is definitely a great amplifier that deserve more lifetime. Great job!
Most are not interested in true High Fidelity listening whatsoever these days. Back then we were obsessed with excellent gear and speakers. Today people listen to MP3 recordings which are compressed 10x and 12x and multi sampled as low as 128? Like people using crappy cellphone cameras over a good camera. They just don't care today..
I'm 72. Just came across this. It brought tears to my eyes. I had one like that after scrimping and saving matched with pioneer speakers. I thought that it will be my last amp/system. Sadly when I was away it was stolen. Only the speakers were left. Sid buy any good system after that as I got married and money was tight. That was the best I ever bought .
Thanks so much for sharing. Sorry that she was stolen. Money was tight on my Pizza Hut salary back in the day also so I wasn't able to afford an amp like this one.
@@vintageaudioaddict I was a school teacher with meager pay. I was also an amateur musician. Most days I had a meal once a day. I cooked myself. So losing a great sounding amp like that really hurts. Let bygones be bygones. You're doing a good job bringing those great amps back to life. Keep it up and stay healthy always.
I remember drooling over these in the Stereo Review magazine. I always circled the reader service number on the card on the back to get the free brochure. My first integrated amp was a Techniques SU-8055.
About the Remote out speakers I have an 1970s amp with Main/Remote selections and I see inside the remote speakers have a Resistor on the terminal allmost like the remote speakers really are "remote" or some kind of "monitor" and the main is the main
The ribbon connector makes it easy to work on, but it's a failure point. Maybe it's why they apparently glued it in place. :) I've been working on this type of stuff since mid 70s. Ever here of United Radio in Syracuse? Great video, it's nice that you included the video from Matsushita.
Hey I'm probably your neighbor, / live in the area, I'm probably around your age worked at county wide in the 80s and 90s are you still working on electronics, I just turned 60 & am getting back into the hobby, also I need some advice/ help fixing my 1920s apex radio I got from my grandparents house in 1970
I do like your style and how you do and explain things. We have to do it just the way you do show it... Take your time, don't rush things. And if you do it, do it completely, careful and carefully just like you're show it.....I'm in and need to thank you 👍😊
Hello sir I love vintage audio gear mostly power amps This one is a killer looking amp that should live on Nothing is made like this anymore Old pioneer , Technics,adcom,hafler and others are some of the best ever built Love your desire to bring back these jems
Technics Audio had been quite underrated in the 70s up to End 80s. Presumably they didn't pay sufficiant for adverts in the Audio Magazins. They invented a lot highly interesting Products in that area of technology. Technics is back since a couple of years now; possibly because the Vinyl Revival. Finally I got quite a lot of Technics collections, where my first Audio had been SU 8022k ST 8022k, SL Q2 and RS M63 all running still fine without any Service.
Thank you for sharing. Technics made a lot of great gear back in the day. I wish I had more of it in my collection. As you said they are making new audio equipment again and I understand that it is pretty nice stuff.
i would guess that amp lived its early life in a school auditorium. Purchased at a surplus auction when the school was closed. I worked for a school district AV repair department long ago. Lots of panasonic and technics equipment were purchased. They offered special pricing to educational institutions and won many bids.
Thanks Jerry. As vintage audio is a hobby for me, video editing has become an interest. I have a lot more appreciation for the time it takes to put a video together but it's fun.
Hi can you help me out...I have the same unit. You talk about the film capacitors at around 1 hour 8min 46... The caps on my driver boards are different they are showing. 58 25vw and .68 25 what would you recommend the values of the film caps.... I couldn't find c201 or C 101 in the parts listings....many thanks
You should always replace the original capacitors with the values that are in your unit. Of coarse, assuming that no one changed them at some point from the originals. There are times in the production cycles of these units when component changes are made on the assembly line.
Hi thanks for the reply..... I have no idea if they have been replaced..... I have owned the unit for years and before my it was my uncled but I have no idea if he bought it new it not The boards look pretty untouched but they are very different looking caps... One matches all the original the one that looks off value is very different. Do you know what the listed ratings should be...as I said I couldn't find the caps listed in the service manual
Thanks' for the video. Love the detail and explanations. I have a 20'x20' room filled with vintage radio's, amps, turntables and receiver's. In my experience, sticky? Spilled beer. I started collecting in the mid 70's. Never threw anything away and collected any radio I cleaned out of someone's basement. That stuff sat around for over 20 years, wife crabbing about the wasted space and all. Then came the internet, parts, schematic's and video's along with shops that specialized in restorations appeared like magic. I'm still going through my Sherwood, McIntosh and Scott equipment to name a few along with the GE, Carlson and whatever radios I have 30 years later and guess what ? My daughter just hit me up for a Sansui receiver, a B&O liner drive turntable and a set of EV studio monitors after raiding my vinyl collection, glad she's a fan of the sound. Now she's eyeballing a Kent floor standing radio and an old Seeburg juke box for her basement.
Your welcome and thanks for sharing. Great story! Ya, beers a good guess. It's great that you have had your equipment for so many years and that you have a daughter who is interested in the gear. This equipment will be running long after you and I are gone so younger people like your daughter will keep it going for the next generation.
I see what you mean about leaving the battle scars now. Used to work on some pro audio equipment and didn't even give the cosmetics a second thought. Most of that stuff was pretty beat up from use and hauling it around.
Man that was fantastic! Thoroughly enjoyed it. You are kinda slow, but with my ADHD it helps me understand more. Thank you for doing this like you do. I already knew most of this, but you gave me more confidence. My amps both have torroidal coils in them. I have had many like you have in the past and wonder if they could have been saved.
Excellent video, a lovely amplifier too, though I would be wanting to do something about that fascia. Some of the 1970s audio equipment has not been surpassed, generous power supplies too relative to modern gear.
Kenwood used "Sygma Drive" to achieve a damping factor ot 1,000. I love my Kenwood Basic M2 and M1 in Sygma Drive mode. I can go at least 2 clicks on the volume knob when ever I need to do so. Great review of the Technics amplifier. Thanks and take care.
Thank you for this presentation. Yes, Technics came out with very good equipments back. I think this amplifier had a matching preamplifier, same color and that reel to reel tape deck as well. There were also one or two sets of speakers to match this amplifier came out around that time. They were all good. I had SL-1200 turntable in 1974. Some Sansui have push in pull out circuit board mounting which makes easy to repair, just like this one.
You are welcome! Thank you for watching. The matching preamp is the SU-9600. I don't have that one in my collection but I'd like to find one some day. Technics made a lot of great audio gear back in the day.
Hi great videos and congratulations for your work Personally when i see open frame trimmers i try to replace them with multiturn sealed ones ... they are more reliable and allow for a more precise bias/dc offset setting. i use a little brush for applying the thermal paste evenly Kind regards, gino
@@vintageaudioaddict Thank you ! i have to tell the whole story I had a very nice Nikko Alpha II old power amp purchased after reading great things about it One channel was not working properly I opened it and even if i am everything but an expert i discovered that two bjt drivers on the board of the bad channel had been replaced with wrong transistors ! like pnp in place of npn ! an unesplicable mistake indeed I bought the new bjts, replaced the caps, the trimmers and the boards looked just fine Then i missed the boards ! i had a moving at that time and i was in a bad moment The rest of the amp ended in the trash bean That was a very nice power amp indeed The one channel working had a clean and powerful sound that i liked very much So i have nothing to teach to anyone really I will try to improve when i will have the time Thanks again and kind regards, gino
Way back in the 70's I adopted Pioneer as my favorite brand because they always seemed to deliver much bang for the buck. While I'm not knocking Technics as they make very good equipment, for many people they are quite unaffordable. I would love nothing more than to have a Technics SL-1200 series turntable. Oh, but the price...
Brilliant video, thank you Chris for sharing. I am also a fan of vintage sound equipment. I still have my Sansui G7500 that I purchased new in 1979, and some other bits sourced recently like a Sansui 707a, TU 666, a technics SH 9020, SU 9070, ST 8080. David
Hi David, your welcome and thank you for sharing. It's great that you still have your G7500 after all of these years. I still have my Sansui TU-717 tuner that I purchased in the late 70's. This vintage gear brings back some great memories.
Technics as in nic not nique Technique is a way of carrying out a particular task, as say an artists technique, why do Americans always pronounce things incorrectly? Why not Panasonique for Panasonic, at least you got that correct!!! But otherwise I think your channel is great! very well composed and presented, well done.
I remember having this amplifier and its matching preamp in my shop. It was extremely hard to sell because it looked like a PA amplifier. I always thought its sound was under whelming. Not poor by any standards, but other amplifiers, even other Technics amplifiers just had the edge on performance. Many at half the cost.
Hello. Nice to come across your channel. I’m a hard working combat vet. At the moment have some financial troubles my wife and I both work full time but with the three kids and past poor decisions by me left us just making ends meet. Long story a little shorter. I was given a Nikko beta and Alpha 220. I had my hafler eq hooked up and my 5 year old decided to play with the eq and it blew my amp. It popped the fuse so I replaced it and powered it up fuse blew and board smoked. Just looking for some advice. I live in PA I won’t throw it away and I still use the beta pre. I just want it fixed or want to get a trade so it can live on. It was a great amp.
Sorry to hear about your issues. I would do a google search for "vintage audio repair" or "stereo repair" and see if there is someone in your area that can help you out. There is really no way to fix the issue without a tech taking a look.
That name scratched in the front facier is kind of annoying me now. Less of the documentary, more of hands on repairing, soldering etc and less slide show. I'm not really interested in Matsushita (which you're mispronouncing btw). [Ma Sue shee ta]
Hello and good afternoon, I’m looking for a Receiver/Amplifier to power some book shelve speakers like Acoustic Energy AE300, Q Acoustics 5020, ELAC Debut Reference DBR62, Canton Vento 20 / Vento 826.2. What I would like the Receiver/Amplifier to have is an USB input & 3,5 Jack AUX input as I like to play some music from my laptop and nice would be Bluetooth but if not, I will not die 😊I would connect a turntable, CD Player, still have a cassette deck (I’m an 80’s guy😊), the coolest gadget would be the level meters. It also does not need to be the latest and the greatest, even some older Amps are fine if they have what I’m looking for. I will admit that all of my components are made by Yamaha just the turn table is a Reloop but that does not mean, that is has to be a Yamaha Receiver/Amplifier. Currently I’m powering my stuff with a Yamaha AV- RX V 683 but I having in mind to separate the music section. Thanks a lot and very much appreciated // Holger
Had a Zenith Flatscreen TV blow a capacitor. What’s funny is this TV was only 2 years old at best. At any rate when it blew it was loud!!!! About as loud as a 22LR going off.
Great video! YES, working with an old, even beat up, amplifier is just tons of fun. Yes replace all the electrolytic capacitors. I recently picked up a classic Soundcraftsmen A5002 (250 WPC RMS @ 8 ohms, 400 WPC @ 4 ohms) that does not work. The faceplate paint is bad, someone has done some not so handy "handy work" with taped together wires etc. and some burnt power resisters but this amp should be a straight forward fix and put any wiring back to factory spec. . No matter, I can fix it, and it will work as good as new. Even though it isn't in good cosmetic condition, I will enjoy using regardless it does not look mint. I will use it with my other Souncraftsmen preamp,Souncraftsmen equalizer, Souncraftsmen tuner, I already have.
That is my favorite era for audio electronics. Prices were highly competitive at audio stores, things were made of real metals, very little plastic. Made in China had not happened, yet.
Panasonic makes things that lasts for DECADES. Matsushita. They have gotten out of the vacuum business, but I had one working for decades, still working, when I gave it to a friend. Panasonic made a variety of well-engineered products. They made vacuums for Kenmore in the past. The really good, long-lasting ones. I used Microsoft CoPilot to check my older memory. Yes, Panasonic Matsushita did manufacture Kenmore vacuum cleaners. However, they stopped producing vacuums in 2016. After Panasonic ended their vacuum manufacturing, Kenmore entered into a partnership with the Chinese manufacturer, Cleva, who continued to produce Kenmore vacuums based on the Panasonic designs. Cleva purchased tooling from the Panasonic plant in Mexico and shipped it to their factory in China. So, while Panasonic Matsushita used to make Kenmore vacuums, they no longer do so. Now, Kenmore vacuums are produced by Cleva.
Switchable damping factor? Just great and another example of HiFi had it‘s peak point some long years ago. Today the damping factor can‘t be high enough. But that’s just a good starting point and not all speakers need the same amount of damping factor, the membrane is on „break! way back!“ because of its physical mass and the behavior of all the crossover caps and coils without reaching the displacement needed by signal. On my power amp, I build in a separate plus-port per channel, so I have the original 300-500 damping factor of the original amp and some with 0,18 ohms MOX in line (some 40), which fit my speakers much more. One more word about changing electrolytic caps: Sure every type has its own sonic signature which is different from the 1970s types. This is related especially to much lower impedance of today’s types. Loosing the sonic signature is what the owners fear, not hearing, how low the over all quality of the hifi item is because of old, rotten caps. But being much more perfect today in physical terms, the companies at that days would have chosen the nowadays caps in the 1970s too, if they would have been available. And in most cases, todays quality brand types just sound better.
The fellow engraved an ID number (SSN, most likely) as an anti-theft measure. A driver's license was supposedly better. Back in those days, high-end equipment was a favorite target for thieves who would sell it for the cash for their drug fixes. Technics/Panasonic made some legitimate high-end equipment with the expected prices. Technics made such equipment of high price. These are not to be confused with what Technics made for the mass market to meet a price point. Technics made great top=end equipment... for a pretty penny.
When I restore, I generally want longer lamp life, so I install LED's and proper current limiting resistors. If the meters had faded green or orange boots, I replaced with colored LEDs of the same general color.
Did you play around with the ohm knob? Mine has always been set to 8ohms. I'm just wondering how setting it to 0.08ohms will affect my Kef R3 Meta speakers which are 4ohms?? Very interested to know, but not brave enough to try before I know. Thanks for the video by the way 🙂
Hi, unfortunately I'm out of US ,somewhere with the most limited equipment to repair and if possible,I'm asking for your help and support please. I have a cassette deck, Teac a 107, there has been some short circuit issue that caused deck lights to turn of however the motor was still working, I sent it for repair, when came back ,I noticed only one cable from supply board to VU meters has been reposition to another connection of supply board. Now all works and lights are back and we have sound but the sound goes up and down and VU meter light goes high and low when in playing, When I record, the sound on tape goes up and down and it's terrible. Would you please help me if you may guess what part of supply board might be damage and what might needs to be changed or fixed?
Awesome Technics amp. It was a top-of-the-line model back in its' days. And still kinda is. I have a Technics SU 8080 integrated DC amp paired with Technics linear phase speakers of the same era.
Great video, did I miss changing out the big filter caps.......Ah just reached the near end 😊 Did you experiment with the Impedance switch on the front panel?
Nice video. Its been my experience restoring vintage gear that PCB`s that are easily serviceable which employ edge connectors or other multi-pin connectors pose a greater threat than failing capacitors and also should be cleaned with a good quality contact cleaner. When I come across T03 output devices that are not easily accessible, a telescopic magnet tool aids greatly in removing and replacing them.
It wanst their best sounding series.. we sold the brand I bought the smaller 9060 power amp from the flat series, which we believed was a superior build. Mine you sonically my Citation 16/A could blow all of these away in reserve and sonics. The 90 series is the better series of Technics professional separate's
People should really take recapping serious in electronics that has passed the 25 year mark, Its really sad to see vintage hifi or musical gears like vintage synths that is worth a fortune if it is restored to mint condition, Especially if stored for years so leaking caps or batteries can litterally destroy the whole board and make the restoration extremely hard and expensive. Not an expert but have seen the damage made to gear stored vertical for a decade or more and what mess and destruction one leaked cap can do when it is slowly seeping down the board eating everything away. Not saying you should recap every capacitor in a 50 year old equipment if it still works. I'll take a 60 year old Hammond organ with mostly original caps over a recapped version any day as long as they are working properly. Old caps often give the wintage gear more "soul" than modern equip.
I can't imagine a piece of rack gear ever being a "cheap" amplifier. I'm betting this was a gigging amp, it has a serial # and a name on it, like someone took it with them and was concerned it would walk off.
1. Solder Guns have massive inductance. The are inappropriate for micro-electronics. Fine for plumbing. 2. Cheap 3 dollar soldering irons have poor temperature control and you risk adding too much heat to surrounding components. 3. Never skimp on your tools.
I realise that this video is 2 years old now, it's rare to see someone else who goes up in capacitor voltage rating. I see it happening on rare occasions but I don't see it happening often enough.... I don't believe that every single capacitor should be replaced with a higher voltage equivalent but at the same time it doesn't hurt anything if you do. I tend to test and measure the old capacitors to see if they have had a hard life and make sure that those ones get a higher voltage equivalent... Regarding using film capacitors on the input, I have seen on one occasion over on X-ray Tony B's channel where he replaced electrolytic capacitors on the input with film capacitors and found that the sound had changed which he could hear and it showed up on his oscilloscope doing a frequency sweep! So in that case I would recommend doing a frequency sweep and checking to make sure that the amplifier can do the frequency range it's specified to do, just to be on the safe side! As for the heatsinks on this amplifier, I would have preferred to see them removed and washed clean, I think that years of heat would have a baked layer of something on them which possibly invisible to the eye, might be adding a layer of insulation.... That amplifier has an incredible 1kw of power consumption rating which tells me that this thing will get pretty hot when putting out some serious power! You would want it to be able to dissipate heat as efficiently as possible! Also, I would have liked to see some deoxit used on the transistor sockets, sometimes they get dirty and cause problems with intermittent connection's kinda like with vacuum tube sockets.... Apart from that, this was a great restoration, the amplifier design is excellent for service work...
Btw, Technics had a series of integrated amps called New Class A, circa 1980, which had some kind of high bias configuration. They ran hot and they were not built as heavy duty as this amp here, but the initial New Class A series sounded really good. It would be nice to see you work on one of those. Beware of the second phase of New Class A amps from Technics which were somehow different and did not sound good at all.
Thanks for sharing. The SE-9600P is one of the few Technics products that I have in my collection other then turntables. I'd like to find more Technics gear as this SE-9600P is an outstanding amplifier.
Looks like a State Drivers license number which people were encouraged to engrave on expensive equipment. Police from anywhere in the United States could track down this license number since it never changes.
You have a tool. It's straight with a hook on one end and a drift on the other end. I believe that is a brake spring removal/installation tool avaliable at parts stores and A.azon no doubt. Thanks for the videos!
Hi Mr. Chris! seeing about the history of Panasonic, I wanted to know if there is any information about the production of the Pioneer series of the SA-9800 and why these models are not seen in the Japanese market, I would like to know why, thank you for your videos!
Measuring power ... Is nice to see good performance. But it all changes with loudspeakers connected. Its frequenty depending. But you got a nice video made even for non electronics experienced people😊
56:25. I wonder if back in the time frame this was built they had board extenders available to aid in troubleshooting. A lot of the 70's machine tools I used to work on with NC controls had various board extenders to make testing various signals much easier. Regardless, that driver board is certainly easy to remove for repairs.
i appreciate the history lesson on the origins of the Panasonic and Technics brands but you should have take the time learn how to pronounce Matsushita as you aren't even close.
I like u and 12voltvids u guys are so informative i love anything electronic especially the older ones the news seem to shut off bc of the circuit protection older ones played until u blew the speakers
Great video, great work. Really respect your passion for bringing back to life what others will put at the curb. Please do a long rebuild video for the Bose Spatial Control Receiver 🙂
@@vintageaudioaddict The SCR innards are unique. The architecture is unlike a typical receiver. Even the way it’s turned on and off is unique. The built in 901 equalizer is also a challenge to access (but what do I know…I’m hoping to follow your video to rebuild mine).
