Author Topic: SAKURA AV-200T Tube Amp (Read 355998 times)

Gino · « **Reply #720 on:** Jun 02, 2013 at 12:14 PM »

Si Rene Rivo may binebentang modified Sakura.

stockHT · « **Reply #721 on:** Jun 03, 2013 at 06:21 PM »

Quote from: Gino on Jun 02, 2013 at 12:14 PM

Si Rene Rivo may binebentang modified Sakura.

sir how much kaya yung modified?

stockHT · « **Reply #722 on:** Jun 03, 2013 at 06:22 PM »

sir TonyT do you hjave an estimate (range) on how much it will cost to upgrade the sakura (without changing tubes) and what would be the things that needs to be upgraded -

salamat!

DTNS · « **Reply #723 on:** Jun 03, 2013 at 06:27 PM »

I got to see this at the Sakura showroom at Eton. for some reason, they're selling it for higher than some sellers here in pinoydvd. $:-\$

Superman · « **Reply #724 on:** Jun 03, 2013 at 06:37 PM »

Quote from: stockHT on Jun 03, 2013 at 06:21 PM

sir how much kaya yung modified?

P8,500.00

docrob · « **Reply #725 on:** Jun 04, 2013 at 10:16 AM »

that is what I have, the AV400 and though externally it looks the same as AV200T the internal layout, wiring and component used is different hence the higher wattage rating

in fact, sir Tony was able to open it up and work on it as can be seen on pages 26-28 of this thread

it used to be my main amp before I got my pair of Quicksilver 8417 monos, I may dispose of it at the right price

czarsky · « **Reply #726 on:** Jun 04, 2013 at 08:25 PM »

Quote from: docrob on Jun 04, 2013 at 10:16 AM

that is what I have, the AV400 and though externally it looks the same as AV200T the internal layout, wiring and component used is different hence the higher wattage rating

in fact, sir Tony was able to open it up and work on it as can be seen on pages 26-28 of this thread

it used to be my main amp before I got my pair of Quicksilver 8417 monos, I may dispose of it at the right price

Hi Sir - pa bulong naman thru PM ng "right price" nung AVT-400 mo . . . .

czarsky

geriboy · « **Reply #727 on:** Jun 09, 2013 at 10:12 AM »

Quote from: Antonio Tecson Jr. on Apr 10, 2012 at 04:32 PM

...
1. although the 5Z4 rectifiers in the picture below does not serve any use i decided to just let it hang in there....clearly visible from the pic that the tube is there only for show...... the chinese did it again....
...

Quote from: docrob on Apr 10, 2012 at 06:01 PM

...no problem leaving the two 5Z4 rectifiers in there even if for show only, maganda sya tingnan pag dim lights haha very soothing "eye candy"
...

To sirs Tony and Docrob - if pang-show lang yung mga 5Z4 tubes, so pwede ito tanggalin and the AV400 amp would still work? baka kasi mas makakatipid sa kuryente kung hindi nakakabit yung 5z4 tubes.

TIA!

JojoD818 · « **Reply #728 on:** Jun 09, 2013 at 11:35 AM »

Doc,

The tubes are still part of the circuit, they're just surprisingly used oddly in this case. I do not know of any self-respecting designer who would intentionally implement it like it was done so. For example, the tube rectifiers would be easily thought of as supplying power to the signal tubes, but wait, they're not... they're there to supply an opamp.

Kaya sa nakakaintindi, hindi maiwasan sabihin na palamuti lang sila.

Anyone who would argue that there is nothing wrong about it's implementation is probably right, kanya-kanyang trip lang yan on how you design things, and besides, gumagana naman diba? But like I said, it's just odd to see it that way.

As my friend Frank used to say, they may be a bunch of rectumfriers (pertaining to tube rectifiers) but they sure do have a purpose....

geriboy · « **Reply #729 on:** Jun 09, 2013 at 11:40 AM »

Thanks for your replies sirs Tony and Jojo!

docrob · « **Reply #730 on:** Jun 09, 2013 at 10:52 PM »

Hi sir Tony,

i'm satisfied with the sound of the AV400. Even though it's not a pure tube amp per se, not even a hybrid as what sir Jojo said it still belts out good music powering a vintage Akai fullrange speakers. Sarap makinig even though the Quicksilver mono tube amps are my main amps

i'll try to record a video of it playing music and post it here

Thanks,
Rob

czarsky · « **Reply #731 on:** Jun 10, 2013 at 08:20 AM »

Quote from: Antonio Tecson Jr. on Jun 09, 2013 at 09:43 AM

naibulong na?
i have a good idea of the history of that amp....
palagay ko lang nagsisi yung previous owner.....

Yes sir . . . pwede na ung price nya considering na higher wattage at modded na . . .

czarsky · « **Reply #732 on:** Jun 10, 2013 at 09:06 PM »

I did not ask since I'm not decided yet to buy it

arbitrage · « **Reply #733 on:** Jun 19, 2013 at 02:50 PM »

Got a Modded AV200 from Rene Rivo / Hyperaudio. He made audible upgrades as well as adding a Phono Stage Input for TTs. Bang for the Buck TUBED amp for newbies like me!!

Have a sort of review here :-)

http://www.wiredstate.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=27239&p=468556#p468556

fishda · « **Reply #734 on:** Jun 20, 2013 at 09:17 PM »

saw 1 today at deeco ever commonwealth being sold for 4.2k:)

cHiNo2728 · « **Reply #735 on:** Jun 28, 2013 at 10:32 AM »

Sir Tony, since I saw that a phono stage input for TT can be included, is there also a way to put a headphone jack in my AV-400? Eversince I bought my Yamaha 673, this hybrid tube amp has been on the sidelines so I was thinking I can convert this to be headphone amp and maybe a turntable amp na din to go with it?

cHiNo2728 · « **Reply #736 on:** Jun 28, 2013 at 11:46 AM »

None as of the moment sir. Tagal na nga eh. Still looking though. Dami na ngang naghahanap sakin.

cHiNo2728 · « **Reply #737 on:** Jun 28, 2013 at 11:52 AM »

Sorry sir wala eh. Haha! Medyo malalayo yung nabentahan ko din. I can lend you mine sir, im not using it for the meantime.

cHiNo2728 · « **Reply #738 on:** Jun 29, 2013 at 07:47 PM »

Linis tubo AV400 version

Gino · « **Reply #739 on:** Jul 10, 2013 at 08:55 AM »

I agree. These class of amps must be loved for what they are. If you must spend money on it you are better off saving that for a better amp.

balarila · « **Reply #740 on:** Jul 25, 2013 at 01:54 PM »

I’ll be candid. I’d like to get this Sakura/Sakua because it looks cool.

I’m no audiophile (though I can usually tell when something sounds bad). But I’m a pretty handy woodworker.

I have a pair of Wharfedale 9.1 lying around. Also have some pieces of good wood. I figure I can surprise the wife by constructing some nice speaker stands, a hall table, an ipod dock, then have a retro-looking sound-system on top of the table. Wife will use it only to listen to music while she works at home, not for some superfine audiophile experience.

This Sakura seems to fit the bill. I can also probably replace the wood siding with something better looking like dao or kamagong.

I can also solder so, if I get a bit more ambitious, maybe I can tweak the amp by replacing with better parts. Haven’t done a full backread of this thread yet so no idea if this is ambitious. My skill is high-school practical arts level when we soldered together a super-heterodyne thing.

Could someone point me to the part of the thread (too many pages!) where there could be a list of parts? Would also like to know where I can get them. Deeco? Alexan? I have no means of going to Raon.

Is this a good idea or am I just nuts?

Gino · « **Reply #741 on:** Jul 25, 2013 at 03:59 PM »

The amp seems to be a good fit for your intentions. I've heard it at home and it has power and good tonal balance. It is thin sounding but nonetheless pleasant. Bass is plenty and the harmonics (warmth, liveliness, bilog) are there. It has enough power for the average bookshelf speakers. Tony T and Rene Rivo have done interesting mods with this amp. i saw a thread at wiredstate.com.

balarila · « **Reply #742 on:** Jul 26, 2013 at 11:39 AM »

Thanks, Gino. I can see it may be what I'm looking for.

Here's an ignorant question, please. Will the AV200T drive my Wharfedale 9.1 speakers properly?

The amp is claimed to have a PMPO of 200W so I'd roughly estimate that it would have 20W RMS per channel. The Wharfedales are rated at 100W each. Would I not end up running this amp with volume always at the top end, distorting sound?

rochie · « **Reply #743 on:** Jul 26, 2013 at 11:49 AM »

with Sensitivity of 86dB you'll be pushing the sakura on the top end,when i still have my av-200t i usually turn the volume up to 11-12 oclock position w/o any noticeable distortion,but my av-200t is already modified by diy_master,capacitors replaced and volume pot changed to alps.

balarila · « **Reply #744 on:** Jul 26, 2013 at 11:52 AM »

Quote from: rochie on Jul 26, 2013 at 11:49 AM

with Sensitivity of 86dB you'll be pushing the sakura on the top end,when i still have my av-200t i usually turn the volume up to 11-12 oclock position w/o any noticeable distortion,but my av-200t is already modified by diy_master,capacitors replaced and volume pot changed to alps.

Sorry for being thick about electronics. Are you implying that, if I do not upgrade the capacitors and pots, I will most always have my volume knob at max?

cHiNo2728 · « **Reply #745 on:** Jul 26, 2013 at 11:53 AM »

The AV200 should be able to drive the 9.1. Now when you mean "properly" that I think is the point of contention. I tried the AV200T on floorstanders and it was able to drive them loud enough for me.

Balarila,

If you succeed in changing the sides to real wood like mahogany, kamagong, acacia or what, please let me know so I can have mine modified.

rochie · « **Reply #746 on:** Jul 26, 2013 at 12:25 PM »

Quote from: balarila on Jul 26, 2013 at 11:52 AM

Sorry for being thick about electronics. Are you implying that, if I do not upgrade the capacitors and pots, I will most always have my volume knob at max?

ohh sorry bout that hehehe, i mean if not upgraded for sure you can still listen to it in low-high volume.you can still use you're wharf with sakura but the only question is how loud is your normal listening level?are you the generous type who likes to listen with your neighbor

or are you the greedy type that you want your audio just for yourself? hehehehehe.i havent heard the stock av-200T but upon reading its thread from page 1 up to the last page majority agrees that upgrading/mod the components greatly improve its SQ.

balarila · « **Reply #747 on:** Jul 26, 2013 at 12:57 PM »

Ha-ha. I'm greedy, Rochie. I guess as one get's older and wiser, we tend to go for the more serene music. (Had my share of Led Zep and Van Halen in my younger years).

I will probably mod it sometime in the future, time permitting. Haven't soldered anything in more than 20 years.

@Chino, sure, will post here if I were able to change the sides. From your message, I take it that the sides are not real wood? MDF with laminate?

Maybe I can do a deal with someone here: Change to wood sides for an innards upgrade!

BTW, I live in Antipolo so I called up Deeco on Marcos Hiway. They say they can easily have an AV200T sent from Raon to their branch if I make a P500 deposit. Cost of unit is P4290.

balarila · « **Reply #748 on:** Jul 27, 2013 at 06:10 AM »

Excellent point, ATJr. Many times, we all get carried away with explorations onto the next level improvement not realizing that those incremental stairsteps add up to something not feasible anymore.

I may, for example, find out at some point, while tinkering with the AV200T, that the sum of expenses could have afforded me a fully built and much better amp, at much less trouble.

That's one of the reasons why I will try to enjoy it "stock" first. When I do decide on the mod, it will be for the fun of the mod itself, secondary is the SQ.

In my hobbies, I seldom look at ROI when I buy new stuff and sell my old. I guess I have long ago considered my hobbies as cost centers of joy. I could never cost justify, for example, constructing a Home Theater if I can watch movies in a cinema. Yet I have built (and now rebuilding) one.

But I do see your point. It's always good discipline to keep economics at the back of one's mind everytime one gets the urge on a project.

Gino · « **Reply #749 on:** Jul 27, 2013 at 08:39 AM »

I personally am drawn towards stock used items. When i come across a modded item I think wow this guy did some mods and still he is unhappy with it, this must sound really bad.