I was on a mission to find a SA-1000 and I knew it was going to be a daunting task. You never see them for sale. I read somewhere that if you wait and have patience, in a three month time, the item will show up. This of course is using all the resources available. Well It took three months to find her. She was under my nose the whole time. A trip down to southern Cal where I meet up with the owner who had hopes to repair it. I was lucky to pry it from his hands, but his tastes have changed since he took ownership and went to more high end separates. A very, very nice top of the line collection. No room for a big, heavy, over rated Technics 
. I'm glad he sold to me so I can get it back up and running.
I fell in love with the big sets as a teenager and my collection today includes many of the 70's "Monster sets". Pioneer SX-1980, 1250, 5590, Spec 1 and 2, Toshiba SA-7150, Rolel RX-1603 (on the bench). Realistic STA-2100. All restored to the degree.
Anyway, I repaired a SA-1000 for a gentleman last fall and knew I had to have one for myself.
On this set, the left channel outputs were toast (all of them!
). That's is as far I have ventured. No visual clues, nothing a miss so far. Experience with this set tells me to check everything, including the funky, spring, Molex connections between the pre-stage and main amp boards.
Just taking the chassis apart to gain access is a chore. A guy can get hurt with the weight and sharp edges. Once you start removing brackets and plates it becomes very flimsy, and with the Transformer mounted in the center - the set wants to mate with the shop floor. It really is a mind blow figuring out the best way to tackle the issues. In most cases I reinstall the parts to keep it straight and plumb. This is discerning as I'm going in and out of the set, increasing the risk of damage. When you see how it goes together you can admire the engineers who had to keep this package within customer constraints. Oh and support the 65 pound welding transformer. The engineering that went into the chassis out shines the circuitry.
I've had a smile from the day the owner said he would sell it. I had to tell you guys.
. I'm glad he sold to me so I can get it back up and running.I fell in love with the big sets as a teenager and my collection today includes many of the 70's "Monster sets". Pioneer SX-1980, 1250, 5590, Spec 1 and 2, Toshiba SA-7150, Rolel RX-1603 (on the bench). Realistic STA-2100. All restored to the degree.
Anyway, I repaired a SA-1000 for a gentleman last fall and knew I had to have one for myself.
On this set, the left channel outputs were toast (all of them!
). That's is as far I have ventured. No visual clues, nothing a miss so far. Experience with this set tells me to check everything, including the funky, spring, Molex connections between the pre-stage and main amp boards.Just taking the chassis apart to gain access is a chore. A guy can get hurt with the weight and sharp edges. Once you start removing brackets and plates it becomes very flimsy, and with the Transformer mounted in the center - the set wants to mate with the shop floor. It really is a mind blow figuring out the best way to tackle the issues. In most cases I reinstall the parts to keep it straight and plumb. This is discerning as I'm going in and out of the set, increasing the risk of damage. When you see how it goes together you can admire the engineers who had to keep this package within customer constraints. Oh and support the 65 pound welding transformer. The engineering that went into the chassis out shines the circuitry.
I've had a smile from the day the owner said he would sell it. I had to tell you guys.
Last edited:
