Repair advice, assistance, guesses?

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Obbop

600 Club - QQ All-Star
Since 2002/2003
Joined
Mar 4, 2002
Messages
616
Location
Missouri
Greeting quaddies. My wondrous QRX-9001, the pride of my audio fleet, needs help. The Vario-Matrix surround mode isn't working, nor is the QS mode. It's limping along in hall mode.

Do you think the problem may lay with the soldering/connections on the PC board(s)? Electrolytic capacitors? Both? Other?

I admit to being something of a klutz when it comes to repairing items such as my receiver so will need to hire it doen. Want it done locally so as to avoid shipping damage and undue delays, etc. The thing is.... it seems most techs anymore are akin to auto mechanics..... mere parts replacers.

Any suggestions on how to find a real tech that can enter the innards of my beloved 9001 and replace caps and resolder PC boards, etc. so as to hopefully make my unit perform properly?

Any ideas on roughly what it would cost OR the amount of time needed to do a thorough fix? Labor rates vary between areas so the time estimate would allow me to figure out cost after learning the hourly rate.

Would a hobbyist that does this sort of thing be a better bet than a shop? Where would you find this type of person?

If I use a shop how do I determine of they have a real tech working there vice a parts replacer?

Any assistance or advice will be greatly appreciated. My 9001 will be mighty grateful, also!!!!

Thanx!!!!!!!
 
If I'm not mistaken, the 9001 used double sided boards in the decoding and switching circuitry. It is entirely possible that the pins that go through the board have broken loose from the solder. The problem should be solved by replacing all of these connections (pins) with a piece of telephone patchbay hookup wire fed through in place of the pins and soldered on either side slightly away from the hole. Also, it is entirely possible for the electrolytic capacitors to be bad, as you will find from time to time on equipment this old. As for finding a competent tech, It's pot luck. You might trying asking the chief engineer of the local television station. He'll be a good tech, and if he's an older guy, he might have even worked on quad gear before. I've worked on lots of it. The trouble with doing the type of repair I talked about above, is that it is rather time consuming. You might also have to supply your own schematic prints, because hardly any shops carry that stuff anymore. I was sick to learn that a shop that I used to work at just threw away all their older schematics. Fortunately there are several websites that will supply old prints. I make it a practice to obtain these on my gear before I actually need them. I also buy prints for any new gear I buy.
Good Luck.

The Quadfather
 
hi obbopp
my suggestion is to pack it up and send it to quadbob he's the best on the Sansui receivers, but he has tons of work so he may take some time to do it, but it is all worth it. he did mine and it sounded so good that i end up selling it. well i sold it because i wanted a new AC-3/DTS ready receiver. and i got the QSD-1 but it is broken so i have to wait until quadbob may have some time(may be never) to fix it.
 
I have a copy of the Sansui 8001/9001 Repair manual.
It's kinda big, but let me know if you want a copy of
the copy.

PS. I could use a copy of a Sansui QRX 7001 repair manual. Anybody got one?


 
thanks for the tips. I have the schematics. I'll just call and visit all the local repair shops and try contacting TV stations etc for a lead.

I wanna' keep that old workhorse running. I love the way the Vario-Matrix creates a synthesized quad sound from a stereo source.

The addidtion of the SRS Circle Surround feeding into the Vario-Matrix is an audio wonder. The sound is so good I have no desire now to grab a Tate. Since synthesizing is my main desire I just need to keep ol' "Betsy" in proper functioning condition!!!!
 
I'm a little confused about this business of feeding a circle surround decoder to a variomatrix decoder. doesn't the circle surround decoder have 5.1 outputs? which ones do you hook up and what do you do with the others?

The Quadfather
 
Maybe the newest version has multiple outputs but my unit has only two along with a separate tape loop.

The two outputs go to the AUX input on the 9001 and away it goes.

Still enjoy the effects. Two controls that alter the sound. I usually have them set at the midway point but do play with them. On some songs if the settings are at or near the max level some materia disappears!!! Usually just one or two instruments or vocals become muted.

As with using a decoder to synthesize a stereo source results are variable and random, but, unlike the decoder, there is always some sort of effect produced and I am happy with all of it.

I switched over to stereo output on the 9001 and the effects were still present but not to the degree as when I am in Vario-Matrix mode. The decoder greatly enhances the Circle Surround output.

So far, this unit, that I grabbed for $35 is my 2nd favorite surround sound-type hardware. My 9001 is numero uno!!!!


 
Aaah, it makes more sense now. Is that one of those gadgets that's supposed to make stereo sound like quad without actually being quad? Hmmmm.

The Quadfather
 
SRS claims their system expands the sound field. They don't claim to create a surround sound field.

In the manual the term "psychoacoustics" is used to describe how the sound field is expanded.... the same term I saw in various readings back in the quad days!!!

I tried the Circle Surround with my receiver in stereo mode using 2 speakers. It was okay. No great improvement but it added to what to me is now boring stereo.

The BIG difference occured when I fed the Circle Surround into the Vario-Matrix decoder. Just as I noticed a huge difference in how stereo CDs were synthesized into quad as compared to FM radio or vinyl stereo LPs the Circle Surround somehow assists the decoder in some way. The two adjustments on the Circle Surround unit allow me a lot of lee way in sound output.
 
Funny you should mention that , as I was thinking the same thing> Here's one I'm going to try- a stereo feed to a Qsd-1 - y-ed back together as a stereo signal and then to a Tate!
Just to see what happens!
 
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