i am experiencing a random waving little high frequency noise in the tweeter of one of my JBL K2S9800, that i tend to believe, comes from my Tenor 150. Intensity is variable and noise is not always present (usually not there at start and tend to be less present after 4/5 hours). It is not a uhm (wich is also slightly present). It does disappear when amp is in mute mode but remains kick and fitting when the amp is in stand alone mode (with no connection to the pre-amp). Noise has increased in the last days. When i change the plug orientation noise is migrating from one channel to the other. Voltage is a stable 240v (with no ground due to the age of the electrical installation)
Thks beforehands for your insights.
I did not get answers from Tenor to the mails sent in the last two months and i understand they have other priorities at the moment but i would really like to have this problem fixed.
Another thing to consider is that many respected and supposedly stable manufacturers of high-end audio equipment are pretty much the result of one man or woman's work and vision. To my knowledge, many of them do not have successors in place nor have they delegated much responsibility. For the manufacturers that have been in the business for a long time, their founder and company head may also be getting up there in age. Let's be honest here, many companies will not survive the loss of their leader and chief designer. In most instances, we are not only betting on one to three men's/women's continued passion and long-term profitability, but their health as well.
Then there's support beyond the warranty. Some companies will happily support their products forever, while others will be quite harsh when you're not the original owner and it is no longer under warranty.
Paul, I wish Tenor was 30 miles from my home. Ya know, what we really need to do is put this all in perspective. Not for a second do I think ANYONE should ever feel sorry for me (or almost any of us on this forum) because my multi-kilobuck component went down and the company is outta business!! I always say that if the worst thing in life is that I crunched my $4000 NEEDLE (a/k/a cartridge for the more sophisticated among us) or that my $3000 power cable broke, boy, life must be TOUGH!!!
We in this country have SO much, so many choices, so much excess and when I sit back every night listening to a system the level of which most people in the world will NEVER hear, I have to have gratitude on a daily basis for what I have. I have to remind myself that friends, family and relationships are the REAL thread of life and that music compliments, it doesn't define, that life. As such, when I get my spoiled, self-centered undies in a bunch with the "poor me" "my Tenor is broke" attitude, I have to sit back and make fun of myself and get that perspective back.
So, no, I was not happy when my Tenor went down (after they were out of business), but such is life. That said, however, I can still empathize with the original poster when he lays out his hard earned money for a statement product with high expectations and those expectations are dashed right out of the blocks with what appears to be no solution! The good news here is that there WILL be a happy ending!
OK, nuf said, no more Mr. Philosopher, I am off to the stereo room!!!! (gee, I ain't spoiled am I?) CIAO!!!!!
Lots of good points made. I'm glad that Mqg30 will be able to have his Tenor problem attended to.
LOL Fmpnd, Levinson is now based not much more than 30 miles from my home. At this time the only Lev product I have with any warrantee left is my 390S.
Thanks Mqg30. Glad to help. I talked to Stephan (the main tech at Tenor) last night and I can assure you, they will help get you going again. Stephan is a class act, a staight shooter and all around good guy.
Although I can understand somewhat what the other posters are talking about, the simple matter is that MANY of the high-end manufacturers are smaller niche companies that, if you REALLY had access to their financial picture, you'd realize that we take big risks almost every time we buy high end audio gear. Sure, "caveat emptor" or buyer beware should apply to a certain extent and we should keep our eyes open to the risk of these smaller companies going under (which is inherent in the beast)! But hell, do we really know how stable any company is that we buy products from? Just ask the former 401(k) holders at Enron!!
My point? VERY few of the high end audio companies out there are what most of us would consider extremely stable.
That said, I am glad I am not surrounded by some of these posters as friends since their level of "compassion" is so darn high!! ;-)
Fppnd, Audiogon is definitely a place where you meet both the best and the worst but the best definitely worth it. Thks again for your time and advices.
This being said The Tenor team are very nice persons and i remain confident that they will be able to support me in one way or another. Long life to dreams.
Howie brings up a good point. If ONLY a tube is bad (as opposed to a fuse or resistor in the audio board which took out a tube), then it could explain the intermittent noise and why it gets better over time. Clearly, it is in your amp as that explains why the noise occurs even when the preamp is disengaged and stops when the amp is in mute.
If it IS in the audio board, you will hear a distortion in the treble region especially when acoustic piano music is played.
One thing you could try is to get some spare 12AX7s (the tubes at the front of the amp) and swap them out. These are easy to find cheap tubes. Or you could also buy new 6H30s and/or the other tube (I think it is a 6N6P) and replace them all. If it is NOT the tubes, at least you now have a spare set.
Beemer, you must be speaking with past horrors in mind; otherwise, I find it amusing that you would be making such comments about Tenor when some of the expensive gear you own come from a company (Levinson) that recently experienced similar problems. I know, because when Levinson's parent company was undergoing restructuring and the factory was moved, I was selling a Levinson gear of mine at that time. I had a hell of a time trying to confirm warranty and such. Their dealers around the world were of no help as some of them had gear that required repair service and some of them were waiting for their orders, placed months before, to arrive. Contact between the company and its dealers were essentially cut off. In this instance, here's a big company with arguably a long track record for excellent service and reliability experiencing the same problems as Tenor did.
Mqg30, this probably won't help if what Fmpnd suggested is true, but have you tried adjusting your powercords and cables so that they are as free from each other as much as possible? And how loud is this noice? This isn't a case of tube noice right?
Jaguar is not doing well, it's one of the anchors around Ford's neck. Their cars (especially at the lower end of line which is funny as they only make high end cars) are not competitive with other brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Acura, Lexus, and now Cadillac.
Obviously Viridian can afford $20K amps that break with no support. Surely it must be nice to live in your world, where $10-$20K audiophile pieces that have no support or service availability are a minor thing.
I must have to work harder for my money, and value to me is an item that has support, and a ready and available service path.
Tish tish, my junky Levinson and Aerial, Classe pieces work every day.
Sorry you have a problem Mqg30, its a real drag when the rig goes down - hope you can figure it out.
BS like this is why I now will only buy from large companies like CJ, MAC, Meridian etc.....no more esoteric startups, latest and greatest, blah blah. It's hard enough getting service from reputable companies much less short timers not even willing to answer mails!
There's a reason why every company Viridian mentioned (including the British sport car makers) are out of business. Apparently the vast majority of people want something that works reliably when they pay their hard earned money. Could it be those other dudes own a Lexus and Mark Levinson.
In reality I can certainly feel Mqg30's pain. However.....
How long as audiophiles will we bury our heads in the sand?
I'm all for the small manufacturer bringing out cutting-edge goods, and those who buy them. The reality is if anything happens to the small outfit the usual scenario is you are on your own. Perhaps I'm the only one who feels that morally the manufacturer need be available for repair on an item that may cost more than a decent used car?
The ideal ending would be that someone with experience in the repair of Tenor's product step up to the plate here and offer the man some help. We'll see if indeed this happens.
I have friends with boutique audio orphans that no one will touch for repair. Nothing like a $10,000 doorstop.
Knowledge is power. Be aware going in with any boutique piece that you may well be left hanging. That's my point.
I did not get answers from Tenor to the mails sent in the last two months and i understand they have other priorities at the moment but i would really like to have this problem fixed.
This never ceases to amaze me. Imagine that your $10K plus amp has a problem yet the dealer and or manufacturer has not the class to respond. Only audiophiles will lay down for this treatment and make excuse after excuse.
WAKE UP.
Tenor is in trouble, a well known fact. Get used to the fact that you are most likely on your own now. Your dealer knows Tenor is in trouble, and most likely no longer carries the line yet has something "better and more resolving" to sell you. Good chance the dealer if he has a tech doesn't even want to touch the orphaned product.
Yep, where else can you blow 10K+ on an item only to find after a short time that there is no support, no help for ya, and no one will respond to your calls or email.....
It is in the audio board - trust me on this one (and it may have taken out one or more of your tubes). It is not a difficult fix but you will likely need a Tenor tech to help you.
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