Sansui G-8000 Receiver Dead (or Silent) on Arrival

Oh, well, I never expected it to work without effort, anyway. Great packing job so there was no damage or abuse to the unit. Looks like new. Protection like is flashing red and very, very rapidly on and off.

Questions:

Is there a set-up step that I am missing?

Should there be a pair of u-shaped jumpers on the power-amp/pre-amp RCA in/out jacks?

Best,

Peter

Thats kind of strange because I just looked at all four of my Gs, 3 9ks and an 8000 and none have any jumpers. All have gorgeous sound.
Gary

jumpers

jumpers not required on the g8k...ensure the switch above where the jumpers would go is in the direct coupled position....I will put jumpers in mine only to bypass that sometimes problematic switch.
Lots of switches etc on that puppy...ensure all is as it should be, see if it works with headphones, and listen on powerup for a little click {relay}
Keep us posted.
Casey

The big Gs have a connect/disconnect switch on the side of the case. They don't need the jumpers. The jumpers or lack of them will not cause it to go into protection. There is no combination of dirty controls that will cause it to be in protection either. It needs to be diagnosed.

First step is to measure the DC offset and bias current. With the unit in protection, you cannot measure the DC offset at the speaker terminals. You must take the measurement before the speaker relays. How comfortable are you going inside the case?

- Pete

Peter, I think you are new to the Gs so the switch is on the left side above the RCA jacks and has three positions and usually a plastic slide stop screwed in place that holds it in position. The positions are , CONNECTED, SEPERATED #1 & #2. You should have it connected, Far left position or all the way to the rear of the unit.
This is also a switch that requires serious attention when you get to cleaning the switches with Deoxit.
Others know the technical stuff much better then me.
Gary

Thanks, Guys!

Gary, Nosirrah, Pete,

I've check it and it the pre-amp/power-amp switch is literally pushed all the way to the rear and locked into place by a plastic clip that looks like it's been in that position since manufacture.

Pete, I am not comfortable pulling the lid off this at all. That is why I bought it from a guy that said it was in perfect working order and who makes a business of musical instruments and audio equipment. The shipping/packing job was unbelievable. Looks like it took three days. Two boxes with solid foamboard all around and a complete triple bubblewrap on the unit itself. So shipment damage is a low possibility.

Peter

LBPete said:

The big Gs have a connect/disconnect switch on the side of the case. They don't need the jumpers. The jumpers or lack of them will not cause it to go into protection. There is no combination of dirty controls that will cause it to be in protection either. It needs to be diagnosed.

First step is to measure the DC offset and bias current. With the unit in protection, you cannot measure the DC offset at the speaker terminals. You must take the measurement before the speaker relays. How comfortable are you going inside the case?

- Pete

Click to expand...

Switch is in the right position and I have never had one stay in protect mode so can't be of much help from here.
It really does suck because you will never know if the seller scammed you or if something happened durring shipping. A simple thing like some dirt or dust could possible be causeing it but I am not a tech to make diagnosis's.

All I can add is if you take it to a local shop, be absolutely certain the tech has the knowledge to repair Vintage gear. If you are not sure then spend the bucks and send it to one of our member friends who do these repairs.
I can't name them all because I have only ever dealt with Echo Wars and Dr*audio but if he is a AK member and a tech then I would think you are in good hands.
Some deal only in specific brands while others repair many brands so ask around and decide where to send it off to.
Best of luck, the G 8000 is a fine unit when they are working as they should.
gary

Local Tech Resources are Available!

Gary,

Seems like a ton of work and very little money to expose yourself to having someone hunt you down with a can of gasoline and a zippo. Not everyone has my franciscan patience and I think all eBayers at some level know the danger of enraging the faceless who can, at any moment, appear from the ether. There is, after all, a paper trail if you use UPS and anyone with half a brain would not expose themselves to potential animus and loss of life trading in bad goods.

There are good techs around Boston. Sansui is well regarded but hardly an exotic. I'll see if the seller gets back to me and knows a set-up step he performed that I have to reverse or something. It looks new - not even the heat staining on the bottom you get after a few years of use on any electronic device.

Peter

gamalot said:

Switch is in the right position and I have never had one stay in protect mode so can't be of much help from here.
It really does suck because you will never know if the seller scammed you or if something happened durring shipping. A simple thing like some dirt or dust could possible be causeing it but I am not a tech to make diagnosis's.

All I can add is if you take it to a local shop, be absolutely certain the tech has the knowledge to repair Vintage gear. If you are not sure then spend the bucks and send it to one of our member friends who do these repairs.
I can't name them all because I have only ever dealt with Echo Wars and Dr*audio but if he is a AK member and a tech then I would think you are in good hands.
Some deal only in specific brands while others repair many brands so ask around and decide where to send it off to.
Best of luck, the G 8000 is a fine unit when they are working as they should.
gary

Click to expand...

Peter, Although I do agree with you regarding the small gains for such scamming, these threads are full of stories.
I will only add that two units I bought and paid very high prices for were listed as in the best cosmetic and electronic condition. They each required the most extensive and expensive repairs and like yours, did not work upon arrival. Both claimed "WORKING PERFECT" and Echo Wars can certainly tell you otherwise because he repaired them both.

Good that you have local techs available and I seriously doubt there is anything you did wrong in the set up that would cause the unit to go into and stay in the protect mode.

Just because it was well packed and appears to have not been damaged does not mean it was not slam dunked along the way. A connector could be loose or a board could be cracked or dirt and dust could have been dislodged rendering a switch inoperable.

Please keep us posted.
Gary

Peter;

Protection faults are well known and they can be troublshoot fairly quickly by someone qualified. The protection circuit's function is to:

1. Delay engaging the speaker connections until the power supply has had a chance to charge and stablize, usually just a few seconds...

2. While operating the protection circuit monitors the output of both channels. Normally there is only AC voltage (the audio signal) and if there is any DC voltage level beyond a certain threshold it drops out the protection relay to prevent damage to one's speakers.

3. When turning off the receiver the protection relay is dropped quickly to prevent pops and transent sounds from reaching the speakers as the power supply voltages decline.


Problems in the protection circuit usually fall into two types:

1. Failure in the protection circuit or protection relay causing a 'false' protection indication. This is usually a simple and not too expensive repair.

2. There is actually a DC voltage at one or both of the output stages. This can be harder and much more expensive to determine and sometimes results in non-economical to repair status.


So it could be as simple as the protection relay become unplugged from it's socket during shippment, or as serious as blown output transistors. It never hurts to pull the cover and look at the relay......

Lefty

"Working perfectly" until received? "Must have happened in the shipping"? Either that physical jostling does do this all the time, or it is an experienced approach of the Ebay "Powerseller". The next step perhaps is a seller offer of 100% credit on return (should include shipping both ways), or you keep it for a partial refund........ -sf

repair or replace?

I have encountered some of this as well. Though whether a unit is working or not, I bring in for a check out, alignments, upgrading caps, circuits, Removal of 300ohm balun and some times (now thanks to Gamalot) changing the Speaker terminals!

Suggest if your close to East Hartford, CT, another top notch tech is located there "Ken" @ 860-528-8837. He also very well known in this forum....

Keep us informed along the way!

Best of luck with your unit.
Gene

The next step is to contact the seller and ask what his policy is for a DOA unit. If he is an honorable person, he should make good on it. Clearly he took care packing it and that makes it harder for him to claim it was damaged in shipping. If he was knowing sending a dead unit, I don't think he would have taken the time to pack it so well.

Since you already have a good box and packing material, consider sending it to one of the AK experts like EchoWars. From what I understand, his rates are reasonable and his work is world class. But before you do anything, talk to the seller and see what he will do for you.

- Pete

I think both you and Gene have good points to make. I would probably do best to have this thing vetted by a good technician. The shop that put my dear old Nikko back together did a wonderful job of getting that auld and venerable receiver into working order. (Actually, it has much improved. Tuner was *always* magnificent but the amp segment of the receiver feels more powerful and more stable - more level and up to the task of heavy bass loads, if that makes sense - after their treatment.

If there is a switch bumped off its axis, OK, we'll fix that and do an overall diagnostic inspection and if we find things off center, we'll clean them up. If they find 15 year-old damage, well, we'll have a little conversation with the seller about that.

Nothing to get excited about - just part of the sacrifice of We who have gathered together as curators of ancient audio.

Peter

LBPete said:

The next step is to contact the seller and ask what his policy is for a DOA unit. If he is an honorable person, he should make good on it. Clearly he took care packing it and that makes it harder for him to claim it was damaged in shipping. If he was knowing sending a dead unit, I don't think he would have taken the time to pack it so well.

Since you already have a good box and packing material, consider sending it to one of the AK experts like EchoWars. From what I understand, his rates are reasonable and his work is world class. But before you do anything, talk to the seller and see what he will do for you.

- Pete

Click to expand...

Nothing to get excited about - just part of the sacrifice of We who have gathered together as curators of ancient audio.

Click to expand...

Well Peter, You have said a mouthfull here! I suppose as Non Tech collectors we have to take the good with the bad and sometimes we have to spend a bit more to get it right.
I have no idea what it cost so far but I do think if you spend a couple hundred getting it totally restored with new caps and transistors and some of the boards updated you will have a prize to treasure.
You would easily spend two to three times that on the current offerings to get anywhere near the sound and build quality of the G 8000. I really think you would be hard pressed to find anything for under a thousand that even gets close. I am sure others will disagree but I do like the sound of the Vintage stuff from the golden days of Stereo Nervana.
Gary

I agree with Gary. A well adjusted G-8000 or G-9000 with a good set of speakers is hard to beat.

Seller Has Gone Silent

I sent two or three notes and this is what I got back from the seller on one of my addresses last night. I guess if he says "working perfect" I need to own up to the fact that silence is perfection.


Hi,
The system is working perfect. I need to know where you are placing the speaker wire connections, what speaker selections you are choosing (A, B,C or what combination). Tell me every selection that has been set when you are trying to play an FM station.

Alan Dickson

---- Peter Cassidy wrote:

>>
>> Is there a set-up step that I am missing?
>>
>> Please help.
>>
>> Peter

Peter, I could easily sit here and tell you where every switch and selector knob should be to play the FM. I could easily describe the speaker connections and how they should be made.
What I can't do is tell you why the unit is not comming out of protection.
When I turn my units on, the protect light flashes red for a few seconds and then I hear a click from the relay. The unit goes into the power mode, solid green and is ready to play.
There is something causeing yours to stay in protector mode and you will not get music until it clicks into power.
I would certainly remove the top wood case and the bottom panel while unplugged from the wall. Stand it on the rear bumpers and very carefully look for all the wire harness white plastic connectors where they plug into the boards. I suspect you have one that came disconnected and this could be the cause IF, as he says, the unit was working properly.
There are many other reasons as well but this is something you could at the least do yourself. While it is standing and you are looking into the bottom of the unit you will be able to see the bottoms of the Caps toward the rear right and left side on the unit. There are photos in other threads regarding leaking caps. Often it is visible when the bottom cover is off as you might see some discoloration or corrosion or wetness. The bottoms should be pure white.

There is three screws on each side of the wood case and three that hold the plastic grill to the back heat sink panel.

Check it over before you go much further. If you do find a loose connector, you have likely found your problem.

Gary

Got a Response from the Seller!

Apparently he is travelling, though it is interesting he responded right after I mentioned I was lecturing at the Justice Department's prosecutor training facility in Columbia, SC this Thursday. He said that the checkup on the unit from the technician he uses is guaranteed - but that any fixes he can imagine would be less than back and forth shipment costs, so that I should send it to my tech. So tomorrow I will bring my troubled G8000 to my technician in Watertown who has done righteous work on my deal auld Nikko and spouse's ancient and honorable Dual turntable.

Peter

We are all pulling for you and your Big G. Keep us posted on your progress.