The Sound of Music ?

Back to Homepage

Table radios or high - fidelity amplifiers are music reproducing devices. This means that any deviation from the original signal source is  unwanted, and in the case of high fidelity, a lot of time, effort, and money went into reducing it. Modern components are  not only more reliable but also tend to lower distortion and noise levels. When we return the equipment to its original operating values we will improve the perceived sound in almost every case.

Musical instrument amplifiers are music producing devices. This means that the amplifier is almost as much a part of the sound of the music as the instrument itself, particularly in the case of guitar and bass amplifiers. Distortion is part of the sound heard by the audience and may well be a desirable effect. Repairs to a musical instrument amplifier may alter the sound in a way the musician does not intend:

• The replacement of obsolete types of component with modern parts  may reduce distortion because they are inherently better. This is particularly true if paper type capacitors are replaced with modern plastic types.
• Returning the amplifier to its original operating conditions may also reduce distortion. If you inherited or bought the amplifier second hand you may never have heard it the way the manufacturer intended: even if you did purchase it new the deterioration may have been gradual enough that you do not remember the way it originally sounded.
• Replacement tubes are the exception to # 1 above - new production tubes may be lower quality than the originals and cause higher distortion and / or lower power output.
• The sound of speakers is very individual. Even an original type replacement may not sound exactly the same as the old one. Again, one problem may have been the gradual deterioration of the old speaker so that it no longer matched the original specifications.

There are some partial answers to this but none is perfect. I cannot guarantee that a repaired unit will sound the same as it did before breaking down. We can work together to reduce changes to a minimum but this will involve some compromises:

• Use new old stock components in repairs. I have a stock of obsolete components that can be used instead of modern components. The down sides to this are that N.O.S. components must be individually tested (time and money), and are usually less reliable than modern components. Please note I will not install N.O.S. electrolytic capacitors under any circumstances whatever due to reliability and safety concerns. If necessary new electrolytic capacitors can be installed in the original cans in order to maintain an original appearance.
• Repairs made with used components. I will normally do this only if no other possibility exists. No warranty can be made in this case since I have no desire to take responsibility for components which may have only a short life span left.
• Use of reproduction parts. This is perhaps the best solution if time permits. I usually do not have these types of parts in stock but they ARE available. Most of them are of good quality and made with great care, however, they nearly always must be ordered from the U.S. and take at least 3 weeks to arrive. They are also expensive.  If you need your rig up and running tomorrow night you will not likely be able to take this choice.
• Repair as little as possible to keep the equipment close to original. This is less costly  in the short run , and will help in keeping the sound as original as possible. Reliability is likely is likely to be poor in this instance as old components will probably continue to fail on a regular basis. This may also be extremely costly in the long run if a small component failure causes a large and expensive component to fail. Repairs done in this manner can only be warranted not to be dead on arrival. However, if the equipment is rare and valuable, this may be the best option in order to maintain its value. In this case, perhaps one should not be using it on a daily basis .
• Grit your teeth and install the modern components; renewing any that test bad or are subject to frequent failure (i.e. electrolytic capacitors). Learn to love the new sound. This is most practical in equipment which sees normal use since reliability will be substantially enhanced. The overall costs will be reduced and turn around time for the repair will be minimal. Careful selection of parts can minimize changes but this is largely a trial and error process in which we must work together over a period of time.

Back to Homepage