How to repair weak distorted channel Realistic SA 1000 home stereo amplifier D-Lab

[@grahamhodder6243]

I have a Realistic SA-1000-SA amplifier which is almost identical to this unit (it doesn't have the phono mag/ceramic switch). I also had a low output channel and mega distortion. Also, all the pots on the front panel were noisy and "Clunky". I was lucky that a little bit of good quality contact cleaner and working the pots for about 5 minutes managed to clean up the crud and it now sounds just the way it did when it was new, back in the 70s. Still a great little amp with a somewhat low output (About 20 watts RMS per channel) but in a small room, that's all I need. Thanks for posting this cool video. It brought back lots of memories. Incidentally, I think I paid $99.00 for it at a Radio Shack here in Halifax, Nova Scotia back in the mid 70s.

[@wno1043]

I have a Kenwood KR-720 that I bought many years ago. Our daughters "blew it up" in 1993, playing it loud enough to hear outside in the yard. It sat for years. I almost threw it away. One day I "rescued it" and tested the outputs. Sure enough, the left channel transistors were shorted. I ordered new ones and was able to find the exact replacements, even the same brand. Popped those puppies in, and changed a couple of burned resistors and it's still working well today. (I used to work on these amps at an electronics shop in San Diego many years ago)

[@acheleg]

Thank you so much for pointing out the value of discrete- mounted, serviceable analog gear !! I love keeping vintage gear in service and out of the refuse.

[@treadmillrepair754]

I been fixing audio equipment for 40 years, fix an amplifier is an art, the new technicians or engineers do not know anything about this. Your workbench is very clean, my lab is a war zone. Cheers.

[@markbuxton2368]

sure is. looking under the preamp board and finding a host of bad small value electrolytics , thats also art :)

[@manFromPeterborough]

@@markbuxton2368 small value electros can be replaced with WIMA film caps, I have upgraded my TC-778 phono stage with 4x 1uF 63v WIMA caps on the in/out coupling links

[@d3dde76c]

I'm an engineer and I try. Teach them instead of having this attitude.

[@davidc3572]

Great little amp. I bought one of these used back around 1979 while in high school, and used it for 5-6 years through school until I had to go bigger. I miss the clean, warm sound from that Realistic amp. It truly was a little gem.

[@NebukedNezzer]

I was in hong kong 1965 and bought a nice pioneer sa400 amplifier. when I sold stuff at a garage sale I let it go and had sellers remorse ever after. what a stroke of luck to find a pioneer sx-32b receiver in like new condition at a local good will store. 15 bucks. it has exactly the same audio section as the sa400. amazingly some dioxit5 on the switches and controls and it works perfect on its original components. found a SL-D2 turn table free and have it on 10 inch cerwin vega speakers. along with casset tape unit and audio cd player. makes up my main listening system.

[@wno1043]

I had a Sansui AU-111 that I bought at the Navy Exchange in the Philippines in 1968. I threw out when we left San Diego in 1993 (I hadn't used it in years). Now, I see they're selling on Ebay for up to $3,000!!

[@jdcdnet]

I am looking at a similar half clipped signal right now from a 1975 Roland JC-120. I suspect the same is going on. Terry, thanks for the video! This amp means the world to the guy who bought it in 1975, so gave me perspective on another couple repair paths and checks before I dive too deep into part level testing. The pots all required complete disassembly and contact cleaning along with reflow. Cheers!

[@timwarneka5681]

give us an update, please! Did you get the JC-120 back in action?

[@jdcdnet]

@@timwarneka5681 Hey, no unfortunately not yet. Mothballed it for now, but hope to get back on it soon.

[@998cooper]

Great instructive video. I've just fixed mine which had the same issue. Replaced all caps & is now working fine. Thanks.

[@djfrank59]

Working on vintage solid state can be easy, unless...there are multiple boards mounted on top of other boards. Then it can become an adventure just with disassembly. Once you get into multi-layer boards and SMD's, It can be living hell. I work on a lot of modern pro audio as well as vintage tube gear, and I'll take tube gear any day :) Excellent videos! Keep 'em coming.

[@goodun6081]

The glue used at the factory to hold those capacitors down prior to soldering was probably not the same corrosive stuff that you would see in a Sansui or Yamaha or many other vintage amplifiers. The corrosion inducing glue was generally known as Sony Bond, and it does not soften in alcohol, although you can sometimes hit it with some Freon type component cooler, or one of those "dust-off" type compressed-"air" cans (hint, it's not really air) held upside down as you squeeze the trigger so that the "air " comes out as a liquid, freezing the glue and allowing you to chip it away. Anyday, no day at work seems complete without scraping off some Sony bond that has morphed into something resembling burn sugar, and replacing the adjacent components that it has corroded. PS, we have seen instances where the crimped or riveted-on terminals on those output coupling caps have become intermittent and the measurable distortion goes up and down if you pull on the the leads or flex/rock the capacitor.

[@kenngray6994]

Just watched your video and measured the collector voltage on my sa1500 and there's a problem. So I will replace all the caps on the main board. Thank you for that very informative video.

[@ChippyOZ]

Thank-you for starting to give attention to silver faced amplifiers! Looking forward to more of these for learning and repairs as tube amps are a bit out my reach.

[@maryrafuse2297]

These were great value for the money. I still have the SA-1500 from 1976. It sits on top of the Clairtone T 7 that my brother rebuilt for me.

[@philipdecatanzaro1822]

Fun stuff. Not many would repair an old Realistic as they weren't regarded as very good back in the day. But Hey - they did the job. I used to work for the Shack back in 1975.

[@mysteryjesus]

That's true. But I remember going to radio shack and hearing some of their stereos and speakers and I remember comparing to my dad's Sony setup and thinking Realistic didn't have the warmth or bass of what we had at home. But then again, it was a small sample of Realistic that I actually heard in the 80s and nothing from the 70s. Generally, Realistic was not highly regarded like other brands. If one was serious about great sound they went elsewhere.

[@anthony2010707]

I just discovered your channel and I must admit it is really fun to watch, thanks to your technical know how and expertise.

[@TheRadioShop]

Great outcome of shooting from the hip Terry. That is where experience comes from. As we know those caps go bad after time. Enjoyed the video.

[@videolabguy]

I have to smile. You personify one of my favorite sayings, "Alcohol! Beneficial to both man and machine!" Amen, brother! (I use it to clean tape heads and circuit boards!)

[@welyas4064]

Doh! Have a old Sansui 4000 I'm about to pull apart with this exact issue! Hope it's not due to this terrible corrosive glue you mentioned. Thanks for taking the time to post! Always informative, top tier content on these topics.

[@mysteryjesus]

Great video, very informative and makes repairing these easier to understand compared to the majority of videos I've watched the last few years. Thank you!

[@brucejoseph8367]

Another great repair. It's a shame that the problem of bad and leaky caps has not yet been solved. More research should be done to overcome this problem. Surely with modern materials this should have been consigned to history by now.

[@learnandteach.108]

Interesting. This clip hold me until it finishes, Really amazing. Thanks dude, keep it up.👍

[@JeffCounsil-rp4qv]

Good call on the caps. Sony Bond was used by many brands, not just Sansui to glue the components (for the trip across the pond). Pioneer, Yamaha, Onkyo, Technics, etc. Pretty much anything built in either Japan or Korea. And of course back then they had no idea it becomes corrosive with age, then the corrosion spreads and becomes conductive. Some production workers got carried away with it and blobbed it everywhere! I use toluene to soften the glue because it 1) dries fairly quickly 2) doesn't have water like alcohol has unless you use (expensive) 99% alcohol. 3) it is safe on most plastics (except polystyrene caps but it really doesn't hurt them, just makes them ugly). Though some people don't like the odor, I don't mind it. Look on the labels of solvent-based glues and you'll see toluene is usually the solvent in the glue. Oh, and I love that tune you played!

[@philippvonow1676]

Yes the knobs and layout style is very similar to my Hitachi SR-903... i have to clean the potis and knobs too once in a while..

[@greaterbayareahero1401]

Great information. You taught me how to detect my distortion problem and saved me a ton. Thanks!

[@smstiao-tecnologia]

Another equipment properly repaired. Congratulations Terry!

[@samuelcajeles85]

Eminently good repair. Aside from your knowledge in electronic circuits you have the test equipments like the scope which is a must in repairing electronic equipment. However, when the transistor output is shorted, the safe way is to measure first the forward bias if it's within limit. If not, then start checking surrounding components.

[@pietroplastina2786]

It's less expensive time wise to replace all the caps. Time is what you don't have. But I would of found out which cap.was bad for the next time. However if the all go anyway which I doubt that's fine. Good job. The final result is there . You fixed it. Good luck for next time.

[@thomaskendall452]

You have to figure that if one cap has died, the rest probably have one foot in the grave as well.

[@afzaalkhan.m]

Excellent repair and diagnoses . Nicely explained.

[@HHTTRRNN]

Can you explain to me why one of the transistors is only showing half the voltage value of the other transistor?

[@williamfriggle]

So cool to see that amp. I have the same amp. When I was 7 I remember going with my dad to Radio Shack for him to purchase ut. We used it for many years. I tried it and the only thing that I think is wrong is the volume control is noisy. I just ordered on Amazon control cleaner. I'm hoping that will get this awesome amp working again. If anything is wrong with it like yoyrs, I'm screwed. As I don't have your knowledge to do what you did. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks for the cool video.

[@barrychristiansen4579]

love it Terry. oh yes ,you've done this before. beautifull work! hope the family is great!

[@billmckenna7056]

Thanks Terry, needed that video :) Have a solid state Standel on the bench right now and its showing similar issues. Will proceed to cap job and see if that fixes.. Kind of figured it was that as its a 1964 era early Solid state thing.

[@dhart501]

Bill what did you find on your Standel amp repair?

[@michaelbird27]

Aloha from Hawaii D-Lab! Long time viewer first time commenter. I recently purchased a Vintage Harmon-Kardon 630 twin powered receiver at a consignment shop for $40. It powers on but does not produce noise in speakers. I searched for repair shops on Oahu but, as you can imagine, they are few and far between. I don't really trust them to give me. A fair deal. I'd love to see about mailing it to you to fix for a video. I'd love to learn about my machine. I really want it to come back to life. If you are interested in making a video of this I'd be happy to pay for shipping and repair.

[@marsmediapro]

After watching this, I betya that my SA-1001 needs to be re-capped- dangnabit! Thanks Terry!

[@justfortier]

Going to try this with my old Denon DRA-25. It's got dropouts, and crackles I think in the preamp section. Thanks for the video!

[@ashokjadhav9904]

Hi That's one cool job. BTW I had an old service book. That showed a way to find a leaky electrolytic capacitor as follows. Cut open or desolder , one of the two leads from the pcb. Then use an analog multimeter to check the charge and discharge of an electrolytic capacitor. Put analog multimeter in ohm range and connect the two leads. Positive terminal goes to the red wire and negative terminal to black wire. Healthy capacitor should show very little resistance initially and gradually show higher resistance as it gets charged till it shows a full resistance. If the capacitor is leaky it'll show a very little resistance, almost short circuit. On the other hand, it'll show high resistance if it's open . That way, you have found the culprit. Bad capacitor will not show charging. ( No gradual increase in resistance as it is charged). Thanks

[@michaelaaronorton4001]

For years I passed up alot of great solid state gear because all I wanted to buy was tube amps that was a stupid mistake on my part I have a Fisher tx 100 all germanium transistor Avery Fisher's first transistor line of amps built in Germany and I really enjoy the sound of this amplifier as much as the tube HiFi stuff i have even more than the marantz stuff

[@d-labelectronics]

I agree man. The SA-1000 is in my main shop driving a set of Bose 301's. Super rich sound. The amp is a keeper!

[@electronicshelpcare]

Thanks for the great video.

[@adrianalexander7516]

Ive got a teac ag-v8500. im glad people still fix things instead of throwing them away

[@MrFlembot]

Great presentation! I might try the cap blast on another old Realistic STA-45 receiver I have. I haven't been able to find a schematic, so it won't be easy to figure out.

[@gordonwelcher9598]

I had one of these. One of the small TO-92 stretch transistors became intermittant and caused 30 volts dc to be sent to one of my Dynaco A35 speakers, eventually melting the voice coil of the woofer. I was in the other room and didn't notice until it was too late. Just bending the leads would make it fail. It met it's fate with a 10 pound Wildlarizer. The amplifier sounded ok, not as good as a Yamaha or Harmon Kardon. Nice basic appearance and not too big. Very good for the price, $99 CAN on sale.

[@stevesulak9487]

I like you. I kinda felt like it should be simple if you break it down properly. You confirmed that. And even if it didn't work... It has to be done anyway. Good video.

[@6A8G]

Fantastic! Is there a schematic for your stereo wattmeter please?

[@gerryroberts662]

Cool, we need more tube amp repaire. keep makeing your videos pls..

[@stephenflowers8516]

I bought one of these amplifiers from Radio Shack in the mid 70s. It was ( For the price) a very good amplifier.

[@johnbeckham1483]

How many watts per channel RMS is the Realistic SA-1000?

[@TheShackGuy]

@@johnbeckham1483 20 wpc

[@craign8ca]

Darn, I wanted to see how you remove the solder from the leads. Back when I did component level troubleshooting, I had a Pace solder sucker. That thing was great and was the best method of removing solder. In my workshop I've been using solder wick, which is just ok and a little more work. Your repair videos are great to watch.

[@d-labelectronics]

Hello, sorry I did not show that. I use Chemtronics solder wick to clear the holes. I do have a Hakko solder re-work station, but use that on dual sided boards. More Solid state sinema soon. TD

[@teresitamontebon5342]

Hi ,I have a maranta sr2000 the tuner have a problem if you put stereo no signal if mono have a signal,what a problem thank you sir.

[@markdi2]

I would look at the stereo mono switch clean it really good

[@PecanPie1102]

Solid State it’s the Future.Coming to an amp near you.Terry ✌🏽

[@d-labelectronics]

Love it! Can I use that slogan on the next SSS?

[@MrTopsoil911]

I have the Realistic sa1500 and I also did a full recap and works better than new!! Pretty powerful with my Minimis 7 bookshelf speakers

[@nickking1510]

nigel mahabir I have one also try it on some quality 12 or 15 inch 3 way speakers 🔊 I believe it around 100 Watts rms per channel. Recapping mine soon

[@thomaskendall452]

@@nickking1510 The SA-1000 puts out 20 wpc rms into 8 ohms; the 1000A puts out 25 wpc rms into 8 ohms.

[@gatekeeper65]

Good day Terry. The adhesive that you referred to in the video wasn't produced by Sansui, nor used only by them. It was used by almost all manufacturers out of Japan and some other countries as well. It was used in audio equipment, TVs, VCRs, radios, and lots of other products. I'll give you a hint as to who produced it,... it's called "Sony Bond". It becomes brittle and conductive after being exposed to constant heat over time, and then becomes corrosive to component leads and jumper wires. I've even seen circuit failures because of diodes that were buried under the stuff, becoming very leaky or even shorting. The companies that I saw being the most affected by its use were Mitsubishi, and Luxman. The really stupid thing about this stuff, is that it even after all the lessons learned the hard way about it years ago, it's starting to turn up again in lots of electronics coming out of China. Go figure.

[@handrias001]

Thanks! I think I am able to fix my amp now, looks like i have bad cap, sound comes back to bad channel when i kick amp little bit, but not for long. Thanks for great video. Subscribed.

[@jcmcclain57]

Thanks Terry for the lesson.

[@moodyga40]

fabulous transistor work

[@victorg9974]

Hi, I just discover your channel and I'd like to congratulate you. I'd like to ask you if you came to shoot a video about your D-Lab Amp Tester. I know it was requested here in the comments, but I could not find it browsing thru your channel. Cheers and thank you!

[@r9700dx]

Awesome information! I would like to know where to get caps and resistors to repair a TEAC reel to reel. Thank you.

[@richardbrobeck2384]

Another great video these new caps will out live us

[@rogeronslow1498]

I like that thin illuminated magnifier of yours. What is the make please.

[@user-kk4pw2lo1t]

Thanks, You made it look like fun am ready to tackle my Sony str 6065 weak sound output. .

[@andrewprather9572]

I have a Soundcraftsmen 2000A...I need to do this to my amp bad one of my caps is loose I think, but want to replace all. Wish I could send you mine don't want to get rid of it.

[@dhart501]

nice job Terry.

[@Melissa0774]

Do you have any videos on how to hook up a vintage tube stereo, like a Fisher 800b, to a laptop or a modern day TV? Is it possible to do that? Can you make a video on that, if you haven't already?

[@gearheadted9210]

Cool man,Im learning tons,thanks,love your channel!

[@NebukedNezzer]

like you, I have used the parts cannon a few times.

[@mikestormm]

Great job, as usual!!! Looks like the poor brother on my pioneer sa6200

[@esci8978]

Hello.. Really enjoy your videos.. Can you possibly do a video on your D-Lab Audio Test Center…?

[@matthewbrown5677]

Hi, love your style...were can I learn how to restore old amps are there any books out there.

[@serpentineflame]

Hello captain, I have been chopsticking around in my one yankee dollar juliette 8-track/record player tuner stereo trying to fix a channel glitch. The balancer potentiometer plays both stereo speakers when wiped all the way right, and then diminishes to nearly nothing as it is swept left. It's essentially a volume control. I will try hooking up all four speaker outputs. The pot itself has the correct values. I have checked both opamps but not the two larger capasauruses, haha. Thanks and much love.

[@larryshaver3568]

I''ve got a magnavox astro sonic that does the same thing. Did you find the cause?

[@larryshaver3568]

amazing sound. I have a realistic rhapsodie with a preamp that has a noisy channel but I lost the manual which as a schematic.

[@jimball816]

another excellent vid. keep em coming

[@arupdutta2202]

I have a Harman Kardon HK6100 - pretty old - left channel sounds heavier than the right....thinking about the changing the capacitors first. Thanks a lot, cheers from Kolkata, India.

[@CodeLeeCarter]

I've been looking for a great vintage amp like this one, looking for one to build with my Media Center main sound amp.

[@rimmersbryggeri]

I had the same fault on an old akai it was a folded over mica insulator on one of the transistors. Had been like that from new probably. Inherited it from old relatives.

[@siliyemoodislam]

Thank thank thank you 🙏.... problem solved after watching this clip.

[@robertcalkjr.8325]

Thanks Terry.

[@simonspeaker]

Hi Terry, what is the song? seems to be a reprise of "somebody else" by Jeff bridges but what is the artist?

[@bigwheelsturning]

Have an older Denon that has a weak RH channel. Works fine in the morning, but as it heats up the sound goes away. Will see if I can fix it or toss it.

[@mrmax1467]

Do you sell the "D-Lab Audio Test Set" or perhaps posted schematic/parts list somewhere?

[@Supernaut70]

I have the same problem with a Rogue rb-120bt 120-watt bass combo amplifier. I thought it was the output transistors. The problem is that those components don't have numbers. I installed another by trying by error and blew up one of the new power transistors. Thanks for the video. I will reinstall the original.

[@bertroost1675]

The left channel just went out last night on my sa-1000. It's about 90% lower in volume than the right channel, so it's not totally out. I really like this amp too. Are your services available?

[@d-labelectronics]

Yes, contact me thru d-labelectronics.com

[@dennisperusse3837]

Enjoyed the video. I have a Harmon Kardon 75+ receiver that I’m going to recap soon for similar reasons. :)

[@sunnyray7819]

Im trying to learn this stuff... Got a Marantz 2226B, Sansui G3000 and others.................. I did a video on my channel called Junk or Treasure a couple days ago showing some of my stereo components....

[@russellhltn1396]

I'd still want to run a test on the caps removed just to see what it was and how bad it got. I'm guessing one of them got leaky and affected the bias. Usually,. they go high ESR and you lose signal.

[@MarkTillotson]

Since the amp was still working (when not saturating negative), the feedback loop must have been closed and working, the output bias can then only affect the heat dissipation and amount of x-over distortion. So I'd suspect the input stage was being pulled out of balance by a leaky caps. On a single rail amp such imbalance won't fry the speaker and could have been gradually getting worse over time. Its just possible to make out on the schematic that the input stage is single-ended with a cap in the bias for the input transistor base - so yes, it is the bias that's out, but not the common sort of bias you think of with an amp... The input stage bias network is high impedance so it wouldn't take much leakage to start pulling it away from nominal.

[@matx6183]

Hi D-lab. Would this also potentially be a issue on a Onkyo AV power amp? My right channel is hissing, popping, crackling but all other channels are ok.

[@larryshaver3568]

Are those germanium or silicon transistors?

[@DeadKoby]

I have a 71 Altec that needs the same kind of help. I'll get to it eventually.

[@trustoldpaths1415]

You get to it yet?

[@saltyscorpion2151]

Terry, what brand caps do you recommend?

[@roberthurless4615]

HI Terry, another good one. I am wondering how do you know what size of capacitor to order for the different ones in the amp. I am talking about the lead spacing. Is it just from experience, or can you tell from the size of the cap? I am really enjoying SSC, please keep 'em coming.

[@moodyga40]

hair dryer works well to losing up the caps

[@billbrooklyn6410]

Was the white coat your idea or somebody talked you into it

[@soeharto304]

Thanks you .....very good ....

[@bobgauthier1569]

What album is that song on like the sound of it 👍🎸

[@tonyrink9999]

Good, helpful video. It would be better for us novices if you stated where all your equipment connections are made.

[@sam127001]

I really enjoyed this video!

[@cfauvel]

man-o-man I love youtube....you search for something and you get your answer. I have a Yamaha CLP-250 that is having issues with the amp board...I find that if I touch the top of the 4700UF 25v cap (about 18 mm x 33 mm) that the piano plays at the right volume. I tried re-soldering that one cap and am having spotty results so am buying a new cap to replace it. Is the diameter and height important? Do you have a recommendation for store to buy a bunch of the others? Amazon is going to be expensive....You got me thinking I should replace all of the caps Thank you for this video

[@garymagliocca2913]

Question..I have a Kenwood KR 6050. Channel A right and left are ok but Channel B left is scratchy and A is fine. My thought is that the left channel A left should also be scratchy but it is ok. I see where some people have cleaned these successfully. Should I try this first?

[@vuxnguyen]

Hi Mr D-lab, i have the pioneer sa 7700, and the balance is not working properly, if i turn it all the way to the right side but both speakers still singing. Thanks for info!

[@MrTopsoil911]

Great work as usual!!

[@MansoorAli-xj6mb]

Where can I buy those push type switches?

[@Thechriskraft]

Great episode

[@teresitamontebon5342]

Thanks your great video