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Sansui CA / BA 3000 help requested

Black.Audio.Co

Black.Audio.Co

Member
Dear Group Members,

I picked up a Sansui CA / BA 3000 set few weeks ago and it looked in pretty mint condition and has not been recapped or serviced.

I had the pots and interior cleaned thoroughly and put it into my main system. I have paired it with my Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 floor stander and demoted the Denon PMA S 10iii to my second system.

Initial impressions :

Much more musical, vocals are very clear and the bass tighter. Far better than the Denon for both movies and music. (Am amazed as the Denon is very good and is a special edition. Weighs over 35 kgs and rated 100w x 2 @ 8ohms and stable to 4 ohms)

I am having a few issues which I would like your help:

1. At first the volume was higher on the left channel compared to the right and there was a lot of hiss, and snap / thud sounds from the speakers when i flipped any switches. All that has gone away now but there is still hiss when i turn the volume knob all the way down. Advise Please?

2. When I increase the volume knob, the highs and mids get loud but the bass does not follow. It is balanced at low volumes to 25% of the volume knob turn, but higher than that the Bass does not increase in volume.

3. The meters on the CA 3000 Preamp are not aligned and need to be calibrated, Please advise on how to do this?

4. The Meters on the BA 3000 are not working, but they are unplugged, Please advise the schematic diagram so can plug them in and see if they are working.

5. I plan to get a total recap done, Need help with the Bill of materials and the brands of the capacitor that would be suited to this. I would like to upgrade the components as am in love with the amp sonically and cosmetically and would like to keep this for a long time.

6. I plan to change the Wharfedale Diamond 9.6 to B&W CM 10 S2, as feel that this amp is wasted with the Wharfedale as sounds constricted.

Thanks in advance for your kind advice.IMG_2096.JPG
 
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If you recap the CA you should fix all 100+ pass throughs while you have it tore apart.

While in there, change all the trouble maker transistors also.

Excellent gear. Can be no end of trouble until completely rebuilt.
 
Congrats , one of the best duets ever produced. Very sweet and Live sounding combos. I have the same and still working on ca3k , repair all messed up molex connectors and pass throughs. Excellent pair. As BLHAGSTROM says , you need a full restoration to claim peace of mind.
 
Very nice, the definition series are great units. Might want to post your location, there are likely some members who could assist with the restoration. Enjoy!
 
Congratulations on acquiring two very desirable units! I am probably going against the grain here, but I'm of the belief that if something is not broken, do not fix it. I acquired a BA-5000 and a CA-3000, and simply plugged them in and started listening. The BA-5000 is sonically lovely, and has been trouble-free for almost two years now, and the CA-3000 has exhibited only one negative symptom: if I do not engage either position of the low filter switch (not "out"), I do not get a signal in the left channel. I suppose I could have a go at analyzing and repairing this, but I'm not sure it's worth it.

In your case, it would appear that there is something a bit more serious with the tonal imbalance you mentioned. Keep us informed as to how this gets resolved. And, once again, congrats on the new toys!
 
When I acquired my CA-3000 it had the same symptoms with the lacking bass etc. (My rebuild thread is on here) It was a nightmare unit, bad rectifier in the power supply section, cut and direct soldered Molex's, bad pass-thrus etc. It was sold to me as fully functional and working great (seller must have been deaf). As the guys above said once its properly restored you will love it. I will not ever part with mine. When I first opened mine up I found several blown fuses in the power supply but it still functioned fully, so the unit will run on less than proper voltage, but it will not sound like it should of course. Nice pair! Once restored you will love it.
 
Congratulations, I picked up a CA-3000 about a year ago and had to go through each board to get rid of the hiss, pops and flutter. Fortunately, I did not have the pleasure of the Molex reaper going through my unit previously. However, the pass-through's are a pain and needs to be sorted out. Also, if someone else has had a go already, then beware of lifted tracks due to aggressive use of soldering iron. It was a lifted and broken track on the PSU board which resulted in no audio what so ever, until sorted.
 
Good point on the lifted traces Mano.. I use a Hakko FR300 de-soldering tool which heats and vacs out the holes all in one shot. It has control for heat and minimizes risk of harming the boards.

And that setup would likely melt Wharfdales. I know a lot of people seem to like Wharfdales but I have yet to hear a pair that does not sound muffled and choked up like the mid/high range is missing, the lows arent all that "low" etc. The few pairs I have heard sounded muffled like the Sansui SP-2000s to me. Again never owned a pair and only heard others of unknown condition as were the amps driving them.
 
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Not sure if I am posting in the right place or if any one can even help me. I just finished up a re-cap and restoration of a Sansui CA-3000 and the unit sounded great. I decided that I did not like one of the Panasonic caps I put in the F2493 power supply board it had a dent in it. When I had the board out and on my bench I got called away when I returned I found it in pieces on the floor seems as one of my lovely kids found a new use of the hammer. So I guess I am looking for a for someone that may have a spare board that they may be willing to sell.
 
Nick,

Sorry to hear of your misfortune. Would be best to start your own post with a specific subject line to the board replacement, you get better visibility.
 
Hi Friends, on the quest for better sound....

1. I am very pleased with the BA 3000 that has been recapped / restored. However, the left Gain potentiometer has a bit of crackle in it and feels lose as compared to the right. I am planning to change both the potentiometers to brand new Alps. FYI, they have been cleaned many times but the crackle comes back. Please advise.

2. The CA 3000 has been completed but has been giving issues with the main Volume Potentiometer. have cleaned it but the volume drops out at 25% volume, at 50% normalises and then at 75% the left channel goes out. If i need to change this, what would be a good replacement?

Thanks
 
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