Sony TA-E77ESD Preamplifier Re-Cap - BOM and probably other questions...

[seventy1]

So, I definitely have the feeling of "what did I get myself into..." with my second recap project. The number of boards and jumper wires really has me wondering if I'll ever get this puzzle back together. I do have lots of photos and I labelled everything, separate bags for groups of fasteners, etc..

Anyway, my first cry for help is in the main power cap selection. After looking under the power board, I see that the original Nichicon Great Supply 4700uF 63v have blade or lug type terminals with 15mm spacing. I ordered Nichicon LLS 4700uF 100v that have snap-in terminals with 10mm spacing. I read another post on recapping this model and @CohibaJoe used Nichicon LKGs that have the same 10mm snap-in terminals, so do these fit? I chose the LLS over the LKG because of better specs, but they don't have the cool jacket.

I know modern caps are typically smaller, but these are much smaller, 30x52 vs. 40x65. The originals seem much more substantial in size and terminals but I can't find anything similar on DK. I expect this is a common question so I did search first, but am probably not using the right description. Thanks for any help and if you're reading this today, Happy Easter!

Sony TA-E77ESD Capacitor BOM

Service Manual - Sony TA - E77ESD

Lug type terminals

Replacement snap-in terminals

Size comparison, new LLS just placed next to Great Supply

 

[seventy1]

The smallest lug terminal I can find is a Nichicon LKG1J682MKN 6800uF 63v, 35x68. Should I go way up in capacitance to get the right terminals?

 

[seventy1]

Well, no input from the AK experts so far... I think I'll just pull the originals and see how hard it will be to adapt the snap-in's to the board. Based on what I've read, if I increase capacitance from 4700uF to 6800uF in order to get the right terminals, I risk tripping the protection circuitry on start-up.

 

[saabracer23]

Where did you read that if you go up in capacitance that you’ll trip protection? I’d think going up 2100uf in capacitance would be just fine.

Dan

 

[seventy1]

Thanks, Dan. I already straightened, twisted and soldered the snap-in terminals. The spacing of the tweaked terminals was just wide enough. I'll go with these, at least for the time being.

 

[seventy1]

Does anyone have any suggestions on Op Amp upgrades? I'm not interested in the D/A function, so I'd only want to replace them in the analog circuit, but I only see one in the phono stage. Here's a dumb question - does this mean that the preamp amplification is all through discrete components?

IC201 - Eq Output/Phono NJM5532D-D

 

[PTL-Pioneer]

I love the Sony es series have a 670es. Please take plenty of pictures and post your efforts up as reference for the next guy/gal.

 

[seventy1]

Well, it's all back together and to my surprise, working perfectly! I spent a lot of time carefully routing the wiring as described in the excellent post on Agoraquest by David_S. I didn't reduce wiring length as he described, but did follow his power and audio signal wire routing layout.

I won't go into a lot of details about the recap since I think this model has been covered by David_S. and @CohibaJoe here. My BOM linked at the top of this thread will tell you exactly what parts I used. I built the BOM mostly from the Sony Service Manual parts list before disassembly and found it to be 100% accurate. Every capacitor ordered was what I needed. PCB labels were also accurate. Packaging on the board was tighter than expected. I took more than one step up in voltage ratings in a few cases and the replacements were considerably larger than the originals. It took some creative lead offsets in a couple of cases. I primarily used Elna Silmic II in the audio paths and Nichicon UHE for power circuits. I found the UHEs had better specs than the audio-only caps.

I'm very happy with the results. Before the recap, I thought the Sony sounded nice, but thin and harsh when compared to the Luxman R115 I was using as a preamp. The new caps are still settling in, but I can tell a significant improvement, a big step toward full, rich and clean. The phono stage is much improved too. The Elna's aren't nearly as flashy as the original green Nichicon Muse, but they do sound nice. All in all, a satisfying project with great results. This one's a keeper, just need a Sony ES tuner to match...

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