[SteveFord]

That's coming up pretty soon and it does weigh quite a bit.
The whole interior is really dusty like it sat in a garage or something and the top of the caps are all sunken down an equal amount which seems odd.  Could they have been made that way?
Does anyone have any recommendations as to the brand of caps I should use with this old beast?
The C1 is en route so I'm using an NAD integrated's preamp section at the moment.  The NAD works better with the HK than it does with big VTL tube monoblocks; with the tubes it had way too much bass and not enough highs.  It's just fine with the Citation.

[timind]

Those caps do look suspect. I have never seen caps collapse as those look to be doing though. More commonly in my experience is that they expand.
Here's a pic of a Citation amp looking new. http://www.thevintageknob.org/THEVAULT2/CITATION21234/CITATION21234.html
Unfortunately, it's not all that cheap to replace caps. I recapped a B&K amp once and it cost me more than I expected. It did however, reduce a hum problem.

[SteveFord]

A real quick review of BillD's modified Carver C1 preamp - WOW!
It is astonishingly impressive; it's as good as anything I've ever heard and I've heard a few over the years.
Pics to follow.

[SteveFord]

One bank of LEDs is flashing while the amp is making weird putt-putt noises at idle so it'll be off to the shop shortly.
I did pop the cover off and the caps aren't imploding, those are rubber rings AROUND the top of each cap which bump up against the cover. 
Is my face red.
The caps say 12 87 on them so they're overdue for replacement - bulging a bit, too.

[timind]

Ouch!
Hopefully it won't cost much to repair. With an amp that age soetimes a replacement is more cost effective than repair. Good luck.

[soundbitten1]

I have a HK 930 receiver set up in the basement with DCM Timeframe TF-250 Speakers. They make nice music together.

[SteveFord]

I was supposed to get a 930 from a fellow here but I'm not sure what went on there.
Here's BillD's modified C1 - it was an old beater which Bill used as his test bed for the upgrades.

[SteveFord]

In the meantime, the much ridiculed mighty, mighty Harman Kardon PM640 has been pressed into service.
For $25 before shipping, that represents my all time best audio buy. 
It sure sounds better than the NAD integrated whose sound reminds me of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.  Veddy British and wooly sounding while the HK has that brash Rickenbacker electric sound.
Those with sharp eyes will notice the old HK knobs on the C1 - five bucks from my local repair shop.  Had to boil them in water to get the plastic inserts out and then reposition them and they were good to go.

[timind]

I put my PA2200 back in the system after six months or so with a highly touted integrated amp. I have to say I really enjoy this Harman Kardon amp. It runs super quiet and has loads of dynamics when called for.
Why can't I just leave it in and enjoy it without feeling like I need to better it?

[SteveFord]

Audiophile nervosa caused by LSA (Low Snob Appeal).
Where that cruddy old HK PM640 integrated excels is with Stax headphones - it's really a good combo.
The Carver C1 works really well with Magnepan MMGs but is less successful with the 3.7s. 

[SteveFord]

AVNerdguy has graciously undertaken the task of breathing new life into this old Citation and it's a good thing he has it.
Some bonehead had worked on it before and decided that he didn't need to install no steenking screws on the vertical board or tighten down a transformer screw which had backed out and the screw was rolling around loose inside the chassis.
This cracked the motherboard and we could have had roasting chestnuts (and everything else) if it had gone up in flames.

[timind]

I've been using my PA2200 for nearly two months. From a listening standpoint, there is  no desire to change it out. This is a perfectly enjoyable amp.
What I'm considering though is to get another one and wire in a balanced connector and run two amps as balanced mono blocks. It would be basically the same as running them as bridged monos. Maybe I should ask the feasibility of this in the lab circle.

[timind]

I recapped my PA2200 over the weekend. Purchased the caps from Mouser.com for not a lot of money. The amp has been on for a day and a half with music playing for much of that time. Can't say it sounds any different but as it's probably around 15 years old it can't hurt. Two of the old caps looked like they were starting to bulge a bit. Good for another 15 years!

[SteveFord]

We need to start a He Man Harman Kardon Owner's Club.
Right now it's two tuners (F500x, F50xk) and one Citation 22.
Not world beating equipment but not bad, either.
I'm told that the Citation 16 is a nice piece so maybe a little bit down the road after I finally pick up two vintage Bryston amps I've been dragging my heels on.

[timind]

All I have is the PA2200 and a HK6350r integrated. I've been on the lookout for a Citation 24 in good condition. I don't need more than 100 watts. If I find one at the right price I'll rewire, recap and swap in some better quality speaker binding posts.
If you look closely at the interior of the PA2200 and the Citation they are very similar. The biggest difference is the extra capacity power supply on the 24, much beefier. The amplifier driver looks almost identical.

[JBL-freak]

Any consideration to recapping the Citation?

i recapped all of my Harman Kardon Citation amplifiers

[CactusBob]

I've been using my PA2200 for nearly two months. From a listening standpoint, there is  no desire to change it out. This is a perfectly enjoyable amp.
What I'm considering though is to get another one and wire in a balanced connector and run two amps as balanced mono blocks. It would be basically the same as running them as bridged monos. Maybe I should ask the feasibility of this in the lab circle.

I know this is an old thread and you probably know this already, but I have a pair of PA2200's and they are bridgeable. There is a switch on the back to run them in mono @ 200 wpc. They drove my JBL 250ti's and sounded very good.

[ThomDP]

I've owned a few of these amps over the years. My first power amp was a PA2100 Signature Series.

Which leads to my question. Some of the PA2100 and PA2200 amps from that generation are labled as "Signature Series" Are there any differences between the "Signature" and non "Signature" amps.

The matching premap from that generation was the AP2500. They're pretty tough to find.