A loud 'pop' and now no mid/bass (vintage non-Naim)

Playing around with my newly restored Pioneer SX-1000TW last night. Went to adjust the balance while playing something off the WiiM Mini and when turning the dial to the right I heard some static, and then a loud ‘POP’

After that, no bass and loss of half the midrange in the right channel. I did confirm that it’s not the speaker by switching the left and right. Definitely the receiver.

So it looks like it needs to go in for service - but has anyone here had a similar experience and is this something like a capacitor going bad? I just had a full refurb done a year ago, so it’s a little frustrating. Additionally, after the refurb there was still a problem with the balance - still leaning to the left side. Making me think that that is the source of the issue. Any advice / comments here would be greatly appreciated!!

Long standing known issue. Yes, caps. Pop over to, I think, Ekectronic Labs, and there used to be lots there on this.

Yep. Even AI is in on it:

The Pioneer SX-1000TW is a vintage solid-state receiver (circa 1971) known for its robust build. When a capacitor blows, it typically indicates the need for a full inspection and replacement of the aging electrolytic capacitors, as they are often problematic in these older units.

Common Capacitor Issues

  • Aging Components: The capacitors in vintage units like the SX-1000TW are well past their expected lifespan. Many were not high quality to begin with.

  • Failure Symptoms: Blown or shorted capacitors can cause a variety of issues, including blown fuses, channel imbalance (e.g., lack of bass in one channel), static noise, and improper power regulation.

  • Recommended Action: It is highly recommended to recap the entire unit, including the power supply, main amplifier, and control amplifier sections, to restore it to proper working order and prevent further damage.

I’m only aware as an ex neighbour in NE Wales used to specialise in Pioneer repairs. Used to hate your tuner. Easy to repair but hard to maintain was the mantra.

Sorry to hear your problem, but

AI is not “in on” that or anything else! However if it is there on the internet, as it is, AI has a good chance of finding - but whether all the info AI gives you is correct is another matter…

So are you saying that what’s posted above is incorrect?

Does NE Wales guy happen to know a good Pioneer guy in NW Germany?

No, it might be correct - or it might not be. That is the only thing you can conclude with AI. But what it gives you is information that you can then go on to try to verify if correct or likely to be correct. Just as a manual trawl of the internet can find incorrect as well as correct information, and you have to do use reasonable means to assess before relying upon: Despite the term, AI doesn’t have any intelligence, and the judgements it makes can be flawed - and it has been known to mix up data and get things wrong far more often than those blindly using it realise. Funnily enough only last night I read of some research done by Which? magazine reporting that ChatGPT scores only 65% for accuracy.

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I believe the overall “success” rate is below 50% across all models. I find our desire to leap into the abyss bewildering.

He’s long since died unfortunately.

Sorry to hear that.

The search will continue.

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Ouch!!

A ‘pop’ doesn’t sound good to me

I’m hoping that you can get it serviced ok

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I guess that’s what it sounds like when a capacitor overloads.

I though it blew out the woofer - it was that loud

Well at least it didn’t take out your speakers Maury_Finkle, that’s a good thing

I don’t want to tempt fate but over 35 years of owning decent hifi I’ve never had one go ‘pop’ on me

Hope you can resolve the issue without costing a fortune

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