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Fisher 674 recap question

drjohnnyfeva

drjohnnyfeva

Well-Known Member
So I bought it off of thebay and the guy said it was working. It wasn't. It lit up and got some sound thru the right channel and less thru the left, but "working" was a generous assessment. Anyway, I took it to a local shop, I don't really know what to think of them. They've been unable to fix two pieces of equipment and one of those I was able to fix myself with some persistence... a turntable.

The Fisher finally got looked at and the guy says that it needs to be recapped. The odd thing, he says, is that the two largest caps are fine but that all of the smaller ones need to be replaced as they are completely "dried out." The price to do this was "around $350." I told him I needed some time to consider.

As I know exactly zero about what this job entails, I have exactly zero idea if the price is accurate. In the meantime, waiting for their appraisal, I found another shop that does these and part of me is inclined to take it there and get their assessment.

I really would like to save this unit. It's a Quad and I'd like to have some fun with it, but cost to do that is a big concern.

Any help or pointers would be much appreciated.
 
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Small caps usually become culprits faster than Main Filter cap due to the size of the capacitor. Larger means more electrolyte, taking longer to evaporate or boil off. But there is a downside too. Main Filter caps are expensive, and finding an exact replacement is an exercise in futility (you'd be more likely to find Hen's Teeth!), so a slight increase in uf and voltage is installed.

Unless you're using it as a quad unit, I'd hold off on those boards, and just do the phono EQ board, tone control/preamp board, p.s. and the 4 amp board's. The quad circuits aren't SANSUI quality, but they aren't that bad either. Actually better in some ways than a few Pioneer's I've listened too.

The price quoted is probably ok, IF......they replace the Main Filter Caps too. That way you'll know it'll be ok for some years to come.
 
...I guess the other part of the equation is the value of the unit. Obviously the way it is, I might find someone who can do the work to buy it for himself, but if I have it recapped, would the value be similar to the investment in the work? Or will it not approach even the cost of the service.
 
Worth is really subjective with these. The amount you put into it, (whether you do the work, or have it done) will probably never be re-couped. Maybe 50% of cost or less.
 
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