Hey, Folks,
Well, I checked a few of the possible culprits that Brian suggested (for example, did I have the correct model output transformers?) and things looked okay. So I decided, with Brian's encouragement, to bring the amp to a local tech for troubleshooting.
Mike, my go-to guy in the past at
Austin Stereo Service, didn't want to work on the kit, or on kits in general these days (although he once checked over my Bottlehead Seduction photo stage). He's busy right now with lots of '70's and '80's transistor gear, turntables and so forth.
He suggested I go to
Telstar Services. I called them and they said that as long as they had schematics and build instructions they'd be happy to troubleshoot the amp. So I dropped it off. Typical deal: you pay a bench test/diagnostic fee which they apply to the repair if you have them do it.
I have to admit to feeling like a bit of a loser taking the amp to a tech after all the work I've put into it. But at this point the prospect of sorting through all the possible problems is just too daunting, plus I figure they've got the scopes and proper testing equipment to make shorter work of it. I printed out the schematics and wiring diagrams.
So, there you go.
I miss my music! It's silly but I'm really bummed out by not having a working system, which is probably an indicator of just how musically engaging things have been with this amp. I've come to think of it as a "beauty machine."
Also, as someone said earlier in the thread, when you build a kit like this, you really get attached to it. More than a purchase or possession it's kind of "your baby."
Anyway, I think I'm in for some real magic when the amp's completely up to spec. Hope they sort this out quickly!
By the way, Brian encouraged me to give the techs his phone numbers in case they had questions. Great guy!
