2. misc-audio
  3. 191932-107

Reliability - what’s your experience been?

I’ve been into high fi since the 1970’s. Fortunately, equipment breakdown has been few and far between.

As best as I can recall, I needed the following repairs:

1- new motor on a Thorens turntable (noisy motor)

2- Repair of an Aiwa tape deck (noisy channel)

3- Bryston amp (broken power switch)

4- Proceed amp (would not turn on)

5- CAL cd player (noisy channel)

6- Bricasti dac (no sound- just static)

7- Simaudio cd player (failed transport)

8- Pass integrated amp (intermittent noise)

not bad for almost 50 years experience. How has your experience been?

128x128zavato
mahler123
3,354 posts
 

Most equipment has been fine since I got into HEA.  It’s the digital network stuff that can drive me crazy, the software hardware not playing nice together.

fastfreight
798 posts
 

Brands that have failed me:

Classe Audio - the stuff made in China not Canada. SSP - 800 (twice).

P S Audio - happened quite quickly BHK pre amp buzzing

immatthewj
2,035 posts
 

The Cary gear I have owned (two preamps and two amps) has been very reliable. (Actually, I haven’t put enough time on the latest preamp yet to fully make that determination.)

I once owned a pair of Audio Research VTM 120s that sounded great but had a nasty habit of blowing a random grid resistor when I turned them on.

I have a Rega Jupiter transport that I no longer use, but it has lasted forever.

A digital cable went bad on me once.

My Carver CDP took a crap, but it had a lot of miles on it. My B&K digital HT pre started doing wonky things before I gave up on HT.

I got this HP desktop I am presently typing on in 2012 (Windows 7!) and it is doing some goofy things here and there, but it is still my only PC.  

pmm
232 posts
 

Amps, Preamps, and Speakers. The most reliable.

CD players the least.

Spoke with a Hi End repair tech, he told me CD players have the highest failure rates vs Tape Decks and Turntables.

ghdprentice
7,019 posts
 

I have owned and upgraded a high end audio system since the early 1970s. Marantz at the beginning and getting better. Amber, AR turntable, Nakimachi, VPI, Threshold, Pass, Audio Research, Sony CD player (in the very beginning) and Sonic Frontiers, and Linn.

I only remember one failure… three times… the Sonic Frontiers CD player had the transport go out three times. They replaced it for free each time.

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