Liangshan Marsh Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 I am thinking to buy the AR-AU as needed repair condition for $200 from my friend so I post this thread needing some help for fixing it. Hope I can DIY from the help because It costs me more then $200 if I take it to repair shop and the total price is over $400 , too much for me... Its power up with little music , pops a crack static noise to the speakers. I measured the DCV out at -13.00 dvc.. does that issue call DC voltage upset..? Other wise It is quieter then some other working AR integrated amplifier when turns on the power that I had saw from friends and the Hifi stores.. With that issue do I just need replace couple CAPS, Filters, other parts and done or needing a bigger job ... Thanks so much for any opinion or recommend for fixing it. ...Oh, the big yellow Caps at the right bottom, what is that caps for and has it ever need to replace when restore or it works for lifetime..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 Lack of experience and limited budget are not a good combination for a project of this magnitude. I would pass if I were you. Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilson Posted May 3, 2016 Report Share Posted May 3, 2016 You might try posting this at Audiokarma.org in the solid state forum. You may well get some help here but if anyone's going to walk you through a repair they will probably be over there. That big orange capacitor is the power supply filter cap and it almost surely needs to be replaced. Wish I knew enough to help you - good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 I completely disassembled & rebuilt one of these over 25 years ago, including all of the subsequent service updates that the amp had acquired over the years. At the time, I had been in contact with AB Tech's Alex Barsotti (late of Acoustic Research), and he was very helpful in finding replacement output transistors, and the multiple-value PS cap. Some of the board transistors had gone extinct, and exact replacements were difficult to locate, even then. It's a very idiosyncratic design - lots of tight spaces, and parts-stuffing that look like an afterthought - I won't say kludge - make it a very unfriendly amp to service. I owned an original, and I loved it - it had that terrific austere appearance of 1960's AR products, and played very well with their speakers, but under the hood - yikes! If you're concerned about expense, or have never built a Dynakit or Heathkit, this might not be for you. Take a good look at the amplifier's Service Manual in the library, and work your way through the schematic, for an idea of what you'd be dealing with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
der Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 I owned one for about 10 years back in the 70's and it was nothing but problems. Finally, it got to the point that no one would fix it in my area. Actually, I never thought it sounded that great and often wondered why in the hell I bought it in the first place. It did look nice I guess. der Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
owlsplace Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Just looking at it I would be tempted to gut it and put something current in the box -- also not so easy. Looks like the output is transformer coupled so maybe it has a suave smooth sound from the 60s ... Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liangshan Marsh Posted May 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Thanks owlsplace, wilson, der so much for an advice, especial ar-pro for the practical experience. I absolutely do not know well about electricity DIY and have never built a Dynakit or Heathkit so I think I may pass this buy... BTW the AR Amp main parts operated a short time comparing to other vintage brand amplifier that they are still working good to now and less problems than the AR Amp..? So now if we buy a completely disassembled & rebuilt one with the modern parts in auction site or electronic repaired shop... Does the Amp sound original ,sweet warm likes tube and extend its operation time..? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ar_pro Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 Roger - Tom Tyson once explained the idea & function of the output transformers in the AR amplifier circuit, so it's somewhere on this site. My recollection is that this amplifier could never be mistaken for a vacuum tube model; it had none of the qualities that solid state Mac designs with their autoformer outputs have. While I really enjoyed that first AR amplifier for a couple of years, I have to say that it looked a lot better than it sounded, and having been through the thing, can find little to get excited about. It's absolutely one of my all-time favorite components in appearance, though. Liangshan - my personal opinion is that the AR amplifier never actually sounded sweet & warm. It was relatively quiet and powerful, but it didn't have trhe same sort of "romantic" quality that the classic-era AR speakers posessed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xmas111 Posted May 4, 2016 Report Share Posted May 4, 2016 A buddy of mine bought one of those amps about 5 years ago. It had an intermittent static issue. He asked me if I'd be interested in recapping it and a general overall service. I've built many Heathkits including their AR-15 receiver which was a beast over the years. Also reapped/rebuilt many amps and receivers along the way. After looking inside his AR amp I said.......think I'll pass on this one! Everything is crammed in there like ar_pro said and as you can see in the picture Liangshan Marsh posted. Plus I had also read that that amp is not a friendly piece of equipment to work on and many parts are near impossible to track down. But it is a sweet looking 60's era amp! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.