AX-700

Bratwurst7s

In The Frying Pan
Subscriber
I recently bought an AX-700 that I'm fixing up for my daughter.

I plan to recap it and have found good caps for everything except for 2x 680µF 80v Nichicon Muse. I can only find caps of a much lower quality. Anybody have any advice here?

Cheers,
James
 
Thanks Karl. I should have known it would be you that would be the first to answer.

Since this amp is moving forward as a project I thought it was time to start it's own thread. For others, starter info can be found in Karl's "The Yamaha A-7xx series" thread starting with post #44.
http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=544156

The amp will be getting new caps (except for the big filter caps at this point) and idle current trim pots. Photos to follow as it moves along.

Cheers.
James

Edit: Capacitor replacement parts list, updated and corrected for service manual errors 04 Feb 2017.
Edit: In the hope of helping others I made a small list of where the elco caps are located on the pcbs. 18 April 2015
 

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As of today there is a second AX-700 in my apartment, this time a silver one. This was given to me by the fellow that owns the A-1020 that I fixed (with a lot of friendly help).

Originally I was planning on giving it to a young friend as a housewarming gift for the house that he just bought. But he told me today that since it doesn't have a remote that he doesn't want it. So next I went to the friend that helped me repair the A-1020 and asked him if he would like to have it after I cleaned it up and checked it out. No. It's too large and silver.

OK. So after that I went to a 3rd work friend and asked him. He isn't sure. He wants a remote and isn't sure that it will be better than the old Sony that he's using to power his Quadral's even though it has more power and will sound very clean.

I never thought that it would be so hard to give away an amp. Well, it's on my workbench now and we'll see what happens after I get it cleaned up and recapped.

Cheers,
James
 

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... and the AX-700 is such a nice amp!

If you post this in the Solid State forum - new thread - as "a no-remote nice amp hard to give it away" in these post-modern times, vintage fans will chime in... :yes:
 
... and the AX-700 is such a nice amp!

If you post this in the Solid State forum - new thread - as "a no-remote nice amp hard to give it away" in these post-modern times, vintage fans will chime in... :yes:

Yes, it really is a nice amp. My goal these days is to set up some of my younger friends that have never really enjoyed a 2-channel system with something sweet that they can expand on.

Lately karma has been pushing some nice things my way and I'll be feeding the fire by paying it forward. I have a list of potential victims lined up in the crosshairs. Have no fear, this amp will find a good home.

Cheers,
James
 
If you were in the states I would gladly accept your karma! I have run into this same phenomena when I have tried to give gear away.:yes:
 
So the black AX-700 that's going to my second daughter is going to be paired with some Canton Karat 60's that were given to me on the weekend. They sound very good together. I just finished listening to Greatful Dead's American Beauty through them and am very impressed. The speakers are very well balanced, very clear, great mids and powerful bass, and the Yamaha drives them effortlessly.

This under less than optimal listening conditions (small room, speakers not at the same height etc) and used with a old Phillips CD player that doesn't have very good dynamic range (only 86db if memory serves). Correctly placed in a larger room with a better source I think that this will be a killer amp/speaker combo.

I had previously planned to pair some MB Quart 800's with the amp (after getting the tweeters rebuilt) but those speakers are now on the back burner. The sweet thing about this is that the speakers were given to me on my daughers birthday (the amp was her birthday present) so I was able to call her up and let her know that her birthday present had just gotten expanded.

Cheers,
James
 
I love your threads about finding wayward Yamaha amps, fixing them up and finding them good homes. You're a Yamaha foster parent, ha.

I've been inspired by your A-500 thread and found an A-500 and T-500 for sale pretty locally that I'm going to pick up this weekend.
Once I'm done with a few other projects I plan to go through it and then give to a friend who's expressed interest in building a system.
You've started an international Yamaha repair and rehoming service!
 
Thanks for the kind words. I'm happy to be learning from all of this and helping my friends. The A-500/520 is imho a very sweet amp that goes somewhat unnoticed as everybody is concentrating on the big cannons. I hope that your new project A-500/T-500 brings your friend many years of audio happiness!

This is a Movement. Instead of lamenting on the decline of good audio we can instead plant the seed and do something posative.

Since my last post I've found a future home for the silver AX-700. It's going to the friend that has the Quadral Quintos 135s speakers. His Sony TA-Something-that-I-forget only outputs around 28 watts so I'm hoping that the AX will be a nice improvement for him.

All of these Yami projects are on the back burner for a couple of weeks while I concentrate on my speakers. But I'll be putting together another big Mouser order in a week or so and getting caps for the 700 as well as for my AX-1090 and some other stuff. I need to bring that amp back to the workbench and look it over. It's started to drop out randomly when Pure Direct is switched on. I hope that it's only a dirty switch but am thinking that after 18 years perhaps it's time for new relays.

The small Onkyo receiver that was gifted to me has found a new home also. It's going to a young co-worker that is just starting out building a familly and doesn't have any kind of sound system. We still have to find him some speakers etc but that will happen.

Cheers,
James
 
It's weird how the AX series is only seemingly given away, rather than sold. I've been given two, personally... and I, in turn, passed those two right along. But not without enjoying (and restoring!) them first. ;) A bit harsh on the ears perhaps, but otherwise nice performers. Although that harsh bit should rather indicate that they are bad amps...
 
Thanks for the kind words. I'm happy to be learning from all of this and helping my friends. The A-500/520 is imho a very sweet amp that goes somewhat unnoticed as everybody is concentrating on the big cannons. I hope that your new project A-500/T-500 brings your friend many years of audio happiness!

This is a Movement. Instead of lamenting on the decline of good audio we can instead plant the seed and do something posative.

Cheers,
James

I like the idea of this movement. Rescuing quality electronics from the dump and rescuing friends from bad audio. Good fun.

The A500/T500 is pretty much impossible to pass up with the detailed repair thread you put together. Even if I had no recipient in mind it looks like a really fun project with the outcome being a nice little amp.
 
I like the idea of this movement. Rescuing quality electronics from the dump and rescuing friends from bad audio. Good fun.

The A500/T500 is pretty much impossible to pass up with the detailed repair thread you put together. Even if I had no recipient in mind it looks like a really fun project with the outcome being a nice little amp.

I have been very fortunate lately as far as receiving donated gear, and somehow I have the feeling that as long as I keep moving that gear into the hands of people that need it more will arrive to feed the flow. We'll see what happens.

Unless you plan on starting your own thread please feel free to add as much info as you like to my A-500/A-520 thread, and this one for that matter should you come across an AX-700. Every bit of new info helps.

Cheers,
James
 
It's weird how the AX series is only seemingly given away, rather than sold. I've been given two, personally... and I, in turn, passed those two right along. But not without enjoying (and restoring!) them first. ;) A bit harsh on the ears perhaps, but otherwise nice performers. Although that harsh bit should rather indicate that they are bad amps...

One AX that will never be given away is my AX-1090. Ive had it for 18 years now and it's like an old friend. Although lately it's started randomly dropping out when switched to Pure Direct. As soon as I get my workbench cleared of some other projects the 1090 will be getting some TLC and it's own thread.

I think that it's great that you are passing gear on to other people. I've noticed a lot of that sort of behavior here at AK and that's what has inspired me to start doing the same.

Cheers,
James
 
One AX that will never be given away is my AX-1090. Ive had it for 18 years now and it's like an old friend. Although lately it's started randomly dropping out when switched to Pure Direct. As soon as I get my workbench cleared of some other projects the 1090 will be getting some TLC and it's own thread.

That will be nice to follow... If replacing any caps, would be a good first report, when measuring their capacitance and ESR, on paper or spreadsheet for the record/database.
Probably you'll find some Elna's Tonerex/Duorex 90°C series caps in the amp, same era when Rubycon's Black Gate "ruled" in the Hi-End market.
I haven't seen these caps being replaced (very often) yet...
 
680µF 80v (Panasonic): http://www.banzaimusic.com/Panasonic-TSHA-680uF-80V.html (Banzai, Germany)

680µF 100v (Elna Audio): http://www.banzaimusic.com/Elna-LAO-680uF-100V.html
--------------------
820µF 80v (Nichicon KS): http://www.banzaimusic.com/Nichicon-KS-820uF-80V.html

Well, I split the difference so to say and ordered 2 of the Panasonics and 2 of the Elnas today. In the next few days I'll be making a Mouser order for the rest of the caps etc for the silver 700.

Cheers,
James
 
Just made a large order from Mouser, caps for both amps including some subs of higher voltage for all of the back ordered parts in order to move these projects along. I just don't feel like waiting till July to finish them. Also ordered a bunch of Bourns trim pots.

Cheers,
James
 
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