Worth repairing amp or building new?

[Justinasia]

I have an Audiolab 8000s integrated amp. This amp has (had!) a remote control. Now, I have no remote, but the remote function is intefering. In "tape " position it occasinally gibes a click sound, and the red light comes on at the same time. In "tape 2" as soon as your turn the knob to that position, it just automatically rotates back to the top (CD)!

I am good with my hands, but have not done audio DIY before. What do you think. I have these two options I can see:
1) Try to dissable the motor on the knob or maybe the whole remote function (how??)
2) Build my own amp (pre and power I guess?) for under US$300. Is that a realistic price? Will that cost give me a sound as good as/better than this Audiolab amp? (Price not including phono stage).

Thank you all!
Justin

[lineup]

I don't know how old that Audiolab 8000 is
and I don't know anything about that amplifier.
But it sounds like it has had it days, done its service for some years.

I would go for a new amplifier project.
$300 is well enough
and you probably could build yourself 2 good quality amps for this sum.


What to do with that old Audiolab?
Try find someone that would like to buy it for a bargain price.
Maybe somebody that is able to fix it and use it or maybe sell it to others.

But another option is.
In a used amplifier can be many things you could reuse in your own projects
like:
chassis, transformers, heatsinks, connectors, wires, cables, LEDs, diodes, potentiometers, resistors, etc etc
maybe even some transistors and capacitors.
Will be some little job to demount components. And do some checking if they are still okay.

In both cases you will save some money, more or less.
Money that will make your new power amplifier a bit lower in costs.


lineup

[Justinasia]

If you think it is that easy to build for under $300, what projects do you recommend? And should it be integrated or separate pre and power? I would prefer something wich takes not too much time to make (I want to listen to music soon!)
Thank you!
Justin

[Amp_Nut]

Hi Justin,

I sense some reluctance from your side to simply disable the motor ( ideal would be to snip the power wire )

Also you say that yiou are new to DIY audio. I dont know if that means that you have not used a soldering iron before. Are you comfortable reading circuit diagrams ?

If not, maybe building good audio ampos from scratch is Rather ambitious. I would advice refrain....

Maybe a good starting point is to dive into your Audiolab amp and properly disable the remote. If you can do that....

Cheers

[Justinasia]

Originally posted by Amp_Nut
Hi Justin,

I sense some reluctance from your side to simply disable the motor ( ideal would be to snip the power wire )

Also you say that yiou are new to DIY audio. I dont know if that means that you have not used a soldering iron before. Are you comfortable reading circuit diagrams ?

If not, maybe building good audio ampos from scratch is Rather ambitious. I would advice refrain....

Maybe a good starting point is to dive into your Audiolab amp and properly disable the remote. If you can do that....

Cheers

I have not used a soldering iron since I was 16. But I would expect after a few minutes at it, it should be fine. Circuit diagrams? Can't remember how to decipher them! But if there is an easy guide, maybe okay? As for building from scratch - I would sooner wish for a bag with all the parts (or at least an easy to read list, and I can go shopping here in Tokyo for them!) and a good, easy to follow step by step set of instructions. As long as the instructions are followable to someone with intelligence but not experience, I think I will be fine. (So any suggestions on a suitable project?)

As for disabling the remote - how??

Thank you!
Justin

[elementx]

why not just find whatever motor/servo is turning your selector knob... and cut the power wires to it!

It's going to have to be mechanically connected to your knob shaft in some way... so it shouldn't be too hard to find.

[lineup]

hi
again

Did some web (re)search about audiolab 8000
Here are some results:

Quotes

"The 8000S integrated amplifier has been created with the famous 8000A as its inspiration"

"Well-built, reliable and good value for money,
as well as being capable of excellent performance."
http://www.audiolab.co.uk/model.php?id=1
.

I attach the Audiolab 8000A schematic. It looks VERY HIGH CLASS!
You should keep your amplifier, if it is something like that schematic.

Uses 2SC2922 + 2SA1216,
which are some of the best bipolar high power transistors you can get in this world!

Have a look at your big heatsink inside Audiolab 8000.
See if is the same big power transistors.
------------------------------------------------------


Do anything you can to repair that amplifier.
Get some help from some good audio repair shop in your city.
There are millions of persons in your country (Japan)
that are among the world's best when it comes to electronics.


lineup


Attachment:
Audiolab 8000A power amplifier Schematic

[sreten]

Originally posted by Justinasia
I
I am good with my hands, but have not done audio DIY before. What do you think. I have these two options I can see:
1) Try to dissable the motor on the knob or maybe the whole remote function (how??)
2) Build my own amp (pre and power I guess?) for under US$300. Is that a realistic price? Will that cost give me a sound as good as/better than this Audiolab amp? (Price not including phono stage).

Thank you all!
Justin

Hi,

you can't work out how to disable a motor ?
but you want to build an amplifier ? oh dear...........

The answers to question 2) are no and not a chance.

Get someone to fix / disable the remote on the Audiolab.

/sreten.

[Justinasia]

Originally posted by sreten


Hi,

you can't work out how to disable a motor ?
but you want to build an amplifier ? oh dear...........

The answers to question 2) are no and not a chance.

Get someone to fix / disable the remote on the Audiolab.

/sreten.

Well, I could try to work it out by trial and error, but then again with such an expensive piece of equipment I though it better to know what I was doing before I started. As I am no expert, I do not know of any side effects that might result from my giong in there snipping wires!! Also, it may be needing rather the whole remote control dection disabline, so, also I have no idea about that. So I tought someone may have some advice about that.
Thanks!
Justin

[lineup]

Originally posted by lineup

Do anything you can to repair that amplifier.
Get some help from some good audio repair shop in your city.
There are millions of persons in your country (Japan)
that are among the world's best when it comes to electronics.
.

Almost every shop that sells audio amplifiers
has got 1 or 2 service technicians, for repair jobs.
Or they have some other audio repairments service they use for this.
Tokyo is one of the largest cities in this world.
( In my own town lives only 4.000 perons, but we have audio repairs! )

If you can spend $300,
it would probably take much much less
to find a good audio repair man in Tokyo
to fix everything in your amplifier.

This is my last post in this topic.
Sorry man,
I do not like very much to tell my advices twice, two times, x2, repeatedly.

Regards
lineup