RobertBentley
Standard Member
OK so let me tell you the full story, because I feel it is worth telling.
So in approx. 2007, a friend upgrades to a LINN system, and drops his old AVR300 off to me, and says "you gotta buy this from me, it's stunning".
And for 30 mins, it did sound stunning. I run a set of KEF EGGS and I moved from a midrange Harman Kardon amp (3500??) to the AVR300, and it sounded like a blanket had been removed from the eggs.
But after 30 mins, the Arcam switched off, and wouldn't come back on again.
So we agreed that I would send the unit to Arcam (via my local dealer) and £300 later it was fixed. By this time, my good friend said I could keep the amp for free - what a guy.
So for the next ten years it runs great, and I move from a HK DVD player to a DVD79 (from ebay), and the Pioneer 435XDE TV keeps on going, as do the KEF EGGS. The Kev Sub failed, but KEF fixed and upgraded that for fifty quid, job done. (it was the amp inside the sub box)
So after enjoying this stunning amp for ten years, it suddenly starts to fail. I get crackling on any digital input. I read up on the internet about failures of the Digital board, and I fear the worst. A new Arcam is not a possibility currently, as kids are expensive creatures, and sending it to Arcam with another £300 feels crazy, given that I have read that these amps are not reliable, and are old now.
But then I read of a guy in Jerusalem, who did a huge refurb on an amp (condor audio) and I drop him a line, as a last resort. He explains that I need to replace all the power chips and Electrolytic Capacitors, and he sells a kit on ebay for about £85 delivered. I remeniss about my degree in electronics, and give it a whirl.
Taking the amp apart, and getting to the lowest board at the bottom of the chassis was way out of my comfort zone. I documented every part of the disassembly, and finally took the main power supply board to the bench. I replaced 12 voltage regulators and around 35 capacitors, this took nearly a week of evenings. I re-solder every spot on the board (there were hundreds) and I fixed a couple of wobbly solder joints that may have contributed to my fault.
And damn me - it fixed it.
For a couple of months, all was well, and I had a big smug grin every time I used it.
Then it starts playing up again.
This time, after an hours use, it goes silent. Let it cool, and all is well again. The fans never come on, or if they do-they are silent. The amp will even turn off if you mess with the volume, when it is silent. It's clearly a bad connection somewhere, but I'm not sure I have the heart to fix it. It's a days work to strip it down, and re-solder the board, and a local repair shop has had a look twice, and has responded "no fault found" as they played it for 12h straight. (probably quietly, I must assume).
So I doubt I can fix it, the local hifi repair shop cant, and Arcam want £385 (approx.) these days.
Finally - my question to you, dear reader : WHAT do I replace it with?
I will be buying from this site or from ebay, as I believe that if I buy something via ebay that is listed as WORKING, I can run it for a few weeks and return it if I find a fault, for a refund. Clearly I want something reliable.
I do love the ARCAM sound, but am open to suggestions of alternatives, if I can maintain or improve the sound by trying another manufacturer. Is there a newer ARCAM receiver that is bulletproof, or do they all suffer from reliability issues ?
I have no plans to buy a BluRay, but a couple of HDMI ports on the next amp would be nice.
I have a DVD player, a TV with freeview, and an Apple TV. A simple setup.
All comments are appreciated !
Many Thanks,
Rob Bentley
So in approx. 2007, a friend upgrades to a LINN system, and drops his old AVR300 off to me, and says "you gotta buy this from me, it's stunning".
And for 30 mins, it did sound stunning. I run a set of KEF EGGS and I moved from a midrange Harman Kardon amp (3500??) to the AVR300, and it sounded like a blanket had been removed from the eggs.
But after 30 mins, the Arcam switched off, and wouldn't come back on again.
So we agreed that I would send the unit to Arcam (via my local dealer) and £300 later it was fixed. By this time, my good friend said I could keep the amp for free - what a guy.
So for the next ten years it runs great, and I move from a HK DVD player to a DVD79 (from ebay), and the Pioneer 435XDE TV keeps on going, as do the KEF EGGS. The Kev Sub failed, but KEF fixed and upgraded that for fifty quid, job done. (it was the amp inside the sub box)
So after enjoying this stunning amp for ten years, it suddenly starts to fail. I get crackling on any digital input. I read up on the internet about failures of the Digital board, and I fear the worst. A new Arcam is not a possibility currently, as kids are expensive creatures, and sending it to Arcam with another £300 feels crazy, given that I have read that these amps are not reliable, and are old now.
But then I read of a guy in Jerusalem, who did a huge refurb on an amp (condor audio) and I drop him a line, as a last resort. He explains that I need to replace all the power chips and Electrolytic Capacitors, and he sells a kit on ebay for about £85 delivered. I remeniss about my degree in electronics, and give it a whirl.
Taking the amp apart, and getting to the lowest board at the bottom of the chassis was way out of my comfort zone. I documented every part of the disassembly, and finally took the main power supply board to the bench. I replaced 12 voltage regulators and around 35 capacitors, this took nearly a week of evenings. I re-solder every spot on the board (there were hundreds) and I fixed a couple of wobbly solder joints that may have contributed to my fault.
And damn me - it fixed it.
For a couple of months, all was well, and I had a big smug grin every time I used it.
Then it starts playing up again.
This time, after an hours use, it goes silent. Let it cool, and all is well again. The fans never come on, or if they do-they are silent. The amp will even turn off if you mess with the volume, when it is silent. It's clearly a bad connection somewhere, but I'm not sure I have the heart to fix it. It's a days work to strip it down, and re-solder the board, and a local repair shop has had a look twice, and has responded "no fault found" as they played it for 12h straight. (probably quietly, I must assume).
So I doubt I can fix it, the local hifi repair shop cant, and Arcam want £385 (approx.) these days.
Finally - my question to you, dear reader : WHAT do I replace it with?
I will be buying from this site or from ebay, as I believe that if I buy something via ebay that is listed as WORKING, I can run it for a few weeks and return it if I find a fault, for a refund. Clearly I want something reliable.
I do love the ARCAM sound, but am open to suggestions of alternatives, if I can maintain or improve the sound by trying another manufacturer. Is there a newer ARCAM receiver that is bulletproof, or do they all suffer from reliability issues ?
I have no plans to buy a BluRay, but a couple of HDMI ports on the next amp would be nice.
I have a DVD player, a TV with freeview, and an Apple TV. A simple setup.
All comments are appreciated !
Many Thanks,
Rob Bentley