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I inquired recently regarding restoration of my vintage SS Sony 5950 tuner. In my request I mentioned in a general way that I'd like replacement of some of the 30+ year old electrolytics (i.e. power supply caps, etc.). The person, who was recommended elsewhere, said that he NEVER replaces caps unless they are proven bad. My feeling was that being proactive as opposed to reactive might save larger, future trouble. The person responded that he had NEVER seen an electrolytic cap go bad in a tuner and kinda mocked me for wanting mine replaced.
Follow Ups:
I have one in my family's system and it's fine as is. Perfect.
for what its worth.....2 reasons to swap electrolytics are:
1) Safety - this is where you replace aging caps that *could* cause other damage or, worse case, spectacular flame-outs. This includes, IMHO, power supply caps especially those in high voltage circuits found in tube gear.
2) Audio improvements - this would include caps in the audio chain of the amp or elsewhere in the RF amp, IF amp, detector and demod circuits.
You don't want to mess with Reason #1 and I consider that non-negotiable. Reason #2 is where you can take your time. However, if you're already having work done for Reason 1, it makes sense to do the work of Reason 2.
Hope that helps.
Cheers,
Considering that even new AEL's are known for their imperfect lifespan it seems a curious thing for a tech to say and immediately brings to question the dudes credibility. I can see how one might come to that philosophy trying to cut costs and or time. Too me it seems that would be the single component that should be replaced as a matter of course without a whole lot of second thought due to the known imperfect lifespan, especially for a piece of vintage gear intended for duty.
can't hurt, unless your not capable. I have a 10b with the original electrolytics in the power supply. I would probably not do the job myself unless I needed to, (My dad always said, don't fix it unless it's broken) but the job is up to you.
Tubes forever
Will you not have to realign the tuner after recapping? who is going to do this?
Replacing power supply caps has nothing to do with alignment. And I'll bet your dad didn't really practice "if it ain't broke don't fix it" fully. Did he drive tires until they failed or did he replace them when the tread wore out? Replacing 'lytics on old equipment beats the hell out of one exploding.
the electrolytics. thought it was a possibility that the alignment might change because of the different values in the circuit. Does that make any difference?
...this is what I figure, too. I was kind of questioning my own instincts and waht I have learned as this guy was supposed to be a "guru" of sorts.
nt
...in my request anyway, an alignment was the FIRST thing mentioned.
and an alignment will also help. You'll find the sound quality very much improved after this. While you're at it the caps in the audio section should probably be replaced also.I'd be very wary of a tech who says not to replace caps that are 30 years old. They don't cost much and can cause bigger problems in the long run. Whatever you do don't go back to that guy.
The person I recommend for this work is Mike Williams of Radio X. He's very reasonable and does good work. That's why it takes a couple of months to get your work done. He does however keep the most picky tuner fanatics happy.
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