Vintage amplifiers. H/K and Adcom

another more expensive option is the Marantz SM-17SA reference series power amp for around 400$. Things get more interesting at this price point though.

Arcam amps, jolida, Parasound among others.

There is a Parasound HCA-750A up for sale for around 175$.

I can audition the Marantz and the Parasound..and possibly the H/K.

I would very much like to at least power up the H/K and see if everything is functional with no hiss or the protection circuit kicking in on power up.

36 views and no reply.

I was sure this would have evoked a response from one of the senior members by now. Atleast a comment or two about going in for old used stuff.

hmmm...guess only way to assure myself would be listen to the amp/s and use caution.

adcom used to have some real terrific products. i believe there is a review by stereophile as well.

no idea about the HK citation..

and the parasound, i believe that was an entry level into the range..
i might just lean towards the adcom..but if you can hear them the choice may well be easier.

Savyasaachi schrieb:

another more expensive option is the Marantz SM-17SA reference series power amp for around 400$. Things get more interesting at this price point though. Arcam amps, jolida, Parasound among others. There is a Parasound HCA-750A up for sale for around 175$. I can audition the Marantz and the Parasound..and possibly the H/K. I would very much like to at least power up the H/K and see if everything is functional with no hiss or the protection circuit kicking in on power up.

I have a very nice Jolida 502A 60W/ch tube integrated power amp for sale. But it is closer to $1000 than it is to $100. Does you budget allow spending up to that much? I've had this amp modified quite a bit to significantly improve its performance. With this 60W/ch you will not be disappointed.

I've heard the Parasound HCA-750. Nice amp. I prefer the HCA-1500 & higher models. They sounded very good for the money.

Stereophile reviewed the GFA-555 and they liked it.
I have heard one in my hometown with a pair of PMC speakers long back and it sounded quite nice. It sounded a bit on the bright side of neutral though. I guess the wharfedale evo series with its slightly rolled off treble will work well with this nature of Adcom. I think Nelson Pass was involved with Adcom during the period these amps were designed.

Interesting..i actually read that Nelson Pass was also involed with the design of a few Harman Kardon Citation amps.

I will be auditioning the Citation 22 this weekend with the Evo 10s

If i don't like it , then will audition the Parasound 750.

I would like to go in for a tube like a Jolida, but the price is too prohibitive.

ALso might get my hands on a Sansui Au-217 for 35$.

Will keep you guys posted on developments.

square_wave schrieb:

I have heard one in my hometown with a pair of PMC speakers long back and it sounded quite nice. It sounded a bit on the bright side of neutral though.

larger chance of this would be due to the PMC..

Arj schrieb:

square_wave schrieb: I have heard one in my hometown with a pair of PMC speakers long back and it sounded quite nice. It sounded a bit on the bright side of neutral though. larger chance of this would be due to the PMC..

The sounding nice or the brighter representation?

brightness ..nice sounding would be the combination

Arj schrieb:

square_wave schrieb: I have heard one in my hometown with a pair of PMC speakers long back and it sounded quite nice. It sounded a bit on the bright side of neutral though. larger chance of this would be due to the PMC..

Yes. PMC is reputed to be a bit on the bright side.It could be the speaker.

Savyasaachi schrieb:

Interesting..i actually read that Nelson Pass was also involed with the design of a few Harman Kardon Citation amps. I will be auditioning the Citation 22 this weekend with the Evo 10s If i don't like it , then will audition the Parasound 750. I would like to go in for a tube like a Jolida, but the price is too prohibitive. ALso might get my hands on a Sansui Au-217 for 35$. Will keep you guys posted on developments.

I wonder whats keeping you away from Marantz SM-17SA..
I have heard the PM-17 Int amp and they are really really good. I expect SM-17SA to be even better. Is it the price thats restricting you ?

Hey Abhi,

It IS the price that is keeping me away.

Here is the link to the place in Portland where it is up for saale. Click on the amplifiers link.


The Marantz looks really sexy too in black..matching the EVO-10s..

Savyasaachi schrieb:

Here is the link to the place in Portland where it is up for saale.

Where is the link ??

whoops !

here it is
http://echohifi.com/inventory.php

I called them up and was told they encourage customers to take the amp, speakers over to their house and audition them for no charge.
Guess i'll be doing that before i buy.

saachi, what are yo going to use as your pre ?

If you are planning to audition, could you also try out the Onix A2150 ?. had heard about it as being VFM in some previous discussions

Arj,

I will be using the output from the Scott Nixon USB DAC directly.
So my computer is my source.

i did consider the onix..but read a couple of reviews about problems namely, "hissing" noise from these amps. So am kinda skeptical about it.
But yeah, I will check it out... I am going there tomorrow and will probably borrow the marantz or the onix.

Also, will be checking out the H/K tomorrow.

A Sansui AU-217 is up for sale for 35$.

Going to check that out too.

i just don't feel like spending 400 for the Marantz.

pick up the sansui..even if you have to get it repaired it might be a bargain..the old pre 85 (i think) sansuis are highly regarded for their sheer musicality and might make a good VFM combo with your wharfies.

you can always spend the $$$ saved in getting a sub or amp (or even both) for your cherokee

Guess waht just came up for sale..

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/ele/575650697.html

Now i am tempted!!

A Sansui AU-217 is up for sale for 35$

I had this Sansui AU-217-II for many years and recently sold it for Rs.5000 so the price you are getting it at is quite attractive. This amp has an inherent boost in the low frequencies with the tone controls flat. The baxandall circuit is wired around the main power amplifier as a feedback loop.

Maybe suitable for small speakers having quicker LF roll offs.

Behram schrieb:

A Sansui AU-217 is up for sale for 35$ I had this Sansui AU-217-II for many years and recently sold it for Rs.5000 so the price you are getting it at is quite attractive. This amp has an inherent boost in the low frequencies with the tone controls flat. The baxandall circuit is wired around the main power amplifier as a feedback loop. Maybe suitable for small speakers having quicker LF roll offs.

Oh...taht's good to know.

Could you please elaborate a bit more about the amp.

I am pairing it with these speakers.

Cannot comment on how it will sound just by looking at the Specs sheet. If you like a warm sounding system, you should like this amp. As a plus point it also has the Magnetic phono input RIAA equalized.

Oh yeah..absolutely...
just wanted to make it known which speakers i am going to be partering it with.

Regardless of the speaker..can you give me your account, a bit more detialed if you will about your experience with the Sansui?

Much appreciated.

Saachi

Its a relatively low powered amp 40W/8 ohms/channel as per Hi Fi standards, but its got more juice than most 40 watters. All Sansui amps are dynamic, its got the clicked volume, Bass and Treble controls if you know what I mean.

Although the feeling is good and precise the idea of using the tone controls in the feedback loop of the power amp is not good circuit design. If the Bass / Treble are set to anything but flat the response of the power amp beomes naturally non linear. This may have been done to cut down on costs, having a seperate stage is going to add to component cost as well. The bottom end is well controlled and has a slight hump if I may call it. the flatness of the response will depend on how accurate the wiper of the tone controls sit in the centre. Being carbon pots that is going to be most unlikely. In my case the DC offset circuitry used to give a problem in one channel. The input darlington pair is housed in one transistor alone so if you replace it an exact replacement should be necessary.

Other than that there are no real problems.

Thank you Behram.

I bought the Sansui!
Very well kept, original owner, with manual and schematics even!

I did however notice noise on the pot when it is turned as well as on the tone and balance controls. The left chanel is a bit quirky at times.

Any suggestions as to what might be causing it? Would isopropyl alcohol cure it or do i go about replacing the pots (at least the volume one).

Nice beefy amp i must say. Very very pleased with the purchase. This is a kickass system for 125$. Will have pics up later.

Arj, i guess i might actually get that sub +amp package for my Jeep now!

On carbon pots, kerosene works better than Isopropyl alchohol. Only trouble is your amp will start smelling like a kersoenes stove for some time. If you dont mind that, go ahead.

Any suggestions as to what might be causing it? Would isopropyl alcohol cure it or do I go about replacing the pots (at least the volume one).

A noisy Volume / tone control is caused due to intermittent contact between the wiper ( central moving contact ) and the Carbon track below ( the resistor). This intermittent contact, in turn is caused by any 1 of 2 reasons :

1. Dust accumulated between the sliding contact and the track below it.

2. A worn out sliding contact or track below it.

The best solution is to change the part. However getting exactly the same mechanical and electrical replacement is not an easy task.

The next best is to use SWITCH CLEANING oil which is available in India or in the US probably from Radio Shack.

The switch cleaning oil is a Low Viscosity, Conductive oil that does not evaporate easily.

Note that the popular WD40 is an INSULATING oil.

Viscous & Sticky Oils such as coconut oil should NOT be used since they will GATHER dust and coagulate, specially in cold weather.

Isopropyl alcohol is not recommended and acetone (nail polish remover) is an absolute No-No ! Acetone will dissolve any rubber parts it touches.

Isopropyl alcohol will quickly evaporate but it also dissolves several substances.

As a worst case you could try isopropyl alcohol.

Behram's suggestion of using kerosene is a good one but you may not get it in the US. You could try diesel instead.

The switch cleaning oil will clear the problem 1 listed above.

However if its problem 2 it will reappear once the conductive oil evaporates.....

Replacing the Potentiometer / Volume Control is then the only solution.

Thank you for the tips Amp_nut and Behram.

Turns out i was intermittent noise problems due to my battery for the DAC dyng out. Once i recharged it, everything was nice again. however, the problem with the pots remain. I will try cleaning the contacts before taking any final measures like replacing the pots.

Cheers,
Saachi

So it turns out that the Sansui has a headphone out...and a pretty decent one too.man this deal just keeps getting better and better.

Savyasaachi schrieb:

Thank you for the tips Amp_nut and Behram. Turns out i was intermittent noise problems due to my battery for the DAC dyng out. Once i recharged it, everything was nice again. however, the problem with the pots remain. I will try cleaning the contacts before taking any final measures like replacing the pots. Cheers, Saachi

Savya,

you ARE in the USA, for God's sake! this is the place where they have a tool for every job, a cleaner to clean up every sort of mess & a chemical to clean every sort of contact!!!

Congrats on the purchase of your Sansui vintage amp. I say this a fellow vintage amp buyer (I bought a 1977 Yamaha last October).

To clean the pots, go to RadioShack & ask for Caig Pro Gold DetoxIT. This product is made by Caig Labs (a Calif-based company). Search the web - they have their own website. DetoxIT is hugely popular chemical used to de-oxidize contacts, pots, etc with ZERO degradation to the part. It comes in a can with a narrow straw-like dispenser that you can attach to the nozzle & direct the stream of fluid to the exact location of your choice. After spraying the switch/pot, operate the switch/pot over its entire range so that you work the de-oxidizer in & remove any gunk that there is. After that you should be good to go.
Remember DetoxIT is your best buddy for vintage gear!

bombaywalla schrieb:

To clean the pots, go to RadioShack & ask for Caig Pro Gold DetoxIT. This product is made by Caig Labs (a Calif-based company). Search the web - they have their own website. DetoxIT is hugely popular chemical used to de-oxidize contacts, pots, etc with ZERO degradation to the part. :D

anything equivalent that you get in INdia ? am looking for one