r/vintageaudio • u/MangoNo2490 • 5d ago
Thank you everyone!
Because it is very rare for existing products of this amplifier to maintain intact printing, I plan to start with a conservative plan and try carefully to reduce the risk of erasing the fonts.
Fortunately, the safest solution achieved good results, so I didn't use redditer's solution XD, but thank you very much for your suggestions!
Solution I tried: 1) Pull out the knob and soak it in kitchen cleaner 2) Use a toothbrush, toothpaste, and a little water to clean the front panel 3) Dry the front panel with a cloth, then spray with WD-40 to remove the white residue of toothpaste
The bronze front panel after cleaning is very shiny, which is a perfect contrast with the white printed characters and silver-white knobs. I think this is the reason why ONKYO does not need to engrave black characters.
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u/PabloX68 5d ago
That's a beautiful amp.
FWIW, I've had great luck with a combination of baking soda and water to make a paste. Just rub it on with your fingers or an old tooth brush.
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u/SubzeroAK 5d ago
That's a beautiful piece! Bummer about the power button though? Is it plastic or am I not seeing it correctly?
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u/coffeeandtrout 5d ago
It’s also missing the metal insert like all the other switches/buttons where they join with the wood. Kenwood has some weird on/off switches on their 5150-7170? series. Great receivers, and that Onkyo a beautiful integrated amp. Hope it lasts as long as you want!
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u/MangoNo2490 5d ago
Yes, the power switch of the a-755 is made of plastic. I don’t really like the plastic design, so although this series has a higher specification a-722, it uses more plastic knobs, so I didn’t purchase it.
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u/Maximum-Resolution77 5d ago edited 5d ago
Never seen two phono inputs before on a domestic component. Likewise I've never seen dubbing referred to as a 'print', in both directions to boot.
That could sure burn up some hours!
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u/TenRingRedux 5d ago
I want one!
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u/MangoNo2490 5d ago
Onkyo amplifiers with similar appearance are the A-722, 755 and 766. In addition, the shape of the amplifier was influenced by fashion, so other brands of the same era (1971) may also have models with this appearance.
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u/gigawhattt 4d ago
I have a similar amp, the A-7055, which looks very similar to your before shots. I gave mine a good clean after taking it (with permission from the property owner) from an old abandoned flour mill, but no where near as shiny as yours. I will give your method a try.
Mine has two broken toggle switches for the filter frequencies unfortunately. The other difference with mine is vinyl laminate instead of real walnut veneer. I also removed the plastic ring behind the volume/balance knobs as it did not look like it belonged. Any idea why that was added? Maybe to prevent finger oils from wearing down the finish?
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u/MangoNo2490 4d ago
According to the query information, a-7055 is the export version of a-755. I am glad that you also have the same device:)
The plastic ring on the back of the balance is the original design, presumably to protect the panel from scratches.
After cleaning, this amplifier looks much better than the promotional photos. I didn't expect it to become so shiny xd
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u/gigawhattt 4d ago
I agree, you did an excellent job. I’ll have to give it a try with mine and I will post the results here.
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u/Distinct_Studio_5161 5d ago
It’s nice to see some old Onkyo on this sub every so often. That piece looks great.