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Sansui 9090 recap?

S

Scottinsocal

New Member
Hi everyone, just picked up a 9090 (non-DB) in great condition, but all original. This is a heavy beast, and sounds really good even in original form. I’m sure this has been discussed to death, but some local shops say only to replace capacitors, etc. that are out of spec, but i see a lot of folks recommending recapping a lot more than that.

Can you give your thoughts on what caps youd replace, at a minimum? I assume the driver board and filter caps at a bare minimum. My local repair shops don’t seem to recommend more than that.

And what values do you recommend for the filter caps on a 9090 (not DB)? 10,000uf and 80v or other?

Thanks in advance
 

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Agree, I replaced all the e-caps on the driver board and power supply on mine, but have not done the rest of the e-caps yet. However, just doing that is not the "minimum" needed. As mentioned, fuse resistors on the driver board need to go as well as problematic diodes and transistors on the driver board.

I just want to emphasize that only replacing e-caps and ignoring problematic transistors, diodes, and other areas on old equipment is not a good idea.
 
If you're paying someone to remove a cap and check it to see if it's good, you might as well spend the extra 50 cents and put a new one back in to make it good for another 20-40 years. Filter caps cost more like $7-10 but still when you're paying the labor costs, the parts costs aren't much more. If you leave 40 year old caps in, you're going to have to pay the labor every couple years and it keeps getting more expensive. If you're doing the work yourself, it's up to you but for reliability it probably makes sense to replace 40 year old caps. They're way beyond their life expectancy.
 
I guess it depends on what you expect with vintage gear. The 9090 (and 9090db) are statement pieces in the Sansui receiver line, however there are several inherent issues that must be taken care of before you put them to daily use. There are fuse resistors on the driver boards as well as on the relay protection board that have to be changed. There is probably heat damage to the sub section tuner power supply board. The bias and offset potentiometers need replacing to prevent potential catastrophic output failure and of course all the switches and controls need a deep clean. It also worth comment that the driver board in particular has very delicate traces that are easily damaged if care is not taken when pulling and replacing parts and really bad things will happen if the board is removed and then replaced a pin off. Most brick and mortar shops do not have the time to do full on restorations, however there are members in your area that do this type of work.
For a look into what is involved member Ray Gianelli has recently documented a most excellent full on restoration which can be found if you search on a certain website that begins with Y and ends with e (not sure if we are allowed to specifically mention so being safely ambiguous).
Finally, for what it is worth I have a real soft spot for this series of receiver, prefer it to my G9000, Pioneer SX-939, SX-1980, Yamaha CR2040 and a slew of others but you get the idea. It's not the specifications or the topology of design, instead its the looks and sound that makes it number one in my receiver book. Hope you find reason to restore and enjoy it.
 
Scottinsocal said:
Thanks everyone, I agree. Judt weird that the local LA shops dont want to do the work
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Most shops don’t do restorations due to the time and expense it takes and many avoid the vintage gear all together unfortunately it’s just not economical for them hopefully you find an enthusiast tech here who can help you
 
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