Sansui 881 Vintage Receiver Restoration
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- čas přidán 7. 09. 2024
- Restoring a 1974 Sansui Stereo Receiver to its original glory. Includes fully recapping, cleaning, replacing lamps, and adjusting the unit.
The service manual can be found here: elektrotanya.c...
Part 2 (fixing the remaining hum issues) is here: • Sansui 881 Vintage Rec...
The tracks used for the soldering/timelapse portions of the video and testing the amp are called "8-bit Wannabe", "Fride" and "Thinkertinker" and were kindly provided by Focus 10 aka Øystein Hansen. Thank you! Check out more of his work here: / user-993847645
Focus 10's tune "8-bit wannabe" is now also available as a single from CDBaby/iTunes/Spotify: store.cdbaby.c...
If you find this video helpful and/or entertaining please like, share, subscribe and/or consider a donation!
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#JanBeta #Sansui #VintageAudio
I have a Sansui 881. Bought a complete Sansui stereo in 1977 from a friend who bought it new in 1974. 881 receiver, 3060 turntable, SE9 EQ, with four SP2000 speakers. I paid $300 for it. The stereo still plays as new and has never let me down. Best $300 l ever spent!!!!
I have the 551 and the 661 and they are simply awesome.
My dad bought this as part of a larger stereo set in 1977. I still have that 881 receiver today.
Really amazing receiver for the 70’s !! Lot of great features, rugged construction and looks very nice and clean!
Great video, I have the Sansui 771 needing some tlc. Thanks John from Australia.
I have a Sansuo 8080db receiver ...... been in my family since the 70's !! Still sounds awesome !
I owned a factory authorized service company for Sansui and many others. The large caps will most likely be your problem , I recently repaired 2 units and both wanted new caps in this area. This model was the top of the line around 1973-1974. These were good units with very few problems and the sound quality was decent. I still own 2 of these both going strong with very little work needed since new. The pots on the main amp plug in p.c. board can get flaky over time and could be cleaned or replaced. Thanks for the good videos.
Thomas Kitz
Kitz Electronics
I have an old SX880 that I still rock out with on occasion, when I feel like it, and even the neighbors liked it!!!!!!!!
I know next to nothing of electronics but I do own some 70’s/80’s gear and I really enjoyed your vid, a lovely piece of kit 👍
Betabursche! 💪🏼💪🏼💪🏼
I'm excited af to test the Sansui. Thanks man. This is one of the best birthday presents ever.
Happy, happy, happy
Oh and you better get that hum fixed mate...
😘
I really like sansui products. I also own a Sansui 881 Vintage Receiver
Jan! I miss seeing your videos! It's great to see you posted a new one!
Another nice video Jan, pleasure to watch. Hope you solve the hum issue following with a new video.
So this is crazy. I bought this unit today from an open house for 50 bucks. It needs some cleaning up but otherwise its great!
Very informative and it created some ideas for me to improve my audio system I have in my home, I have TV hooked up to internet but love to get some tuner with radio hook up to my speakers (surround sound) I also watched some Japanese speaker makers and the particularity of the construction of the speakers it eliminate subwoofer making the speaker sound very nice due to the baffles inside the speaker boxes, to hook up everything to a tuner /radio will give far more diversity and excellent sound as well..... It was a good and informative video.....
I has the 551 and 350 A. I replaced all the fuses with ceramic and bulbs. Sounds great and so reliable! Caps are all still gud....
@Jan Beta These models have grounding issues, not related to bad filter capacitors. Due to mild oxidation of screw heads not making a good contact on the ground traces on the underside of the PCBs. It's just a matter of taking out those screws and reflowing the solder around those screw holes and cleaning under the head of the screw and spray a bit of Deoxit into the thread of the screw that will help make a good contact to the chasis metal and screw back down. I think you'll be suprised 😊
Definitely going to try that. Some people pointed out that this model has known design flaws considering the PCB ground layout so I'm going to look into that, too.
Jan Beta das gleiche Problem habe ich mit dem 661 bei mir. Es liegt nicht an die großen Elkos. Was man noch versuchen kann, ist die oder der Brückengleichrichter auszutauschen, das werde ich hier auch noch probieren...ich fange wahrscheinlich mit den 0310340 Teilen an, meiner Erfahrung nach sind diese Teile nach 40 Jahren betrieb ein wenig anfällig, mindestens bei den Marantz Receiver und Verstärker.
Or do what we used to do with old mobile 2-way radios and solder copper braid grounding to the chassis and to the grounding trace of the PCB that way you knowfor a fact you have a solid ground..
Matthew Enderby ... You should NEVER apply solder in an attempt to get a connection to a screw that is required to make contact to the foil. Solder is an excellent method for making connections of wires and terminals, but is a horrible "contact" conductor.
What should be done is to wick off ANY solder that is on the trace and add a lock washer under the head of the screw. Preferably use external tooth lock washers. Internal tooth washers will work but have less contact bite.
@@swinde Or put in a grounding strap..
It's a really nice receiver/amplifier. Such a period device, isn't it? And good quality.
You may want to have a look at that mains plug and wire Jan. It looks kind of like somebody put a cheap plug on it when the original broke or something.
This was an entertaining watch. Somehow looking at audio restorations is always kind of exciting.
Thank you! I really enjoy doing these restorations on vintage Hifi gear. I'll look into replacing the power chord altogether I think. People pointed out that there might be grounding issues, too, so that might be another option.
@@JanBeta Haha..never a one-part video when it comes to hifi gear :)
Very good job.
I learned a lot.
Applause and thanks from Brazil.
Family used to own a Sansui receiver amplifier from the 60's with a massive 20 watts rms, magic eye tuner and valve tubes. Great piece of kit it was. So sad we sold it years ago.
We had this very same receiver that was purchased in the 1970s
That's a well built machine.
Good to see the Daniel Johnston shirt! The man is one the most amazing artists i've seen and heard.
54 years of hi fi 🎉
Great to see you back
Two pieces of test gear you will thank yourself if you decide to acquire them. 1. - An ESR (Equivalent Series Resistance) meter. It will enable you to check electrolytic capacitors to see if they have the low resistance they should have. The meter comes with a chart showing the maximum allowed resistance for the various micro farad values. If they read above the maximum, it's a good indication the cap. is on its way to failure. With a few exceptions, you can even leave the capacitors in the circuit to do the ESR test. 2. - And the second piece of gear is an old vacuum tube capacitor checker such as a Heathkit model C3. A very common model that can always be found on ebay. They are extremely good at checking for leaky capacitors. Both electrolytic's and other types. Any leakage at all can be clearly seen on the green magic eye tube of the tester. Modern cap testers, like those built into multimeters, can't test for leakage. The modern meters will often show caps as being good (correct value matching what's printed on the cap). But the supposedly good cap can still be leaking like crazy. The old Heathkit tester will show that leaking every time. The Heathkit tester you get off ebay will probably need to be refurbished by replacing the few caps that are within it. All other components in it will probably be OK.
My 881 needs you.
Back around 1982 I went out to buy my first stereo system. My main memory of Sansui was being told by a stereo repair shop to AVOID Sansui receivers. Thus, I ended up with a Sony receiver, a linear tracking Sony turntable, and an Aiwa cassette deck (since Nakamichi was way out of reach for my budget).
This kind of unusual biasing by measuring current over the fuse of one of the PS voltage ( mostly the + ) is also seen on some other amplifiers of that era........EX: the Luxman L30/31.....they set first the current and balance the offset afterwards....
Current is for the whole one side off the PP...and not only for the output transistors......strange method but it works out fine ..
Thanks for the upload and the good work..
AC hum? I would have checked the main filters first and worked through the system from there. For grounding issues you can solder grounding straps (copper braid wire) to the grounding traces of the boards and to the chassis. You will need a high wattage soldering gun but this will ensure you have a solid grounding on each PCB.
You probabaly should regrease those rotary switches after squirting them with cleaner.
Also on your card PCB you can spray cleaner on those 4 pots because those do get funky.
Jan, the power switch you were questioning is the original. The parts diagram on page 20 of the service manual shows it clearly
Hum is a defect in the design of the receiver. This post has the fix.
conradhoffman.com/Sansui_881_mods.htm
Brilliant - "I hereby declare that this point shall be the one true ground. One ground to rule them all. One ground to define them. One ground to bring them all, and in the darkness bind them. One ground, by definition, to be ever at zero volts AC and DC, electrically quiet, for time and all eternity."
Lovely piece of equipment Jan, great video :)
Hi,
That 3 leg capacitor may be 2 capacitors in one can, I have seen some like that in old tube radios, with values like 50 +´50 uF. Weird that one leg was not connected, seems they were only using half of it.
Very good work making this videos, I like to see your repairs.
Thanks
two in one is unlikely when both board and cap dont use one pin apart from stability. Maybe they wanted to reduce the amount of production steps by not using glue for bigger caps?
Ugh...I HATE multi-section capacitors. I collect and repair antique vacuum tube radios as a hobby and I *really* hate those stupid electrolytic can filter capacitors.
The "rounded traces" help the music flow more smoothly. Haha! It is easier to follow the traces though.
I just love the hand-drawn traces! :D
Prazer em conhece-lo, acabei de terminar de revisar um igualzinho a esse receiver Samsui 881.
Jan, if there's consistent hum or even better sort of noise you have some transistors that are noisy. Recapping only does not solve this. You need to get schematics, find appropriate modern transistor equivalent, match them if they work as a differential pairs (which I think they do but I'm not sure). Anyway, go step by step. Go slow. If you don't know all or don't have equipment to trace few stransistors to find matches try finding someone who will do it for you. Visit some forums and ask about some stuff. Finish this beauty! ;-)
I did fix the hum in the follow up video. It was a mix of capacitors and grounding/shielding issues. I found that transistor noise is more often hissing or general random noise or distortion than a consistent hum. 120/100Hz hum is very likely to come from the mains power.
@@JanBeta Aha, oh, sorry, didn't go for a follow-up vid! Anyway, great that it's all in order now! ;-) New digital equipment doesn't settle nowhere near as a servant to these old, vintage hi-fi pieces from 1970/80's! Especially Phono sound stage. People sometimes can't believe when you play them something through the full analogue hi-fi chain! I'm pretty sure you're aware of that! ;-)
What is special about FC Panasonic caps? These days tantalum caps are used mostly which are more reliable and much smaller, but more expensive in PC motherboards. I remember in 80s they cost 10x the electrolyte capacitors. Nichicon and Robicon (related?) capacitors were the best in 70s and 80s.
Amazing restore ... thanks for share!
Das Brummen kann auch an einer schlechten Masseverbindung liegen. Ich habe kürzlich für einen Freund einen Receiver repariert. Da war das Brummen weg, nachdem ich nach den großen Elkos geschaut hatte, obwohl ich sie nicht getauscht habe. Dazu hatte ich das Gehäuse auseinander geschraubt. Wunder über Wunder... kurze Zeit später war das Brummen wieder da... Ratlosigkeit... Gedankenblitz... Schrauben und Zahnscheiben ersetzt... das Brummen war weg und kam bis heute nicht zurück.
Vielen Dank für den Tip Sven. Den Kommentaren nach gibt es wohl einen bekannten Layoutfehler auf der Platine, der dazu führt, dass es eine Brummschleife gibt. Ich werde mir das mal genauer anschauen.
Masterpiece!
That thing looks REALLY familiar, I wonder if I had it at some point,
Herrlich!!! Ich bekomme feuchte Äuglein!!! Ein Opajazz/klassikverstärker! :D Und ohne 2 Millimeter Nikotinschicht!!! ;) Als kleiner Pimf immer begeistert daran rumgespielt, mochte Opa garnicht! :D
Niiiice. I use the sui AU 717. WICKED
Big caps needs to be held in place - hence the extra pins. ;-) I have a few with five pins.
Yes
good, interesting job. good videography, inc. time-lapse! in good English. Japan Inc. was still trying very hard - post WW2
I wonder if you think such models are much better than European models, like B&O, which had good sound, re design, restorability, rreplacementcomponent availability, from same period?(generally).
That's got more ports than the South coast!
Do you recommend cleaning the interior (and if yes, with what) or is that too risky?
Had a hum on my 881. Tightened screw under filter capacitors solved it.
Your mainly change the caps on old electronic stuff. Why don't you get a cap tester to check the values and characteristics of caps like internal resistances and values. Then you can check the big caps without guessing them they are bad.
Check the ground on this unit, it did not have a 3 prong plug. I several vintage amps, they are sensitive.
I have a sansui au 7900 integrated amplifier, it has great sound, it can be improved although the condensers have lost liquid from below. They are quite large and I do not know what they cost or what would be appropriate.
What is the out put transistors number ? This set is AM,FM ?
I do not know how anyone could get to the end of this video without losing the will to live!
What expensive Filter Capacitors do you mean?
One "Rubycon 10.000µF 50V 105°C" costs 5,35€. The max. ripple current is 4,05A
One "Jamicon 10.000µF 50V 85°" costs 1,99€. The max. ripple current is 3,86A.
Please note, that a really bad capacitor can stress the Rectifier and the transformer.
Nice vid, I wonder after you check for grounding issues, if that humming is gone. Also, wouldnt it be necessary to recalibrate the tuning?
Re aligning would only really be necessary if he had to change caps in the IF sections or replaces the tuning cap itself. Since he didn't bother the tuner/IF board, the alignment should be fine.. Still though it could be checked to make sure it is matching the dial pointer.
Apart from changing burnt out lamps and capacitors in receivers or any old Hi-Fi systems, giving the circuit board, and the whole unit a good clean first with something like electrical contact spray could fix some of the issues including the humming.
Yes, the humming is probably a grounding issue. It seems to be a common problem caused by some design flaws in this model. I'll definitely give the connections a good cleaning and look further into the issue.
@@JanBeta Probably something as simple as that yes, good luck and hope that'll fix it. Enjoyed the video and would be good if you could provide us with a short update once the humming is fixed :)
Tenho 1 modelo 661 muitos bom
A loud hum independent of the volume is not necessarily bad filter caps. 300 series of B&K Components receivers (higher end made in the USA) have this hum (at least the 5 I have) and pretty much identical 500 series have no hum. The 4 filter cap are huge ( almost as big as beer cans) and all test fine on ESR. I even bought new caps and the hum didn't change. I converted one 300 series to a power amp and it was dead quite. Thus, the fault must be in the smaller windings (toroidal transformer) for the preamp, or a (consistent) problem in the preamp circuit. The amp section is identical on both series and the preamp analog board is also the same. Only digital processing changed on the newer series, so I suspect loose (lower voltage) windings on the batch of transformers from the 300 series transformer. Does anyone know what else would cause a rather loud hum (it's annoying at even 6 feet away) at idle on a receiver that works perfectly otherwise? I can't find anything on Google, other than a bunch of humming 300 series B&K receivers.
Interesting! I've encountered quite a few humming mains transformers (due to windings working themselves loose slightly), usually you can fix them if you spray a generous amount of PCB sealant lacquer (I used Kontakt Chemie Schutzlack 70 which is a German product but similar sprays should be available elsewhere) between the windings. Not sure how well that method translates to toroidal transformers though.
"Crazy times!" :)
Hello Jan. Thank you for the great video.
I've got a Sansui G2000 Receiver from my father in law. To put it on I had to replace some resistors. After more than one year working my receiver starts to show another problem. Now one of the channels (the right one) after turned on starts to make a loud noise (like when you have some faulty contact on the speaker). It keeps the same even if I change the volume, balance, input selection... It only stops (of course) when I turn off the receiver or unplug the speaker. I have already changed the speaker, cables, and the problem continues. With my multimeter I got from 0.2 to 1.2V (it keeps floating, like the sound) reading on the channel output. Do you have any idea what can be the source of this issue?
Is it really needed to replace all electronic capacitors? Even if there looks fine and there is no visual leaks form them? What capacitor was finally the one causing the hum? It persisted after replacing the big capacitors from the power supply....but if you mentioned what was the cause for the hum I did miss it
If you hear 100 Hz hum, it is a good thought to suspect the capacitors. That said, capacitors of this kind of equipment are rather durable, and IMO recapping can make things worse than better, so you should be carefull in what you do.
I have a Sansui G300 that I bought in 1978>
Isn’t it better to adjust bias current first and then DC offset? Even for bias isn’t it better to measure first both channels and if you find to be the same leave it that value? You never know if you are using the latest version of the service manual, right?
Hi Jan Beta, can you remember where you found your Fuse lamps?
If I remember correctly, I bought them from Reichelt.de (big German electronics parts seller).
Could someone tell me if the replaced orange color caps replaced in this unit are some kind of special ( dedicated , low noise, placed in strategic points? ) caps and should be replaced with the same kind? Have read somewhere about it but not sure if memory serves me right. Txs
Wouldn't you double check wether it is really the filter caps with your oscilloscope or so? It might also be the voltage regulation that isn't perfect anymore. These machines date before the time of the 78xx voltage regulators and often use a voltage regulation with discrete components, with a zener diode and transistor as main ingredients.
Considering that:
- Filter capacitors don't fail often
- You are likely not pulling max load from the power supply, it would need to be way below its rated capacity
- It is a Nippon Chemicon capacitor, these are generally indestructable
... it wouldn't surprise me if something else is going on. Better check before spending money.
As an alternative to using your oscilloscope, you could desolder them and measure them.
Sorry but 10:10 is the bottom cover and the bottom from the unit.
Hi, I haven't watched the full video yet, but I am wondering if you know what fuse lights should be purchased for this model. I have this same receiver, and it's all 100% functional and in pristine condition, but my fuse lights behind the radio dial have gone out slowly over time. So, I'd like to replace those (either with new LEDs or originals), so any guidance you can provide would be very much appreciated!
I think this one uses 6.3V 250mA fuse style lamps, you can purchase them from many electronics components sellers. You can also get LED lamp kits that have been crafted to have the same form factor (I usually get those from eBay). They are fine but the light is a lot more directional (so you might not have a completely evenly lit scale) and the color is slightly different.
Jan "recap" Beta :-) - Nice video!
Thank you! :D
How did people walk around with these in their pockets back then?
They let their pet mammoth carry them with big speakers. As equipment got smaller the demand for pet mammoths decreased and one day they went extinct.
New Jan clip! i don't care its midnight, im not tired. now where are my CHIPS to snack on? (i'll see myself out)
Nice work. Man, I remember Sansui here in the late 80s was selling some mediocre quality home audio equipment perhaps to compete with Sony, Technics, Pioneer that were popular in North America at the time. I had a friend whose parents purchased this Sansui system in the 80s -- czcams.com/video/wspy5R0UrxA/video.html -- a lot of flashy displays but the audio quality was not very good. It was nice to see the original high-quality equipment in your video.
You do not belong in there. You have no idea what you are doing. You cannot identify the tuner or other sections. Begin by getting the free service manual online.
The removeable pcb is the power amp driver board not the preamp. It has adjustments for dc offset and bias. Both must be adjusted in such an old unit for starters, at completion of parts replacement.
Bipolar caps can rarely be replaced at such high values with film types. The main pwr amp filter caps must be replaced in a 45 year old unit as they are likely leaking current causing the hum or are close to shorting being dried out.
FC caps can be used but are intended for switching power supplies their having a min. impedance at 100khz not the required 120 Hz. Select an appropriate type for the application. Replace old rectifiers and fuses. Remove conductive flux residue.
Scary all around.
Thanks for sharing. When he mentioned not replacing the main PA filter caps, right after saying there was AC hum, my instinct was to look for a comment like this. No offense to him though of course, I appreciate the video, but you've really helped with the details and proper knowledge.
Do the VU meters work?
❤️👍❤️👍❤️👍❤️
Just stumbled across this post regarding the hum issue. Thought you might want to take a look: conradhoffman.com/Sansui_881_mods.htm
You are definitely Jurgen Klopp's younger brother surely?
@13:40 I see that leg type a lot in the test gear I repair.
Interesting. I suppose it's just for added mechanical stability?
Usually those 70s Receivers go for about $75-$175 on eBay. This model Sansui 881 Goes for considerably more $300+. Anyone know why this model would be worth so much more?
I bought a sansui 441 receiver back in 1973, the basic model then was the 221, so you can figure out sansui's product numbering. I guess the 881 model was top of the range then. Sadly my 441 developed bad crackling and buzzing on the right channel a few years back so I took it to our local recycling centre and dumped it. Oh dear what a mistake that was.
Most mid grade and top grade 70s receivers go for way more than $175. Sansui 9090s are as high as $1800.
@@timcoker4685 Ok, you qualified it with Mid/Top Grade. Here is what I found on eBay sold items for Working AM/FM 70s era Amplifiers: Kenwood KR-4400 - $59, MCS Series 3233 - $135, Sansui Solid State 350A - $99.99, Vintage Sanyo 2050 - $120, Vintage Kenwood KR-6200 - $137.5, Kenwood Kr-6170 - $128, Pioneer SX-424 - $115.95, Vintage Yamaha CR-620 - $86, Technics SA-101 - $67.96,
@@michaelterry1000 I just looked at Sansui stereos in vintage electronics for sale. Just on the first page there were a shit load of stereos going for $400-600. What were you looking at "for parts only". A good 881 will go between $300-400 . Pioneer, Sansui and Marantz units are pretty high in price. Most of the stereos you mentioned were bottom of the line. Just punch in Sansui 9090 in vintage audio, units not even working go for $600. I just looked at 9090s on EBay....some are going for $2500-3000!
That auto white balance needs a kick in the a**e
o yes i like audio equipment !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
refurb all the things!
Definitely! :D
Cheers! :)
Почему без тапок?
"Theres a serial number under the knob here" . Tests cleaning on entire corner of visible silkscreen. Internal screaming......
But nothing worked? It was better to buy it again