Repair of older audio receiver near The Villages?
 

I thought I remembered seeing a post in the last 6 mths or so in regards to someone who can repair older audio components, but not able to find it so posting what is probably a duplicate of a fairly recent post. I have a Sony receiver about 30 years old that I would like to get repaired if reasonable. It produces sound but also a lot of noise in addition to what I am trying to listen to. Thanks VERY MUCH in advance!

Not recently, but:

https://www.talkofthevillages.com/fo...Audio+receiver

I don't know of any place around here but in Tampa Sound Exchange sells and repairs vintage audio equipment. It's near USF.

They may be able to help you.

Home Automation Installer Ocala, FL: (352) 245-2183

A little off topic, but Gene DellaSala has a good video on Audioholics.com that explains that a 30 year old receiver is really a piece of junk compared to a much less expensive new receiver.

A 30 year old car is "junk" also, but many people love to collect them as well.

I am an old school electrical engineer and I have been known to repair audio equipment. By any chance do you have the schematic for this unit? From your description it sounds like a failed transistor causing the noise (a common type failure). Send me a PM if you would like to get together over the phone to discuss further.

I also have tube tester, transistor tester, brand new oscilloscope, signal generator, etc., and I enjoy working on this equipment in my spare time.

30 y.o. receivers can be junk OR desired vintage equipment that produce "sweet" sound when compared to newer solid state units. I have several that go for big dollars. You didn't state the model or whether its solid state or tube. I suggest going on Ebay and searching for your particular model to see what $ it is being offered at (ignoring shipping of course). That should give you an idea of value and whether it is worth a rebuild (replacement of transistors, caps, etc.). Often, the noise is caused by the potentiometers for volume control. These can be cleaned with a can of cleaner for this purpose (YouTube will have many videos). Short of this, if you have someone to help for free/next to free, then it's a worthwhile project.

Fred

For repairs, I go to Dennis Sardilli. He is the owner of Audio 3000 in Jacksonville. Give him a call about your situation; 904-557-8413. I collect vintage Pioneer equipment and he's the only guy I trust.

My Harmon Kardon went kaput. I stopped in at Bob's Tv & Sound in Summerfield. On 441 just north of SR 42. He said he could fix it but I would be better of just buying a new Stero Reciever. He explained of how the electronics deterriate over time. For his trouble shooting time , finding the correct parts, replacing them would most likely cost the same as new. Then next week the same thing all over MAYBE. I took their advice and bought a new Yamaha SR 502. Could not be happier. I thought they were very honest and made a lot of sense.

Thanks for the heads-up on that interview; I really enjoyed it. But I didn't quite have the same "takeaway" as you did.

"I embrace the new technology and I still like the vintage stuff. There's no reason you can't enjoy both" does not quite translate to: a 30 year old receiver is really a piece of junk compared to a much less expensive new receiver. I have about a dozen, both, newer and vintage (mostly) and they all have their attributes. :icon_wink:

Fred

It really depends on what you are looking for. If you like vintage stuff then get it repaired. If you just want to listen to music then buy something new - it may very well sound better. The poster didn't say which Sony model he has. There are some mass market iconic pieces that may be worth holding onto regardless. For example, a Pioneer SX-1980 receiver or a Phase Linear 400 or 700 power amp.

I had the FM section of a very good receive go south about 15 years ago. I was able to get a hold of the schematics and sent them and the receiver off to my brother. His response was unless I really, really liked this thing then I should go buy something new. Granted, he didn't really want to put in the time to diagnose the problem but his point was valid. By pure coincidence, we both now own the same AV receiver. He also owns a Soundcraftmen pre amp and SAE power amp, both very good pieces in their day. I asked him one day would he repair them if they died and his response was "No, I can buy better new stuff".

Maybe "piece of junk" was a bit harsh. I enjoy the Gene Dellasala videos, but I don't understand half of the things that guy says.

You can try "YOU BREAK I FIX", it's an electronics repair shop located on HWY 499 across from the Villages school complex. They did a great job for me a few years ago on a 300 unit CD player.

He is truly on another level re: audio/video/electrical engineering :bowdown:

Fred

I really appreciate all the responses. The unit is packed; we are still unloading boxes. I figured I would ask about this unit so when I do find it I can look into possibly getting it repaired. I do not know what model it is; haven't actually used it for probably 10 year or longer due to the noise and moving our "TV room" from one room of the house to another. I took the easy way in the new TV room and got an inexpensive sound bar. The vintage unit had a motor driven volume control, but that's really all I remember about it. It was probably around 100-150 watts per channel. I used it to drive an old Bose AMS5 set of speakers.

I really appreciate all the responses. The unit is packed; we are still unloading boxes. I figured I would ask about this unit so when I do find it I can look into possibly getting it repaired. I do not know what model it is; haven't actually used it for probably 10 year or longer due to the noise and moving our "TV room" from one room of the house to another. I took the easy way in the new TV room and got an inexpensive sound bar. The vintage unit had a motor driven volume control, but that's really all I remember about it. It was probably around 100-150 watts per channel. I used it to drive an old Bose AMS5 set of speakers.

Off subject, but my stereo receiver amplifier doesn't get any FM stations. What do you recommend for an antenna to get at least a few stations (indoor antenna).

There should be an antenna outlet on the rear of the receiver. You can plug a long wire into it, or if you have cable TV, you could plug the COAX cable into it. The cable will act as an antenna.

I agree with previous comments, look at the back of the receiver for a set of typically 3 screws, the center is usually ground, and the other 2 are typically labeled AM and FM, the FM antenna could be a dipole, or a simple piece of wire about 3 to 4 feet long. As for the cable connection, this would have worked years ago, but not sure this will work on current cable system designs, and could screw up the signal on the rest of the cable system.

Thanks. Most houses have inactive cables running from the garage to cable TV outlets in the house. Perhaps you could connect to one of those outlets and even run an antenna from the cable in the garage panel to the outside?

If the receiver has the SCREW terminals these are for 75 ohm FLAT cable, and probably will not work well with COAX cable (the center wire is shielded). There were adapter for coax (50 ohm) the flat (75 ohm), but I have not seen these for years, I do not think I have any in stock. If you find one, then a OMNI directional FM antenna in the attic to a spare coax may work very well. A TV antenna is directional, and the newer ones are not designed for FM reception.