Counterpoint SA-11 Manual

Ruzgar
Yes it seems a lot of Counterpoint gear has been upgraded.  I know that Elliott generally built his gear to a price point hence the path to upgrade with better resistors,capacitors,internal wire, power supply,etc.. As I recall the Sa11 was his top of the line and out of my price range at the time.  You should consider yourself lucky to have nabbed one as they don't hit the secondary market often.  I was wondering what tubes it uses and how many.   If the the tubes are old or stock issue you can probably get a very big increase in SQ by going Nos .Good luck with unit.

Nick

Hello Nick,
I found the SA-11 in the Ukraine, I also found an SA-2 there too.
the tubes were a mixture of everything on the SA-11 when it arrived, I changed them all to good NOS tubes and it works sounds really good. My only problem now is the remote control that did not come with. And I need to change my phono cables from my turntable to shielded ones, any recommendations. But bearing in mind the cost not too expensive.
Thanks Ahmet

Hello Nick,
Just a quick question, I have just aquiered Lewis & Kaufman 5R4GY rectifier tubes for my Counterpoint SA-11 preamplifier which they say are much better than standard 5R4's. But they are too long, the only way i can fit them is by removing the shield between the rectifier and signal tubes. Would this be a problem. It's also a tight fit they touch each other.
Thanks Ahmet

Hello 
I also got a SA11 but want to replace the face plate to silver, Is there anyone willing to exchange please?

Faceplates are rare to find.  They can be made by your local metal manufacturer but I am not sure if you want to bother.  Remotes are even rarer to find.  I can repair and modify any audio component and work on Counterpoint components usually 3/4 each month.  I have manuals that I can email for no cost.  The main issues with Counterpoint products are their age.  Some of the circuit boards were poor and very thin.  So repairing them can be a challenge now.  Mike's upgrades were good cotly and I now design my own products, I incorporate my designs in the upgrades/modifications now which take these units to a entire new level.  I use the best parts in the units and do some redesign to bring them to levels you cannot buy in any other manufactured product today without spending a bundle.  I recently upgraded a blown SA-220 hybrid power amp with bi-polar transistors and it is fantastic sounding.  Like someone already mentioned, Counterpoint was built to a price point.  For example, the SA-5000 uses a $7.00 carbon volume control.  A decent ALPS cost $50, a much better option.  The SA-5000 is an excellent sounding unit even when modifications are added but the power supply does not leave me with enough room to make better improvements.  I prefer the SA-2000 so that I have room to make changes.  I tell people all the time to buy an SA-2000 used for say $600, send it to me for $1000 all out upgrade modifications and you will be done with a tube preamp for a long time.  It won't be a weak link in your system.  My partner and I will probably make a design for commercial sale in the future based on this but mostly point-to-point wired instead of the circuit board.  I also have the license for the newer circuit boards but I am out of stock so in order to get more I have to pay for a set-up charge and a minimum order of boards.

Contact me if you need advice or assistance of any kind for any audio product.

Happy Listening.  Peter