The bottom looks better than the top.
Printable View
The bottom looks better than the top.
Well i picked it up from Grays yesterday, i was in London so killed two birds so to speak, anyway like i always do with second hand gear before plugging in and switching on i took the top off to see if everything was ok and to give it a clean, turns out the 2 big caps are blown :doh::doh: i contacted the seller on ebay but his response was that sound comes out of it so he can't be held responsible.
http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1529682129
As you can see from the photo the tops of the caps are domed, and you can't see it but they have leaked as well. So what do i do, scrap it or replace the caps?
I'd do the caps.
if i'm going to do that Geoff, do you think it would be worth upgrading other components? i presume the 2 big ones that have blown are the smoothing caps so will have some affect on sound quality, but i'd like to know if there is anything else in the signal path worth upgrading, i don't want to go daft and spend a small fortune, maybe someone could make some suggestions?
As the board has to be lifted, it may be an idea to replace all electrolytics and run a meter across other components. Give the controls a squirt of cleaner too.
Initially if there are no other looking odd I'd just do the big 2. Give the board a clean too Clean the pots. Then see how it is. I take it it's working
We are on the same wavelength Geoff, have you seen a parts list or upgrade list for this amp anywhere, i'd like to replace with at least the same but if possible better sounding components, which i know is very subjective
It powers up Grant, but as i've never heard a fresh one so to speak i have no gauge as to how it should sound
If you like I could pop the lid off my Quad 306 and see what Main smoothing caps Dada electronics supplied with their service kit. I remember looking up the specs and they had a very high ripple current rating, so ideal for amplifiers.
For smaller caps it would be best to look at a circuit diagram and see what they do. I've tried all sorts of audio grade caps over the years and they all seem to colour the sound in some way. The most neutral I've used for coupling are Nichicon fw - they are dirt cheap too :)