I’m not selling this but it’s advertised on FB near me. Advertised as all new and unopened.

[TankTop5]

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[KenM10759]

While it's very desirable classic gear, the seller is hopelessly optimistic that it's worth 4x as much as the highest going rate. Perhaps he or she feels that because it's new old-stock and all together that it is worth more, but that's just crazy pricing.

 

[KEW]

The seller probably figures it doesn't hurt to shoot for the moon! Who knows but some guy who really thinks vintage is just the cat's meow will pay for it!
That said, I believe the receiver is the only item that is really a classic piece of gear! I'm sure the turntable is a good solid machine but as far as cassette deck and speakers, I would not expect any greatness out of them! Still, need to see oh deer like that still unopened. There must be a story behind that. Also have to wonder if the capacitors have been completely discharged and whether the receiver is capable of functioning as it should after so many years.

 

[John Parks]

Wow - that Sansui receiver brings back memories. My dad purchased a Sansui quadraphonic receiver (it looks like a QR-4500, but I am not sure) whilst stationed in Vietnam in the early 70s. Together with a Sony cassette deck, reel to reel (also quad) Dual turntable and (4) Pioneer CS-06 omnidirectional speakers, I was the envy of the neighborhood! The funny thing is, my dad was not into music...

Agreed, though - the seller's asking price is a bit steep...

 

[Irvrobinson]

Also have to wonder if the capacitors have been completely discharged and whether the receiver is capable of functioning as it should after so many years.

Hi Kurt. Electrolytic capacitors don't age from being fully discharged, they age from drying out. The rate at which electrolytic caps age has multiple variables, including manufacturing quality, and environmental factors such as ambient heat and humidity. Some caps last over well over 30 years, and some fail within a few years (like several did in my ATI AT3000 amplifier). I'm not convinced there's a good way to predict cap lifetime.

 

[Phase 2]

Still very old gear.

 

[KEW]

Hi Kurt. Electrolytic capacitors don't age from being fully discharged, they age from drying out. The rate at which electrolytic caps age has multiple variables, including manufacturing quality, and environmental factors such as ambient heat and humidity. Some caps last over well over 30 years, and some fail within a few years (like several did in my ATI AT3000 amplifier). I'm not convinced there's a good way to predict cap lifetime.

Thanks for the correction!

 

[TankTop5]

I think it’s a pretty cool find and the right collector may spend some decent money on it.


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[Verdinut]

I think it’s a pretty cool find and the right collector may spend some decent money on it.


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In my opinion, those are not the kind of products which will be good collectors' items as their value won't increase much over time. As a matter of fact, it most likely will decrease.

 

[KEW]

Hi Kurt. Electrolytic capacitors don't age from being fully discharged, they age from drying out. The rate at which electrolytic caps age has multiple variables, including manufacturing quality, and environmental factors such as ambient heat and humidity. Some caps last over well over 30 years, and some fail within a few years (like several did in my ATI AT3000 amplifier). I'm not convinced there's a good way to predict cap lifetime.

Still very old gear.

Here is some commentary on the age/life of caps from an EE forum:
https://www.eeweb.com/forum/do-electrolytic-capacitors-age

No conclusive rules of thumbs, but I am guessing this receiver is 40 years old, so it sounds like the smart plan would be to plan on recapping it.
Does anyone have a good sense if there is a risk to trying it out? IOW, if the caps are bad would it result in damage to other components? Are there any other risk of plugging in a 40 year old "nib" receiver (as long as there are no signs of rats chewing the wires)?
@PENG, do you have any ideas on this?

 

[PENG]

Here is some commentary on the age/life of caps from an EE forum:
https://www.eeweb.com/forum/do-electrolytic-capacitors-age

No conclusive rules of thumbs, but I am guessing this receiver is 40 years old, so it sounds like the smart plan would be to plan on recapping it.
Does anyone have a good sense if there is a risk to trying it out? IOW, if the caps are bad would it result in damage to other components? Are there any other risk of plugging in a 40 year old "nib" receiver (as long as there are no signs of rats chewing the wires)?
@PENG, do you have any ideas on this?

I agree with Irv, there are many types of caps and it is hard to generalize, but electrolytic ones do dry out as they age and some can be good for a long time depending on a few factors.

 

[Irvrobinson]

Here is some commentary on the age/life of caps from an EE forum:
https://www.eeweb.com/forum/do-electrolytic-capacitors-age

No conclusive rules of thumbs, but I am guessing this receiver is 40 years old, so it sounds like the smart plan would be to plan on recapping it.
Does anyone have a good sense if there is a risk to trying it out? IOW, if the caps are bad would it result in damage to other components? Are there any other risk of plugging in a 40 year old "nib" receiver (as long as there are no signs of rats chewing the wires)?
@PENG, do you have any ideas on this?

In my experience, when capacitors have failed in amps and other electronics (LCD TVs are infamous for blowing caps) only the caps themselves failed, and replacing them repaired the unit. But every failure mode and board could be different. Personally, I wouldn't consider buying decades old NIB electronics without a money-back guarantee that it won't be stillborn. In fact, if I were the seller I would insist on testing the equipment before shipping it.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

Some caps last over well over 30 years, and some fail within a few years (like several did in my ATI AT3000 amplifier).

Interesting. Were they power supply caps?

 

[Irvrobinson]

Interesting. Were they power supply caps?

Yes, all four which were replaced, and two fuses.

 

[KEW]

I agree with Irv, there are many types of caps and it is hard to generalize, but electrolytic ones do dry out as they age and some can be good for a long time depending on a few factors.

The question I was really hoping you might be able to answer was whether powering up a 40 year old new in box amp would run the risk of damaging the unit (beyond any already damaged components). So if the caps had dried out, would anything other than the caps be likely damaged.
The real question is whether or not it would be reckless to plug it in and see what happens, vs paying a repair place to inspect it first.
Thanks!

 

[Irvrobinson]

The question I was really hoping you might be able to answer was whether powering up a 40 year old new in box amp would run the risk of damaging the unit (beyond any already damaged components). So if the caps had dried out, would anything other than the caps be likely damaged.
The real question is whether or not it would be reckless to plug it in and see what happens, vs paying a repair place to inspect it first.
Thanks!

There isn't a definitive way to know, Kurt. Personally, I think it is likely NIB units like this would just power up and work properly. But there's no easy way to know for sure.

 

[<eargiant]

In my opinion, those are not the kind of products which will be good collectors' items as their value won't increase much over time. As a matter of fact, it most likely will decrease.

You are incorrect when it comes to the 9090db, it is a very capable unit, has a huge following and can be kept alive forever. Prices have been steadily rising for years but of course, we shouldn't look at audio gear as investments although some quality gear can be considered heirloom pieces.

Not sure about the SR-626 but the SR-636 is a sleeper. While it doesn't have quartz lock, the tone arm is excellent (probably designed by Micro Seiki). Mount an excellent cartridge and it will easily blow away most modern turntables under $1K and forget about the SR-838 & SR-929, you'll have to spend some serious cash to outperform them.

 

[<eargiant]

The question I was really hoping you might be able to answer was whether powering up a 40 year old new in box amp would run the risk of damaging the unit (beyond any already damaged components). So if the caps had dried out, would anything other than the caps be likely damaged.
The real question is whether or not it would be reckless to plug it in and see what happens, vs paying a repair place to inspect it first.
Thanks!

To play it safe it should be brought up slowly on a variac if it's truly been idle for 45 years. Then tested on a bench. There are no special or exotic transistors in the 9090 so regardless of what happens it can be restored. The db board can be problematic but there are workarounds. The 9090db has more power than the regular 9090. Very different animals internally.

 

[Out-Of-Phase]

Yes, all four which were replaced, and two fuses.

Thanks for your feedback. I've been thinking of purchasing the ATI AT1802.

 

[KEW]

You are incorrect when it comes to the 9090db, it is a very capable unit, has a huge following and can be kept alive forever. Prices have been steadily rising for years but of course, we shouldn't look at audio gear as investments although some quality gear can be considered heirloom pieces.

Not sure about the SR-626 but the SR-636 is a sleeper. While it doesn't have quartz lock, the tone arm is excellent (probably designed by Micro Seiki). Mount an excellent cartridge and it will easily blow away most modern turntables under $1K and forget about the SR-838 & SR-929, you'll have to spend some serious cash to outperform them.

Yeah, the old Sansui amplifiers were very impressive!
My AU-717 spec'ed a frequency response of +0,-3 dB from DC (0Hz) to 200,000Hz!
The speakers I used with AR-3a and everyone that visited and listened commented on how great the bass was - clean and tight! Since this was back when damn near everyone had a real stereo system, that meant something!
I might venture that the AR-3a had some low impedance in the bass frequencies that required a better than average amplifier to properly drive them.

I Googled and came across this commentary on the AR3a impedance.

The low frequency impedance of a SINGLE AR3a can go as low as 1.3-1.5 ohms, depending on unit to unit manufacturing tolerances. It's also a REACTIVE load; not a simple "resistor". With capacitive and inductive elements, impedance at low frequencies isn’t anything like a simple "resistor" that most amps are rated at. So, mid-level amps usually go into "protection mode" and/or sound "wimpy" when a single 3a is played "loudly".

Most amps deliver there maximum voltage into 8 ohms BUT maximum current into 4 ohms (I'm talking resistive ohms). The majority of loudspeakers have impedance characteristics that match well with entry to mid-level amps. The AR3a impedance is such that only VERY rugged amps that can deliver both high voltage and high current SIMULTANEOUSLY can do the AR3a "justice" when played "hard".

See Tysontom's post here:
http://www.classicspeakerpages.net/IP.Board/index.php?/topic/7257-ar-3a-use-with-new-av-receiver/&page=2