Bad day at the stereo ranch

MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum

Help Support MartinLogan Audio Owners Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

kach22i

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 6, 2005
Messages
1,865
Reaction score
12
Location
Michigan
Last weekend my preamp died. I had the CD player playing and the sound was on real low, I was in the next room on the computer. My mother in-law was in the stereo room cutting collector stamps off envlopes my wife just gave her. The next time I went in the room the music was not playing but the player was still going, no one had noticed the background music had stopped.

This weekend I opened up the GRAAF preamp. It's from Italy, has Ferrari paint on it (omen?), tubes and sounds like magic. Anyway, there is not a single fuse in there and nothing looks burnt. I closed it up, put the manual and reciept on top to take it to the shop on Monday.

I was getting my old Carver CT-17 preamp set up to use, had been using it as a tuner and remote preamp and I noticed something funny. The Nordost wires seemed to have more tension on them than I remembered as they went into the big tube amp. I tugged on the wires to give them a little more slack, but this one connection still looked strained. I went to pull the spade connection off so I could reset it and make sure there was no excessive tension on it.......................SNAP .

Now I have a broken spade connector (just one) on my Nordost, a broken spade stuck in the amp, I cannot get out, and a preamp that probably needs a new power transformer (no hum at all when plugged in, not heat - nothing). It's hello Mr. stereo shop owner, please help me time.

As soon as my cousin and friends came back from the U of M victory over Penn State (I live a block from the Big House) they asked if I wanted a beer from the cooler, and if I saw the second half of the game on TV (sat in the stadium for the first half)..............YES, and double YES.

Beer and friends.........good stuff. :)

The stereo ranch will be on vacation for the next few weeks, but I'll still be posting here.................maybe even more so. :D

PS: Just unplugged the speakers, going to give then a good cleaning while I have the chance - let them sit powered down for a while before I vac.
 
Last edited:
when it rains it pours .............difinately a bad day at the ranch .......good luck on the repair
 
Sorry to hear the bad news.... Do you think it could be a fuse that had blown, instead of something else more major?
 
kach22i said:
This weekend I opened up the GRAAF preamp. It's from Italy, has Ferrari paint on it (omen?), tubes and sounds like magic. Anyway, there is not a single fuse in there and nothing looks burnt. I closed it up, put the manual and reciept on top to take it to the shop on Monday.

Hi,
If the preamp uses tubes, that would be a good place to start. Tubes do age, and will eventually die. Since it appears both channels died at the same time, I'd lean towards any tubes that are common to both channels, maybe the rectifier tube.

HTH,
Peter
 
kach22i said:
Last weekend my preamp died. I had the CD player playing and the sound was on real low, I was in the next room on the computer. My mother in-law was in the stereo room cutting collector stamps off envlopes my wife just gave her. The next time I went in the room the music was not playing but the player was still going, no one had noticed the background music had stopped.

This weekend I opened up the GRAAF preamp. It's from Italy, has Ferrari paint on it (omen?), tubes and sounds like magic. Anyway, there is not a single fuse in there and nothing looks burnt. I closed it up, put the manual and reciept on top to take it to the shop on Monday.

I was getting my old Carver CT-17 preamp set up to use, had been using it as a tuner and remote preamp and I noticed something funny. The Nordost wires seemed to have more tension on them than I remembered as they went into the big tube amp. I tugged on the wires to give them a little more slack, but this one connection still looked strained. I went to pull the spade connection off so I could reset it and make sure there was no excessive tension on it.......................SNAP .

Now I have a broken spade connector (just one) on my Nordost, a broken spade stuck in the amp, I cannot get out, and a preamp that probably needs a new power transformer (no hum at all when plugged in, not heat - nothing). It's hello Mr. stereo shop owner, please help me time.

As soon as my cousin and friends came back from the U of M victory over Penn State (I live a block from the Big House) they asked if I wanted a beer from the cooler, and if I saw the second half of the game on TV (sat in the stadium for the first half)..............YES, and double YES.

Beer and friends.........good stuff. :)

The stereo ranch will be on vacation for the next few weeks, but I'll still be posting here.................maybe even more so. :D

PS: Just unplugged the speakers, going to give then a good cleaning while I have the chance - let them sit powered down for a while before I vac.
Hola...it is good advise to check the tubes. Some preamps and also power amps use series filement connection. If one filament "opens" there is no filament voltage in the other tubes. For Small tubes, normally the connection of the filemant is done through pins number 3 and 4, and you can see it for open or use an ohm meter to check it for continuity. Also, due to time in some power cables, at the connector, one cable lost its connection to the connector (usually the male) and the unit won´t turn on. You checked inside for a trouble and perhaps the problem is just the power cord...just guessing what could be your problem...with the nordost speaker cable, you have to be careful when you peel the cable...there are many little thin cables that are very easy to brake...after you had peel their insulator, put all them together making only one piece and apply solder them before you solder to the spade...this will make easer to put back the spade...hope this can help!!!
Roberto.
 
Sooner or later, you will be back in the saddle again...

kach22i,

Sorry to hear of your set-back..., hope it doesn't cost too much. :eek:
It seem like you have good frieds to smooth over the bad times, which is very good to have, in a low patch. What kind of shop vaccum cleaner, do you use, to clean your Logan's?

Scared straight... :)

-Robin
 
Ferrari? Omen?

George, just take a deep breath and count to 10. Then repeat to yourself "everything is going to be OK." Hope that help buddy.:)
 
Thanks for all the support and advice.

The shop where I get my Nordost fix (300 feet from my house), swaps connectors all the time on Nordost - did it on my last set (no extra charge if I recall correctly). I'll take the wires to them.

The shop I picked up the preamp and amp from (20 minute drive) does some servicing, I'm going to let them find the bad tube(s) and give a once over to prevent future bad events.

On the up side, just spent all day driving my 28 year old Porsche 911 (which ran perfectly in the cool weather - air cooled) with 30 or more other Porsche's through the country-side, ending with an excellent dinner and good company.

Life ain't so bad. :)

PS: The reason I suspected the transformer is the preamp has always run hotter than I though it should. I'm going to leave the cover off when I get it back to allow cooler running. Will have to vac it or blow air on it to keep it dust free.
 
kach22i said:
Thanks for all the support and advice.

The shop where I get my Nordost fix (300 feet from my house), swaps connectors all the time on Nordost - did it on my last set (no extra charge if I recall correctly). I'll take the wires to them.

The shop I picked up the preamp and amp from (20 minute drive) does some servicing, I'm going to let them find the bad tube(s) and give a once over to prevent future bad events.

On the up side, just spent all day driving my 28 year old Porsche 911 (which ran perfectly in the cool weather - air cooled) with 30 or more other Porsche's through the country-side, ending with an excellent dinner and good company.

Life ain't so bad. :)

PS: The reason I suspected the transformer is the preamp has always run hotter than I though it should. I'm going to leave the cover off when I get it back to allow cooler running. Will have to vac it or blow air on it to keep it dust free.

Sorry to hear about you misfortunes but a day with a Porsche is always a good day! Is yours an "S"? I have an '86 Ruf BTR and just got back from Laguna Seca where Penske debuted the new Porsche Spyder P2. Very cool and very fast. Took first place it's first race and hounded the P1's all day.
 
taylode said:
Sorry to hear about you misfortunes but a day with a Porsche is always a good day! Is yours an "S"? I have an '86 Ruf BTR and just got back from Laguna Seca where Penske debuted the new Porsche Spyder P2. Very cool and very fast. Took first place it's first race and hounded the P1's all day.
Pelican Tread on that topic:
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/showthread.php?threadid=246412

There is a Porsche owning Brit helping out at the stereo shop now (Paragon in Ann Arbor), we talked about our cars for a 1/2 hour this morning - good stuff.

I have an old "S", your Ruf would so kick it's butt...............but I'd have fun watching you car in action just the same. :)

It's the silver Targa up front.
 

Attachments

  • PA.jpg
    PA.jpg
    116.6 KB · Views: 680
Last edited:
Couple more shots..............had over 30 cars, three of them non-Porsche.
 

Attachments

  • PB.jpg
    PB.jpg
    136.3 KB · Views: 674
last shot.......don't want to eat up all the band width. ;)
 

Attachments

  • PC.jpg
    PC.jpg
    119.8 KB · Views: 651
Cool pic's! :cool: Make's me wish I were there. My car has always felt fast to me until I hung out with a bunch where the lowest hp car was mine and the next lowest had 650hp and three with over 800 hp -- all Porsches! It just goes to show that no matter what you have there is always somebody out there to keep you humble. ;)
 
taylode said:
the next lowest had 650hp
Freak!

I have 165hp on a good day, the car I liked best has about 90hp (if mod).

When gas hits $5.00 a gallon perhaps you will become one of us. ;)
 
Here is a pic of my car then we can return back to ML's... I promise!
 

Attachments

  • PICT0038.JPG
    PICT0038.JPG
    108.1 KB · Views: 644
I don't know much about the 1986 Ruf BTR.

Is that a steel slant nose?

Is that the way Ruf made them (like the factory)?
 
kach22i said:
I don't know much about the 1986 Ruf BTR.

Is that a steel slant nose?

Is that the way Ruf made them (like the factory)?

In '86 a slant nose was only available through Porsche's special wishes program and they only made 52 for the entire world. In 1987 it became a factory option just like AC. Mine is a genuine Porsche steel slant nose. The way Ruf builds cars is first he buy's a rolling bare tub from Porsche and then works his magic on the power plant, trans, suspension, interior. etc. Once Ruf is done, the car is branded a Ruf and carries a Ruf vin. Typically, Ruf builds about 12 cars a year.
 
The stereo shop called, they have to add up the bill yet but everything is working.

It was a fuse.

The pre-amp power fuse is accessed from the back of the unit where the power comes in via the female power connection. Take a screw driver to the slot and it slides out like a tray. There is a power fuse behind all that. I've never seen a slot near the power plug inlet, must be small.

They checked out the valves (tubes) on the power amp, and re-biased a few of them. The "Z" plug is out and no longer a problem.

I'm having the Nordost wires switched from Z-plug to Spade-plugs so I have more length in the line, and no more tension sneaking in and stressing the metal connectors.

Almost there.....................happy ending.

:)
 
Glad to hear everything worked out. When will you be able to get your system back up and running?
 
taylode said:
Glad to hear everything worked out. When will you be able to get your system back up and running?
This weekend I'll put it all back together......................unless we get freakishly good weather for one last run with the Porsche's top off.
:)
 

Latest posts

Back
Top