[Kieran Comito]

As some of you know, I recieved the New Twin Head that had a problem. Some of you have heard my unit and it is not like the CES unit that got the great reviews on here. I have not heard the CES myself, but hopefully, if I fix mine right it will sound just like it. I contacted Joe Lau. He gave me instructions on to fix it. Keep in mind I am not good at these kind of things and I am new to audio so I really do not know what I am doing. Anyway here are the instructions.
1)Open the Amp up with a phillips screwdriver
2)Find the switch that is just before the volume control, it has 4 resistor solder in switch. ( it is the -10db switch)Just cut all resitors pins and take it away.

Okay. I found the general area where he is talking about. There is wires all over the place. I have a few questions before I attempt this. Are resistors little light blue tube shape things with different colored stripes on them? What is the purpose of the resistor pins? If I do this I will not be able to use the -10db switch. What function does this switch serve? Any insight or help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Joe Lau]

Yes ! You are correct. -10db switch only decrease the Volumn when your CD output level too high. (Some DA or CD can up to 7 V but Most of them is 2V only). You only need to switch to high volumn position(-10db Switch). It will no problem if you feel it volumn without any control problem. More than 95% CD is no need this switch.

 

[Kieran Comito]

You said I am correct. Are you talking about me being correct that the resistors are the little light blue or light green tubes with stripes on them.? Those are easily identified and should be easy to just cut. Let me know if I'm on target. Thanks.

 

[JMT]

Quote:

that the resistors are the little light blue or light green tubes with stripes on them.?

Those sound like resistors to me. The stripes indicate the value of the resistor.

 

[Kieran Comito]

Yep, thats it. Thank you very much JMT.

 

[Orpheus]

this is the only place in the world that i have ever heard of a person paying $1800 for a new amplifier, then personally having to "fix" a problem by disabling another feature. and ASL is the only company i have ever known to ask such a thing of a customer.

what should ASL have done?--recall all the amps. and.... if you cannot wait for yours to be repaired, the least they can do is send you a new amp immediately and wait for yours to be returned. that's the least a company can do that's selling such hella-expensive pieces. have you ever heard of another company with such nerve!?

you're not a technician.... you weren't even sure what a resistor looked like. why fudge around with one of the most expensive headphone amps ever made?, when it's totally Antique Sound Lab's responsibility to give you an amp worthy of your $1800.

(get ready for my next ASL ass-kicking thread. i just received my 4th ASL amp, and NONE of those 4 operated correctly out of the box... gave ASL 4 chances.... i think that's plenty.)

 

[Kieran Comito]

Believe me, I'm plenty angry over this. I agree The right thing for them to do is a recall or at least send me a new amp. Unfortunetley I do not think that is going to happen. I have had other headfier's pm me about the amp. They want the ASL Twin Head MK II, but they are scared to death to go through what I am. My advice to them was to hold off until the new shipments hit and the reviews. Joe Lau seems like a hell of a nice guy, but until he gets his Quality control in line, this whole thing is going to bite him in the ass. I am happy that ASL has given me instructions on how to fix it, however how do I know if this is going to make it sound like it is supposed to? If I notice a huge performance improvement after I cut the resistors. I will be happy. Others have heard how good this amp can sound, I'm just hoping mine is in the same league. If not, you guys are going to hear about it.

 

[Ray Samuels]

Hi Kieran....

Just by knowing that you don't even know how a resistor
looks like, I would say be very carfull, Very high voltages are packed in the tube amps caps, even after being turned off.
I think he should have suggested a qualified tech that he deals with to do the work for him or as it was suggested by another
headfier to ship you another one. Remember that if those caps are charged touching them accedentally could be FATAL.
Ray Samuels

 

[Kieran Comito]

Wow. Thanks for the heads up Ray. The amp has been unplugged and off for a couple weeks. Think that is alright.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by Kieran Comito Wow. Thanks for the heads up Ray. The amp has been unplugged and off for a couple weeks. Think that is alright.

A couple of tips. Working in a tube amp, use one hand. The other stays in your back pocket. This prevents you from touching live circuitry with one hand while the other is connected to ground. Such a situation would not be good for you, as the completed circuit would go straight through your body.

If you can identify the capacitors, discharge them. One way is to simply bend the leads on a 10K resistor, and attach it to a popsicle stick. Using the popsicle stick to manipulate the resistor, one lead touches the capacitor, while the other lead touches a ground. This will bleed any remaining charge off of the capacitor in a few minutes at most. The lower the value of the resistor, the faster the cap will discharge, but this also raises the chance of sparking.

Capacitors can hold a charge for a long time. Extreme caution should be used working inside a tube amp.

 

[Orpheus]

Quote:

amp has been unplugged and off for a couple weeks.

heh he..... hope yours will work sooner than mine. my first amp, a MG Head, was out of commision for 6 months! imagine half a year without an amp... (blame Divergent (ASL's North American distributor) for this one)

good luck.

 

[Ray Samuels]

Hi Hirsch....

If you tell me that I will say no problem. Poor Kieran
doesn't even know how the resistor looks like, how can he tell which are the CAPS? Your suggestion to work with one hand behind the back is great I will personally benefit from it. But
here again we are talking about Kieran & his limited knowledge
of recognising parts. No Offence, Kieran. But Hirsch, don't a lot of MFG forbid you to touch a unit saying HIGH VOLTAGE, voids the warranty? & it might cuase a serious enjury. That is what I have silk screened on my tube pre-amps. If service is required, send the unit to the MFG or consult a qualified service personal. Where is the warning here? You & I know what to do but this poor person might hurt himself.
Cheers
Ray samuels

 

[Hirsch]

Ray,

I don't know the exact repair in question. If it's a matter of snipping a resistor lead in a low voltage circuit that's away from capacitors, then it may be something that's perfectly safe. I don't know enough to say. A photographed guide to what to do should be plenty, as long as Kieran doesn't touch other components.

Sometimes a quick user repair may be the fastest and most convenient way to get something working. That works out best for both user and manufacturer.

A warranty is NEVER voided if a manufacturer has given specific permission to the user to go into a unit. It's actually little known, but in the US, a warranty is never voided ever. If an unauthorized user goes into a unit, the manufacturer is not responsible under warranty for damage demonstrably caused by the unauthorized entry...but anything else that was covered under warranty still is covered regardless of language to the contrary. Language in a warranty stating that the warranty is void if a unit is entered can be ignored. It's illegal under US warranty law.

Sony once tried to void a warranty on me. They wound up giving me a $1500 settlement check for a repair that might have cost them $150, the day before small claims court. I wound up doing the actual repair myself for nothing.

Since Kieran is being authorized by the manufacturer, his warranty is completely safe.

 

[john_jcb]

I personally would box it up and send it back for repair. It sounds like after you do your snipping the switch does not work. I may be wrong but that is the way I read it. I would not pay 1/10th of that and have a switch that now does not function. No matter what people say do not go into the amp if you are not 100% sure what you are touching. It is your safety not theirs.

 

[AndrewB]

Quote:

[size=xx-small]this is the only place in the world that i have ever heard of a person paying $1800 for a new amplifier, then personally having to "fix" a problem by disabling another feature. and ASL is the only company i have ever known to ask such a thing of a customer. [/size]

What about Nik and his lateset fun with Manley??