Is a JVC A-X5 integrated amplifier worth restoring?

[cjacek]

Hi,
I'm at a sort of cross-roads over here, wanting to fix my old amp but not sure if it's worth the cost. I love the sound and build quality of my JVC A-X5 (when it was working right) but it has issues, namely trips the protection circuit when sound gets too loud, one channel lacks a bit of lower frequencies and a few other things. I'm not proficient at soldering nor doing any of the electronics and have been looking for a tech in town. I was recommended someone who does this since the 1960's, a very skilled repair guy who restores vintage audio from top to bottom. Looks like it would cost around 300 or 400 (Canadian) to restore my amp. Would this be worth it for this particular amp in your view, for a full restore?

 

[arts]

That was a very well designed amplifier and had extremely good performance. Good luck finding something as well engineered today.
The problems you have described are very common complaints in all units of that age, and are easily repaired.
(I have been working in the electronics industry for over 40 years now, for whatever you think that's worth, haha)

I would repair it, with one great big caveat: You need to find a qualified technician with lots of good references. Keep in mind, too many people get screwed over by the local solder-monkey with his great big can of control cleaner. It doesn't need to be an actual "repair shop", there are lot's of good, skilled, experienced people working out of their home workshops. References-references-references; google the guys name and business, see what comes up.

Instead of starting out with some whimsical bs about a "restoration", find out exactly what actual repairs are needed, and how much they will cost, to get the machine running properly. Period. Insist on a timeline, with an agreed upon delivery date. And STICK to it. The discussion about restoration is for after it's actually working again, not a second before.

 

[painttoad]

$400 cdn is $300 usd...that is pretty cheap even for someone working in their home.

i mean, that's best friend prices.

like. just looking at the main filter caps and relay would cost me $70+ shipping to order those. add in any other caps, transistors diodes etc.(which i'd have in stock) and we might be down to $150 left for labor. no way i'd do that amp for that.

just be careful. do your homework like @arts says and remember that the best price does not necessarily mean the best work.

 

[cjacek]

Wonderful advice guys, thank you very much @arts and @painttoad

 

[redk9258]

It is worth repairing!

 

[rothwellaudio]

Instead of starting out with some whimsical bs about a "restoration", find out exactly what actual repairs are needed, and how much they will cost, to get the machine running properly. Period. Insist on a timeline, with an agreed upon delivery date. And STICK to it. The discussion about restoration is for after it's actually working again, not a second before.

Well... yes... and no. If I did a repair on an amp and it took me an hour to dismantle the thing and an hour to put it back together, I think I'd be a bit miffed if the customer only then asked me to change a couple of capacitors as well. It would have been an extra few minutes work while the amp was in bits, but another two hours of work after it's been reassembled.

 

[leesonic]

Instead of starting out with some whimsical bs about a "restoration", find out exactly what actual repairs are needed, and how much they will cost, to get the machine running properly. Period. Insist on a timeline, with an agreed upon delivery date. And STICK to it. The discussion about restoration is for after it's actually working again, not a second before.

There is no "whimsical bs" about restoration. These amps are over 40 years old now. Electrolytic caps can and do dry out. Small signal transistors get lead corrosion, and start to crackle. Switches get oxidized and no longer make a clean connection. Power transistor heatsink grease dries out, and they overheat. These are known documented facts. You wouldn't restore a car engine and use old gaskets would you, instead of just changing the one that appeared bad?

Here are some examples of my own "whimsical bs" restorations :

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...ansui-au-717-restoration-and-upgrade.1047220/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sansui-au-417-restoration-and-upgrade.771503/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sansui-au-5900-restoration-and-upgrade.746345/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...80-amplifier-restoration-and-upgrades.996240/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sansui-au-d5-recap-and-led-conversion.500249/

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/pioneer-sa-9800-restoration-and-upgrade.420407/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/pioneer-sa-7800-with-burnt-out-resistors.487176/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/pioneer-sx-1050-brought-up-from-the-depths.825745/

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/technics-su-v85a-amplifier-restoration.963896/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...anything-for-preventative-maintenance.771362/

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/another-nad-3020-rebuild-and-upgrade.534006/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/nad-1020-preamp-upgrade-to-3020-integrated.589265/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...project-with-cnc-machined-front-panel.810480/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...ng-camera-investigation-with-pictures.978718/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...-board-installed-no-more-welcome-buzz.718439/

 

[painttoad]

There is no "whimsical bs" about restoration. These amps are over 40 years old now. Electrolytic caps can and do dry out. Small signal transistors get lead corrosion, and start to crackle. Switches get oxidized and no longer make a clean connection. Power transistor heatsink grease dries out, and they overheat. These are known documented facts. You wouldn't restore a car engine and use old gaskets would you, instead of just changing the one that appeared bad?

well said.

 

[arts]

There is no "whimsical bs" about restoration. These amps are over 40 years old now. Electrolytic caps can and do dry out. Small signal transistors get lead corrosion, and start to crackle. Switches get oxidized and no longer make a clean connection. Power transistor heatsink grease dries out, and they overheat. These are known documented facts. You wouldn't restore a car engine and use old gaskets would you, instead of just changing the one that appeared bad?

Here are some examples of my own "whimsical bs" restorations :

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...ansui-au-717-restoration-and-upgrade.1047220/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sansui-au-417-restoration-and-upgrade.771503/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sansui-au-5900-restoration-and-upgrade.746345/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...80-amplifier-restoration-and-upgrades.996240/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sansui-au-d5-recap-and-led-conversion.500249/

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/pioneer-sa-9800-restoration-and-upgrade.420407/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/pioneer-sa-7800-with-burnt-out-resistors.487176/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/pioneer-sx-1050-brought-up-from-the-depths.825745/

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/technics-su-v85a-amplifier-restoration.963896/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...anything-for-preventative-maintenance.771362/

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/another-nad-3020-rebuild-and-upgrade.534006/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/nad-1020-preamp-upgrade-to-3020-integrated.589265/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...project-with-cnc-machined-front-panel.810480/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...ng-camera-investigation-with-pictures.978718/
https://audiokarma.org/forums/index...-board-installed-no-more-welcome-buzz.718439/

Wow, you've got it bad!

 

[arts]

Well... yes... and no. If I did a repair on an amp and it took me an hour to dismantle the thing and an hour to put it back together, I think I'd be a bit miffed if the customer only then asked me to change a couple of capacitors as well. It would have been an extra few minutes work while the amp was in bits, but another two hours of work after it's been reassembled.

If it takes you two hours of labour just to get in and out of an amplifier...

 

[rothwellaudio]

If it takes you two hours of labour just to get in and out of an amplifier...

Yeah, that's why I don't do repairs.

 

[painttoad]

If it takes you two hours of labour just to get in and out of an amplifier...

i take my sweet ass time as well. bagging and tagging takes time as does putting the proper screws in their original place instead of just putting any screw in any hole that it fits in.

i come from a career of restoring cars/ repairing wrecked cars etc. and there are a whole lot more fasteners to contend with than an amplifier.

being methodical and organized is the key, not how fast something can be done.

besides that, some units are just a pain in the ass to disassemble.

 

[leesonic]

If it takes you two hours of labour just to get in and out of an amplifier...

Try something like a Pioneer SA-9800 or Sansui AU-717, where they have the vertical boards. In order to even start a repair, you have to get the boards out, either by undoing wire wraps or removing pins.

Want a newer example? Try an more modern AV amp where the boards are joined with ribbon cables. I repaired (not restored) a Yamaha one, and in order to test it, I had to put everything back together.

 

[GD70]

Fix it! It’s a great integrated. Luckily, mine is original and sounding great.
I’ll always encourage owners of this series of integrateds to fix them. Under the radar and one of the best of this era in my opinion.

 

[egellings]

The experience gained restoring it could make it worth the effort.

 

[cjacek]

Thanks again guys.

 

[Mike Stehr]

I had a JVC AS-5 I bought for 5 bucks in 2004 for an integrated amp to beat on. I did replace some capacitors if I recall...
It made it almost 16 years.
Pat Travers "Hammerhead" killed it...right at the end of the track with click and a pop. It was over...

 

[xs650shawn]

Definitely fix it. It's worth the cost to do it. Excellent amp. Bought mine over 8 years ago on ebay for over $200, with shipping from Canada. Proceeded to put over $200 (in 2016) in miscellaneous small repairs in it at a reputable shop that is now out of business- they didn't make it through the pandemic. I don't regret any of the cost though. Now, still runs like a top, though the front control door doesn't like to stay closed on its own, and the source selector buttons are getting a bit sticky.

 

[ernieb1536]

Hi,
I'm at a sort of cross-roads over here, wanting to fix my old amp but not sure if it's worth the cost. I love the sound and build quality of my JVC A-X5 (when it was working right) but it has issues, namely trips the protection circuit when sound gets too loud, one channel lacks a bit of lower frequencies and a few other things. I'm not proficient at soldering nor doing any of the electronics and have been looking for a tech in town. I was recommended someone who does this since the 1960's, a very skilled repair guy who restores vintage audio from top to bottom. Looks like it would cost around 300 or 400 (Canadian) to restore my amp. Would this be worth it for this particular amp in your view, for a full restore?

If you got a good tech yes ,I doubt you could find anything new even remotely close in sound quality , and used you don’t know what your getting , so to restore an amp you like sounds like the way to go ! If you’ve had it a long time it’s already paid for its self , so it’s like buying another one just serviced !

 

[g-man02tii]

+1 on fix it. I'm the original owner of an A-X5 that I bought new in January 1980 in the overseas military market. I've had numerous other integrated amps and the A-X5 keeps on ticking. Great amp!