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Realistic SA-2001

chosen

New Member
Hey guys, just wanted to post a few pics of my successful cleaning/repair of my SA-2001. A couple years back the right channel started to drop DB's, slowly. The sound proceeded to get more washed out and flat as time went on. Frustrated I shelved the amp hoping i'd figure out a way to repair it and put it back to work.
After a lot of reading, research, and tinkering I came to the realization that the problem could be caused solely by corrosion and just 40 years worth of crud in the system.
Last week I ordered some Detox-IT from amazon at the suggestion of this forum. Took the amp apart last night cleaned up the interior and began to dissect the internals to gain access to the pots/switches/plugs/knobs. I lightly sprayed everything that looked physically functional and very carefully and started Q-tiping grime away followed by toggling and actuating knobs and buttons 50ish times per.
I did all the cleaning last night, crossed my fingers and waited to test it today. I hooked this magnificent beast up to my pair of Pioneer HPM-60's and started playing some tracks through my MP3 player. At first. It sounded... better but the right channel still sounded a bit dull so i tried headphones as well, same thing. I was getting worried so I plugged the RCA into every input i could use. When that didnt seem to have any affect I started swapping speaker inputs and tape/monitor inputs. Tape 1 sounded almost flawless. I was filled with glee, I went to tape 2 and finally back to tuner/aux. Finally nirvana perfect audio amplification! I assume I had finally worked out the oxidation or it had warmed up enough who knows. I've been using some Technics receiver from '95. Upgraded that to a Yamaha R-V502 I got from goodwill for $10. These pale in comparison to the fullness I had been missing from my previously ill Realistic.
So here's thank you for the user manual and everyone's depth of knowledge on everything audio.:music:
 

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Nice job! Good to see vintage Realistic Equipment up and running correctly. I have always been a big fan of Realistic Equipment. I found even their low priced gear like my 1979 10 wpc STA-7 receiver, Which I still use every day, perform way better than it has any right to when kept out of clipping.It has never been serviced.

I think those HPM 60's are a perfect match for the warmish sound of many vintage Realisic amps and receivers. Pioneer's HPM speakers (Including the HPM 100's a friend had, I heard through my Realistic 45 wpc STA-90 receiver) seem to be more sensitive to amp/receiver selection than most.
 
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