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Section 1: About This Manual
This manual gives the information you need to build and install new, gold-plated RCA
input jacks into Dynaco's Stereo 400/410/416 power amplifier. We'll just say Stereo 400
to cover all three models. Please note however, that this manual was written based on the
Stereo 400, so there may be slight differences in the disassembly procedures for the
Stereo 410 and the Stereo 416.
The jacks in most Stereo 400's may be more than 40 years old. The ground connections
tend to oxidize, which could result in a bad, high resistance, ground connection and
excess noise. Replacing these jacks with new gold-plated jacks will make for a much
lower resistance ground connection. These new jacks also project a bit more from the
back panel. This makes the Stereo 400 able to mate with a wider range of RCA jack
configurations.
Who Should Attempt this Project?
You can build this kit if you can:
1. Solder (using normal rosin core solder and a soldering iron).
2. Use simple hand tools like screwdrivers, wire cutters, and pliers.
3. Read and follow directions.
It helps if you:
1. know a bit about electronics, or
2. have a friend who knows a bit about electronics
3. can get to YouTube to watch a few helpful videos about the assembly process
(none are posted as of this version of the manual).
Please note that Stereo 400's are heavy. You are in for a wrestling match of sorts with
this beast. Please also note that the amount of energy controlled by one of these
behemoths is impressive. That makes it distressingly easy to let the "magic smoke" out of
the amp. We urge you to use caution as you undertake replacement of the RCA input
jacks.
Tools you'll need
You'll need the following tools:
1. Phillips screwdriver (#1 and #2), regular screw-drivers.
2. Pliers or nut drivers suitable for #4 and #6 hardware
3. needle nose pliers (helpful, but not strictly necessary)
4. pencil type soldering iron of 25 to 50 Watts (no huge honking soldering guns or
blowtorches)
5. wire cutters and strippers
Project Overview
The project consists of the following steps:
1. Disassembling the amp to allow separating the heat-sink assembly from the body
of the amplifier.
2. Removing the old RCA Jacks.
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