Newbie. ... time to retire my pioneer A400

Grecian66

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Hi... any chance anyone might be able to help. My current setup is a pioneer A400, Cambridge Audio 640v2 cd and a pair of Monitor Audio S6 (older spec), Cambridge Audio phono stage and Project turntable. ..quality speaker cable and interconnections.
My amp is starting to crackle and after nearly 25yrs it might be to retire the beast. I'm looking for advice as to what would be a worthy replacement for the A400. I'm reading a lot about the Marantz PM6005 ...also hearing good things about some of the nad amps. Obviously I don't want to sacrifice sound for gizmos. ..just looking for something that's going to make my vinyl and cds sing for many a year to come.
 

Vladimir

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A can of electronics cleaner and the A400 will work as good as new and get its charms back.

You will see a lot of people modding their A400s, I did mine as well. However, the biggest by far improvement in sound quality came from simply cleaning all pots and switches. I mean not just removing the crackling, but the details and soundstage that appeared was stunning.
 

Grecian66

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Thanks for the advice. ..going to try that ...seems like a no brainer. Seems like a shame to try to extend the life of the A400.
 

Grecian66

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The spray route has worked a treat....thanks. Must admit the amp was idle for years ...picked up the speakers for £120 on flea bay a few weeks ago and dug out the A400. Still has a great sound to it...more so now without the crackles.

Thanks again ...much appreciated
 

Vladimir

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If you want to do a thorough job cleaning, spray the marked locations on the image bellow. The volume pot, the switches on the PCB, the small bias pots on the PCB, the RCA and speaker inputs. Aim at the holes so more spray liquid enters. When you spray the volume pot and switches, work them a bit back and forward. Clean and dry the amp well before pluging it back in.

Do not use WD-40 or other lubricant spray. Do not tweak the small biasing pots, just spray them. Do not spray the transformer and big filter caps. Never do this while plugged in.

j8phmw.jpg
 

Grecian66

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I noticed the rca's need resoldering so I'll strip it down properly and pay attention to the areas you've said at the same time. For now a general spray has cleaned the sound up lovely. There's life left in the beast yet.

As a matter of interest would any benefits be had by biwiring the speakers....from what I've read half the folk are in the waste of time camp yet others say there are benefits. ... just it means cutting my cable and I'm hesitant to for no benefit.
 

Vladimir

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If your cables are of good gauge thickness, no need to double down on wire. Haven't noticed consistent results with bi-wiring myself.

A good practice is to snip an inch of cable on each end every two years to refresh the connection.
 

Vladimir

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You are merely cleaning a bit of dust. That's what causes the crackling.

Regarding a potential replacement, biggest favorites on this forum sub 1K are the Creek Evo 50a, Arcam FMJ A19, NAD D 3020, Rega Brio-R and Marantz PM6005. But some would recommend Rotel, Cyrus, Exposure and Naim as a similar character of the A400. Up to you to do the legwork which one you like best. Your speakers won't be fussy about power considering they are 8 ohms and 90dB efficient.
 

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