Maybe off topic, but I picked up a Harmon Kardon 7.1 (or 5.1 and a stereo second zone) with Infinity speakers (7.1 of them) at Costco that I've been EXTREMELY happy with. The electronics are sophisticated and malleable (e.g., I have it set to input my TV cable in component, the TV sound inputs in optical, and the whole mess outputs as HDMI to the big screen; also, it senses the output of the movie playing in the external Blu-Ray and changes the speaker output to the appropriate one - mono, stereo, DTS, etc).

Has three HDMI inputs as well as component and others, so you can bring in a lot of stuff (like Wii, Apple TV/Mac Mini, separate Blu-Ray machine) and it sounds really nice.

Expensive at $800 as a package - but cheaper than finding components separately, and much simpler. I had started by wondering if I wanted an NAD, but abandoned all hope.

 mzpro5 wrote: 
Thanks mzpro, this one "looks" good, and the price is right...


  

 cc_rider wrote: 
I'd say "mess with it, but with a schematic in a service manual"  You don't have to be an electrical engineer to be aided by a schematic.  Also, replacing electrolytic capacitors can't hurt, but for chrissake get the polarity right!

There's also my surefire troubleshooting strategy:  whine on audiokarma.org and hope one of the very knowledgeable and helpful people there can assist you.  They may even have a free schematic.  Why not?  You might get into something new and interesting. 

My instincts tell me it's either something as simple as a switch, or a transistor.  Or an IC, which could be "unobtanium";  at least, judging from my experience with a Sony STR-7055 tuner section.  Even replacement output transistors can be pretty dicey propositions to find; small signal transistors seem less problematic, even if you might have to resort to NTE .  Fortunately, HK was a classy brand at the time, and those brands tended to pride themselves on using discrete components.

There is a small legion of dedicated Sansui fans.  Apparently, Sansui started life specializing in power supplies, and they had a reputation for paying attention to this vital part of an amp. 

 triskele wrote: 
Fix what the spelling or the amp - "everything is broken"

 mjmurphy61 wrote: 
you can fix it....

Thanks tor all your advice. It's been really helpful!  I think I'm gonna try to get under the hood, because after all it "IS already busted" while I wait til next month to come up the extra dough for a new system.  I can listen in mono right now with both speakers, but just knowing I'm listening in mono drives me NUTS!

 meower wrote:  .
Oops. Your right should be one "c" and two "m" 's.... Dang, I really was an English major.

I'm a really bad speller, but that Recommended word looks all wrong. 

 dmax wrote: 
Amen brother!

If you are looking for a decent 2 channel receiver try this
Sony 2 channel Receiver - $160

Amazon has it for $123

 cc_rider wrote: 
See, I use THAT line all the time!

 dmax wrote: 
Man, I use that line all the time!

But seriously, it's not as bad as it sounds. And it's already busted, right? Can't break it any worse by messing with it. Heck, if I was close enough I'd take a look at it myself.

I have several 70's-vintage Sansui receivers that are still going strong. The one my Dad bought in 1970 is still solid after many years of abuse, and it'll kick the doors off a lot of new gear. The old transistor gear is pretty rugged, and fixable. The new chip-based amps are far more difficult, if not impossible, to repair.

 cc_rider wrote: 
Reminds me of the old Steve Martin routine about how to make a million dollars and never pay taxes!

"First, make a million dollars...." 

 

 mjmurphy61 wrote:  Don't throw that amp away!

It is entirely possible your amp is fixable. Since it's just the one channel, my guess is one of the capacitors on the output side has gone out. It's not as difficult as it sounds. Since you've admitted you're broke (get in line, fella), it's worth doing a little investigating.

Unplug it first, but you knew that. The top cover should come off with a few screws: two on each side, one or two on the back. Lift the top off carefully. Blow the dust off: compressed air is great if you have it, but be careful you don't blast it too hard. A very soft brush, like a feather duster, is okay.

Near the speaker connections, there will be some large-ish cylinders, those are the output capacitors. Often colored BLUE but they can be any color. If you follow the wires carefully you might be able to see which is the right and which is the left channel circuit. The most likely scenario is one of the big caps is bulged out, either at the top or sides. It might be blackened, but if you haven't smelled smoke, probably not. Also check the smaller capacitors for the same symptoms. Any capacitor that is bulged out has gone bad and needs to be replaced. Which will require removing the circuit board, de-soldering the old cap(s), and installing new ones. Which is not nearly as crazy as it sounds, and might cost less than $20, especially if you already have some soldering gear.

Since it's already busted, a little reconnaissance is not gonna cost you anything, and you might be able to: 1) save your precious baby from the scrap yard or parts bin, and 2) save the money and hassle of buying a new unit.

keep us posted...

c.

 mjmurphy61 wrote: 
So, it looks like you have non-powered speakers in the living room, the line level outputs of the Airport Express go to the line level inputs of the HK, which drives the speakers.  If you got powered speakers, you wouldn't need an amp.

What are the speakers you're using in the living room?  It may be a shame to replace them because of an amp problem.

Before totally giving up on the amp, sometimes an application of contact cleaner like deoxIT on switches and controls can restore a bad channel.  And the tape monitor switch is important, even tape deck isn't in the system.  If that control doesn't work right, it can stop the music.  Sometimes just flipping/rotating the switch re-establishes contact.

If it's a blown output transistor, there are all kinds of Chinese fakes out there as bogus replacements. 

As for powered speakers, if you hang around Radio Paradise, it's AudioEngine A-2's or A-5's.  All the writeups and opinions I've seen on them have been very good, though I've never heard them in person. 

 mjmurphy61 wrote: 
I would recommend an hour w/ a screwdriver set and a multimeter. I'd start with the speaker connections, and then move to the inputs. just check continuity between the posts and the landings inside the receiver. You might find something that $0.05 worth of solder will fix.

Then go hit the used audio places like Milo suggests.

 mjmurphy61 wrote: 
One to two hundred dollars gets you some killer stuff from the same era as your HK380i. I personally prefer the two generations of HK gear that came before yours. You can get HK330, 430, 730 for 50-150 bucks relatively easily. Heck, if you're patient Marantz gear can appear in your life for similar prices. My dad actually had the exact same thing happen to the exact same amp and went backward to a HK430 and is very happy. I run an HK730 downstairs and a Marantz 2245 upstairs. Nothing you can buy now for $1-200 will last anywhere near 30 years or sound nearly as good.

Yay, my trusy Harmon Kardon HK380i tuner/receiver/amplifier circa 1979 just lost it's right channel. I was using it in my living room streaming to an Apple Airport Express, so RP is currently playing though one speaker. Got a good 30 years out of that sucker!

Now I get to go audio shopping. Oh yeah. Wait a minute, I'm broke! Well not totally, can anybody reccomend an inexpensive powered speaker system. I've been kind of looking around lately and so much is surround sound stuff that I'm just not into. I just want something in the 1 to 2 hundred dollar range that will do the job. I'm using a pair of Edirol powered speakers in my bedroom that sound great, but I'm not sure I wan't two pair of those, besides those are more studio monitors (near field) than I would like for the living room.

Anybody using anything that they love?