MY Hifi Holy Grail: Yamaha CR-3020

When I was 16 I found out about the Yamaha CR-3020, an absolutely massive, $1500, 160W per channel, 78lb, ebony veneered, 25 inch wide beast of a stereo receiver that was released in 1978. And at 28 years old, I've finally managed to buy one. Not only is that incredibly exciting in and of itself, but I also have the skills to service it and this one was having some issues with the sound cutting out at low volumes. That is typically caused by a dirty Pre out/Main in coupling switch on the back of the receiver but can also be cause by dirty speaker relays. There are 3 speaker relays in this receiver, one for each set of speakers! I also checked for a known issue where the pre driver transistors on the driver boards can come loose and destroy the relays or power supply.

This unit is very clean and I purchased it from the original owner after taking a roadtrip down to Bend, OR in November of 2023. It was super fun to spend time with the original owner and hear about all of his memories using it. I hope that I never have to sell this because to me, it's the pinnacle of receivers that I could want from the 70's.

I also recently acquired a second CR 3020 that I will be completely restoring and listing for sale later this year. If you are interested in it, please send me an email. I may need to reveneer it so we could work together on making it a unit that is custom to your tastes. ShuksanAudio@gmail.com

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:19 Specs, Manufacturing, & Background info
05:25 Background on my CR 3020
06:19 Disassembly & Fun Design Elements + Build Quality
07:48 Removing the Driver Cards, Relay board, and Coupling Switch
09:06 Cleaning The Pre out/Main in Coupling Switch
10:15 Cleaning the Speaker Relays
13:58 Fixing a Major Flaw in the Design
15:02 Reinstalling the bottom cover and driver boards
15:23 Testing on Dim Bulb (Use 150 to 200 Watt bulbs)
17:00 Adjusting Bias (Idling Current)
17:26 Adjusting DC Offset (Mid Point Voltage)
17:51 Final Testing
18:15 Loud Listening Test

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Hey! My name is Matt and I sure do love stereos! I got into this hobby when I was in high school over a decade ago. I had huuuge speakers in my bedroom and way too many pieces of gear (my mom was worried I would become a hoarder haha). I started repairing stereos for friends a few years back and decided to make videos about it! Now I repair gear for people. If you want to send yours in for repair, head to my repair form: https://forms.gle/Tk5xAEkGgVdyZ4w4A

Test equipment: (I earn a small commission if you buy from these links)
-Dim bulb tester! I made mine but you can find them on various websites
-Soldering iron Hakko FX 888 https://amzn.to/3JhyNrK
-Hakko FR 301 solder sucker https://amzn.to/4ogUecy
-Main Multimeter (Fluke 87V) https://amzn.to/45dvqJS
-Get the mini grabber leads for it! https://amzn.to/4qpJzxt
-Cheaper multimeter (Fluke 115) https://amzn.to/4o9y0ce
-Oscilloscope Siglent SDS 1104X-E https://amzn.to/43ovYMU
-Function generator Siglent SDG 1032X (There are newer versions out so finding this used online is the best option)
-Capacitor tester Peak Atlas ESR 70 https://amzn.to/3JjBauK (The price here fluctuates, you can usually find them cheaper on other stores)
-Transistor tester Peak Atlas DCA 75 (you can get the cheaper 55 model but it’s not as good so if you can afford it this is the one) https://amzn.to/4oaW6TS
-Hagerman labs IRIAA (Phone or signal generator gets dropped to phono cartridge level) https://hagerman-audio-labs.myshopify.com/products/iriaa2-inverse-riaa-filter

Tools:
-Ratcheting screwdriver https://amzn.to/3WihZED
-Lead forming pliers https://amzn.to/3JsB1oK
-Capacitor drain tool https://amzn.to/4oD6HGZ
-Wire strippers https://amzn.to/43r26iU
-Magnetic Helping Hands https://amzn.to/4o5BAnF
-Plastic Rocket Sockets https://lovemyswitches.com/rocket-sockets-pedal-building-socket-set/
-Fiber glass pencil for cleaning metal contacts https://amzn.to/3Jdn0eG

Chemicals/glues:
-Electronics contact cleaner https://amzn.to/4o7yH5O
-Deoxit D100L for metal contacts https://amzn.to/3WRiXaS
-Deoxit F100L for graphite contacts https://amzn.to/4hps1xf
-Solder flux in a syringe https://amzn.to/4hpNs1f
-Dow Corning 340 Thermal paste (Non conductive) https://amzn.to/4o6f65O
-Freeze spray (Electronics safe) for finding faulty transistors https://amzn.to/4qlDvGl
-Acrylic glue for dustcovers and such https://amzn.to/4o87TSZ
-Mother’s Mag & Aluminum polish for faceplates https://amzn.to/3L70ip2
-Meguiars ScratchX For light buffing https://amzn.to/4ht58t1

Miscellaneous useful items:
-Tuner string https://amzn.to/3Wl6DzK
-Parts organizer bins https://amzn.to/4ht3nfp

PCB Repair:
Eyelets https://amzn.to/4qr8TTH
Punches for installing eyelets https://amzn.to/48LJbmE
Hand drill for enlarging PCB holes https://amzn.to/3WoxWZQ

Instagram: @Shuksanaudio
Tik Tok: @Thedealydeal
eBay: https://www.ebay.com/usr/shuksan-audio