[kstuart]

 

  So it turns out that my recapped Sansui AU-417 had distortion in the right channel.  I contacted the seller, and he had me try Deoxit (and I also did a DC offset check), but no joy.  So, he had me send it back to him (it turns out that he does the recapping & glue cleanup himself as a hobby - his feedback is full of various AU-x17 amps). 
 
He received it and he reports that it was a broken solder joint.  When he re-soldered the joint, the distortion went away.  He readjusted the DC offset and bias and has shipped it back to me.
 
So, the morale(s):
 
* If you are looking to fix an audio problem in vintage electronics, be sure to look for bad or broken solder joints.
 
and
 
* Shipping of old gear is liable to shake something loose.
 
And it is cool that the guy wanted to stand behind his work...

 
Hi mate,
 
I'm not sure whether you would have heard this news or not, but Butch (the gent who restored your amp) sadly passed away about a month ago.
 
Please continue to enjoy your amp, knowing that you're listening to a piece of gear that was lovingly worked on by a true gentleman and vintage audio enthusiast

Thanks for the info.  I will remember him when I listen to the Sansui.  (BTW, I am behind on this thread and hope to catch up after the holidays.)

 

[PhoenixG]

It seems like things have been slipping away from me all weekend. I almost got a 500c, but the seller gave it to a buddy last minute. I'm on to something else now, but I'm hoping for better luck. The hunt continues...

 

[LugBug1]

  Wow, that worked - thank you LugBug. The first picture is the Marantz 2250B RCVR that I'm restoring. It's a work in progress right now. But even as it stands the headphone audio is excellent. There's no dedicated HP amp inside, just resistor coupling from the output of the power amps to the headphone jack so you hear the entire audio chain.

 
The picture below is of my favorite restoration - a vintage early 70's Sansui 5000A rcvr. When it first came out I lusted after it for a year before I saved up enough money to buy one. It was my start on the path to high end audio. I remember the day I sold it back in the early 90's and regretted it ever since. So thanks to ebay I have one again. This one is complete with the exception of some mods I want to do on the power amp boards. When I converted the incandescent display lighting to LED's I used about 20 high flux pure white LED's in total. I really wanted to light it up since the stock lighting was pretty dim. For both rcvr's I designed adjustable regulated supplies for the LEDs so I can vary the intensity with an internal adjustment. The topology for headphone output is same as the Marantz - resistor coupling from output of the power amps to headphone jacks. Even though the Sansui is my favorite rcvr, the HP audio, to me, isn't as transparent as the Marantz. I attribute this one to the difference in FM tuner and Stereo multiplex decoders between the two rcvr's. I've only listened to FM audio, have not yet run any higher resolution sources through either radio yet.
 

 
So that's my story and I'm stickin' to it

 
All the best,
Frank
(ARS W3MEE)

Two gorgeous amps there buddy. You can tell that they are your pride and joy - immaculate condition. 

 

[SpeakerBox]

I did manage to land this (Sherwood 7200) a couple of days ago.  Sounds very nice.  Approximately 40WPC with a very clean powerful sound.  Have recapped the PS and it needs a new volume control as it is has unevenness in the channels that Deoxit won't fix.  Love these old Sherwoods:
 

 

[petemac110]

  I did manage to land this (Sherwood 7200) a couple of days ago.  Sounds very nice.  Approximately 40WPC with a very clean powerful sound.  Have recapped the PS and it needs a new volume control as it is has unevenness in the channels that Deoxit won't fix.  Love these old Sherwoods:
 

 
Niiiice... my father has a few Sherwoods, including the S7210 and a larger 60WPC model. They both sound great!
 

  Any opinions on a Sansui QRX-6500 vs an AU-2900?

 
I'd be inclined to go for the QRX-6500. We have one in our Sansui collection. It's a more sophisticated amp design with more grunt. It is, however, a quadrophonic 4 channel amp, so you won't be utilising all channels for normal stereo listening or headphone use. I'm assuming that's the 6500 on Aus ebay at present?
 
The AU-2900, 3900 and 4900 are all nice sounding amps too. The 2900 is the baby of the bunch.

 

[gikigill]

Yup, that's the one. Might go for a 777 too.
Btw got one of those Sherwood 7110s,a deceptively powerful amp. Powers speakers it has no business powering and the bass can rumble windows without a hint of stress. A hidden gem with plenty of headroom.

 

[petemac110]

Yup, that's the one. Might go for a 777 too.
Btw got one of those Sherwood 7110s,a deceptively powerful amp. Powers speakers it has no business powering and the bass can rumble windows without a hint of stress. A hidden gem with plenty of headroom.

 
Cool. The AU-777 is a very nice amp indeed.
 
One thing to consider is that the volume knob will require a bit of a tweak to get a decent volume level out of the amp. The buying public, at the time, perceived this as being a short-coming in several Sansui amps when compared back-to-back with competing amps (because competitors got louder with an equivalent turn of the volume knob, they thought they were more powerful). The 777A addressed this issue with a revised volume circuit. It's not an issue as such, but worth noting.

 

[LugBug1]

Seasons Greetings to all my lovely vintage chums. 
 
May this coming year bring many more shiny machines, wif lots of knobs and lights etc  
 

 

 

[Silent One]

 

[Argybargy]

Who needs Christmas lights when you've got a Marantz!

Merry Christmas to all!

 

[scottosan]

I've bought a Marantz 2252b and a 2238b within the past week.  Truly a musical line of vintage receivers

 

[SpeakerBox]

Yup, that's the one. Might go for a 777 too.
Btw got one of those Sherwood 7110s,a deceptively powerful amp. Powers speakers it has no business powering and the bass can rumble windows without a hint of stress. A hidden gem with plenty of headroom.

 
This has been my experience with everyone of the old "S" series Sherwood receivers I have heard.  Had a 7110B for a while and it sounded excellent.  Right now I have the 7200 and a tricked out 7100A on the night stand for HP listenting.

 

[moodyrn]

Congrats everyone on your recent purchases. All of those are some good looking receivers. Love to see Sherwood getting some love. That's a very good brand that don't get discussed enough. They made some nice tube gear also. Merry Christmas to you all!!!

 

[SpeakerBox]

Merry Christmas!

 

[Oregonian]

Merry Xmas to the gents on the best thread on Head Fi!