Is this a good site for upgrading caps in a vintage receiver?

[roger2]

So I been needing to replace the caps in my vintage receiver it has 55 caps and I found a site that has full kits of the caps to upgrade them with should I go with this site? http://www.audio-high-store.com/

Are you sure it is a full kit?

On that site I looked up the kit for Kenwood KA-7100. It says their kit contains 38 caps. So I checked my cap list from my KA-7100 project and found that I replaced 46 electrolytics and 2 tantalums, for a total of 48. What 10 caps are not included in the pre-made kit?

 

[Cody AOC]

Are you sure it is a full kit?

On that site I looked up the kit for Kenwood KA-7100. It says their kit contains 38 caps. So I checked my cap list from my KA-7100 project and found that I replaced 46 electrolytics and 2 tantalums, for a total of 48. What 10 caps are not included in the pre-made kit?

I searched up how many were in mine and there is only 55

 

[roger2]

But...the site claims that the KA-7100 kit ..."is a complete set of all electrolytic capacitors power supply and audio."

Either they are mistaken, or they are using misleading language meant to imply that ALL caps are included when they are not. Either way, it is a red flag IMHO.

 

[smurfer77]

Are you sure it is a full kit?

On that site I looked up the kit for Kenwood KA-7100. It says their kit contains 38 caps. So I checked my cap list from my KA-7100 project and found that I replaced 46 electrolytics and 2 tantalums, for a total of 48. What 10 caps are not included in the pre-made kit?

Yeah, that is my worry. In an earlier post in this thread, I pointed out that some of the Sansui kits I checked appear to be incomplete. The main problem I have with that is that they claim it's a kit including all electrolytic capacitors.

 

[gslikker]

From the site:

3 - The use of Audio-Grade Capacitor Nichicon / Elna which are made specifically for audio equipment from high-end will make your machine in good times higher .


I wonder, will it "make your machine in bad times lower".

 

[ChrisMarantz]

I have to say that a big part of every rebuild project is the initial investigation into the piece of equipment that's going to be worked on, identifying which components are to be replaced, making a list of what's needed and choosing modern replacements.

The amount of upfront effort that is put into any project is time well spent and it really pays off when the actual work on the unit is started.

There will likely be far fewer surprises and the project will be done better than if parts are just blindly ordered, with fingers crossed - hoping for the best

Chris

 

[roger2]

+1 on what ChrisMarantz said above. I have only done a few, and am not an 'old pro'. But this is one of the most important things I have learned. In addition to what is said above, I also identify heat sources within the unit (and consider potential implications), try out every control and input (except phono because I currently have no turntable), set bias and offset to see how the amp responds, search AK (and DIYaudio.com) for available info on the unit, and try to become very familiar with the sound of the unit.

I have seen many threads where an enthusiastic novice gets into trouble by doing too much too fast, and must ask for help in unraveling problems that did not exist before (or did they? hmmm...). And I often wonder about failed projects where the OP simply gives up and never comes back.

As for the parts list, for me the first time it seemed like a daunting task. And it does require significant time, effort, and organizational skill. But now it is one of the most enjoyable parts of a restore project to me, and no way would I try to cut corners by going with a pre-packaged kit based on someone else's decisions. I do understand the appeal of such a kit to a first time restorer. But for anyone who is serious, you might as well get to know both Digikey and Mouser. It is a learning curve, but really not painful at all once one goes through it. Besides, there is more to restoring than just caps.

 

[Cody AOC]

So what about when I was first testing the unit I would hear some weird static sounds on one of the channels was a little louder with the weird sounds but sounded ok? Was that due to the crappy leaky caps and broken solder joints?

 

[redk9258]

Maybe noisy transistors.

 

[tyeeslayer]

This thread might help
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/sansui-5050-recapping-successful.252048/

 

[roger2]

So what about when I was first testing the unit I would hear some weird static sounds on one of the channels was a little louder with the weird sounds but sounded ok? Was that due to the crappy leaky caps and broken solder joints?

Could be transistors as mentioned above. This is a reason to search old threads for what is known about your particular unit. Because it is common for particular models/brands of amps to have recurring issues, like known bad transistors as one possible example, and to be documented as various people have worked on and reported their experiences and observations. KA-7100, for another example, is known to have issues in the relay driver circuits, and the solutions are also well known and documented.

As for your particular "weird static sounds", it would not be easy to diagnose based on that comment alone. Dirty controls can cause one type of static, bad transistors another. Not sure about tired (or failed) caps, although I don't believe that bad caps are usually associated with any particular sound sound except in the case of low frequency hum caused by bad main filter caps. I certainly don't know it all though.

But things like this should be investigated and, if possible, solved before recapping (especially a first recap job). Dirty controls are probably the most common cause of problems in vintage era gear. My suggestion would be to start a new thread to diagnose your static issue, starting with a more detailed description of the static, what it sounds like, and under what conditions it occurs...

Good luck Cody, and welcome to AK

 

[dlucy]

So what about when I was first testing the unit I would hear some weird static sounds on one of the channels was a little louder with the weird sounds but sounded ok? Was that due to the crappy leaky caps and broken solder joints?

If you compare the transistors on your PCBs to those in this Noisy Transistors You Should Replace list and find any that match, you may have identified part/all of your static problem. But like roger2 and others said, start off with cleaning your controls first.