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View Full Version : Tom Evans, Mend it Mark and the Streaisand Effect. Anyone else been following this?



Gazjam
16-12-2024, 18:06
YouTube Audio repair guy "Mend It Mark" (Great YouTube channel and worth a watch) https://www.youtube.com/MendItMark was recently given a Tom Evans MasterGroove III phono Preamp to repair, the unit costing £25,000.

In his usual style,
Mark gives a step by step teardown and repair in his video, he did his thing, repaired it and that was the end of the Video.

Tom Evans wasn't happy he had done this, and filed a Copyright claim with YouTube and the video was taken down.
Never said Copyright of WHAT, just made the accusation and by default YouTube took his side.
Mark never dissed the Product, made a judgement on it, the only thing he did was highlight the Manufacturers blurb on the Website, and how the circuit designs were familiar to him, and anyone who can read datasheets.

Also pointed out that Part Numbers had been sanded off Op Amps etc, which made it a difficult repair.
Mark reverse engineered the amp and wrote his own service manual to enable him to fix it, really clever stuff.

Anyhoo,
The video was asked to be taken down from YouTube by Tom Evans claiming breach of Copyright, it was and Tom Evans probably thought that was that.

Quite the opposite happened!
Given the recent case of another Hifi YouTuber "Goldensound" being given a Cease and Decist by DCS for his honest review of their Bartok Dac, this was picked up by several other Audio YouTube'rs and they re-uploaded Mark's video on the Tom Evans amp on their own Channel! :D

Heres the Video here, perhaps you'll see why Tom Evans was unhappy there was a teardown of his £25K phono preamp, you be the judge.

https://youtu.be/uJ35ufUh2Tw?si=x-CkE7j4Da7V1krG


There is a bit of pushback against Manufacturers "coming it", and this has picked up a lot of Traction.
Also about the nature of YouTube's Guilty till proven Innocent policy, and when people targetted pushed back, they have won in every case.

Again,
Mend It Mark's YouTube channel is a treasure trove of audio repair goodness, well worth a watch.

Tom Evans only has himself to blame for this.
See what you think.

Macca
16-12-2024, 18:19
Been following this since it started.

Not sure why anyone would think it necessary to pay 25 grand for a phono stage regardless of how much money they have, but when you see inside it - well, it's not hard to work out why TE wanted the video taken down and it's nothing to do with copyright infringement.

Now uploaded on another site whose owner has double-dared TE to try to take it down again. Although it had 250000 views on Mark's site before it was removed. Genie not only out of bottle but packed a suitcase, got a flight and is now on a beach somewhere.

Gazjam
16-12-2024, 18:22
100%
Not the effect he'd hoped for, and hopefully a lesson learned.

Some thoughts on it from the /Audiophile group on Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/1hdy6iu/mend_it_mark_the_25000_pre_amp_that_went_wrong/

(https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/1hdy6iu/mend_it_mark_the_25000_pre_amp_that_went_wrong/)worth a browse.

Gazjam
16-12-2024, 18:27
Been following this since it started.

Not sure why anyone would think it necessary to pay 25 grand for a phono stage regardless of how much money they have, but when you see inside it - well, it's not hard to work out why TE wanted the video taken down and it's nothing to do with copyright infringement.

Now uploaded on another site whose owner has double-dared TE to try to take it down again. Although it had 250000 views on Mark's site before it was removed. Genie not only out of bottle but packed a suitcase, got a flight and is now on a beach somewhere.

Yeah,
Louis Rossmann. He's a stand up guy.

Macca
16-12-2024, 18:28
100%
Not the effect he'd hoped for, and hopefully a lesson learned.

Some thoughts on it from the /Audiophile group on Reddit
https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/1hdy6iu/mend_it_mark_the_25000_pre_amp_that_went_wrong/

(https://www.reddit.com/r/audiophile/comments/1hdy6iu/mend_it_mark_the_25000_pre_amp_that_went_wrong/)worth a browse.

'Audiophile rape' - lol.

Hopefully it will be an end to his shenanigans and give some of the others doing the same thing some pause for thought. I mean I don't really care what rich audiophiles squander their money on, but even so...

Gazjam
16-12-2024, 18:30
Mark's follow up video, after the Copyright strike.

"Talk softly and carry a big stick"


https://youtu.be/yPIrCaeVtvI?si=CJOkfqVGtQ0iFdOO

Techno Commander
16-12-2024, 20:40
I have been watching since the original was shown. Seems a right can of worms being opened. Mark even praised some of the electrical design to the amp and how it would improve noise. I think viewers were left to come to their own conclusions of cardboard shims, hot glue and birds nest wiring. I must admit, if it was mine, I would be pissed having seen the insides.

Compare with something like the Michael Fidler phono preamps which look absolutley gorgeous inside, especially for their cost. Admittedly they are cconsiderably simpler, but its what I would expect from a high end product. He also provides circuit and component details for those that are interested in such things.

https://michaelfidler.com/products/pro/mm-pro-moving-magnet-phono-stage/

Ali Tait
17-12-2024, 10:25
Yes have followed this too, been a subscriber to Mark's channel for some time, he's a clever stick!

It's all backfired on TE big style, just shows, you can't delete things from the internet.

Puffin
17-12-2024, 10:42
Yes, saw this before it was taken down. Mark is a really clever guy and I wish I knew as much as he does. Have a look at the Yamaha PA type amp he repaired!

stevekr
20-12-2024, 22:02
A classic case of the Streisand effect.