CA-810 Restoration

I did go back and make little hooks for the mini-grabbers out of the test point wires. No more slippage and the insulation now just stays in place at the end of the wire. No photos for now as I've put the faceplate and knobs back on and have been giving a listen. No chance to do really detailed listening, but the voices on some of the music I test with seem to stand out a little more defined than on the NAD/Rotel combo in our main system. Mark Knopfler's voice on "Your Latest Trick" was almost floating. I've read opinions on the Cerafine caps lending great midrange, so maybe... I didn't really "voice" the amp with just one type of cap though. There's a mix of audio caps, along with the KL, some film, and then low ESR, high temp caps if not in the audio path. I also swapped in some of my Dale RN60Cs for R's in the audio path, so that could be helping with the detail in the music. Can't test the MC phono section, but the two other phono inputs sound nice. Also haven't tested the tape ins/outs, but I don't suspect any problems.

But for now...:music: sweet :music:
 
Very nice work. I just had mine restored and it sounds great!
 

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Brian said:
Just how many of those caps were out of spec.? Did you check the resistors?
Click to expand...

Hopefully you just want a data point vs. coming down on someone who chose to recap whether or not they tested bad. Here's a recent thread from the SS forum. Different unit, company, etc., but also newer piece of gear. For the trouble it takes to desolder, test, and then reinsert (and I doubt most of us have a "true" capacitor tester anyway which can check capacitance, leakage, ESR...), it's just as easy to put a new cap in there and not worry about it. 20-25% testing bad or nearly so is validation enough for me to recap at this age, especially if there's also other damage that is known.

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=646877

FWIW, I did check the resistors around certain areas when restoring this amp and found most well within tollerance...even ones that had a little corrosion due to the Yamaha glue. Same with diodes. I replaced some of them anyway just so I didn't have to take things apart again. All the fusistors did get replaced with either metal oxide or metal film for their flameproof ability since one was open and others were starting to go high in value.
 
No Vinyl

I gave a little attention to the cabinet yesterday. Used my heat gun to warm the glue and peel the vinyl away since it was damaged. I then used isopropyl alcohol to soften the glue left behind on the plywood cabinet so it could be scraped off. Then some sanding of he wood and wire brushing the grills til bare metal as there were some rust areas. They then got a coat of clear lacquer, while the cabinet got stained with Provincial, followed by a coat of Light Walnut Danish oil. Wanting it a little darker, I did a quick second coat of Black Walnut and let it soak a bit before wiping away. I may do one more coat of the BW later after a light sanding.

Definitely passable, though new Walnut or other veneer would make it really nice.

Meter bulbs got replaced, as well as the last couple resistors in the audio path that I didn't have in stock before. Guess I should have wiped the fingerprints before taking the shots though.:D

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What Was Replaced

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and paired with my CT-810

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Looking forward to receiving a sheet of Cherry veneer from Eric to really make these look nice and one of a kind (enough to also do my CA-800).
 
Thank you very much Jheu02. I learned much from this thread. Your taking the time to take all the pictures is much appreciated. I know my buddy Jeremy and I were using this thread as some guidance to repair the CA-610 for his pops.

We have the lights from dgwojo and will install them tomorrow. He is excited to take this home for Easter. His father was told it was not repairable.
 
Thanks for putting this on-line for all to enjoy and learn from. It was a lot of work, but I am sure it was all worth it, now you can sit back and enjoy the music for many years.
 
Gorgeous work, makes me miss mine. I just sold my CA-810 and CT-810 a month ago.

Again, fantastic work.

How does it sound, post-rebuild?
 
onwardjames said:
Gorgeous work, makes me miss mine. I just sold my CA-810 and CT-810 a month ago.

Again, fantastic work.

How does it sound, post-rebuild?
Click to expand...

I posted a quick review in this thread of a little listening test I did after getting back together. Sounds fantastic. I showed it to one of my daughters as I was taking these latest pics and played a couple tunes for her on it (she's into vintage stuff like this) and she mentioned that she really liked the midrange/vocals...how they stood out. I hadn't mentioned anything to her about the rebuild and that I had used some Cerafine caps in the audio path. So, there must be something to them that others have noted.

I noticed it during my listening tests, but wasn't sure if it was due to expectation bias, since I put them in there specifically to see if that would happen. I forget who did a detailed cap shootout on a Marantz receiver, comparing it when recapped with FC, vs. KZ, vs. Silmic II, vs. Cerafine. Anywho, I used a combination of caps to not overly flavor the sound in any one way. Perhaps I got the balance just right, bringing just enough detail to the midrange to make it shine.
 
Excellent! :tresbon:

Nice tuner too! Are you planning to recap it? Usually I replace the PSU caps and new rectifiers in my vintage tuners...
 
Karl vd Berg said:
Excellent! :tresbon:

Nice tuner too! Are you planning to recap it? Usually I replace the PSU caps and new rectifiers in my vintage tuners...
Click to expand...

Already did several years ago. Added sockets to swap ceramic filters, new caps, removed the 300ohm balun and I may have even used some Shottkey diodes in there. i'd been trying to find the CA-810 to pair with it, but it arrived in non-working condition and it took me several years get around to tackling it as I gained experience. Didn't take many photos, but the thread is here.
 
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Veneered

Thought I'd update this thread with the real wood veneer photos after stripping the case. Not perfect, but not too bad for a first attempt at veneering anything other than edge banding. These are cross-posted in DIY.

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Can you provide me with a parts list of the replacement parts? I just purchased a CA-810 of craigs for a buck and a half. Lamps are out. Cosmetics are around an 8. I'll hook it up tonight during the premier of "Fear the Walking Dead".

I sold my CA-1010 and CT-1010 a few years ago (regretted it). This one popped up from an estate so I decided WTF. It's an extra unit right now for me. If this works I'll put my Harman Kardon 330B up in Barter town.

Wish me luck.
 
I have recently completed my LED conversion on the burnt out meter lights, now I would like to recap. John or Karl VD Berg your work and attention to detail is outstanding! Do either of you have a capacitor list? Normally I disassemble and make list but am currently away from home for two weeks and would like order them now. I would greatly appreciate a PM or a post with the list. :beerchug:

Thanks,
Kyle
 
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