Heathkit EA-3

[DahaiTX]

Greetings everyone,

I have recently picked up two separate Heathkit EA-3 mono tube amps hoping these might give me a pleasant surprise with my vintage speakers. Not knowing much about electronics, I think a recap job might be too much to handle myself. I've searched for instructions online but all I could find was a handful of posts where experts talk about certain detailed specifics about the amp. Obviously I have no idea about most of the things mentioned. So I am now thinking of bringing these to someone local to restore. The problem is this guy charges $500 minimum per unit for anything he does..and I have only heard of him from reputation.

Looking through some pictures of the internals of this amp, I find it to be not as clustered as some of the other solid state kits from the same brand. Knowing the voltage of tube amps are very high and can cause death if not handled properly, what would your suggestion be? Is this a hard task to take on for an in-experienced person? How much would be a fair price to restore one of these units? Thank you very much for your help and your time.

 

[6L6]

Does this mean anything to you? (Not trying to sound condescending at all...) Can you identify the part on the schematic and in the real unit? (You don't have to understand how the circuit works, BTW)

If yes, it's worth a try. If not, I'd see if there's anybody locally who could show you around the various bits and get you pointed in the right direction.

They seem to sell for sub-$200, so how much it's worth spending to restore is entirely up to you, since this is audio and $/performance is a very subjective thing.

 

[wiseoldtech]

I'd charge substantially less that that $500/per if someone brought those amps into my shop, I guess Texas lives by its name - Big. More on the 250 to 300 side, exluding any tubes that it may need. They're basically a simple design, yet were good quality units, and can still provide some sweet music even today. They'll require new PS filters for sure, and coupling caps, plus any of those old wax/paper/black bumblebee caps that naturally go bad over time. Any old resistors out of tolerance must be replaced too.

 

[DahaiTX]

Does this mean anything to you? (Not trying to sound condescending at all...) Can you identify the part on the schematic and in the real unit? (You don't have to understand how the circuit works, BTW)

If yes, it's worth a try. If not, I'd see if there's anybody locally who could show you around the various bits and get you pointed in the right direction.

Thank you for the reply, it had never occurred to me that I should "ask somebody locally" since I have only started collecting the vintage stuff this year. I do not know anyone who is able and willing to provide such help in the city where I live. (Houston, Texas that is.) Perhaps I should ask around on this forum first, it'd be awesome if someone could introduce me into DIY rather than me attempting everything myself. It's funny that I've been a solo learner all my life, I learned how to swim by myself, how to drive a stick by myself, how to fix cars, how to cook, how to play guitar, how to solder..I had never thought about asking for people to lend a hand in the first place. Thank you truly.

As for your question earlier, I feel confident that I can identify the parts in the amp going accordingly to the schema. It may take me longer since I am not familiar with the symbols but I know the basics.

I'd charge substantially less that that $500/per if someone brought those amps into my shop, I guess Texas lives by its name - Big. More on the 250 to 300 side, exluding any tubes that it may need. They're basically a simple design, yet were good quality units, and can still provide some sweet music even today. They'll require new PS filters for sure, and coupling caps, plus any of those old wax/paper/black bumblebee caps that naturally go bad over time. Any old resistors out of tolerance must be replaced too.

Thanks for providing this information. I have not gotten any official quote from this guy locally, but from talking to few other dealers who bring their stuff to him to fix it seems to be the norm for most of the vintage audio equipment. Additionally, I did get a quote from him about upgrading my 300B 845 old chen tube amp and the quote is $500.

I paid around $260 for the two amps (purchased separately). Being a person who couldn't pass up a good deal, I often get myself into this kind of situation (haha) where I have to learn to DIY. I enjoy it very much though. =)

I will take a look at both of the units when they arrive. And I will keep posting here to track my newbie DIY process in case if anyone needs detailed instructions in the future. (Probably not, haha)