ITT 8033A receiver (made in Japan sometime around 1979-80)

Imgur gallery: https://imgur.com/gallery/itt-8033a-r... This is the ITT 8033A receiver, made in Japan sometime around 1979-80. This is the revised version, with power increased from 2x55 to 2x70 watts into 4 ohms. The only German thing about it is (probably) the serial number label on the back. I purchased it as functional, but of course, the seller had a different definition of the word "functional" ("and completely fine") than I do. The first symptom—it went mute at any kind of pronounced low musical note. I opened it up and discovered a "beautiful," homegrown, butchered repair, the kind commonly practiced around here in the early '80s and '90s when every factory worker thought they were an electronics technician. Basically, the guy removed a few transistors from the circuit, put in a few resistors manufactured by IPRS, and replaced a few capacitors with some Chinese junk. All this "work" was done in an effort to bypass the speaker protection circuit. Of course, I removed all that garbage. The real issue was twofold: oxidized relay contacts (they would "stick" and stay that way, failing to return to normal... I polished them, they are fine now) plus degraded components in the protection circuit. I don't remember exactly (years have passed since I repaired it), but I think there were some small-signal transistors that analyzed the signal and then triggered the protection circuit incorrectly. Anyway, it works properly now; everything is fine with it. Other interventions—of course, I replaced all of its original electrolytic capacitors (and increased the values where necessary) and gave it a general cleaning. I didn't find any dead insects inside, nor too much dust, which is a sign it was well preserved. The dial lights are all fine, another sign that the receiver didn't have too many hours of operation. A unique feature of it is a dimmer switch for the lighting, located on the back panel. Another piece of eye candy is the LED power indicator, which can be switched between 3 power levels. The preset FM station block is not made with the classic SAS integrated circuits, but with transistors. About 25 extra transistors just for that switching block. I don't really see the logic; in my humble opinion, they could have made it cheaper with ICs or even with mechanical selector buttons. Now, regarding the reception quality—it is good, but unfortunately not "very good" or "excellent." In city conditions, I have no problems on FM with it, but the sensitivity is not as good as that of West German devices from the '60s, '70s, and '80s. I won't even mention AM, because the whole band is "drowned" in interference, noise from switching power supplies, etc. Audio quality—pretty much the same issue. It has a lot of power and can shake the walls, but unfortunately, the sound is simply "flat." The highs (specified as +/- 14 dB at 16 kHz) are largely missing, and the bass (+/- 16 dB at 40 Hz) is only "decent" (and this is with the knobs turned all the way up). Even with the midrange control set to minimum, the mids are still far too pronounced. It's a shame because looking at how it looks and how it's built (quality materials, very heavy transformer), it would have been a true audio gem. When it comes to aesthetics, however, this receiver "shines." It is one of the most beautiful devices I have ever laid hands on... I'd say in the top 5 for me. Unfortunately, the other aspects drag it down. If I were to give it some scores (completely subjective, of course), I would say 7 for audio, 8 for the radio section, and 10+++ for aesthetics/build quality. One final mention—apparently, according to various rumors on obscure forums, this entire line was produced by Mitsubishi. I cannot confirm this; it doesn't have any distinctive look inside that would let me guess the manufacturer. What is certain is that they had a unique aesthetic for those times. This is an elegant receiver that is well worth keeping by any self-respecting collector.