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Thread: Don't Panic, crisis averted - or the Lazarus effect

  1. #1
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,850
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

    Default Don't Panic, crisis averted - or the Lazarus effect

    Once upon a time long ago (around 2BC, that’s Before Covid), in a land far, far away (well, Essex actually), I was enjoying listening to my CD player. This particular player was a model I had lusted after for about ten years; so seeing one for sale in mint condition and at a price I could afford was the fulfilment of a dream for me.

    Like most modern gear, despite having an on/off switch (at the rear), it is designed and intended to be left in ‘standby’ mode when not in use, and this was the practice I followed. However, having been away from home for a couple of weeks, I returned to find that I had left the player in full operating mode. Puzzled by my lack of diligence (I’m normally quite scrupulous in these matters), I shrugged my shoulders, switched on the power amplifier (the speakers and preamps are designed to be left on all the time), popped a disc into the drawer and pressed ‘Play’.

    Nothing, zilch, nada! – just a dull buzzing sound when the volume was turned up to maximum. (Insert expletives here ) No audio, despite the display working, as it should. Clearly the machine had not taken kindly to being left unattended for so long!

    Despite checking every thing else (phono input, tuner, tape etc.) was working, I had no option but to remove the player and replace it with the one I had been using previously. To add insult to injury, the replacement player uses unbalanced outputs, and uses a different mains connector. So after much messing about with cables and adaptors, I was able to play CDs again.

    The ‘broken’ player was put to one side, ready to be boxed up and sent off for repair. Fortunately I had kept all the packaging, which was virtually ‘bomb proof’, being about twenty time the size in volume as that of the player,

    Time passes, and along comes Covid, so all thoughts about repair were shelved, as there would have been no one available to do the work. No matter, I had already become acclimatised to the replacement machine, which to my ears didn’t sound too bad at all.

    Time passes, and with the relaxation of Covid restrictions, I reconsidered sending the player for repair. But I thought I would give it another try. So once more everything was pulled out and the ‘faulty’ player plumbed back in. A disc was put in the drawer and the Play button pressed. Again nothing, but this time there was complete silence even when the volume control was at maximum. The machine really was dead!

    Somewhat dispirited, I was about to return everything to the status quo, when I noticed the tape record selector was switched to ‘monitor’ rather than ‘input’. I must have knocked it when I pulled out the preamp to gain access to the connections at the rear.

    Reset the selector to ‘input’ and mirabile dictu, the player was now working as it once did!
    I’m still greatly puzzled as to why it misbehaved before, and why it has now apparently ‘recovered’. But I’m not complaining as it has saved me from might have been an expensive repair bill!

    Just kicking myself for the two ‘lost years’.
    Barry

  2. #2
    Join Date: Oct 2012

    Location: The Black Country

    Posts: 6,089
    I'm Alan.

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    It was moping as you hadn't been there to carress it, is it feline?
    I love Hendrix for so many reasons. He was so much more than just a blues guitarist - he played damn well any kind of guitar he wanted. In fact I'm not sure if he even played the guitar - he played music. - Stevie Ray Vaughan

  3. #3
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Seaford UK

    Posts: 1,861
    I'm Dennis.

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    It is often silly little mistakes which we make, usually because of a familiarity with a very mundane aspect which sabotage things, and which on reflection we curse ourselves for.

    This is perhaps parallel to most accidents occurring in a mundane drive locally rather than during a major expedition.

  4. #4
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,850
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    True, very true Dennis.

    Many years ago I fitted a Linn Asak cartridge into an ADC magnesium alloy headshells. Plugged the headshell into the arm, set the arm up as regards tracking error, azimuth, VTA and bias, then I put a record on the TT and dropped the lift/lower lever down. Imagine my surprise when the arm just slowly skated across the LP, without any sound issuing from the speakers.

    What had happened was the depth of the cartridge body (including the cantilever) was shallower than the depth of the headshell, so the stylus could not contact the record groove. Fitting a thick spacer between the cartridge and the headshell and resetting the balance fixed the problem.



    But to return to my problem with the CD player, I discovered that if there is a momentary interruption to the mains supply (either due to a mains failure for a few seconds or less, or the mains connector being knocked), the player will go from being in 'standby' mode to 'active' mode. I have noticed this before with another professional broadcast player (a Studer Revox C221), where if there is a momentary mains interruption the settings are lost.

    So I hadn't been negligent in putting the CDP into standby mode before I left, there must have been a short power cut whilst I was away. The fact that this caused a loss of functionality I regard as being a serious design flaw. Remember I had checked that everything else (vinyl repaly, radio and tape sources) were working as they should, so the tape source monitor was still correctly set at 'input'. And I still can't understand why the CDP is now working again after a two year rest.
    Barry

  5. #5
    Join Date: Nov 2019

    Location: 1066 Country

    Posts: 94
    I'm Peter.

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    As always, switch it off.. wait...then on again.
    Works (almost) every time.
    It worked with my Samsung phone today.
    1984 was a warning - Not an instruction manual

    I like (things) in brackets

  6. #6
    Join Date: May 2008

    Location: Londiniumsville

    Posts: 361
    I'm Robin.

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    Same with my Vida Phonostage. Left it on and next day no output despite all lights on. Switched it off for 5mins then on again and it worked fine. No idea why…
    Robin. mit ARC CD9, ARC ref 5 / darTZeel power + magico v2. Clearaudio Innovation wood / Phantom ll / Lyra Atlas / Aurorasound Vida,
    Stax 009S cans.KGGG headamp. all connected with wires. Auralic Aries - Aqua La Scala. Manley Absolute. Focal Stellias. HD800S Hyland headphones - Venus

  7. #7
    Join Date: Mar 2017

    Location: Seaford UK

    Posts: 1,861
    I'm Dennis.

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    A high proportion of my stuff with digital aspects is prone to incorrect resetting with mains variations, it seems to be that they do not take enough care with design to prevent this.

  8. #8
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,850
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

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    The cliché of "switch it off and then back on again", may work in the majority of cases but not all of them.

    Anyway, everything is now back to the staus quo:

    Barry

  9. #9
    Join Date: Nov 2011

    Location: Seaton, Devon, UK

    Posts: 13,240
    I'm Adrian.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Barry View Post
    The cliché of "switch it off and then back on again", may work in the majority of cases but not all of them.

    Anyway, everything is now back to the staus quo:

    Great kit, but where is the vibration isolation


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    Listening is the act of aural discrimination and dissemination of sound, and accepting you get it wrong sometimes.

    Analog Inputs: Pro-Ject Signature 10 TT & arm, Benz Micro LP-S, Michel Cusis MC, Goldring 2500 and Ortofon Rondo Blue cartridges, Hitachi FT5500 mk2 Tuner

    Digital:- Marantz SA-KI Pearl CD player, RaspberryPi/HifiBerry Digi+ Pro, Buffalo NAS Drive

    Amplification:- AudioValve Sunilda phono stage, Krell KSP-7B pre-amp, Krell KSA-80 power amp

    Output: Wilson Benesch Vector speakers, KLH Ultimate One Headphones

    Cables: Tellurium Q Ultra Black II RCA & Chord Epic 2 RCA, various speaker leads, & links


    I think I am nearing audio nirvana, but don’t tell anyone.

  10. #10
    Join Date: Jan 2009

    Location: Essex

    Posts: 31,850
    I'm openingabottleofwine.

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by AJSki2fly View Post
    Great kit, but where is the vibration isolation

    I just rely on the manufacturer designing the feet on their equipment to do that for me. I have never bothered with spikes, sorbothane, depleted uranium or any of that nonesense!
    Barry

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