[scottiebabie]

Quote:

LOL - but not a chance.  That thing is WAY too huge for me.  The SX-1980 is plenty big enough.  Maybe I just like the Pioneer sound, but I still think the SX-1980 and SX-1250 are phenomenal sounding, with both speakers and headphones.  I can't stop listening to the SX-1980.  It makes the B&W N805's sing in an unbelievably good way.

Nooooo say it aint sooo! Rob u have no idea how some of us (well one of us atleast) live vicariously thru your escapades. Dang im sooo bump'd & its allll your fault!!

 

 
Quote:

I have a Sansui AU 717 and matching TU 717 tuner, sadly the amp needs a cleaning and complete recap, I hope to get this done when I have some extra cash flow cause I have heard nothing in stores for less than $2000 that compare. Currently I am using a Sansui AU-x201i integrated amp and while it isnt as clean or powerful as the 717 it powers my Polk's and headphone out has more than adequate power for everything but my 600 ohm K240's.
 
Basically I am saying if you find Sansui AU-xxxxxx items snag em. My Goal is to find an AU-919 and get that one day. The AU-X1 is supposedly an amazing unit but not till modifications are done cause of a flaw in the circuitry.

 
sad to hear that but mayhaps this is a great opportunity to learn some diy skills & do the recap yourself. theres some info of ppl diy x17 recaps specifically at audiokarma so it mite not be as difficult as thought. i also think that someones sells refurb boards & components for the 717 on ebay. something to chew on for sure.
 
i'd have to agree that snagging a 919s a great idea.
 
 

 

[gritzcolin]

Quote:

 
 
sad to hear that but mayhaps this is a great opportunity to learn some diy skills & do the recap yourself. theres some info of ppl diy x17 recaps specifically at audiokarma so it mite not be as difficult as thought. i also think that someones sells refurb boards & components for the 717 on ebay. something to chew on for sure.
 
i'd have to agree that snagging a 919s a great idea.
 
 

I have thought about doing the recap myself, I am ok with diy projects, fixing iPods, Nintendo DS', decent at soldering but those things can all be replaced this is a gift from my father and if I break it I won't forgive myself.

 

[RexAeterna]

i found a sansui au-717 for 90 bucks but it's missing the volume knob and source selector knob. owner says protection circuit stays on and right channel is completely out and left distorts. i'm guessing it's the bias and output transistors. i'm contemplating rather i should go for it or not and how hard it will be to find replacement knobs for it. i'm not too worried about the insides really. i'm more concerned finding replacement knobs.

 

[scottiebabie]

Quote:

i found a sansui au-717 for 90 bucks but it's missing the volume knob and source selector knob. owner says protection circuit stays on and right channel is completely out and left distorts. i'm guessing it's the bias and output transistors. i'm contemplating rather i should go for it or not and how hard it will be to find replacement knobs for it. i'm not too worried about the insides really. i'm more concerned finding replacement knobs.

vol knobs a ubiquitious 40mm black knob & selector's about 20mm so they both should be easy to comeby. i think parts connexion sells them for $15@ or so. mite not be exact factory match but its close enuff. 
 
howeva protection on means theres a short somewhere. left channel could be output transistors or any other blow part on the driver board. if ya gonna change transistors, mites well get matched sets for both channels. since ya gonna be ripping out the guts, u mites do a full refurb too.
 
to be honest, unless ya good EE tech/diy'er i wouldnt touch it. a full operational unit can easily be had for $200 or so. why take the risk of not being able to diagnose the issue or worse, have to send it the shop where u mite get fleeced. jus my $0.02.

 

[RexAeterna]

yea. i was told it was glue issues on the driver boards and you need to rip them out and clean the oxdizing glue off cause the glue when it ages acts a conductor. to get to them you have to take apart the whole amp so i'm gonna pass for now.

 

[shipsupt]

Hmmmm... An AU717 on CL and local... Scottie you're killing me....

 

[scottiebabie]

Quote:

Hmmmm... An AU717 on CL and local... Scottie you're killing me....

heyyy why am i gettin the 'blame' here when theres a 3-4 other x17 players here too! LOL! seriously though, if the local units in minty full operational condition & u can snag it for under $200, its a good score.
 
personally i cant anyone being too disappointed in its sonics both as a speaker amp or dedicated headamp. Davo50 rates his 717 at just a hair below his tube 'optimized' multiK$ WA22 driving the LCD2 so take it for whats its worth 

 

[ardgedee]

Ssssh ix-nay on the ype-hay until I land one.
 
*cough*
 
I know a guy who had an AU-717 and he got kicked out of the audiophile club because he couldn't say "warm, liquid midrange" without spitting drool. A panel of experts agreed that the AU-717 only exhibits synergy with white van speakers and dog whistles. Did you know that if you listen to an AU-717 for too long, Rogaine works in reverse? Everybody knows that in the late 1970s, unsold AU-717s were melted down and used to make "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial" video game cartridges. So I'm not saying the amp is jinxed, but you don't really want to take chances like that in your own lovingly set up hi-fi system, do you?
 
All these facts should be considered absolutely, totally true at least until I have one of my own to evaluate.

 

[sluker]

Just got my HE5-LE's back yesterday and burned them in all night with the 717. Perhaps not a good idea to run a 30+ year old amp straight for 8 hours. When I listened to them in the morning, every time I adjusted the volume the right channel would fade and cut out for half a second and then come back. So I decided to do a quick DeOxit cleaning on the volume pot and some of the more visible parts (I have no idea what I am doing obviously). 
To my surprise it appears to have done the trick.
Listening now and the bass on the HE5-LE's has never sounded so deep. In fact the sound is very similar to the MiniWatt via speaker taps, however the soundstage is  deeper and the bass is more articulate/detailed on the 717, where as the Miniwatt has a smaller soundstage and is a tad smoother with less detail in bass.
FWIW these are quick first impressions A/B 'ing with some Tool and Rage Against the Machine. 
One other observation is that the sibilance/brightness I notice on the LCD-2's does not seem to be a factor on the HE5-LE's, however keep in mind that the HE5-LE's are naturally bright in comparison to LCD-2.
Regardless of price the 717 is my best combo for the HE5-LE, but for $200 it is a steal.
I will not be melting mine down to make ET game cartridges

 

 

[RexAeterna]

scottie you seriously need to cut it out here. your killing my chances of getting these units cheap.if you keep it up here i be lucky to starting finding a au-7XX amp under 400 bucks lol. well i'm gonna pick up a au-719 for 200 in a week or two from a local since i get busy. monday i'm picking up a pair of akg 240 sextetts in perfect working order and near mint condition for 10 bucks! owner already gurantee me the headphones as well since he likes me and thinks i'm a cool guy.

 

[ardgedee]

On a more serious note, has anybody here tried old Heathkit units on modern equipment? I've got half a notion to track down the model my dad built back in the day purely for sentimental reasons. But I also remember our home stereo would cut out from time to time and the tuner didn't behave well. (edit: grammar!)
 
Since these were all hobbyist-built, regardless of design the quality is wildly variable, so that and obscurity are why I assume they tend to be cheap on the resale sites.

 

[scottiebabie]

what can i say....when im right im right! LOL. seriously though, it took me over a dozen amps to discover the 'Sui AUx17 - orthos (hifiman 5LE atleast) synergy. bonus is its more than not bad with the HD650 & PK1 earbuds too. im seriously hoping the 517 can redouble its magic with an incoming K702.
 
personally im more than pleased its not a figment of my imagination or am just a AU-x17 shrill when i touted the goodness of these amps. vindicated's a niceeee word i tellya! LMAO!

 

[Skylab]

I still have the Heathkit AA-1219 integrated my Dad and I built together when I was twelve. That was my first amp, and I loved it. Dusted it off the other day - was quite competent on headphones! I was just amazed that it worked 32 years later, given that it hadn't been used in probably 20 years.

 

[davo50]

 
Quote:

heyyy why am i gettin the 'blame' here when theres a 3-4 other x17 players here too! LOL! seriously though, if the local units in minty full operational condition & u can snag it for under $200, its a good score.
 
personally i cant anyone being too disappointed in its sonics both as a speaker amp or dedicated headamp. Davo50 rates his 717 at just a hair below his tube 'optimized' multiK$ WA22 driving the LCD2 so take it for whats its worth 

Yup, and I'm sticking to that statement.  Especially since I finally got my bias and dc offset adjusted.  Thanks for the help!
 


Quote:

Ssssh ix-nay on the ype-hay until I land one.
 
*cough*
 
I know a guy who had an AU-717 and he got kicked out of the audiophile club because he couldn't say "warm, liquid midrange" without spitting drool. A panel of experts agreed that the AU-717 only exhibits synergy with white van speakers and dog whistles. Did you know that if you listen to an AU-717 for too long, Rogaine works in reverse? Everybody knows that in the late 1970s, unsold AU-717s were melted down and used to make "ET: The Extra-Terrestrial" video game cartridges. So I'm not saying the amp is jinxed, but you don't really want to take chances like that in your own lovingly set up hi-fi system, do you?
 
All these facts should be considered absolutely, totally true at least until I have one of my own to evaluate.

Well, I did own a white van once and most of my hair's gone.....
 

 

[sphinxvc]

Quote:

Just got my HE5-LE's back yesterday and burned them in all night with the 717. Perhaps not a good idea to run a 30+ year old amp straight for 8 hours. When I listened to them in the morning, every time I adjusted the volume the right channel would fade and cut out for half a second and then come back. So I decided to do a quick DeOxit cleaning on the volume pot and some of the more visible parts (I have no idea what I am doing obviously). 
To my surprise it appears to have done the trick.
Listening now and the bass on the HE5-LE's has never sounded so deep. In fact the sound is very similar to the MiniWatt via speaker taps, however the soundstage is  deeper and the bass is more articulate/detailed on the 717, where as the Miniwatt has a smaller soundstage and is a tad smoother with less detail in bass.
FWIW these are quick first impressions A/B 'ing with some Tool and Rage Against the Machine. 
One other observation is that the sibilance/brightness I notice on the LCD-2's does not seem to be a factor on the HE5-LE's, however keep in mind that the HE5-LE's are naturally bright in comparison to LCD-2.
Regardless of price the 717 is my best combo for the HE5-LE, but for $200 it is a steal.
I will not be melting mine down to make ET game cartridges

 

Is that wood on your 5LEs?!
 
Much prefer the new glossy finish you have to the old matte black.
 
Quote:

what can i say....when im right im right! LOL. seriously though, it took me over a dozen amps to discover the 'Sui AUx17 - orthos (hifiman 5LE atleast) synergy. bonus is its more than not bad with the HD650 & PK1 earbuds too. im seriously hoping the 517 can redouble its magic with an incoming K702.
 
personally im more than pleased its not a figment of my imagination or am just a AU-x17 shrill when i touted the goodness of these amps. vindicated's a niceeee word i tellya! LMAO!

 
Aw, now I have to get one of these!  =]