Ultimate stereo nightmare


I have a complex stereo system, having accumulated many various components through the years. I also have an impenetrable jumble of wires.  Until now I’ve been able to deal with problems that arose. Now that I am elderly I can’t easily get down on the floor to assess things. I bought and installed new very expensive speaker cables (Audioquest Robin Hood), and subsequently found that my right channel was not working. After switching cables, the right channel was still not working. So the problem is somewhere in the system.  I don’t know if it’s a loose cable or something else and have no way of tackling the jungle of wires to check it out. 
I hired a company that claims they deal with these things, but there’s such complexity I don’t know whether they can deal with it.
 

128x128rvpiano

The company’s name is HelloTech. 
Very professional and good to deal with. 
 

It sounds like you and many respondents could really benefit from a good and consistent yoga practice to go with your audioholism! Good luck on your system. The simplify idea sounds very appealing!

I had a good feeling that Jasmine would get you going.

So, just curious, how are you feeling about your system today?

waytoomuchstuff,

 I just added new speaker cables (Audioquest Robin Hood,) so I’m waiting for them to break in.

After relatively few hours of break-in the set is sounding better than ever.

@rvpiano glad Jasmine was able to fix it! Looking at your system pictures, one suggestion that comes to mind is to hang that big TV on the wall, add an outlet and a wall plate to snake the necessary cables thru behind where the TV will be mounted over to the lower part of the wall and move your equipment stand a bit more out into the room to give you better access to the components from the back of the rack.
Should not cost much to do all this - TV wall mount, outlet, couple of wall plates and few new cables (hdmi, digital, etc). Get it done by the electrician or may be even the same company you used to fix the issue if they offer this service. Should not be more than a few hundred $

Did you switch the ICs to the amp?

Every time I had a channel go out it was a blown amp.

https://www.sound-smith.com/faq/one-channel-down-or-keeps-cutting-out-now-what#:~:text=Turn%20the%20amp%20off%20and,it%20reverses%2C%20it's%20the%20amp.

Robin Hood, cool name for speaker cables! how do they sound while it was working?

Pictures are already available in my details.

@mastering92 

They sound great. A little laid back, but probably need more breaking in.  
Detail is wonderful.

 

@rvpiano 

i suppose the excellent quality control (YouTube video at AudioQuest) factory had something to do with that sound signature. happy listening and good luck with getting this issue resolved. The link I posted might be useful.

Jasmine was a very nice young woman.

Don’t  get your testicles in a bunch, though.

Robin Hood, cool name for speaker cables! how do they sound while it was working?

@mastering92
It’s possible that they literally could sound like taking money from the rich?

Maybe not, but it seems possible…

 

@rvpiano had an opportunity to be ”in like Flynn”.

@holmz 

What a perfect picture of Robin Hood!  Alongside receiving Royalties for this branding with AQ, Robin Hood also has his own flour brand. Gotta admit though, those Robin Hood cables look better than the Mythical Creature line up, which just made me burst in to laughter...such a silly name for a cable. Like a kids coloring book. 

 

I'm up there in years too. My knees work when they want to.  Wish I was in NYC I'd happily help out an audio guy in need.

For me I like to ask my friends at church if they know a guy, after that I ask around at the country club. 

Definitely label the cables, and take the time to draw a schematic that cites the names on the labels and useful notes. 

@rvpiano very nice system! I'm glad you got it all back together with Jasmine's help. Now I need to go label my cables...

Buddy, you need to first see if the dropped channel is from all sources. That means it’s most likely a cable between the amp and preamp, as someone else here has said. If not, I would pull everything apart and start over. When you put it back together, put identifying tags on all your cables. 

Otherwise, get a service guy from an audio store to help you. 

Buddy, you need to first see if the dropped channel is from all sources. That means it’s most likely a cable between the amp and preamp, as someone else here has said. If not, I would pull everything apart and start over. When you put it back together, put identifying tags on all your cables. 

Otherwise, get a service guy from an audio store to help you. 


@unreceivedogma your dogma has been received and is in the queue.

@rvpiano

I am quite serious about tagging your cables. I have a s - - - load of cables behind my system. I’ve tagged every cable, and I use large electrician tacks to hold them in place on the floor or the wall so that they don’t get tangled up.