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Another nice 1980 Technics (Panasonic) SA-303 AM/FM Receiver/Amplifier ready to play! Again, incredible build quality from Panasonic's audio division and this receiver really shows how well built these were...even in the latter years of the power wars when manufacturers were trying to out-do each other.
ALL of the capacitors in the unit were replaced using audio grade capacitors (in the areas where it counts!). This includes the filters, power amp, pre-amp, tone board and tuner. This thing sounds incredible now! It will run on just about any speaker setup. It has a few very minor scuffs. The cabinet is partially made from wood with a nice walnut veneer and is in pristine shape. It is very well ventilated and the faceplate is made from very thick GLASS and is just about perfect. The 8-volt (10 of them!) incandescent lamps for the display were burned out and replaced with OEM-style lamps as LEDs just do not look right on this unit. The AM and FM tuner was aligned and easily catches stations with an external antenna hooked up to the posts on the back.
All inputs were cleaned and tested. Vinyl, especially, sounds up front and accessible. It has Bass, Treble, Balance, Loudness, etc. The tuning knob has a heavy flywheel weight which makes it feel very substantial and smooth.
This beautiful receiver puts out a very clean 40 watts per channel under a normal 8ohm load. It sounds crisp and clear and has a brilliant soundstage, if not a little clinical, but still inviting and nice. A pair of nice, efficient bookshelf or medium sized speakers would pair nicely with it. AM/FM tuner has been aligned.
See some of the restoration here:
Here's what was fixed/replaced:
Fully disassembled and cleaned. Inputs cleaned.
All capacitors replaced, including filter capacitors. (I only use Nichicon, Panasonic and United Chemi-Con capacitors)
2 final output transistors replaced.
AM/FM tuner aligned.
Tuning window cleaned and polished. Very small nicks...very difficult to see. It's in excellent shape.
All controls disassembled and cleaned/conditioned.
Replaced all (10 lamps) burned out lamps with OEM style lamps. LEDs do not look quite right with the light diffuser.
Circuit boards inspected for any cracking, burning, etc.
Bench tested for 72 hours under an 8 ohm load.
