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I gave Analog Engineering Associates my Sansui 1000a

thedudedigs

thedudedigs

New Member
I've had a Sansui 1000a for some time that I've been afraid to turn on because of old caps. I've decided to send it to them for a cleaning and recap. They said that it'd be a three month turn around on the project. I can't wait to actually get it back and put it through its paces (without fear of destroying it). They're going to do the ultrasonic cleaning/diagnostic. Recap the power supply & signal path, as well as put in a transformer blowout protection circuit.
After getting it back, I'll give a full report. It looked really good when I sent it off, so it should look spiffy when it comes back.
Anybody ever sent these guys anything in here?
 
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AEA works out of the south Bay Area, CA. They did beautiful work on a Scott 299 for me. Nice crew as well.
 
Old Guy8 said:
Where are they located. I've a 1000a, untested.
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There was quite a debate about whether or not you should "wash" electronics in cleaning solution. We'll see. I'll be giving a full report once I get it back. It's the only piece of tube stereo stuff I've ever had (I've had several tube guitar amps).

On an unrelated note, I loaned my Sansui 9090 & pioneer speakers to a friend while his rig is in the shop. Which has given me the chance to properly audition a pair of tannoy monitors and Norman Lab model 10's I just got finished working on with a Pioneer sx-1250 that just got back from servicing. At first I was not exactly overwhelmed with each piece by itself, but the combo of the three has really grown on me. I'm not sure if it's just that the ancient gear had to be massaged back into action or if the new caps had to be broken in, but suddenly, the synergy is finding its mojo (or the whisky is starting to work).
 
I've had the 1000a a year. Bought untested as result of garage saleing, from original owner who bought in Okinawa PX. Not sure if it was a smart moveon my part, with 19 tubes to maintain, if transformers are ok.
Think I will deal with a closer repair shop if I go that route.
Thanks for info. Hope your 1000a purrs when you get it back. I've heard from owners they sound wonderful.
 
I exchanged posts with some owners in Sansui and Tube sections about thier recommended mods, last year. One moved resisters to reduce concentrated hot areas. Adding heat reflecting metallic tape between transfomers and adjacent tubes. Run with cover off or alternatively adding quiet computer fans to draw out heat. Fans internally or externally powered.
 
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thedudedigs said:
I've had a Sansui 1000a for some time that I've been afraid to turn on because of old caps. I've decided to send it to them for a cleaning and recap. They said that it'd be a three month turn around on the project. I can't wait to actually get it back and put it through its paces (without fear of destroying it). They're going to do the ultrasonic cleaning/diagnostic. Recap the power supply & signal path, as well as put in a transformer blowout protection circuit.
After getting it back, I'll give a full report. It looked really good when I sent it off, so it should look spiffy when it comes back.
Anybody ever sent these guys anything in here?
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Hello, I wanted to know you experience with AEA. I sent over my Fisher 800C and it’s been a year now and they keep telling me that’s in the queue but it takes them months to respond to my email and they just recently closed down their website. And now I am worried that I will never see my Fisher 800c again. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

-Frank
 
malvo said:
AEA works out of the south Bay Area, CA. They did beautiful work on a Scott 299 for me. Nice crew as well.
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Hello,
I came across this forum because I sent my Fisher 800C to them about a year ago and I am worried that I will never see my equipment again. I sent it to them more than a year ago and they take a month or two to respond to my emails, and they do not answer the phone and on top of that their website closed a few days ago. I know you dont work for them and you have nothing to do with them other than being their client. But I was wondering if you could tell me more about your experience with them?
 
FRANK-84 said:
Hello,
I came across this forum because I sent my Fisher 800C to them about a year ago and I am worried that I will never see my equipment again. I sent it to them more than a year ago and they take a month or two to respond to my emails, and they do not answer the phone and on top of that their website closed a few days ago. I know you dont work for them and you have nothing to do with them other than being their client. But I was wondering if you could tell me more about your experience with them?
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I'm sorry AEA are being flaky with you. They did great work on a Scott integrated for me, but this was the better part of a decade ago. The unit had a failure within about a week of me getting it back from AEA's initial service and they not only fixed it free and promptly, they covered all the shipping costs both ways. So, it's an anecdotal data point, but in 2015 or whenever it was that they worked on my Scott, the service was great. I've had no contact with them since as the Scott continues to work fine. 2015 is, however, a long time ago in the life of a small business, and so just because they were cool to me back then...well, it sure sounds like they're not being cool to you right now. Good luck ironing this out, sure sounds a frustrating and maddening situation. Wish I had more info, but my experience with them is ancient history at this point. The Scott is a sweet little amp tho.
 
FRANK-84 said:
Thanks for sharing these threads with me, it gives me hope because they at least seem to be real and not con men but they are slowww.
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Hope it works out for you but I'm not sure why the threads above would make you feel hopeful. The most recent posts in them were about 5 years ago. And the OP in one of the threads said his amp blew up within 5 minutes after he finally got it back. He ended up taking it to another tech.

I suspect that the unanswered phone calls and the recently shut down website are probably better indications of what's going on with them now.

For future reference, if you need work done on vintage gear it's always a good idea to ask for recommendations for techs in your area. For tube gear I'd ask on the Tube forum or on the SS forum for SS. Some AK members are techs and might also respond. There are also specialty forums here for several manufacturers, including a Fisher forum.

Another way to find local tube techs is to check with local music stores. Most of them have someone who repairs guitar amps for them. Most guitar amps are tube. In some cases techs who work on guitar amps may also work on stereo gear. Bottom line, find someone relatively nearby if at all possible.

Wishing you luck . . . sounds like you'll need it.
 
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FlaCharlie said:
Hope it works out for you but I'm not sure why the threads above would make you feel hopeful. The most recent posts in them were about 5 years ago. And the OP in one of the threads said the work was so sloppy that he ended up taking it to another tech.

I suspect that the unanswered phone calls and the recently shut down website are probably better indications of what's going on with them now.

For future reference, if you need work done on vintage gear it's always a good idea to ask for recommendations for techs in your area. For tube gear I'd ask on the Tube forum or on the SS forum for SS. Some AK members are techs and might also respond. There are also specialty forums here for several manufacturers, including a Fisher forum.

Another way to find local tube techs is to check with local music stores. Most of them have someone who repairs guitar amps for them. Most guitar amps are tube. In some cases techs who work on guitar amps may also work on stereo gear. Bottom line, find someone relatively nearby if at all possible.

Wishing you luck . . . sounds like you'll need it.[/QUOTE

In the cases in these threads the people got their equipment back, I thought that it had just been stolen. And I appreciate the person who sent me those links because it was actual useful information.
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FRANK-84 said:
In the cases in these threads the people got their equipment back, I thought that it had just been stolen. And I appreciate the person who sent me those links because it was actual useful information.
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Yes, it was very nice of @EastPoint to post them, especially since the search function is not working at the moment.

It's great that they got their gear back but one owner said his amp blew up within 5 minutes so he had to find someone else to repair it properly. But, yeah, at least he got it back.

The suggestions I posted were mostly for the benefit of others who read this thread and might have gear that needs repair. We're all here on AK trying to help each other and it IS difficult to find reputable techs. If you get yours back and it works properly, great. If it still needs work, or you have other gear in need of repair, maybe you will find the suggestions I made to be useful, too.

I understand that techs get busy but there is no excuse for refusing to communicate with a customer or keeping an amp for over a year. Yet I've heard similar stories numerous times over the years. Techs who are that busy should put people on a waiting list and only tell them to ship the gear when they're near the top of the list.

As I said, I hope it works out. Please update the thread so others will know.
 
Just to add my two cents for what it’s worth. I recently got a 500C on the bench; customer said it’s never really sounded right since he had it serviced in 2019. I opened it up and was frankly shocked at how poor the work was done. Hot glue everywhere and uninsulated high voltage connections dangling all over the place. No standard safety modifications were done. Customer then sends me the service report: it’s from AEA and a $1200 bill.

They might’ve done good work 10 years ago but by 2019 it’s clear that they were going downhill. The websites back up but they don’t accept repairs anymore.
 
I restored one 14 years ago. A lot of caps few diodes and resistors. Looked more daunting than it actually was. More tedious than hard.
 
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