Musical Fidelity Elektra E100

[Papa Dee]

I have the above integrated amplifier that I have owned from new and was wondering if there’s anybody in or around London who could service it for me and resolve an issue with the volume control knob..
Thanks Dee

[Lawrence001]

I have the above integrated amplifier that I have owned from new and was wondering if there’s anybody in or around London who could service it for me and resolve an issue with the volume control knob..
Thanks DeeWhat's the problem? I've got some spray that sorts out crackle.

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[Papa Dee]

Hi Lawrence...yes it’s a crackle that comes when the volume knob is rotated...absolutely no problem once
a level has been set.I have sprayed it with Servisol Super 10 myself (quite liberally) but to no avail.I was
advised by Musical Fidelity that this is a common problem with the amp and a part or the knob needs replacing.
The last time it was serviced .. by Musical Fidelity..they covered everything internally in a white gunk and I would like this removed whilst it’s being checked over. Thanks Dee

[dantheman91]

Try rotating a few times when powered on with no music passing through. Common problem mine has a wee crackle fine once warmed up..��

[walpurgis]

It's a motorised dual pot I think. If cleaning doesn't quieten it, the pot may need replacing. Alan (Firebottle) may be able to help, but you'd need to ship it to him.

[Papa Dee]

Yes Geoff..I believe that’s what MF said the problem was...Alan is a bit far away and I’d like to see if there are any
options closer to home first.Thanks for the heads up though.

[Lawrence001]

Sounds like the same issue with the Arcam Alpha 9 / Delta 290 source selector. Some people get it dismantled and cleaned internally. Not sure if that can be done with this volume knob.

One solution that would keep you going would be to use a passive pre directly into the power amp in sockets on the back, after first removing the metal links from them. You might actually prefer the sound as well. A second hand Tisbury can be had for £60-80 and isn't bad at all. A bit more and you can get a Khozmo or something.

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[Lawrence001]

You could try this for now if you're not fussy about your cables. He might take £15

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.co.uk%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F 254326442418

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[Papa Dee]

Still looking to have it cleaned of all the white gunk put there by MF and any issues that are raised,resolved.I vaguely remember a member based in London being recommended...no ,highly recommended as a service engineer.If anyone knows of whom I refer to please give me a heads up

[Truckletheuncivil]

You could contact AD audio in south London. You can find him in the trade section of the forum

[Papa Dee]

Has anybody any experience of dealing with the removal of this white gunk.I think I read somewhere that back in the day it’s use was thought to be a protective measure .Is the removal a diy task...thanks Dee

[reddish75]

Where is the white gunk? Could you post a picture?

[Papa Dee]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190830/e0a79bfe2f6e918045801356c0d65e58.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190830/9d4ae0e275b220c90366f43cb50f6fc0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190830/909f3a16f8efc8edf2f0ebaf01aa77a5.jpg

[Papa Dee]

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190830/e0a79bfe2f6e918045801356c0d65e58.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190830/9d4ae0e275b220c90366f43cb50f6fc0.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190830/909f3a16f8efc8edf2f0ebaf01aa77a5.jpg

Also noticed that the main board has been cracked .. does anybody know if this is repairable or do I need a replacement

[Lawrence001]

Is the white gunk heatsink compound? In which case leave well alone as this ensures a good thermal connection between components and the heatsinks.

The "cracked" PCB looks too regular in shape to be damaged, is it not a separate section by design?

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[reddish75]

White gunk is as already said heatsink compound, this does not need to be removed.

Where you see the crack? This is the pcb for the receiver for the remote and supposed to be like that.

The one I've got here if I remember correctly replaced 4 resistors as they are underpowered and recapped it, again if I remember 3 out of 4 of the large psu caps measured well under spec

[reddish75]

R.e the original problem, I doubt that you would find an replacement volume pot that will fit properly. And it certainly doesn't need a new knob, this has no bearing on anything than making it easy to turn the shaft easily and to make things look nice.

What I would do first would be buy some deoxit D5 and try cleaning again. If you look at the side of the pot on the black square bits there are some access holes, aim the straw and spray the cleaner in there, rotate the pot fully 25 times then spray again rotate a further 10 times then leave to dry then try it out.

[Papa Dee]

Hi Chris ...thanks for the input.Its been well over a year since I last tested the amp.Ill give your suggestion
a try and let you know how I get on.

[Pigmy Pony]

White gunk is as already said heatsink compound, this does not need to be removed.

Where you see the crack? This is the pcb for the receiver for the remote and supposed to be like that.

The one I've got here if I remember correctly replaced 4 resistors as they are underpowered and recapped it, again if I remember 3 out of 4 of the large psu caps measured well under spec

Hi Chris! I was the guy that passed on my ailing E100 to you, exactly 12 months ago to the day! Hope you managed to make it well again. I was going to suggest Dee contact you for information regarding his amp, but unfortunately I'd forgotten your name :(

It's crap when your memory starts to fail, luckily I've had a lifetime to get used to that :)

[reddish75]

Hi Steve,

Again thanks for the amp,

Yes I got it going, there was two under spec'd resistors in each channel which made the traces in that area of the board very brittle, luckily there was just enough pads/traces to anchor replacements to. Whilst the main board was out I recapped it with spares I had laying around, quite a few caps were out of spec and some of the big psu caps rattled when I removed them they were that dried out.

My memory isn't what it used to be either :rolleyes: and find that I have to write things like this down to remember properly.

[Pigmy Pony]

Hi Steve,

Again thanks for the amp,

Yes I got it going, there was two under spec'd resistors in each channel which made the traces in that area of the board very brittle, luckily there was just enough pads/traces to anchor replacements to. Whilst the main board was out I recapped it with spares I had laying around, quite a few caps were out of spec and some of the big psu caps rattled when I removed them they were that dried out.

My memory isn't what it used to be either :rolleyes: and find that I have to write things like this down to remember properly.

I'm glad you managed to give it a new lease of life Chris - it was a lovely amp in its younger years, and together with my old LP12 and B&W 603s were the soundtrack to some happy times :)