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Accuphase E 202 rebuild - worth it?

I have had my 202 collecting dust for a while now. It's beautiful to look at but a bit noisy in some of the controls. I came across someone on ebay who is offering repairs/rebuild on this model. For $600 he does the following (see below) and was hoping for some thoughts, comments, words of encouragement or otherwise, etc.

THE AD STATES:

1. New Power Capacitors using Nippon or Cornell Dubilier LONG LIFE capacitors

2. All audio and protection board electrolytic capacitors replaced with Nichicon Audio MUSE Capacitors

3. New power diodes if current set is noisy under analysis

4. Level Meters adjusted as per manufacturer specifications and incandescent bulbs replaced with super-bright LED's (optional service at no extra cost. Blue, White or Amber LED's)

5. Phono boards upgraded with Nichicon Gold Audio and Polycarbonate / Polypropylene Capacitors

6. High precision trimmers installed for Bias and Speaker offset voltage adjustments to manufacturer specification

7. Main panel Switches and Controls cleaned internally with contact cleaner

8. General cleaning of unit internally and externally

9. Silver Solder 4% WBT / CARDAS used for all soldering work

This restoration ensures that your unit will continue to perform at it's best and should result in a significant improvement in Audio
kublakhan
8 responses Add your response
willmacc's avatar
willmacc
80 posts
 
Looking at an E-202 for sale in Thailand, with wood case. Approx $750. It has a nasty scratch on the chrome left edging, the part that sticks out. I wonder if there is a way to fill or polish that out.
The holy grail for me would be the E-303X, just something about the overall look of that amp, a real statement piece. 
fdelros's avatar
fdelros
3 posts
 
Hi everyone,

I am looking to buy an Accuphase E-202. If anyone in here would like to get rid of his, please let me know. Thanks!
mechans
3,048 posts
 
I owned an Accuphase preamp from that era. I can't remember the model number but it was their first pre. I loved all the flexibility and aesthetics, the sound is lush warm and smooth. I let it go in a trade after channel became intermittent.
The work sounds like an over the top re-cap. I know I would be hesitant to shell out that much. I would at least do some comparative pricing for the work. A recap after all this time sounds sensible.
If you get it repaired/re-capped use it some where, these Accuphases do have a special quality about them thaty is hard to describe beyond what I have already said already.
dklk
38 posts
 

That price seems pretty steep. The boards in Accuphase equipment and easy to work on. That should cut down on shop time. The most costly part of a rebuild....JMHO
jedinite24's avatar
jedinite24
1,503 posts
 
For me it depends on what you want to do with the Accuphase E202. If you want to sell it after the repair you won't make much profit. I checked some prices of the E202's that have sold recently and the range was $450 to $721 before shipping. The $535 to $595 price tag of the mod plus round trip shipping it will take the price paid to over $600.

Now if you were keeping it that could be a different story. I was gifted an near mint condition E-202 that I had reviewed by a tech and the repair costs weren't much. The E202 sounded great with a pair of Ohm Walsh 2 speakers or KEF Q300 speakers I had at the time. The other thing I like about it is you can use it as an amp or integrated at the flick of a switch. A feature I haven't seen often in integrated. I don't remember the performance of the phono preamp though. For the cost of the modification IMO it would be hard to find an equivalent of the E202.

I'm definitely keeping my Accuphase E202 if I can help it. I know if I was forced to sell my gear I can sill have a solid foundation for a shoestring budget system.
kublakhan OP
717 posts
 
I agree with Donjr...well put, Ghasley. I'll post my decision and results.
donjr
1,335 posts
 
I think Ghasley's right on the money.
ghasley
2,489 posts
 
I don't own an Accuphase and never have however the E-202 integrated was a bit of a groundbreaking piece in the early 1970's. The input flexibility is remarkable with dual tape loops, dual phono stages which had adjustable sensitivity loading for mm or mc cartridges and amplifier damping was also adjustable....again, a pretty special offering especially considering its vintage!!!

Now then....sound....I have no clue.....would a restored accuphase sound as good as a new sub $1,000 Rega integrated? I guess it depends on what you are after.....i know I would rather look at the accuphase with the meters, all the knobs....it would simply be more interesting aesthetically. I understand that it was pretty smooth considering it was early SS. You would also get the satisfaction of saving an old piece of gear for the next generation. Is a 1975 classic car a better overall car than a current model, probably not but there is something really cool about being a custodian of something rather than just a consumer.

Also, you might check with accuphase authorized service for they, like Mcintosh, service most of their legacy products. My 2 cents.
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