Pioneer SA9100 & TX9100 repair near McLean VA? (Worth it?)
Hi, my neighbor's husband recently passed away and left her with a number of interesting pieces of vintage gear. Included are the following: Pioneer SA-9100 amp (a beauty) and Pioneer TX-9100. I smoke tested both, but stopped because the amp failed to output anything other than background noise and an exceedingly weak signal to my sacrificial speakers (known to be good).
I'd like to get an estimate for repair of both (also looking at re-capping/mods), preferably local to avoid shipping. In my opinion, both of these have a very nice look and feel, and some great features. I just don;t know what they sound like "fixed" or "modded".
Do you think these are worthwhile repairing?
Do you have a suggestion for a repair person who is familiar with these?
Depends on what your intentions are or how much is worth it. These are 40+ years old and not particularly of audiophile quality. While they may be of interest to vintage audio enthusiasts who are not into the audiophile thing, and may well sell, I don't see them fetching much money. I saw a one that sold on eBay for $150. If you have to invest in repairs, plus the fees to sell, the rreturns are going to be super minimal, and perhaps not worth the effort.
perhaps the better approach is to see if there are any music lovers in the family that can see that their relative's gear lives on and keeps playing music?
There is a guy in Florida, Larry at Hollywood Sound who may have an opinion and/or repair options for you.
I'd like to get an estimate for repair of both (also looking at re-capping/mods), preferably local to avoid shipping. In my opinion, both of these have a very nice look and feel, and some great features. I just don;t know what they sound like "fixed" or "modded".
Do you think these are worthwhile repairing?
Vintage is fine if your technically inclined.
So if you can do the repairs yourself, these are nice vintages pieces from the Pioneer "silver" era and are sought after by vintage enthusiasts. But if you have to pay of shop to bring them back to factory spec, you have exceeded the value of a fully functioning one and maybe a comparable new amp. Most likely you will lose money if your intention is not to keep it for nostalgia reasons.
There are other forums around the net that are devoted to Vintage =older gear like this "Silver Period Pioneer". You may want to investigate a couple of these forums and search for that specific piece of equipment.
I agree, that fixing and refurbishing this gear is most likely going to be more expensive than the equipment is worth. However you can try to help by posting a "for repair or parts only" auction.
Recapping will improve the sound considerably. Not really worth if financially/sonically, but if you like the unit....I had my old Yamaha integrated recapped and still enjoy using it 40 years later...
Recapping, retouching of solder joints should be done when main problem is resolved. Most shops or freelancers would start from $200 and than up. These 2 pieces worth restoration.
@czarivey Why do you say these two pieces are worth restoration? (I think they have very elegant front panel layouts and are functionally well appointed.)
jl35991 posts06-06-2016 5:53pmlast recapped, refurbed SA-9100 on ebay sold for $350...probably no way the repair and
Still $200...$250 will get things done for less. Furthermore, the price on nice functioning vintage unit will only go up.
On the listing you mentioned the repair on the amp was done to probably fix weak channel, but no actual "full service" was done. I haven't seen large filter caps replaced. The replacement parts worth was probably few $ including shipping.
I sold similar units at much higher dollar out of retail store.
the ad said caps and transistors replaced..I have no way to know...agree it's a great piece, I have one...to fix up to use and enjoy is great, but as a money maker not so sure the time and effort worth the small potential return. I am well aware of all the "serviced" ads that only had controls cleaned and a bulb changed
If you see on the last picture of the sold ad, you will see a couple of small driving transistors and small electrolytic caps. Fully serviced unit would sell at much higher price.
and cost way more than $200 to have the work done, not to mention whatever repair it needs...My Yamaha CA-810 cost $350 for a partial refurb 10 years ago...again, I love the SA-9100 but if the owner is simply looking to turn a profit...
I agree, that's why I think if the new owner is not particularly interested in vintage electronics, it might be best to make an easy quick $150 and not deal with all the issues of repair, refurb, sale, shipping...if the new owner likes vintage gear, as we obviously do, it's a great place to start with a refurb and a great new system...
I work on vintage solid state units and my repair costs start from $200 as perhaps many other techs do. Technically selling this unit for $150 and adding $200...250 can get fully restored and functional unit. The SA9100 amp has been in my store a couple times. Most of the cheap parts such as driving transistors, smaller caps and resistors are included in the base. Larger filter caps and power transistors sometimes worth a lot so they add extra to the charge. Most of the repair costs asking price is labor, because it's tough to get through the boards especially in the vintage receivers.
i had the (lower model) sa7100 for a long time and preferred it to comparable sansui and yamaha (tho not as much as harman kardon)--my recollection was that the preamp section was excellent, the amp section less so. (can't speak to the tx-9100 tuner, tho it seems to be pretty well regarded on fmtunerinfo). as for whether they're worth restoring, at the modest prices these command i'd personally be more inclined to invest in already-restored units than to tackle the uncertainty of refurbishing a non-functional one (or alternatively, to sell 'em for parts and invest in a monster receiver like the sx1050, which are more sought-after and collectible).
Thanks for all the feedback. I explained the situation to my neighbor and I then sold both units to HiFi Heaven in Falls Church, VA. He will restore them and sell them. My neighbor no longer has them sitting around, and instead she has a check for a modest sum...
I just dropped off my sa9100 at a little hole-in-the-wall shop in Williamsburg, VA (Action Electronics). The owner impressed me with his knowledge and repair ethics, along with the fact that he's been doing this since the early 70's.
I brought my Pioneer out to play after becoming dissolutioned by the sound of my new phono preamp. After a few minutes of listening to the sa9100, I was happy as a clam listening to my LPs! Sadly, after about an hour of play I started losing my right channel. At that point I realized that I would pay whatever it took to totally refurbish this piece.
Looking forward to getting 'her' back for many more glorious hours of ear candy. 😊
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