[WIJGALT]

Shipped my sickly SHA Gold off to Melos Audio Restoration about three weeks ago & finally heard back from them. I will post my opinion on their work & upgrade when I receive the unit back. This is a SHA Gold Reference that I purchased on Audiogon some months ago. The unit's balance control was not operational when I received it. After blowing +$100 on schematics & local repair shop assessments - & essentially going without music for all that time - I finally folded & sent it off to MAR. They do - for better or worse - seem to be the only viable alternative for Melos repairs. Here's a listing of the defects they found:

(1) Bad motorized balance control (w /2 bad wires going to it)

(1) shorted power LED (only comes on green)

(1) 100 volt power MOSFET transistor

(1) Bad muting relay

Needs DC headroom adjustment.

PHO-tentiometor needs all adjustments.

Tubes have uneven output levels.

The repair estimate was $294. For $399 they offered the full upgrade which included all the above repairs. So for the extra $100 I popped for the upgrade. I do have a question regarding the tube problem. How big a deal are the "uneven output levels". MAR offered to replace the tubes with a pair of Sovteks for $50. I declined their offer but would like to know what a good pair of replacement tubes in the $50-$100 range might be if the current tubes in the unit (Tungsrams) prove to be indeed problematic. Thanks all for the help & I will let all you Melos folks know about my findings upon the unit's return.

 

[pigmode]

WIJGALT, I hope everything goes well with your melos. Do you know how long the repair/upgrade is going to take? Please keep us informed.

 

[Hirsch]

What does he mean by tubes have uneven output levels? Does he mean one tube is bad and the other good, or does he mean that the two sections within each tube are not measuring the same? If it doesn't bother you when you get the amp back, I wouldn't worry about it.

Some good places to buy tubes are www.upscaleaudio.com, www.vintagetubeservices.com, http://pages.prodigy.net/jimmcshane/#order , www.angela.com, www.triodeelectronics.com among others. You'll pay a premium to buy from a dealer, but $50 to $100 should buy you a very nice pair of tubes indeed. IMO, it's hard to go wrong with Amperex, as long as you're getting the real thing, which you'll usually get from a good dealer.

Ebay can help you stretch your tube dollar, but there are risks of getting bad tubes and the potential of getting a rebranded fake (these seem to be rarer than the tube dealers want you to believe).