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Thread: Hi-Fi Cock-ups. What's Your Biggest Disaster?

  1. #1
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default Hi-Fi Cock-ups. What's Your Biggest Disaster?

    I suspect most of us have had 'incidents' when messing about with equipment. Tell us about anything you wish you'd not done or about any spectacular disasters that have occured.

    I lent a very nice Audio Concepts Legend P300 MOSFET power amp to a mate to provide sound for a big party. The invited prat of a 'DJ' managed to connect the speaker outputs to the mains while nobody was looking at what he was up to and fried the feedback boards. The amp survived after a bit of first aid, which is less than can be said for my mate's Harbeth HL Monitors. The cones were literally blown out and coils melted. I saved the day by popping back with my Tannoy Eatons which gave good service through the whole night.

    I also nearly killed myself tinkering with an old Teleton reel to reel recorder. I was reaching inside the back to adjust something and got an almighty electric shock. I'd forgotten the first rule. Disconnect the damn power!! Lucky my elbow earthed against the steel frame, so the rest of my body didn't get fried.

    I blew up a pair of rather rare and now quite valuable full range Whitely Stentorian speaker drive units by putting too much power throught them. I wasn't going very loud, honest!



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    Last edited by walpurgis; 21-02-2018 at 17:51.

  2. #2
    Join Date: Feb 2011

    Location: Liverpool, Merseyside.

    Posts: 1,328
    I'm Ben.

    Default

    The Mrs "dusted" my cartridge which resulted in a seriously bent cantilever, fair paly to her though she coughed up for a new one.
    Technics SL1210 with
    SME IV Arm & AT OC9XML,
    Firebottle modded Tron Convergence Phono Stage,
    Bluesound Node 2i, Technics SL DZ 1200 CD
    Denon PMA1700ne amp
    Yamaha NS1000M Speakers.

  3. #3
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    joining AoS

    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  4. #4
    Join Date: Feb 2013

    Location: W Lothian

    Posts: 99,005
    I'm Grant.

    Default

    Falling through my stereo i guess. damaged lots of things i thought but its all fixed now and or replaced. wasnt even able to blame drink as i dont, now.
    Regards,
    Grant .... ؠ ......Don't be such a big girl's blouse

    I've said it before and I'll say it again: democracy simply-doesn't-work
    .... ..... ...... ...... ................... ..... ..... ..... ..... .....
    FIIO K7 BT, M11 PLUS, BTR7, KA5 - OPPO BDP-103D - PANASONIC UB450 - PANASONIC 4K ULTRA HD TV - PIXEL 6 - AVANTREE LR BLUETOOTH - 2* X600 SOUNDCORE - HEADPHONES INCLUDE, FIIO, NURAPHONES', FOCAL, OPPO, BOSE, CAMBRIDGE, BOWER & WILKINS, DEVIALET, MARSHALL, SONY, MITCHELL & JOHNSTON - 2*ZBOOK'S- MERCURY BD ROM, ROON, QOBUZ, TIDAL, PLEX, CYBERLINK, JRIVER - MULTI HDD'S -

    Oh my god! There's nothing wrong with the bidet is there?

    “Nothing discloses real character like the use of power. It is easy for the weak to be gentle. Most people can bear adversity. But if you wish to know what a man really is, give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never abused it, except on the side of mercy".

    “You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at home -- all the more powerful because forbidden -- terrify them. A little mouse of thought appears in the room, and even the mightiest potentates are thrown into panic.”

    "You don't have free will. You have the appearance of free will.”

    “There's a war out there, old friend. A world war. And it's not about who's got the most bullets. It's about who controls the information. What we see and hear, how we work, what we think... it's all about the information!”


    ***SMILE, BE HAPPY***

  5. #5
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Zoidburg View Post
    The Mrs "dusted" my cartridge which resulted in a seriously bent cantilever, fair paly to her though she coughed up for a new one.
    You should have told the missus it was a ZYX Omega and got two and a half grand out of her!


    Done the same thing myself. I obliterated the stylus on my first DL-103 with a duster!

  6. #6
    Join Date: Sep 2017

    Location: Dublin

    Posts: 506
    I'm Pavel.

    Default

    I once sold a good amplifier very cheaply because I thought it didn’t work.

    Later I realized that it didn’t have the links between its pre and power sections fitted...

  7. #7
    Join Date: Apr 2008

    Location: Warrington

    Posts: 3,451
    I'm Neil.

    Default HiFi Cock-ups. Whats Your Biggest Disaster?

    Hearing my Grado RS1 squealing from across the room due to an RCA grounding issue, so my headphone amp decided to blow out the drivers.
    Mana Acoustics Racks / Bright Star IsoNodes Decoupling >> Allo DigiOne Player >> Pedja Rogic's Audial Model S DAC + Pioneer PL-71 turntable / Vista Audio phono-1 mk II / Denon PCL-5 headshell / Reson Reca >> LFD DLS >> LFD PA2M (SE) >> Royd RR3s.

  8. #8
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: West Sūþsēaxe

    Posts: 2,015
    I'm Edward.

    Default

    A mate gave me a top of the range expensive head unit for my car audio system. Started to install and within seconds it went bang, small puff of smoke and an acrid smell. Don't think I ever owned up to that misdemeanour - until now.
    Current: [P20] Roon/Tidal > Custom PC> Chevron Paradox NDF16 > Phast Pre > Neuro. 686 > Tannoy Berkley (RFC tweaks)


  9. #9
    Join Date: Apr 2012

    Location: N E Kent

    Posts: 51,624
    I'm Geoff.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Shovel_Knight View Post
    I once sold a good amplifier very cheaply because I thought it didn’t work.

    Later I realized that it didn’t have the links between its pre and power sections fitted...
    That's really funny. Shame though.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Aug 2009

    Location: Staffordshire, England

    Posts: 37,786
    I'm Martin.

    Default

    Managed to short a power amp out using bare wire connection with speaker cable. It made a noise like a machine gun and then the magic smoke came out. It smoked for several hours.

    Worst one was I bought a 'lucky' lace tea towel off of a gypsy woman. About a week later got a brand new Goldring Eroica MC cart on my TT. Sounded great! Two days after getting it I walked past it whilst holding the 'lucky' tea towel, caught the stylus tip and ripped it right off.

    I'd used my credit card to buy it so called them to see if I could claim a refund for damage, as per their relentless TV advertisements. Needless to say they denied all knowledge of there being any 'insurance' on card purchases. £180 down the drain.
    Current Lash Up:

    TEAC VRDS 701T > Sony TAE1000ESD > Krell KSA50S > JM Labs Focal Electra 926.

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