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New to me 222 - the venerable triple deuce

bhairavi said:
By the way, isn't the method of setting the bias somewhat flawed/asymmetric? When you set the L bias it's with no current running through the R channel, but when setting the R channel the L channel is active. Thoughts?
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Well I couldn't leave it like this without some more investigation, specially because the output transistors on the L channel were running 1-2 degrees cooler. Sure enough, measuring across either of the 0.5 emitter resistors, I got ~5mV on the R and only ~2.3mV on the L! Adjusted both sides to ~5.5mV when warm.


All of which is to say... If you used the service manual procedure, you'd better recheck your L channel bias!
 
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#6

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Aaaand moment of truth:
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Yes! Unmolested! A few differences. D803/4 are populated. Emitter resistors are red. Outputs are 2SC646. No SV03s. Speaker terminals are screw type. These rectifiers didn't look factory though...

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Most important Q is: HOW DOES THIS THING SOUND SO GOOD?
 
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petesui said:
It could've been #7 but for some reason you sold me one! :music:
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Haha actually since I've been keeping track of all my purchases, yours counts as #3, even though I did nothing but clean it up and add speaker terminals. So I only have five of these. Will be restoring and selling a couple off, possibly after making cabinets for them.
 
bhairavi said:
Haha actually since I've been keeping track of all my purchases, yours counts as #3, even though I did nothing but clean it up and add speaker terminals. So I only have five of these. Will be restoring and selling a couple off, possibly after making cabinets for them.
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Well, I love it the way it is and won't be touching it unless it becomes necessary. Eyes peeled for another one that I can work on, but you clearly have the inside track on the world's 222 supply chain! Can't wait to see your cabinets and mark me down for one if you start taking orders!
 
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A/B'd #4 to a freshly restored 555 today. I expected it to be very close, or to not to be able to tell the difference at all. So I was surprised, but also a bit pleased, that the 222 comes out on top. For me, it wasn't subtle. The 555 is strongly reminiscent of the 777, with a very forward mids presence. The 222 is far sweeter, punchier and open. Having surveyed the first generation, minus the 101, I'd say the 222 is the middle of the spectrum between the 505 (no mids, sounded a bit dead) and the 555/777 (dynamic but a bit bright with too much presence). To me the 666 and the 888 sound flatter. The stock 999 is weak. The 555a is let down by a power amp section that does not do it justice - something I found out when I preamped it into a NAD 3140.

I'm left wondering whether the 101 can become the true BOTL king...
 
JimEGR

Thread 'Sansui AU-101 Restoration - A Classy Minimalist'

I've been intrigued by the minimalist 1971-1975 AU-101. 2 channels. 15 watts. Phono-Aux-Mic inputs. Interior shielding. Simple and focused. I like it. Reading other AK reviews and restorations it seems to be a well revered piece.

Collected three candidates. And interestingly all three are different variants.

06/1972 USA: Set 117v. Main amp Board F-1302-1 no bias pots, flying saucers, and no secondary lead wiring fuses. All original condition and fully functional.

09/1973 Netherlands: Set 240v. Main amp board F-1302-2 with bias pots, no flying saucers and a nice 3 fuse block for...
  • Like
  • Love

She’s a winner.
 
JimEGR said:
JimEGR

Thread 'Sansui AU-101 Restoration - A Classy Minimalist'

I've been intrigued by the minimalist 1971-1975 AU-101. 2 channels. 15 watts. Phono-Aux-Mic inputs. Interior shielding. Simple and focused. I like it. Reading other AK reviews and restorations it seems to be a well revered piece.

Collected three candidates. And interestingly all three are different variants.

06/1972 USA: Set 117v. Main amp Board F-1302-1 no bias pots, flying saucers, and no secondary lead wiring fuses. All original condition and fully functional.

09/1973 Netherlands: Set 240v. Main amp board F-1302-2 with bias pots, no flying saucers and a nice 3 fuse block for...
  • Like
  • Love

She’s a winner.
Click to expand...
Hmmf I've already read that thread!
 
Picked up my first AU-222 today. Was a bit worried because the speaker terminals were hacked and replaced with DIN-connectors with lots of glue (!). Cleaning the mess turned out to be easier than I thought. Apart from the cover painted brown, the device appears to be unmolested, and working, for the most part. Yay!
 
JyriK said:
Picked up my first AU-222 today. Was a bit worried because the speaker terminals were hacked and replaced with DIN-connectors with lots of glue (!). Cleaning the mess turned out to be easier than I thought. Apart from the cover painted brown, the device appears to be unmolested, and working, for the most part. Yay!
Click to expand...
Pictures!
 
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