Sansui AS-100 speaker recap - step by step

[Airjmax]

I acquired a nearly immaculate pair of Sansui AS-100 speakers in the Summer of 2017, and really enjoyed them from the start. Incredibly, I bought them along with a similarly near-mint Sansui 210 receiver, complete with manual, laminated setup instructions, warranty cards, and dust cloth! The best part? I found it about a half mile from my house! Pretty unusual for my small town. I have recently been selling some equipment and speakers, but not the AS-100s, so a recap was in order. Hopefully, this will be helpful to fellow AK members. Total time was about 45 minutes from start to finish, working very carefully.

Step One - Remove grill and pull the woofer to get at the crossover. Removing the screws, I gently pried up the woofer with a flat-blade screwdriver, and lifted it out. The wire leads are plenty long, thank goodness. I also pulled the batting material.


The crossover is held down with threaded pins, nuts, and washers and lifted out easily to reveal the single cap and accentuator. The cap had tape over it, and some kind of black goo on it. I'm not sure if it was adhesive to hold it down, or if the cap was leaking.

I desoldered the leads, affixed the new cap in place, and soldered it down. I also hit the accentuator with contact cleaner and Deoxit and worked it a couple dozen times.

We were plum out of hot glue, so I put down some 3M double sticky foam tape to hold the cap in place. No rattling here!

The back of the crossover had a gasket to seal it off, and the binding posts are good quality, so no upgrade needed. That is one thing I've noticed about the several Sansui components I've owned - the build quality is exceptional.

Not sure what these numbers are...421005 is maybe the serial number, the 8 is a mystery.

Here's the old cap, complete with brown/black goop.

This is the batting, tied up in a bag!
Overall, this was an easy project, since the crossover is very simple. I can't wait to hear the difference in sound with the speakers back to spec.

Here's a shot of one of the AS-100s. Maybe I'll try to take on the AS-200s next!

 

[Hipocrates]

I can't wait to hear the difference in sound with the speakers back to spec.

Let us know how it works... good job

 

[Airjmax]

Let us know how it works... good job

The biggest thing I noticed about the AS-100s after the recap is that the mids and highs are more pronounced than before. They handle my Sansui 5000x just fine, plenty of bass, with significantly crisper high end. It makes sense, since the cap was to the tweeter. The opening guitar riff on Steely Dan’s “Reeling in the Years” sounds very nice! Thanks, @Hipocrates

 

[bluesky]

Cool!!

I really like AS-100s. Amazing bookshelf speakers.

They have a 'big box sound' and only 23 inches high. Tweets are 'super fine!'

Pretty darn nice speakers.

 

[lokerola]

I acquired a nearly immaculate pair of Sansui AS-100 speakers in the Summer of 2017, and really enjoyed them from the start. Incredibly, I bought them along with a similarly near-mint Sansui 210 receiver, complete with manual, laminated setup instructions, warranty cards, and dust cloth! The best part? I found it about a half mile from my house! Pretty unusual for my small town. I have recently been selling some equipment and speakers, but not the AS-100s, so a recap was in order. Hopefully, this will be helpful to fellow AK members. Total time was about 45 minutes from start to finish, working very carefully.
View attachment 1390567
Step One - Remove grill and pull the woofer to get at the crossover. Removing the screws, I gently pried up the woofer with a flat-blade screwdriver, and lifted it out. The wire leads are plenty long, thank goodness. I also pulled the batting material.
View attachment 1390568
View attachment 1390569
The crossover is held down with threaded pins, nuts, and washers and lifted out easily to reveal the single cap and accentuator. The cap had tape over it, and some kind of black goo on it. I'm not sure if it was adhesive to hold it down, or if the cap was leaking.
View attachment 1390577
I desoldered the leads, affixed the new cap in place, and soldered it down. I also hit the accentuator with contact cleaner and Deoxit and worked it a couple dozen times.
View attachment 1390580
We were plum out of hot glue, so I put down some 3M double sticky foam tape to hold the cap in place. No rattling here!
View attachment 1390581
The back of the crossover had a gasket to seal it off, and the binding posts are good quality, so no upgrade needed. That is one thing I've noticed about the several Sansui components I've owned - the build quality is exceptional.
View attachment 1390585
Not sure what these numbers are...421005 is maybe the serial number, the 8 is a mystery.
View attachment 1390592
Here's the old cap, complete with brown/black goop.
View attachment 1390595
This is the batting, tied up in a bag!
Overall, this was an easy project, since the crossover is very simple. I can't wait to hear the difference in sound with the speakers back to spec.
View attachment 1390601
Here's a shot of one of the AS-100s. Maybe I'll try to take on the AS-200s next!

Great job - handsome speakers!

 

[BLAH BLAH]

Found half a mile from your home, incredible good fortune, it was meant to be! Enjoy!

 

[Airjmax]

Cool!!

I really like AS-100s. Amazing bookshelf speakers.

They have a 'big box sound' and only 23 inches high. Tweets are 'super fine!'

Pretty darn nice speakers.

They absolutely do have a big soundstage for their size. I’ve had several of the gorgeous 1970’s SP-XXXX line of Sansui speakers, also excellent build quality, but unexceptional sound. To fully enjoy the SP-100s, you MUST get them up off the floor. Mine are placed about 16” above the floor on stands. They really like some power as well. I have connected them to my Sansui 221 receiver, as well as a1000x, but they started to show off with my 5000x. I’d love to find a pair of SP-300s, then I will have the full line.

 

[bluesky]

They absolutely do have a big soundstage for their size. I’ve had several of the gorgeous 1970’s SP-XXXX line of Sansui speakers, also excellent build quality, but unexceptional sound. To fully enjoy the SP-100s, you MUST get them up off the floor. Mine are placed about 16” above the floor on stands. They really like some power as well. I have connected them to my Sansui 221 receiver, as well as a1000x, but they started to show off with my 5000x. I’d love to find a pair of SP-300s, then I will have the full line.

They do like power, which was a pleasant surprise! They are really fine speakers.

10 inch AlNiCo woofer and a super fine adjustable tweet per cab. Not much can go wrong. Later on I bought a single extra off the bay just for spare parts... and it sounds as perfect as the pair I originally bought.

 

[TBL_HK]

They absolutely do have a big soundstage for their size. I’ve had several of the gorgeous 1970’s SP-XXXX line of Sansui speakers, also excellent build quality, but unexceptional sound. To fully enjoy the SP-100s, you MUST get them up off the floor. .....

Ditto here. I place my SP-200's on a 2.5 feet stand, treble units firing at seated ear level. They at first sounded horribly muffled and bad. Brought me to tears, almost!!!! A total recap saved the day for me. I now rate the SP100 (which I also have) and the SP-200 among the best spkrs I own. I also all along love the fret front covers these speakers had. So I won't get a pair that has these lost or badly damaged.

Don't spread the word. We can still get them at $5 at backyards or flea markets etc

 

[TBL_HK]

The biggest thing I noticed about the AS-100s after the recap is that the mids and highs are more pronounced than before. They handle my Sansui 5000x just fine, plenty of bass, with significantly crisper high end. It makes sense, since the cap was to the tweeter. The opening guitar riff on Steely Dan’s “Reeling in the Years” sounds very nice! Thanks, @Hipocrates[

 

[bluesky]

Also the 'adjustable' tweet is super fine!!

Seriously nice 23 inch high box speakers, with a serious sound.

I dig em.

 

[Delmarva]

Here's the old cap, complete with brown/black goop

Thanks for the tutorial on your re-cap.
Someday maybe I'll get up the nerve to do it with my AS-200's.

I'm gonna say that those caps needed replacing based on this AS-200 crossover that I found on sale at eBay. There is no goop showing at all.
I didn't buy it, just copied the pics for reference)

 

[Airjmax]

Thanks for the tutorial on your re-cap.
Someday maybe I'll get up the nerve to do it with my AS-200's.

I'm gonna say that those caps needed replacing based on this AS-200 crossover that I found on sale at eBay. There is no goop showing at all.
I didn't buy it, just copied the pics for reference)

I recently recapped my AS-200's. Here's the crossover before & after:


The biggest problem was removing the old caps. You just have to grab them with pliers and wiggle firmly to break them loose from the glue. Usually the blue plastic will come off the cap as you remove it. Also, the positioning of the new caps is a bit tricky, since the replacements are much bigger. It just gets semi-difficult to solder in tight spaces.

 

[Delmarva]

he biggest problem was removing the old caps. You just have to grab them with pliers and wiggle firmly to break them loose from the glue. Usually the blue plastic will come off the cap as you remove it. Also, the positioning of the new caps is a bit tricky, since the replacements are much bigger. It just gets semi-difficult to solder in tight spaces.

Excellent!
I have no soldering skills. The only soldering I've ever done was in telephone company central offices with an iron that looked like a cattle prod.

Did you notice a similar improvement with the AS-200's as you achieved with the AS-100's? The original caps appear to have been in far better shape.

 

[maxhifi]

That AS-200 crossover looks far better than the other one, having a filter on the woofer. Thanks for this thread, makes me know what model to look out for!

 

[Airjmax]

Excellent!
I have no soldering skills. The only soldering I've ever done was in telephone company central offices with an iron that looked like a cattle prod.

Did you notice a similar improvement with the AS-200's as you achieved with the AS-100's? The original caps appear to have been in far better shape.

There was definitely some improvement. I felt like with the old caps, they didn’t have much clarity. The overall sound filled out and sounds much more natural than before. Get an inexpensive solder station and practice on some scrap wire. There are many videos available with pointers on how to solder. The biggest mistake novices make is melting the solder onto the wires. You have to heat the wires with the tip of the iron, then the solder will flow along the connection. If you live near Northern Illinois, I’d be glad to help you do a recap. Good luck.

 

[Airjmax]

That AS-200 crossover looks far better than the other one, having a filter on the woofer. Thanks for this thread, makes me know what model to look out for!

Don’t be fooled by a more sophisticated crossover. The AS-100’s are a great sounding little two-way with solid cabinet construction and quality drivers. They definitely punch above their weight!

 

[Delmarva]

There was definitely some improvement. I felt like with the old caps, they didn’t have much clarity. The overall sound filled out and sounds much more natural than before. Get an inexpensive solder station and practice on some scrap wire. There are many videos available with pointers on how to solder. The biggest mistake novices make is melting the solder onto the wires. You have to heat the wires with the tip of the iron, then the solder will flow along the connection. If you live near Northern Illinois, I’d be glad to help you do a recap. Good luck.

Very kind of you to offer you expertise. I greatly appreciate it.
Alas I live way over on the Delaware coast. Far away from the land of the Illini.

The good news is that I think my bone stock original AS-200's sound great!

Here they are the day I brought them home from the thrift shop last Fall. The $10.00 price tag still taped to the side.

 

[maxhifi]

The original caps appear to have been in far better shape.

That just looks like brown glue versus clear glue. Unfortunately looking at a cap doesn't tell you a lot about its electrical condition.

 

[Airjmax]

Very kind of you to offer you expertise. I greatly appreciate it.
Alas I live way over on the Delaware coast. Far away from the land of the Illini.

The good news is that I think my bone stock original AS-200's sound great!

Here they are the day I brought them home from the thrift shop last Fall. The $10.00 price tag still taped to the side.

Sorry, I didn't see that you are from the East coast. My 200's are in need of some veneer repair, but have super clean grills and badges. I wish I could say they were only $10.00, but i only spent $125.00 on the speakers and a pristine Sansui 1000x. Yours look very nice!