rgbeach
Active Member
I'm nearing completion of this project, and thought that I would document it here so others that may want to make the attempt have a reference. I don't claim do have done everything "right", and perhaps I did things that were unnecessary but, for better or worse, it's what I did. If anyone has comments or suggestions, please share; and, of course, if anyone has any questions, I will be happy to answer to the best of my ability.
At this point, I'm still in progress on the phono board. I've tested all other inputs (both analog and digital - there are a lot of them) using a CD player as the source and the headphone out of the preamp and it sounds very nice. However, since I rarely use headphones I can't say that it's better or worse than before. But, at least it works and it doesn't suck!
I'm planning on testing with my power amp soon, and I will post the result in this thread. To that point, I think I will just add individual replies to this thread as I document the work. It feels a little easier to write (as well as read) when done that way. Smaller, more digestible chunks.
With that as an intro, here is how it all started...
Background
A couple of years ago, I purchased a Yamaha CX-1000U preamp from a Goodwill in San Francisco for $39! To date, it's my best score ever by far, even if you factor in the $60 shipping cost. I was visiting a buddy and on our way to breakfast one morning I forced him stop at a Goodwill we were walking past. And the rest is history.
A couple months later, my buddy shipped it to me and I was very pleased to find that it worked without any issues. All I was able to do at the store was power it on, so I had no idea if it functioned. Fortunately it did, and I added it to my system (Adcom GFA-535 power amp) and have been using it ever since.
It did develop an issue on the phono input, which was part of the motivation to take on this project. It would produce loud hum and I would have to jiggle the interconnect a bit to get it to stop. I knew that the RCA jack just needed to be resoldered (cold solder joints are common on these units). Beyond that, I am a tinkerer, and this thread (audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/yamaha-cx-1000-refurb.689969/) motivated me to go all out and re-cap the entire unit. Well, except for the video board. I have no use for the unit's video switching and given it's only got composite video, I can't imagine a future owner needing them either.
So, a couple of weeks ago, I pulled the unit from my system and jumped in...
Here's a picture on the day I purchased it. Nice!
At this point, I'm still in progress on the phono board. I've tested all other inputs (both analog and digital - there are a lot of them) using a CD player as the source and the headphone out of the preamp and it sounds very nice. However, since I rarely use headphones I can't say that it's better or worse than before. But, at least it works and it doesn't suck!
I'm planning on testing with my power amp soon, and I will post the result in this thread. To that point, I think I will just add individual replies to this thread as I document the work. It feels a little easier to write (as well as read) when done that way. Smaller, more digestible chunks.
With that as an intro, here is how it all started...
Background
A couple of years ago, I purchased a Yamaha CX-1000U preamp from a Goodwill in San Francisco for $39! To date, it's my best score ever by far, even if you factor in the $60 shipping cost. I was visiting a buddy and on our way to breakfast one morning I forced him stop at a Goodwill we were walking past. And the rest is history.
A couple months later, my buddy shipped it to me and I was very pleased to find that it worked without any issues. All I was able to do at the store was power it on, so I had no idea if it functioned. Fortunately it did, and I added it to my system (Adcom GFA-535 power amp) and have been using it ever since.
It did develop an issue on the phono input, which was part of the motivation to take on this project. It would produce loud hum and I would have to jiggle the interconnect a bit to get it to stop. I knew that the RCA jack just needed to be resoldered (cold solder joints are common on these units). Beyond that, I am a tinkerer, and this thread (audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/yamaha-cx-1000-refurb.689969/) motivated me to go all out and re-cap the entire unit. Well, except for the video board. I have no use for the unit's video switching and given it's only got composite video, I can't imagine a future owner needing them either.
So, a couple of weeks ago, I pulled the unit from my system and jumped in...
Here's a picture on the day I purchased it. Nice!