928GTS
500+ Head-Fier
- Joined
- Sep 29, 2006
- Posts
- 729
- Likes
- 27
I've been at Head Fi for a small while and one thing I've always noticed is that when people come posting of a problem with their respective amplifier and then list off the symptoms they're having nearly immediately someone will reply telling them to "bring it to a tech" or "if you don't know how to do that then you have no sense even looking at the inside of your amplifier".
I read these things and I find myself quite perplexed because I'm looking at someone who is wishing to start their journey into the world of diagnosis and repair and instead they are being turned away and told to bring it someone who "knows better". The problem is that these people that "know better" got their start through discovery and figuring things out through learning lessons. Many of these old hands cut their teeth on their parent's record/radio console in the living room or perhaps bought some surplus parts and made their first amplifier.
This was back in the day before modern grounding practices as well as general electrical safety really took effect in regards to isolation transformers,grounding methods(floating ground anyone?)and other odds and ends. They learned from being shocked and from putting their hands where they probably were not supposed to go. The thing was that they learned from these experiences and thus were likely not to repeat them again because they knew what would happen. Once you get shocked once you tend to remember it for quite some time. They learned to fix and diagnose circuits from taking apart circuits,studying them and learning what made them tick,how to make them better and how to repair them when they went wrong.
With the Internet today's aspiring repairfolk needn't worry as much about electrical hazards due to the fact that their is a vast array of articles on general electrical safety as well as repair methods on a wide range of electronic devices. They can read up and arm themselves with the knowledge necessary to tackle the job at hand with thoroughness and safety. Even with this knowledge the wonderful process of learning will still take place as they go through their current project and progress through whatever tasks they wish to perform on it as they will figure out what methods work best for them and through this they will become unique. Everyone does things different and this is one stage where that distinction is made.
It is understandable that there are some projects that should be attempted as a beginner due to the complexity or level of voltages involved. However I feel that a wide range of amplifiers that we discuss here on these forums would make excellent candidates for a Head Fi'ers first upgrade or repair project. I would also state that it would be in good practice to first be competent at the skills of soldering, circuit diagnosis and measurement as well as the basic understanding of the circuit they wish to work. Once again all of this can be learned from the Internet or,if one is lucky,they may have a friendly electrically inclined "elder" who will gently guide them in the right direction.
In conclusion to this I feel that people should not be shied away from working on their amplifiers because if we tell everyone to "go see a tech" for their problems then what will happen when all of the "old hand" techs pass away. Who will inherit their knowledge? Who will pick up the craft and keep it moving forward as a relevant part of today's modern technological world? Learning is made through discovery....
My other issue stems from the concept of buying matched tubes and the prices paid for such items. I feel that too much attention is paid to the importance of matched tubes and making sure they are of the same brand,same date code,etc,etc. Ensuring that these variables are the same means that the price will rise accordingly and I feel that very similar results could be offered from the purchase of tubes in far larger quantity that may not meet their criteria.
I often peruse the offerings of "bulk" auction tubes on eBay and am quite pleased to see 6,10,12 or more of lets say 12AX7's being offered for around $50-70 or so. People may complain that their brands do not match but in reality many of the tubes that you see that wear American brand names are most likely rebranded tubes that were manufactured by the large tube companies such as RCA,Sylvania,Tung Sol,etc. The end result is that these tubes are actually closer in physical construction than they might seem at first glance.
I feel that in some high end applications having an accurate match may bring that last few percent of an improvement. However I really do not feel that having someone who is a beginner to audio who,lets say,has just bought a Little Dot 1+,should shell out $40+ or more just for two tubes when they could perhaps instead buy 6 tubes at the same price and have more fun mixing and matching,find their own favourite combinations and seeing the differences between brands.
At this stage the goal should be firmly placed on fun,discovery and learning. Perhaps later when that user upgrades to a more substantial amp then tube matching might become of greater importance as their listening setup with headphones and amp becomes more demanding and the respective "tolerances" will become tighter and thus require a greater level of electrical accuracy.
Don't worry so less on getting that one "must have" tube set and instead root around and go for things that people may have overlooked. Often the best discoveries come from finding the treasure under the rock that has yet to be overturned.
I read these things and I find myself quite perplexed because I'm looking at someone who is wishing to start their journey into the world of diagnosis and repair and instead they are being turned away and told to bring it someone who "knows better". The problem is that these people that "know better" got their start through discovery and figuring things out through learning lessons. Many of these old hands cut their teeth on their parent's record/radio console in the living room or perhaps bought some surplus parts and made their first amplifier.
This was back in the day before modern grounding practices as well as general electrical safety really took effect in regards to isolation transformers,grounding methods(floating ground anyone?)and other odds and ends. They learned from being shocked and from putting their hands where they probably were not supposed to go. The thing was that they learned from these experiences and thus were likely not to repeat them again because they knew what would happen. Once you get shocked once you tend to remember it for quite some time. They learned to fix and diagnose circuits from taking apart circuits,studying them and learning what made them tick,how to make them better and how to repair them when they went wrong.
With the Internet today's aspiring repairfolk needn't worry as much about electrical hazards due to the fact that their is a vast array of articles on general electrical safety as well as repair methods on a wide range of electronic devices. They can read up and arm themselves with the knowledge necessary to tackle the job at hand with thoroughness and safety. Even with this knowledge the wonderful process of learning will still take place as they go through their current project and progress through whatever tasks they wish to perform on it as they will figure out what methods work best for them and through this they will become unique. Everyone does things different and this is one stage where that distinction is made.
It is understandable that there are some projects that should be attempted as a beginner due to the complexity or level of voltages involved. However I feel that a wide range of amplifiers that we discuss here on these forums would make excellent candidates for a Head Fi'ers first upgrade or repair project. I would also state that it would be in good practice to first be competent at the skills of soldering, circuit diagnosis and measurement as well as the basic understanding of the circuit they wish to work. Once again all of this can be learned from the Internet or,if one is lucky,they may have a friendly electrically inclined "elder" who will gently guide them in the right direction.
In conclusion to this I feel that people should not be shied away from working on their amplifiers because if we tell everyone to "go see a tech" for their problems then what will happen when all of the "old hand" techs pass away. Who will inherit their knowledge? Who will pick up the craft and keep it moving forward as a relevant part of today's modern technological world? Learning is made through discovery....
My other issue stems from the concept of buying matched tubes and the prices paid for such items. I feel that too much attention is paid to the importance of matched tubes and making sure they are of the same brand,same date code,etc,etc. Ensuring that these variables are the same means that the price will rise accordingly and I feel that very similar results could be offered from the purchase of tubes in far larger quantity that may not meet their criteria.
I often peruse the offerings of "bulk" auction tubes on eBay and am quite pleased to see 6,10,12 or more of lets say 12AX7's being offered for around $50-70 or so. People may complain that their brands do not match but in reality many of the tubes that you see that wear American brand names are most likely rebranded tubes that were manufactured by the large tube companies such as RCA,Sylvania,Tung Sol,etc. The end result is that these tubes are actually closer in physical construction than they might seem at first glance.
I feel that in some high end applications having an accurate match may bring that last few percent of an improvement. However I really do not feel that having someone who is a beginner to audio who,lets say,has just bought a Little Dot 1+,should shell out $40+ or more just for two tubes when they could perhaps instead buy 6 tubes at the same price and have more fun mixing and matching,find their own favourite combinations and seeing the differences between brands.
At this stage the goal should be firmly placed on fun,discovery and learning. Perhaps later when that user upgrades to a more substantial amp then tube matching might become of greater importance as their listening setup with headphones and amp becomes more demanding and the respective "tolerances" will become tighter and thus require a greater level of electrical accuracy.
Don't worry so less on getting that one "must have" tube set and instead root around and go for things that people may have overlooked. Often the best discoveries come from finding the treasure under the rock that has yet to be overturned.
