New member here - recently got my grubby paws on what appears to be a well cared-for / clean 1st-gen FET-9 from the original owner.
I HAVE searched for related posts, but most of them are several years old.
My thoughts / questions:
Given its almost 30 year age - I plan to preemptively replace only those components that are prone to leakage / degradation, which points to the Electrolytic Caps. I have also read that the selectors and Pots are of a SEALED type - so NO spray-cleaner on those.
I’m also a big believer in the “if it ain’t broke - don’t fix it” theory, so I want to address potential problems, but with a MINIMAL approach.
Q1. I’m thinking Panasonic for the Power Supply Section and Silmic II’s for those associated with the Signal Path Biasing. Is that still recommended?
Q2. Are there any other items worth attention on the initial go-Round?
Looking at the External Power Supply - my impression (no insult to the original designer intended) is that it seems pretty “wimpy” for something used to power a high-end unit. I know that this IS a pre-Amp, and it has a relatively low current draw, and that the “fancy-pants” regulation takes place on the main unit Motherboard. However- My Product Research on the FET-9 & 10 family has shown the substantially upgraded units that were provided later.
Initially, I plan to just update the filter caps and try it. -BUT-
Q3. For those of you who have Upgraded or Replaced the Power Supply:
3A. Was it worth the effort and cost?
3B. What did you actually do?
I HAVE searched for related posts, but most of them are several years old.
My thoughts / questions:
Given its almost 30 year age - I plan to preemptively replace only those components that are prone to leakage / degradation, which points to the Electrolytic Caps. I have also read that the selectors and Pots are of a SEALED type - so NO spray-cleaner on those.
I’m also a big believer in the “if it ain’t broke - don’t fix it” theory, so I want to address potential problems, but with a MINIMAL approach.
Q1. I’m thinking Panasonic for the Power Supply Section and Silmic II’s for those associated with the Signal Path Biasing. Is that still recommended?
Q2. Are there any other items worth attention on the initial go-Round?
Looking at the External Power Supply - my impression (no insult to the original designer intended) is that it seems pretty “wimpy” for something used to power a high-end unit. I know that this IS a pre-Amp, and it has a relatively low current draw, and that the “fancy-pants” regulation takes place on the main unit Motherboard. However- My Product Research on the FET-9 & 10 family has shown the substantially upgraded units that were provided later.
Initially, I plan to just update the filter caps and try it. -BUT-
Q3. For those of you who have Upgraded or Replaced the Power Supply:
3A. Was it worth the effort and cost?
3B. What did you actually do?