just got done with the filter caps. ive got pics of some stuff but i forgot to start taking pictures until the circuit board repair was complete. i managed to cut the perfect sized strip of copper adhesive circuit track repair for the job. some 62/36/2 silver bearing solder really brought everything together nicely with rosin flux on every surface. all that is left to do now is clean controls, the actual knobs themselves, the faceplate, and the bottom cover from the leaking electrolytic crap coming from the old filter caps.
word of advise to anyone getting ready to do ANYTHING to this receiver... unplug the transformer (2 plugs one big, one small on chassis), unbolt it from the chassis, and take it the hell out! its gotta be around 20-25 lbs and it mounts on stationary studs. i removed the bolts with a 5/16 inch socket on my milwaukee 18v lithium ion cordless impact driver. this makes the receiver a breeze to work with! i fumbled it around a few times before making that decision and felt dumb for taking as long as i did to do so lol.
i am so excited to hear this thing. nichicon KG series caps and ive got a set of gold jena labs super jumpers to use as well for pre out to main in connections. ill obviously use the factory u shaped rods first to see just how much of a difference there is between a set of purpose built pre out to main in jumpers vs the standard metal U's. if there is any difference at all its worth the 108 dollars i spent on em, if not then at least they look about as cool as it gets; and to me, this 3125 is the coolest looking receiver ive ever laid eyes on. its flat out evil
i also picked up a few more mcs units. a beautiful 3236 that sounds like the baby sibling of the 3275 that blew my mind.. also a working and cosmetically nice (with exception of loose bass and balance knobs) but dirty/channel dropping 3226 and a non working 3226 with tight knobs (to anyone who understands what loose knobs mean on these smaller nec mcs units).. now i just need an mcs 3260 and or an aur-9060 to complete my mcs receiver stack.
i just had a hell of a night the other night listening to a trio of my realistic 2080 on these 100 watt mcs floor speakers, my realistic sta-78 on a set of bose 201's on top of the mcs's, and a marantz sr225 on a set of bose 141's on top of the 201's.
aside from some occasional clipping from the sta-78 from having it set improperly it sounded INCREDIBLE... granted we were in a state of mind that makes music rather... unbelievably pronounced i guess you could say lol
but it still sounded good anyway without the help of such things. each one of those receivers sounds really good with the best being surprisingly the sta-78. the marantz sr-225 is tied for first with the sta-78 because it does something very well that i cant quite put my finger on but it is clearly better than the sta-2080 and again the 2080- while being able to produce a powerful enough/useable and enjoyable bassline it just doesnt have the tone the sta-78 and sr-225 have. its too light on its delivery and doesnt give you every note. the 2080 seems to mash them together. the sta-78 has a loudness button AND an fm 25uS button which appears to increase top end frequency response/acoustics and it does it really well. the snare drums from that sta-78 are serious!
i have seen posts where what appear to be real A holes say the marantz sr-225 isnt worth anything because it bluebooks for junk but that little receiver has a serious little transformer/filter caps/heat sink.. the transformer and filter caps are nearly identical with the sta-78. that marantz sounds awesome and those people need to re-evaluate their life.
this mcs equipment all sounds better than anything i used in the stack though which is why im so excited i cant even sleep
i cant stop smiling about the 3236. the led lights make clipping a non issue and its power availability for its size really helps as well! cant get over this thing
i also have a fairly priced nec a-910 integrated amplifier with intermittent power-on issues on the way too.. should be like the apollo creed to the rocky balboa of which is the 3125
seriously though someone sell me an mcs 3260/nec aur-9060 so i can stop buying receivers already hahahahahahaha
