Cross-posted from the Rain City Audio Repair Blog:
I recently got to work on a Harman-Kardon Citation 17S pre-amplifier. Vintage HK gear is some of my favorite to work on: it’s robust, reliable, and built to be easy to service. The Citation 17 pre-amplifier is the companion for the Citation 12 power amplifier, and has a ton of features.
This one features a total of 6 inputs with 2 phono options, two tape loop outputs, and two pre-amp outputs which could drive a pair of power amplifiers.
Inside, it’s extremely open, and all of the circuit boards are mounted on edge connectors that can be easily removed for service outside the chassis.
There are 4 circuit cards with a variety of capacitors on them. These caps were starting to show their age, but weren’t quite dead yet, but several had high leakage and high ESR and were definitely not doing their jobs. This one was the worst, where internal leakage and heat was causing the skin of the capacitor to shrink and pull back.
Lots of replaced parts from this one! Testing showed it was performing perfectly after the service. I also cleaned the balance pot as it was a bit scratchy.
This pre-amp will continue to serve faithfully with its companion power amplifier for a long time to come, and deliver the detailed, accurate sound HK is known for.
RETROVOLTAGE 