So... My Lentek MC head amp had gone noisy on one channel, making a 'rustling' sound (a common fault with these units when the carbon resistors go bad).

Therefore, rather than wasting time tracing the fault to a specific resistor, I decided to revamp the PCB and upgrade all the existing resistors for Audionote Tantalum and Charcroft Z-Foils, with the latter fitted in the most crucial parts of the circuit, as from experience I know how both sound, and the Z-Foils impart a lovely 'sparkly clarity' to the top-end.

I decided to keep the Tants as caps (the blue ones, shown below), but replace them with new ones of the same value [being as the originals would be over 30 years old], as I like how they sound, and also retain the original output devices. The unit had already been fitted with Cardas Litz output cables and KLE Silver Harmony 'bullet' phono plugs, plus solid-copper (low-mass) Eichmann connectors. That was the first upgrade I did, which made a big difference.

So, here is the before:



And now the after pics, including after it had been tested on a scope:




















All work was carried out by Anthony Matthews of Tube Distinctions. Can't wait to get it back and hear how it sounds, so full report to follow!

Marco.