AMP: Heathkit AN-2016 "Modulus" Quadraphonic Tuner/Pre Amplifier

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Quadrockasaurus

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Please post comments and photos of this quadraphonic tuner/pre-amplifier in this thread.

Heathkit AN-2016 "Modulus" Quadraphonic Tuner/Pre Amplifier (1975)


Rarity: RARE
Average Sale Price: UNKNOWN


Front View
Heathkit AN-2016 Tuner Preamp.jpg

Rear View
Heathkit AN-2016 Tuner Preamp back.jpg

This is a tuner-preamp....which is not technically a receiver (Not a complete one at least)...which is why (somehow??) I thought the AMP: definition was more accurate than the RCVR: abbreviation..however, if I can figure out how to change the thread title line, I might create/suggest a TP: (tuner/pre-amplifier) definition for units like this for accuracies sake.
 
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Wow! I coveted that piece way back when. I wanted to have it so bad, but alas could not afford it at the time. I loved the swing out cards inside and the matching power amp 'mono-blocks' that went with it. They of course were a couple more hundred dollars (each) as I recall. To me it was a thing of beauty that I could build. Does anyone have one of these in working condition and good shape for sale, or would consider selling? Contact me at; [email protected]

redjr...
 
Wow! I coveted this piece back in the day. I wanted it so bad, but alas I could not afford it at the time. So life goes. Isn't this unit that had the swing out cards? I believe there were match amps too - 'mono blocks' - you could buy for another couple hundred dollars each. Does anyone have a working one that is in good condition for sale, or would be willing to sell? Contact me at [email protected]

redjr...
 
Hello, I know this is an old thread, but I do have an AN-2016 in fairly good shape if you're still looking for one.

Cheers,
Keen


Wow! I coveted that piece way back when. I wanted to have it so bad, but alas could not afford it at the time. I loved the swing out cards inside and the matching power amp 'mono-blocks' that went with it. They of course were a couple more hundred dollars (each) as I recall. To me it was a thing of beauty that I could build. Does anyone have one of these in working condition and good shape for sale, or would consider selling? Contact me at; [email protected]

redjr...
 
Hello all. I am i possession of the AN-2016 4-Chan AM/FM Digital Control Center "Modulus" and TWO matching AA-1506 amps. I have ALL the original documentation that came with them, assembly manuals, schematic, warranty cards, shipping recites. I know that Kevin at heathkitstereo.com was the man to talk too but sadly he passed in 2016. The amps work but i get some nasty hum from one of them. The AN-2016 control center Has many issues but i can get sound from the front power outputs with cd player into the aux inputs and sound from only the right side of the rear outputs. The tuner tunes and the display works but no sound. More issues.

Now the kicker is i live in Alaska and there just is not a tech here that can work on it. I am considering shipping it but i am also considering selling the control center, Maybe the amps also but they are easier to repair and would be awesome to use (as mono blocks?) in some of my other vintage stereo or quad systems. More likely i would sell as a package.
Any info on techs qualified to send these too or opinions on selling them.
Thanks for being here and any info i can get.
Ivan.
 

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In the late seventies I bought the SQ decoder board designed for this unit. I used it for a few years until I bought my Audionics Space And Image Composer. I never had much desire for that colossal unit (just the decoder board). "Modulus" is rather an odd looking beast. I'm sure that it's not hard to work on though with lots of room inside and plug in boards. Heathkit construction manuals are very detailed, servicing should not be too hard. I think that the CD-4 demodulator used the QSI (Lou Dorran) chips, they might be hard to find if are needed.

You don't say what modules are included in this unit, I think that the SQ and CD-4 boards were sold separately.
 
Thanks for the replyPar4ken
it does have both the CD4 and the SQ modules. With assembly manuals

I am not an electronics tech. I have recapped speaker crossovers.
I could change capacitors if needed but I have no way of testing capacitors.
 
Monster hum = bad power supply capacitors. They go bad after about 15-20 years, especially if the equipment was not in use.
 
I would attempt repair first before doing a full scale capacitor replacement. As MidiMagic said the nasty hum could be power supply filter capacitors in the bad amplifier. Look for budging tops or anything oozing out of them. Bad grounds are another common source of hum.

Electrolytic capacitors in seventies equipment are more reliable than many people give them credit for, but still it's not a bad idea to replace them before they cause problems. Film type capacitors seldom give problems. I recommend that if you are going to replace capacitors use film types wherever possible, especially for coupling. Wima makes nice poly capacitors that are about the same size as the original electrolytics.

You can get capacitor checkers on eBay. Those made in China are very inexpensive. If you are going to try CD-4 the capacitor checker is great to check the capacitance of your phono cables.
 
The original 10,000uF caps in my Heathkit AA-2010 quad amps (one is actually a Bell & Howell AAA-210 but, basically the same thing) are still doing fine. Two are from 1974 and two are from 1977. No bulges, no leaks, no hum or strange noises. I do have two new ones, just in case.

Doug
 
If the equipment is still in use regularly, the capacitors tend to last much longer. It is when they aren't charged regularly that the electrolyte breaks down.

One time I was restoring to service some old equipment and removed a power supply capacitor that failed. When I took it out, it sounded like a can full of Drano as I moved it. The electrolyte had totally dried out.

The guy at the workbench next to me quipped, "Listen! The electrons got loose and are rattling around inside the capacitor."
 
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Update: I hooked up each amp one at a time to the pre-outs on a Pioneer SX 727 as a pre-amp to see about hum. No hum on either amp. They sounded great, albeit with some small klipch book shelf speakers. I then dug out one the Timewindows and yeah, mucho better. The TW's are a little power hungry but it was pumping with the volume just over Half.
It seems all the issues are with the AN-2016 4-Chan AM/FM Digital Control Center.
 
Hello everyone!
Newbie to this site.
Wanted to show you my three AN-2016 tuner-preamps. All need work, but two were working when I bought them. (One smoked when powered on, but this was known when I bought it).
I also have 4 of the 60-watt AA-1506 amps, and two of the monster 200-watt AA-1640 amps.
Again, everything needs overhaul and repair. I am trying to get my repair area set up to do the service on them.
I couldn't believe how good the sensitivity was on the FM sections. I could pull stations about 200 miles away on a homemade dipole on my dining room table. I don't know how good they would be on an external antenna.
I first saw the Modulus units in high school in the Heathkit catalog, and fell in love with them. Took me a number of years to get my first one, and the others came through various eBay deals over time.
I am now almost 68 years old, so this has been a very long-term project!

Starliner57
 

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