Let’s Unbox & Build A Heathkit Stereo Pro-Series Preamplifier • P1

In 1980, Stereo Review said the Pro-Series AP-1800 preamplifier, “does practically everything one could want, and does it to perfection.” In this series, we’ll build the kit and test its performance when complete. Introduced in 1978, Heathkit’s Pro Series components promised that in performance, specifications and sound reproduction, they’d rank with the finest stereo components available anywhere.
Introduced in 1978, Heathkit’s Pro Series components were all rack-mount compatible and by 1982, the series included…
The AJ-1600 tuner with Dolby FM noise reduction.
The AP-1800 preamplifier.
The AD-1703 equalizer.
The AE-1705 EIA standard rack.
The AD-1706 active audio processor.
The AD-1702 variable electronic crossover.
The AD-1701 graphic output indicator.
The AA-1600 125 watt per channel amplifier.
And the mammoth 250 watt per channel AA-1800 amplifier.
Suprisingly, the high-end pro-series components were introduced around the time Heathkit was purchased by Zenith, a company that was far more interested in Heath’s computers than audio kits. Still, the pro series stuck around for a while, but by 1986, about seven years after the pro-series was introduced, Heathkit stopped offering stereo kits in their catalogs altogether. They came back briefly in the 1988 catalog, but these were components developed by Harmon Kardon and not true Heathkits. By 1990, these disappeared also and by 1992 Heathkit stopped kit production entirely.
Unboxing a vintage Heathkit unbuilt NOS preamplifier kit.
#electronicsrepair #stereo #stereorepair #preamplifier

[@cdavidhord]

You never cease to amaze me. Didn't see this episode coming. Thank you again!

[@FluxCondenser]

Thanks, Dave. It’s nice to be working on a new project. I didn’t think that MC-2105 series would ever end myself!

[@zooker7507]

I built one of these along with the aa-1600 amp back in the 80's. It was so exciting to complete it and use it. It's still works today.

[@sonotdown998]

Sweet. Also, coolest “unboxing” video ever.

[@FluxCondenser]

Thanks, even I enjoy rewatching that unboxing. Felt like a kid at Christmas opening it up!

[@mcsniper77]

Heathkit was so cool. Lets hope it moves back to its glory days.

[@FluxCondenser]

Indeed.

[@RadioHamGuy]

Very nice! I used to assemble a lot of Heathkits and it was so much fun. Sure miss them, you were lucky to find this nice kit. Lot of fun watching, thank you!

[@Acein3055]

This was USA quality at it's best. I have built some Heathkit projects and they all work as they were designed. If you ever found and bought a kit to build something this sophisticated from Amazon and/or from somewhere overseas, you'd end up with dozens of unsolved problems during the build and realize you've wasted your money.

[@johnjacob757]

I have an AP 1800 i use every day. It is wonderful. Well made.

[@FluxCondenser]

Did you build yours, John?

[@joelhornung4459]

I built an AR1515 in 1977, sad that I sold it, it was a fabulous machine

[@FluxCondenser]

The AR-1515 is a lovely bit of kit. I agree, you shouldn’t have sold it! If you’re interested in Heathkit, and possibly owning more, stay tuned to the channel. My next series is most likely going to be an unbuilt Heathkit along with a giveaway to a viewer once it’s built. Stay tuned.

[@Greebstreebling]

They were great kits and available here in the U.K.. I built the FM-4U tuner in 1969. It's now sat on the shelf above my computer. I bet if I changed the electrolytics it would still work just fine. :) :) I wouldn't mind betting also that there's a software version of it available which you could use on a computer - no charm, no joy of tuning it in or building the dipole aerial out of welding rods, how times have changed.

[@joeG9100]

We love Heathkit I built many of them including an AA640 200Wx2 amp that I still have. A nos kit like that is a great find. However electronic parts are much better today than in 1980. Electrolytic capacitors were not great then and as i found out and the heath original axial capacitors are hard to come by. Things have changed. Resistors suck too. The mechanical parts have changed also the old resistor pots are long gone, along with their noise.However that kit is a great treasure once completed it will be a great asset to any home system. Thanks for the video.

[@ripjones5294]

Thoroughly enjoyed coming across this channel. I was born and raised in Atlanta, where there just happened to be a Heathkit store. I built several kits for myself, including a 25" color television -- GR-2001, which is still in my garage -- me trying to figure what to do with it. I also built several of the store display kits, including a 19" Zenith television, as well as some stereo gear. I DID build the AA-1800 monster amplifier -- 250 watts a channel. I still have a scope multmeter attachment that is unbuilt. Yell, if you would be interested.

[@FluxCondenser]

Great memories, thanks for sharing!

[@pasha12343]

What a treat , would love to build that . 👍🙂

[@ScottGrammer]

I envy you getting to build that. I built Heathkits when I was a teenager. Never any of the more expensive stuff like that, but I did build a shortwave radio, digital clock, and a couple of other items. I miss Heathkit, but I understand why there are few kits like this anymore. Unlike in my day, the average American is just too stupid to build such a kit. Blame smart phones and modern educational ideas for that.

[@buddypvaz124]

Respect to this gentleman who took the time and the effort to present this rare opportunity to us. But I have to say that I am disappointed in his decision not to assemble the kit as instructed in the manual. I can not stay invested in the project after he decided to replace the original Nishicon capacitors with new ones. I thought the whole point of the project, which caught me, was to build this rare unopened Heathkit and document it. That would have been elegant.

[@FluxCondenser]

The kit was assembled as instructed in the manual. It would have been foolish (from my standpoint) to assemble it with components that were demonstrably past their expiration dates. I could have built it with all original parts, but it wouldn’t have performed the way was supposed to. No changes were made to the circuits. What I did effectively amounts to changing out dead batteries for new ones. Sorry you disagree.

[@crooner2007]

The parts are higher quality than what you would find in a typical Sansui or Pioneer. Only Accuphase would be comparable in the Japanese stereo field. Nice glass epoxy boards and ceramic wafer switches!

[@FluxCondenser]

Excellent observation and I appreciate your feedback. Heathkit wasn’t messing around with this series.

[@crooner2007]

@@FluxCondenser yes and it's a shame the kit business was dying at this point. The Japanese were all about bling with their pretty silver faces and lights but the inside was all phenolic boards and switches. Very cheap construction.

[@FluxCondenser]

It really was a shame. Heathkit seemed to be at the pinnacle of kit design with this series and it occurred just as it was all about to hit the fan. If the economics had allowed, who knows how far they could have gone. It’s a privilege to get to build one.

[@don7680]

Really nice kit! You tested the blue 6K uF backwards after explaining the polarity difference.

[@jamesmdeluca]

Greetings: I built a 25" heathkit color tv in 1975 with my wife who built modules once I taught her to solder. That small red plastic tool is used to hold mostly 6-32 1/4" nuts while starting screws opposite the psrt being secured. Some folk have trouble with small parts. The other end holds smaller 4-40 nuts for D connectors.

[@FluxCondenser]

James M DeLuca Thanks for the comment, James. Those color TV kits must have been quite labor intensive! Yes, look for a little demo of “the little red tool” in the next episode in the series. Hoping to have it up by Sunday evening.

[@swinde]

@@FluxCondenser I also built the 25" color TV in 1972 and added the remote control and the cabinet. Worked beautifully for 27 years with a few repairs I did myself along the way. The CRT focus eventually failed and the problem was within the CRT. I looked everywhere on the internet and could not find a replacement tube. I finally put it on the curb. My TV assembly took about 40 hours if I remember correctly.

[@FluxCondenser]

@@swinde 40 hours seems pretty swift for a project like that. Nicely done and thanks for sharing. Always love hearing about peoples’ experiences building these kits “back in the day.”

[@loricastro3772]

I agree with you ... I would also change all capacitors!

[@FluxCondenser]

Thanks, Lori. Note that the Mylar, precision and ceramic caps included with the kit all tested fine and are being used. Thanks for the comment.

[@randyc8171]

You hooked up the first capacitor you tested backwards.

[@FluxCondenser]

Yes, good catch! Didn't notice that until you pointed it out. It's funny I warned my viewers not to be tricked by that oddly marked cap and went ahead and got tricked by it myself. Habits are hard to break. Just so used to the arrow pointing toward negative. I've just retested that cap and confirmed that it tests the same regardless of polarity.

[@wayneheigl5549]

how dare you have the joy of building that heath kit . i hope you paid big bucks to get it. i bid on that preamp kit about two years ago and the creep that out bid me paid big for it. all i can say is i had fun driving the price up knowing i could never get it. i love to see you playing with all the parts, be careful you will lose some of them.lol.lol.lol

[@SwanseaTitanFan]

I agree, I would have changed the caps as well.

[@PrimeHiFi]

I would have changed the caps as well. Just because they measure fine out of circuit doesn’t mean they won’t break down in circuit. This has got to be one of the coolest series I’ve seen and I’m looking forward to the next update. Cheers

[@FluxCondenser]

Thanks for watching, Connor and glad you’re enjoying this series. The build is coming along nicely and I hope to have part two up soon.

[@davidmahanna94]

Where in the world do you find these? Your knowledge amazes me.

[@timd1833]

Ding in the outside cover at 22:12.

[@FluxCondenser]

Thank goodness the ding wasn’t in the faceplate unlike my current project (check out the new video). For the Dynaco amp I’m building now, the faceplate suffered great abuse just sitting in the box for so many years.

[@SwanseaTitanFan]

Where do you find all of the gems you get to work on?

[@FluxCondenser]

It’s easy when you spend too much time (and money) on eBay ;-)

[@terencekaye9948]

So, just wondering where you came up with this kit?

[@FluxCondenser]

eBay

[@Doggeslife]

I wanted to build a Heathkit home receiver back then, but the price of the kit was well more than many equal quality/performance or even superior quality & performance home receivers already assembled. I had to pass. Kits are suppose to be cheaper than already-assembled items. I DID own a used Heathkit stereo tube amplifier in the late 1970s that was already assembled by someone else in the 1960s. Nice, and did the job, but nothing outstanding.

[@FluxCondenser]

And ultimately that’s what did the kit business in. In the beginning (50s, 60s, 70s) it was not only fun to build kits, but cost effective. That started changing in the 80s. Audio kits are still around, but they tend to cater to the esoteric and can get quite pricey.

[@Doggeslife]

@@FluxCondenser A little before that. I was visiting now-defunct Quement Electronics and checking out the kits around 1977.

[@FluxCondenser]

Yeah, I can see that. The stuff coming out of Japan at that time was so good and competitively priced. Things really started changing for the whole industry in the 70s.

[@Doggeslife]

@@FluxCondenser The best. I still have my Concept 11.0 receiver and JBL speakers. Never liked the later offerings.

[@keithhuckabee9859]

First page upper right, I have that amp.

[@BillEyles]

Heathkits are very cool and fun to build but are no longer made and are impossible to find unmolested

[@marcskippers396]

I want one! Where can I get the kit?

[@FluxCondenser]

You may have to go back in time. This is a vintage product from the 80s. You may be able to find one already built on eBay, but an unbuilt kit is rare.

[@burtpanzer]

I'm guessing the components back then were American made, which one could pretty much count on being a good quality item and performing as expected no matter what it was. Today, although capable of making almost anything perfectly, China seems to have taken most of our business and bought many name brands that are used to sell us an inferior product. I miss those days when I didn't have to spend 20 - 30 minutes on every item trying to determine if what I'm told is true or if it might burn my house down. Reading enough of the horror stories in the customer reviews on Amazon, paints a picture of deceit and betrayal. What may appear to be a name brand product could be a cheap imitation. People need to be aware of this, but I did like your video as you seem quite knowledgeable... thanks.

[@FluxCondenser]

Thanks, Burt. You make some good observations, for sure.

[@ammej768]

Just get on with building them! I was told May ( ordered on Jan 12 ). My dealer now says September!! This keeps on happening!!!😨😨😨

[@FluxCondenser]

Huh?

[@ferrellsl]

I'm always amazed at the morons who say such kits should be kept in the unopened box for the sake of posterity. Do they truly believe that posterity wants to look at a cardboard box for the next 200 years? WTF?

[@MichaelBeeny]

I really miss those days. Now it's all Chinese junk with no circuits or paperwork at all. Full of fake semiconductors and junk components.

[@FluxCondenser]

There are still some quality kits available, but I agree. Those were the good old days.

[@tookitogo]

I missed the heyday of kits: I drooled over them in catalogs, but by the time I had the money to get any real kits, they were gone. :( (And the last kits, from the German company ELV, whose “serious kit” business outlasted Heathkit by a decade, mostly used microcontrollers to do all the interesting stuff, and of course ELV didn’t give you the source code, making it far less interesting or educational. ELV is still around but is mostly focused on smart home automation crap.)

[@MichaelBeeny]

I know exactly what you are saying, I'm crying here right now. I really miss those days. Even more sad is the total lack of interest of today's youth. Far too busy playing pointless games on telephones.@@tookitogo

[@isiahbethel5956]

Boring