[Skylab]

Yep, good job Mr.Sneis! Glad it worked out in the end.

Harrinj, there is no guarantee that a recap would fix the buzz, since that could be a problem with the output transistors, or something much simpler. Best to have it looked at if you want to keep it.

In my experience, most "fix it" places will NOT do a full recap. That tends to be the domain of specialists. Most fixit places will replace only what is needed to get the item working again. Most charge a bench test fee, yes, but any reputable place will credit that fee against the actual cost of repair should you elect to have them do the work. And that's as it should be. They should not have to examine it for you for free and then have you take it somewhere else to fix it.

 

[Trav]

Just pulled the trigger on a Sansui 881. Hope I chose wisely.

 

[moodyrn]

Quote:

Yep, good job Mr.Sneis! Glad it worked out in the end.

Harrinj, there is no guarantee that a recap would fix the buzz, since that could be a problem with the output transistors, or something much simpler. Best to have it looked at if you want to keep it.

In my experience, most "fix it" places will NOT do a full recap. That tends to be the domain of specialists. Most fixit places will replace only what is needed to get the item working again. Most charge a bench test fee, yes, but any reputable place will credit that fee against the actual cost of repair should you elect to have them do the work. And that's as it should be. They should not have to examine it for you for free and then have you take it somewhere else to fix it.

All very true. Most local places I contacted in my area about doing a full recap either tried to talk me out of it, don't want to fool with it, or wanted to charge 1500.00(ouch)to do it. I'm going with amplifier surgery out of Chicago with my ka-907, but his first available slot is the first week in August. The other specialist I contacted has orders taking up the next two years and is not taking anymore orders.
Quote:

Just pulled the trigger on a Sansui 881. Hope I chose wisely.

Congrats on the find. Please keep us posted with your impressions and of course pics are mandatory around here.

 

[BearWant]

Should I take a leap of faith? I found a pioneer sx-950 from Craigslist for $50. Left speaker channel seems to be out. He claims all else is in working order and it looks nice and clean.

I would use for powering my he500 from phone jack. Getting speakers working would just be a bonus.

 

[Oregonian]

Should I take a leap of faith? I found a pioneer sx-950 from Craigslist for $50. Left speaker channel seems to be out. He claims all else is in working order and it looks nice and clean.

I would use for powering my he500 from phone jack. Getting speakers working would just be a bonus.

I'd do it in a heartbeat. Bring your phones, an iPod/RCA hookup with you and check it out. I have two Kenwood integrates and neither have a speaker hooked to them. Sound SO good out of the headphone jack.

 

[moodyrn]

It depends if you have already decided to pay what's necessary to repair it. If only one channel is playing from the speaker out, then probably only one channel is playing from the headphone out as well as they both are tied in together. The headphone out is derived from the speaker out using resistors to lower the wattage. So in most cases, if one goes bad, then so does the other.
 
It could be a simple fix(as simple as needing a good cleaning) or it could be a very expensive repair. If it was a 1250, then I would say go for it. I would pay amount of money to get that working. But it gets a little murky for the 950. It's a great receiver, but it could cost more to repair than what you could get a working 950 for. But then again, it could be something simple, and you might strike gold. 

 

[Skylab]

I would buy it for sure *IF* you go there and the headphone out works in both channels. That means the output transistors are fine and the problem with the left speaker working lies elsewhere that at least in theory should be easier/cheaper to fix. If you go there and the headphones are also out in the left channel, I would pass.

 

[Mr.Sneis]

I am pretty sure I got my sx-950 for somewhere around $300.  Incidentally it still needed a deep cleaning and a bunch of work to be 100%.  I don't have the best taste left in my mouth after the whole experience.  For $50 hell yes.

 

[SpeakerBox]

I would lay odds at 90% that with a speaker channel out the associated HP channel is also dead.  Hope I am wrong, though.

 

[Skylab]

Quite probably, but not certain. Could be dirty speaker selector switch, broken contacts in speaker terminals, or bad relay. The speaker protect relay in these is prone to getting dirty IIRC. I don't think it impacts the headphone out (but it might).

 

[moodyrn]

If the speaker relay is bad, that would definitely affect the headphone out. I'm with Speakerbox, if one channel is dead the odds are at least 90% the same channel is dead in the headphone out. There is a small chance it could be something going on with the speaker terminal, but other than that, mostly whatever affects the speaker out will also affect the headphone out. They are essentially the same thing in that receiver. That's what make most of these vintage amps so great. A great sounding speaker amp also means a great sounding headphone out.
 
But....it still could be something simple. Could be as easy as needing a good deoxit treatment, or a fuse in the power supply. And if it was the relay, that would be relatively cheap to fix. So it's really up to you to decide if you want to take that chance. 

 

[ardgedee]

The real question is: If you drop $50 on it, and it needs more work than you can reasonably spend on it, at what price can you ethically sell it for?

 

[Mr.Sneis]

My money is on it simply needing a de-oxit bath.  Particularly the stereo/mono, loudness, and/or muting switches on the right.
 
The SX-950 doesn't have obvious holes for lubing btw.  You'll need to take off top and bottom and front.  Technically I think you can get away with undoing one screw per switch (top?) and squirting through that screw's hole without removing the two control sections from the frame which is a tiny bit more work and cumbersome.  I think it'll make more sense if you have it in front of you.

 

[LugBug1]

Come to join the fun. This is a Pioneer SX550 recapped, with new bulbs and veneer etc. I'm astounded by the sound I'm getting from 1977! 
My only qualm is that it is sooo ***ing loud! I don't have much freedom with the volume pot even with my computer turned right down.
 

 

 

[Skylab]

Looks like a beauty!!!

Senns and very efficient headphones and even the low wattage 550 will indeed push more power from its headphone out than most headphone amps. But that attenuator isn't stepped, is it? I think that came only on the higher end of the xx50 range.