Technics SE-A7 Stereo Power Amplifier Service and Restoration

Ғылым және технология

This cosmetically pristine Technics SE-A7 was the perfect candidate for a full blown restoration. Everything from the filter capacitors to the rear I/O was replaced, guaranteeing the reliability and usability of this amplifier for years to come. While nothing was broken or damaged, preventative maintenance like this will ensure the working condition and stability of this amplifier as long as it is used within it’s limits.
As always, I appreciate all of the feedback you guys leave. Feedback and engagement on these videos is what drives me to make more. Let me know if you have any questions or comments, and I will try my best to get back to you as quickly as I can!
Technics SE-A7 on Audio-Database:
audio-database.com/TechnicsPa...
HiFiEngine:
www.hifiengine.com/manual_lib...

Пікірлер: 99

  • @paulanderson7796
    @paulanderson7796 Жыл бұрын

    Technics made some superb integrated and component amplifiers in this era. Many were like this, and didn't use discrete output stages. They played music absolutely beautifully.

  • @CristianIorga

    @CristianIorga

    4 ай бұрын

    "Didn't use discrete output stages?" I guess you wanted to say that Technics used discrete output stages (as opposed to integrated, for example Sony's use of STKs sometime). Right?

  • @paulanderson7796

    @paulanderson7796

    4 ай бұрын

    @@CristianIorga Technics did both. I have a couple of SU-V4X amps here that use the SVI2004A output IC.

  • @CristianIorga

    @CristianIorga

    4 ай бұрын

    @@paulanderson7796 My bad, you are right.

  • @willemanuel6580
    @willemanuel6580 Жыл бұрын

    Another fabulous restoration, job well done!

  • @frozzle
    @frozzle Жыл бұрын

    very hifi, i liked the part where he said “it’s slappin time” and then slapped the top of the amplifier over and over

  • @batmandestroys1978
    @batmandestroys1978 Жыл бұрын

    One of the most beautiful power amplifiers made! This item is priceless! I estimate, you would pay about $4000 for this amp today, if they made it to the spec you have carried out! You might just have the prefect power amplifier! It is, beautiful, small, slim and powerful!

  • @n.brucenelson5920

    @n.brucenelson5920

    Жыл бұрын

    I have a pair of the SE-7s and the matching pre-amp driving Magnepan .7s. The combination is absolutely amazing

  • @batmandestroys1978

    @batmandestroys1978

    Жыл бұрын

    @@n.brucenelson5920 Wow you are genius! You could never buy this set again if Technics remade it! it would easily over 10,000 dollars today and it would have less watts!

  • @n.brucenelson5920

    @n.brucenelson5920

    Жыл бұрын

    @@batmandestroys1978 This doesn't make me a genius at all. But it does make me very lucky. Thank you for your comments.

  • @batmandestroys1978

    @batmandestroys1978

    Жыл бұрын

    @@n.brucenelson5920 Bruce, you are a gentleman! Thank you Sir!

  • @user-fe3hs6oc3n
    @user-fe3hs6oc3n Жыл бұрын

    Beautiful amp, Very good job, Thank you for sharing

  • @Luckiestmanalive-bb1mi
    @Luckiestmanalive-bb1mi3 ай бұрын

    Wow - looks fantastic! Great work and I bet it sounds wonderful!

  • @zenithfashions5286
    @zenithfashions52868 ай бұрын

    Excellent design and beautiful sound quality ,love it

  • @stephencrozier396
    @stephencrozier396 Жыл бұрын

    Absolutely love your channel. Have binge watched most of your videos! Looking forward to the next one.

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for the kind comment! Glad you enjoy my channel! You will see more from me soon. Cheers

  • @VinylPro
    @VinylPro Жыл бұрын

    phenomenally great result !

  • @williamwong5627
    @williamwong5627 Жыл бұрын

    A clever and beautiful engineering design by Technics.

  • @adaboy4z
    @adaboy4z11 ай бұрын

    Excellent fabrication work! You can tell you pride your work and care for the Vintage equipment.

  • @adamkowalczyk5155
    @adamkowalczyk5155 Жыл бұрын

    Good job! Nice and slim amp.

  • @christof8704
    @christof8704 Жыл бұрын

    Cool video Connor, nice to see the restoration process. That amp sounded great at the headphone meet yesterday with a wide range of headphones

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks Chris! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂

  • @assistantto007
    @assistantto007 Жыл бұрын

    Very nice , superb workmanship.

  • @juan-HiFi
    @juan-HiFi Жыл бұрын

    Wow . We learn something new every day. thanks for the video

  • @Xantylon74
    @Xantylon745 ай бұрын

    Really nice work!

  • @raycimbalnik5159
    @raycimbalnik5159 Жыл бұрын

    Nice job and a very cool amplifier

  • @jonpatrick66
    @jonpatrick66 Жыл бұрын

    Great job 👍. I enjoyed it, every bit! Thank you for sharing.

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Glad you enjoyed! More to come soon! 😊

  • @batmandestroys1978
    @batmandestroys1978 Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic video! You are a genius! I love this video so much! Great job!

  • @AudioElectronicsChicago
    @AudioElectronicsChicago Жыл бұрын

    Beauty, a rare one

  • @naadbrahmasound2955
    @naadbrahmasound2955 Жыл бұрын

    Very Nice Work , of my favorite brand Technics

  • @Casualfulltime
    @Casualfulltime11 ай бұрын

    You are talented! Such a great fix/ upgrade.

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    9 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much!

  • @Johny666EU
    @Johny666EU Жыл бұрын

    well done, there is just a one think, after cleaning the board use Acrylic Conformal Coating Anti Corrosion for PCB's. they protect PCB from humidity and oxidation. it’s easy to use, just spray on board and after 15 min is super dry. i do that during my restoration.

  • @mat.b.
    @mat.b.8 ай бұрын

    really great job on this

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    6 ай бұрын

    Much appreciated!

  • @briancoish1695
    @briancoish16952 ай бұрын

    Nice work sir.

  • @mdzacharias
    @mdzacharias Жыл бұрын

    Outstanding!

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you!!!

  • @ford1546
    @ford1546 Жыл бұрын

    The reason why you should not use a 110v 230v noise filter on an amplifier is because of the noise coil inside the filter, which normally has relatively thin wires and behaves like a rubber band. When you turn up the volume and powerful bass hits, the current gets a kind of rubber band effect where current is held back.

  • @rainman3269
    @rainman3269 Жыл бұрын

    Fantastic work again Brother ... 😎

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    11 ай бұрын

    Thank you!

  • @bertramlefarge69
    @bertramlefarge6910 ай бұрын

    Great job. Thanks

  • @jasonpomare5639
    @jasonpomare5639 Жыл бұрын

    Good work my friend , 👍

  • @technics-n-thuiast8346
    @technics-n-thuiast83466 ай бұрын

    That is a cool slim design, especially for the era it was built when all amps were chunky and heavy. Looks like nowadays Class D amp. I do a lot of upgrades on Technics stuff too. Technics definitely didn't do that well back in the day regarding parts you did replace ( speaker terminals, IEC, ... ) so glad you have seen those week spots and address them :)

  • @allanjose9299
    @allanjose92994 ай бұрын

    I love your work, very clean professional looks better than Factory!

  • @clausolsen856
    @clausolsen856 Жыл бұрын

    Very very good video. I bought one including the pre amp SU-A8. And they play way above their league. Don't know how Technics did that, but they perform better than the SE-A5 and SU-A6 that I also own, go figure🙃 And that's without restoration... But thanks to your video, I will know get cracking on the pair😎 Keep them comming, the quality of your work is on another planet👍🙂

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks so much for watching and for the kind comment! I'm glad you enjoyed it and find it helpful! That is very interesting! I've been wanting to hear the SE-A3 and SE-A5 for a while now. This SE-A7 sounds fantastic. Good luck with restoring yours!

  • @tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120
    @tee-jaythestereo-bargainph212010 ай бұрын

    Great job thanks for the video

  • @tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120

    @tee-jaythestereo-bargainph2120

    9 ай бұрын

    I'd like to try amp with my Freya Pre !amp !!!! Can't find one online but about ro put me G8000 up for sale I hate to but it's so dam big !!! If that amp ever got redone by you OMG end game it's a Monster !!!

  • @sanolivo6867
    @sanolivo68676 ай бұрын

    This is one of the very few channels I have find, that really do restoration. Must channels just check and replace one or few comments and call it restored. That's just a service or quick repair.

  • @johnbravo7542
    @johnbravo7542 Жыл бұрын

    Your work is impeccable,you invest in the best tools to give you a professional as factory or better workmanship,you are the complete opposite to alot of repair techs on KZread,well Done!

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much! I really appreciate the support. I’m glad you enjoyed. More to come soon! 😊

  • @fredsk1
    @fredsk1 Жыл бұрын

    I really enjoy your vids. Just wondering, I've noticed you mention defluxing boards often and the result always looks very clean. Can you please share the process / tools / chemicals you use to do that?

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching and commenting! Glad you enjoy them! For defluxing circuit boards, I use a multi stage process which includes the use of 99% Isopropyl alcohol and a tooth brush. Hope this helps!

  • @ivanterekhov5369
    @ivanterekhov53694 ай бұрын

    Nice amp. I'm was thinking of replacing my current integrated Technics SU 8080 with with A7+A8 combo.

  • @DetroitAnalog
    @DetroitAnalog8 ай бұрын

    Class A Technics technology. I've owned several Technics amps over the years, but not this model. I still have and use several SE-9060 & SE-9070 2U rack amps. I've got several different classic/vintage Technics beyond that. I've only had one recapped/updated, and would like to redo them all eventually. If you would like to take on any of them for your youtube channel (for variety), I could pay you for the work done, and you could have a nice cross section of offerings for your viewers. You have a sensible, efficient, and professional way about your work. It shows. I be recommending your channel to a few serious gear lovers that will dig your videos. Glad to have found these myself. Please keep doing what you do. :0) Thanks, and be well.

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    6 ай бұрын

    Thank you for your kind words! Really glad you enjoyed the video. There are more to come soon. My schedule is currently full and I’m not taking in any work, but I have references if you’d like 👍🏼 You can also shoot me an email and I will try to get back to you when I can. Thanks again!

  • @mikemmikem2758
    @mikemmikem2758 Жыл бұрын

    Another great video. The Technics reminded me of a cooling fan I have from ACInifinity for my Denon 4700H that ran hot enough to fry and egg on until I got this power cooler. They have cooling options for any setup. And no I am not associated with them

  • @h0ll0wm9n
    @h0ll0wm9n8 ай бұрын

    Very high PRODUCTION values on this video. Camerawork, editing, pacing, narrating. I miss Maxxarcade's similar videos, so Prime HiFi is a great replacement! keep 'em coming, bro!

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    6 ай бұрын

    Thank you! I also miss Max’s videos. He was one of my many inspirations. More to come soon!

  • @jitrapornpha5104
    @jitrapornpha5104 Жыл бұрын

    Wish I could be this guys apprentice, but no, “Go to uni they said, see the world they said ..”

  • @alynicholls3230
    @alynicholls3230Ай бұрын

    They were one slot in hight due to the fact there was a corresponding pre amp you could get which made them standard hight when together.

  • @ashleycox432
    @ashleycox43210 ай бұрын

    nice restoration. I would have kept the power cable and probably the output terminals too though I can understand wanting to change them as they're not the best.

  • @paulschreuder4211
    @paulschreuder4211 Жыл бұрын

    Great restore and nice video! Tnx for sharing. I also (other viewers asked the same question) would like to know how you get those board so clean, they look great.

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! For defluxing circuit boards, I use a multi stage process which includes the use of 99% Isopropyl alcohol and a tooth brush. Hope this helps!

  • @PeterMilanovski
    @PeterMilanovski4 ай бұрын

    I would have loved to see a soldering iron on the heat pipe and it's effect through a thermal camera! The heat transfer should be almost instant at the other end! Otherwise whatever gas has been used might have leaked out, generally a heat pipe has a drop of water in it and then brought to a vacuum which the water being very good at transferring heat will vaporise into a gas under low atmospheric pressure at the place of heat contact and re condense at the other end....

  • @watdanuqta-mf5ms
    @watdanuqta-mf5ms10 ай бұрын

    Really nice. You do great work. Love it and I would have passed over this amp until looking at the interior images. Did you listen to it before the mods and what are the sonic differences?

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    9 ай бұрын

    Thank you! I noted better bass and impact, likely to do with the replacement of the aging capacitors and upgrading the rectifier. Cheers

  • @calvinb2450
    @calvinb24502 ай бұрын

    Great video thanks for posting. I have two of these I picked up on a lark from Goodwill and use as mono-blocks. I was shocked at the clarity as I had always regarded Technics as midrange consumer products. I have since found Technics did produce some quite good receivers and amps during the heyday of the Japanese consumer electronics "wars." I have a question though, on both the amps the FVD's, peak power meters are gone, do not register, does the mean the florescent tubes are finished or can one repair or find replacements? Thanks and was great to see other one of these SE-A7's in action. And oh, BTW, I was surprised at heavy each of these units are for something that would otherwise seem so "light-weight."

  • @edwardhippensteel138
    @edwardhippensteel138 Жыл бұрын

    Great job and great video! What value rectifier diodes did you use?

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    11 ай бұрын

    Thank you! I used UF5402 rectifier diodes if I remember correctly.

  • @johnbrewer2206
    @johnbrewer22064 ай бұрын

    Epic, you know what there Optonica SM-7304 is?

  • @BRIANMCKOY
    @BRIANMCKOY Жыл бұрын

    Nice Video, you do excellent work. I have a Technics SE-A3MK2 Amp and SU-A4MK2 Preamp. I was wondering, have you worked on the above models?

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you! And not yet! But I’d like to in the future! Cheers

  • @fredsk1
    @fredsk110 ай бұрын

    Thanks again for your vid, Connor. I got myself an SE-A7 finally and restored it too, so this was a great reference. I ended up using the exact same filter caps, BR diodes, and probably a lot of other similar parts. After I'd finished, I was looking at the (shitty) terminals on the back and I thought to myself "naw I ain't gonna do those... they will be fine". I greased them with some Shin Etsu and called it done. 3 days later one of the positive terminals snapped when I was trying to secure wire lol. So now I am putting the same cheap but cheerful 4mm sockets in as you with alu bracket. Feels a bit wrong leaving that terminal PCB flapping in the breeze... did you secure yours somehow? I see what you mean about the RCA's being an anchor point now. Oh, one other thing - was setting the auto load impedance adjustment a pain for you (6.5 ohm resistor and all that jazz) or did it work fine first go?

  • @paulanderson7796
    @paulanderson7796 Жыл бұрын

    Does this really need an overhaul? It looks box fresh to me.

  • @hashtag-shaneiacs
    @hashtag-shaneiacs Жыл бұрын

    Love the process and end result. Where can I find the cover for the old lamp cord power cable hole?

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    11 ай бұрын

    Thank you! I will try to find where I picked them up.

  • @jiarenlok9083
    @jiarenlok9083 Жыл бұрын

    Based

  • @TheJastaprasta
    @TheJastaprasta10 ай бұрын

    Hello, superb work ! Your video caught my attention to this amp. Now i have two power amps, pre amp and matching tuner. Is there a way to share parts list?

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    6 ай бұрын

    Thanks for your kind words! These are great amps. Glad you found them! As for the parts, I used what I had in stock. I didn’t put together a parts list for it. It is pretty straightforward though. Enjoy!

  • @vladimirdjokic5741
    @vladimirdjokic5741 Жыл бұрын

    Can you do the Optonica SM 7100 after the Sony?

  • @cajuncoinhunter
    @cajuncoinhunter4 ай бұрын

    Those banana jacks that you said were good quality , can I get a name or part # please ......

  • @jotasgasco
    @jotasgasco6 ай бұрын

    Hi Connor, love your videos, you inspired me to buy broken equipment to fix it in my free time, its been some time since i´m looking for low porfile banan jacks that are tight as those ones, the ones i´ve been getting my hands on are pretty crappy, could you tell the brand of those? THank you a lot, keep up those vids!

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    6 ай бұрын

    Thank you! It makes me happy to hear that I inspired you to work on equipment! The binding posts I used can be found on Amazon here: CESS Black and Red Banana Female Jack Socket - 4mm Banana Female Connector a.co/d/36eYira Cheers!

  • @jotasgasco

    @jotasgasco

    6 ай бұрын

    Thank you a lot! @ConnorG

  • @vladimirdjokic5741
    @vladimirdjokic5741 Жыл бұрын

    Now get the SU A8 so you can complete the collection. 👍

  • @larryhazelwood5491
    @larryhazelwood54919 ай бұрын

    Matushita made Technics and Panasonic.

  • @hatnay
    @hatnay Жыл бұрын

    Cuold you let me know how I can use your service

  • @marcoantoniojoaquim1797
    @marcoantoniojoaquim1797 Жыл бұрын

    Perfeito me de papai

  • @jerryandlisa27
    @jerryandlisa27 Жыл бұрын

    What's your take on yamaha mx2 stack got it for 200 for both .

  • @batmandestroys1978

    @batmandestroys1978

    Жыл бұрын

    Well done! Great system, great price!

  • @mennims
    @mennims3 ай бұрын

    Germanium diodes for feedback loop are damaged by now. Your amp won't sound good, and it may report a good THD, but the DC offset is unstable.

  • @a.f.1587
    @a.f.15876 ай бұрын

    Why do you change the rectifiers? Those are the components which super rarely fail, if they do their job, why to change them? THey are not caps, they won't change they characteristics after time, like caps... And what does "better quality" rectifier means? How exactly the new diodes do improve anything? I don't really get that part.

  • @PrimeHiFi

    @PrimeHiFi

    6 ай бұрын

    Installing higher current capable soft recovery diodes is a big upgrade for the power supply. They run quieter and cooler.

  • @freewheeler2050
    @freewheeler2050 Жыл бұрын

    ive got two of these amps can you do mine lol

  • @PoppinWheeliez
    @PoppinWheeliez5 ай бұрын

    I use a small chissle to get the glue off. I have to wonder why you would ever bother spending time or money on this amp.

  • @Hr.0ldenberg
    @Hr.0ldenberg Жыл бұрын

    Was quatschst der so viel, wir wollen die Dose von innen sehen.. Vorspann eine Menge blablabla! ‼️

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