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I just got bit by the vintage receiver bug and impulsively bought a SX-680. Now what do I do?

Tubelicious

Tubelicious

New Member
Hello All --

I'm not exactly new to audio Karma but I mostly lurk so apologies in advance.

I have a decent hi-end system but recently I've got the bug of putting together a "side system" of mostly vintage components. Did a little research and kept seeing many pioneer, marantz, Samsui and Yamaha models getting mentioned so tonight I took the plunge and bought a "working" sx-680 for a bill on eBay. Not cheap, but great cosmetic condition and all lights, tuner, etc working.

My problem is that I'm not much of a DIY guy and, since It's got some age to it I want to have it "gone through" and make sure things are replaced and checked to get another 40 years out of it. If I can get a groovy LED upgrade as well that would be awesome, but a secondary priority.

So finally, my question is: can anyone in the forum recommend a repair / upgrade specialist to renovate / restore this receiver? I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, But I can ship it anywhere...

Second question is what speakers would most people recommend for this amp? I'm thinking highly efficient Klipsch or??? They don't necessarily have to be vintage, but pair nicely with the SX-680.

Thanks in advance for any help and if this question has been asked 1000 times before I apologize, I didn't see it mentioned.

Thanks!
 
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Not in your state but a guy down in AZ does very nice work and has very reasonable pricing. The company is the talking dog microphone campany. I will see if I can find his contact info if you dont mind shipping. I purchased my Elite PD65 from him that he did a nice upgrade job on.
 
Congrats on the SX-680 I have one and its a great little receiver! I got my SA-9500ii recently rebuilt by Champlifier in Alameda and Sheldon did a great job, his work does cost a little bit more but he is very honest and does a top notch job.
 
Your frequency response is great, signal to noise ratio great...keep your choice of speakers within the same parameters.

But the defining element is thirty watts !

You would be in heaven if you found some Yamaha NS-1000 speakers !
 
Welcome to the addiction. I'm in the North Bay and have two 680's, both purchased non-operational, one I've diagnosed and fixed and the other yet to be diagnosed.

I'm no expert but do have a multimeter and soldering setup; if you ever wanted to bring it by we could take a look at what's going on!

My two cents are that if it works well, no need to touch it (if it ain't broke ...), but on the other hand, a total re-cap can bring life back that you might not have otherwise noticed was gone. Capacitor lists with Digikey / Mouser part numbers are floating around if you were so inclined. The other issue with the 680 is the STK packs that tend to go bad - but it's on or off with those in my experience.

LEDs are easy to put in though, easy as pie to take out the bulb socket and solder into place (with a resistor if so inclined).
 
Getting a unit that the faux veneer is still intact on is a plus. I'd just start with a Deoxit and Faderlube of switches and pots which is easily done on the 680 even for a newbie. In some cases if it ain't broke policy is the best policy. Good luck on whatever you decide on!
 
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