Sell it and become a monk.
This is seriously my plan B! I’d see many benefits in a good Trappist order being organist.
Or brewer.
In my experience of audio amp design, it can happen with any small signal analogue amplifier, it’s not the most common failure mode, but it can happen; particularly in circuits using solid tantalum capacitors.
Clue in thread title. How many system rebuilds in one lifetime?
I’m surprised that with all the Brain Power here LoL that no-one suggested that you buy The Stereophile Test CD! which is like 10, pounds or so on Amazon. It has balance checks and I think most important in phase and out of phase tones… along with instructions on how to use the tones.
Also you mentioned that the speaker cable that’s going to one of the speakers runs under a sofa? Does it also run under a carpet? And lastly should it be that having the cable pulled out of the connector could have damaged the termination on the cable or damaged the connector on the speaker?
I thought Mike said that it didn’t actually get pulled out of the connector…
Perhaps the topic’s title should be changed to: The end of my catheter…
I’ve a vague unease and sense that today has seen this thread joined by peeps who haven’t read from the top so, having said how far I’m prepared to go for the time being, I think I’m out for now until I can take those steps.
Seems like a reasonable step Mike, but keep peeping, just in case somebody posts that magical breakthrough suggestion that has us all, especially you, saying “Ah Ha !” followed by “Brilliant ! absolutely brilliant !”
Oh I will @Don. And here I am
I just get a vague sense I’m beginning to be politely lectured to in a kind of “what’s wrong with you? It’s really obvious what you have to do. Why don’t you crack on?” slightly impatient kind of way.
I understand the impulse but I find myself in quite a difficult position in the sense that I can’t imagine my life without listening to or playing music but addressing this sort of thing is no longer a periodic interruption to that. It’s become the main event and right now it’s not where I want to be and I’m not sure I ever want to be again.
The two suggestions which leap out - the CD to pre interconnect (again) and the AV causing an issue - are ones I will pursue. Partly I admit because they’re the easiest but partly because they’re the only ones which make sense to me in terms of sound quality coming and going.
I absolutely appreciate those for whom this would be an attractive challenge or something routine. It’s become tedious to me and there are so many other things to do with my time.
@Beachcomber It doesn’t need to get pulled out to be loose enough to cause intermittent problems. Looking at the connectors on the back of the speaker they appear to be Cardas. They grip like a mofo and one could easily have an intermittent connection. But Mike has for now lost interest. Best to take a fast drive in a fast car and get ones music fix behind the wheel of an automobile
Contacts need occasional cleaning, plugging in and out a few times every year or so.
As Xanthe has written, tantalum capacitors have a finite life, but don’t deteriorate in a linear fashion: it accelerates as time goes by. After 17 years, your CDP probably needs a service.
I wouldn’t go faffing about with other gear. Just find out what has gone wrong since you loved the sound you were getting from your system.
I’d pull your old Epos out of the garage and connect them to your system.
Potentially, you’ll immediately, you’ll rule out cables/amps/CDX2 in one shot.
30 minutes of your time and might prove something, or not…
Still laking mid-range? Then it’s definitely something up-stream.
oh well your money Mike, good luck
…I think the best thing for now would be to let mike undo the tether and go for some long walks, read some books and get away from all this for awhile. He mentioned this earlier. When he come backs he can hook up the tether and announce that he is ready for everyones feedback.
He just might need some space…
Been powered down twice and done in the past week alone. So, no.
Been in a cold garage in boxes for 8 years and require a completely different connection to the Zu, which would in turn require going out to purchase those and then soldering.
I am going out to the Louder Than Words festival. People talking music. It’s a lovely thing.
Could take a Hi-Line with me to Audio-T but it’s a 30 minute round trip from the hotel on a cold day with time in the shop and 5 events I’ve paid for with a small window in between them. So, Wednesday it is. That’s the next time I’m in Manchester.
I’d be inclined to take your NAC A5 with you as well and ask them to put new plugs on just to eliminate that possibility too. I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve been caught out on that one. Good luck, fingers firmly crossed for you!