Hmm what to do if my out of production Amplifier died, or needs some parts to repair and come alive? Anyone knows a reliable online shop for this kind of things? Or any good shop can do it? There is one dealer here that can repair audio equipment but not sure if amps can be repaired easily by an audio generalist shops? What could go wrong in old amps usually? like Capacitors or Transformers right? I believe those can be repaired like soldering etc?
Reason I ask is there is a potential buy for an OG Cavalli Liquid Gold amp (LAu), and this amp is old as you know so just worried about longevity, unless this thing is built like a tank. Also why it is called LAu?
There was a Service shop specifically repairing Old Cavalli amps I believe this one
What fails?
Pretty much everything has a lifetime, but assuming you don’s have something catastrophically fail, Caps eventually need replacing (But that’s usually 30+ years), pots wear out, they end to get noisy (crackle when turned), you can DIY fix that sometimes, but eventually they need replacements.
Mine never had an issue but I think @M0N ‘s had an issue with the capacitive touch switch he used for a power button.
A good repair shop knows their boundaries and should tell you what’s beyond their ability or what their assessment of the unit is. If the local shop is reputable then they at the very least can give you a good idea of what the issue is. They may have a nominal bench charge that may be worth your while to get an expert opinion.
What state are you in? I have a local EE who happens to also enjoy audio that does a very good job repairing most everything i blow up. He does it on the side so repairs take many months but over the years he has not let me down and his repairs hold.
He is in King George, Virginia a bit off the beaten path and not particularly easy to get to. As a matter of fact i just remembered I need to go pick up an AV receiver that’s been repaired and waiting since October….
I grabbed a Studio T from a well known SBAFer and it arrived Wednesday. 2 of the 3 boxes arrived pristine, double boxed, and perfect. The last, with the amp in it did not.
The amp corner was hanging out a huge hole in the box, all corners were smashed in or scraped to the point the paint was knocked off, and components were dented and loose. The impact was great enough that the volume knob was cracked. I hope to hell the transformers are ok as they truly cannot be made or found anymore. To boot the UPS driver looked like he tried to hide it behind another box and wouldnt let me out of my door to see the boxes without signing for it.
I am hoping what is there can be checked and repaired as a loss of an amp so prestigious would be a travesty for not just me but the community. I am pretty sure Craig wont touch his amps anymore but I am wondering if anyone knows anyone that knows the Eddie Current amps. I probably need to reach out to Craig or post on SBAF to find who does but i rather check here first. I dont want to ship this across the US again.
@Polygonhell & @archer if it is ok with you, I may message you on the side to see what may be normal vs. what is not. IE: ive seen tube sockets have some movement on craigs amp but what i have seems excessive.
Damn! sorry about this. I am not an expert like @Polygonhell, but the volume knob seems most concerning, esp the mechanical noise.
The cinemag input transformers on the back and the input tube socket while loose might function fine if the wiring is fine.
Have you powered it on yet?
For some reason EC amps seem to have the worst luck when it comes to shipping damage. If you do ship it out for repair I would recommend next/2 day air instead of ground.
I am afraid to plug it in and turn it on incase the damage from shipping fries more than what is already banged up.
The Tribute transformers and hopefully the cinemags inside are ok, those are ones you cannot get any more. The (i think line mic transformers) cans on the back are still listed with higher double faraday variants now available too, though im not sure if those would change the sound.
The volume pot is also replaceable and id probably do a tkd. I just dont know if it being hit smashed in the spline or it pushed the knob against the body causing a split. There is also a world where a damaged pot can put out full volume and blow a driver.
Have you changed driver tubes? Were your sockets that loose? I know on my B the 300b holes were tight but the socket was loose enough the tubes would visibly tilt. Craig said that was ok.
My biggest fear is there will be a claim and ups takes it back to investigate and either denied it or says its a goner and it disappears never to be seen again.
This is why I never use ups for anything, they constantly mistreat boxes of books that I order. Thankfully my vendor has the best packaging game in the business and goes the extra mile to make sure it holds up to excessive force.
Meanwhile my usps post office and mailman is very attentive and never throws my huge orders and always makes sure they are fully under cover on my porch.
They all have flaws. FedEx almost lost the lampi dac i sold before it left the facility i dropped it off at. It was in a flight case and they ripped the label clean off then broke into the case breaking the locks in the process. USPS has been routed out from the inside and they also lost a package of mine that was just hopping the river to NJ. It was a rare bendix tube.
The other two boxes looked brand spanking new, this one looked like it was kicked down a rocky hill.
Damn! sorry about this. I am not an expert like