Audiophiles hifi appreciation thread old and new

Purifi > Hypex > etc

You know a lot more about this than I do!

There’s probably something new and “better” now anyway 🤷🏽‍♀️

Audiophile might be stretching it, but I've just plugged my Pro-Ject Debut Phon back in after a year or so in a box and I can only get one channel. It was intermittent before but now I can't improve it, I suspect it the tone arm wires as they seem to crack and feedback a bit when I fiddle with them and you can buy replacements but I just don't have the manual dexterity/patience to fix it so can anyone recommend someone who can please? SE ideally. It's pretty old (bought in 2002 maybe, shit) but I'd like to keep it going.

TIA.

I've got one Quad II so far, and am hunting for a second (let me know if you spot any) before I take them to get checked over and have something done about the power connections so I don't zap myself. But the morning's post brought a set of speaker cables and an RCA <> Jones connector so that I can get audio in and out. Does anyone know if it's normal for these speaker plugs to leave a little of the shaft exposed?

2 Attachments

This guy fixed a deck for me once. SE based.

https://www.yell.com/biz/d-r-osborne-services-london-356629/

Does anyone have a recommendation for a shop that will service a Luxman 116-a amplifier? Preferably South London.

Not been used for a decade, so covered in dust inside. The balance control has an awful crackle and deadspots so needs a good overhaul.

Page refresh fail.

Called Osbornes as above, he seems like a lovely bloke. £10 deposit, all works quoted for in advance etc.

Let us know how you get on - I need some repairs to an old HK amp and have been using someone from North London, but never have the time to get there so it has been waiting for nearly 2 yrs…

For people looking to get stuff fixed in SE, I've heard good things about mike.
https://dulwichdiverter.tumblr.com/post/178307937727/mike-and-his-mechanics

Doesn’t look promising?

1 Attachment

Thanks, will get in touch.

Sorry, I should have mentioned he started out fixing 1210, but I think the ubiquity of cdjs in a club setting, means his focus is now home audio. So a shift in focus rather than a closing down.

Gotcha.

Speaker plugs stick out a bit. They usually do on most binding posts don’t they?

My problem is which socket is +/- I googled it but there’s no clear answer.

1 Attachment

I see you've had yours updated with a phono-plug input and a modern power socket - did you have to drill the case?

I think - and I'm no expert, so don't quote me on this - that as long as each speaker is wired the same, you'll be fine. If they're different then they'll be out of phase. I don't think there's any danger of damage.

The RCA socket is mounted on a nylon plate in the Jones plug aperture, the C7 socket I’m not sure, he did say it was all fully reversible and gave me a bag of all the old stuff he pulled out of them. I reckon having this work done wouldn’t harm the value but I don’t know. They’re certainly not leaving my possession until I’m all nice and dead.

Here’s the work and the invoice.

2 Attachments

I think - and I'm no expert, so don't quote me on this - that as long as each speaker is wired the same, you'll be fine. If they're different then they'll be out of phase. I don't think there's any danger of damage.

I always thought this too but I accidentally wired them differently on my newish Denon recently and it went into Speaker Protection Mode. Could just be a cool gimmick of course.

£1 a resistor! (But then the component costs are dwarfed by the labour...)

"Speaker protection mode" sounds a bit modern. All I know is that if you have two guitar amps running at once, and they're not in phase, there's a quick fix where you swap the speaker terminals over on just one of them.

That all looks very neat, and reversible. I'm going to stick with all the old connector types because I'm a big nerd. I was worried about how they'd fit an earth but the guy emailed me today and said it's best with these to just let them earth through the connectors to the pre-amp, which should have a proper earth. Not sure what pre-amp I'm going to run yet though - I want to be able to stream via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth from the laptop.

Nice one, yeah this guy sort of said stop being a baby about getting electrocuted, it doesn’t really need an earth. What you say about earthing the case via the RCAs makes sense in a ‘you don’t want a seatbelt, you’re better off being thrown clear’ kind of way.

I use a Pro-ject Pre-Box DS2 digital. It has phono, analogue, Bluetooth and all the other digital ins, I use an Airport Express for Wi-Fi streaming.

I'm going in circles looking at pre-amps. I want something that looks clean and utilitarian to match the Quad, has Bluetooth or Wi-Fi streaming in, has no other inputs so the front is uncluttered, RCA output...

Quad 22 or 33 to match the look and tuck a wireless receiver down the back?

This is what the future amp service guy suggested. Might be a nice way to go.