At that was the end of that.

[admin_exported]

I knew there was something wrong when some popping sounds kept on emminating from my speakers. My JVC wasn't being driven very hard (little Mission E30s) or very loud (9 o'clock on DAD) but never the less, it had obviously been insulted by such a bad source (Pioneer DVD player) and such bad cabling (I put my hands up, it was bell wire!) After ten minutes of intermittant and rather sporoddic pops, I started to smell something burning (I say something, I knew exactly what it was). I ran over to my amp just after making a post about biking on the olympics thread, and I thought I should turn it off as it may be overheating, but I checked the connections on the back to make sure it wasn't short circuiting.

A few seconds past and the burning smell became stronger and the VU meter was flickering on and off, yet the music sounded just the same. I turned it down a bit, and then went back to the PC to read a few more posts which had appeared when....

***BANG!!!!!!!!!!!*** FLASH!!!!!

A massive white light came from inside the amp and yet the music kept on playing!!! I ran as quickly as I could to the plug in the wall and yanked it out! Trails of smoke were now coming from the top of the amp and I rather quickly pulled away the speakers incase it decided to take them with it! After a few seconds the smoke stopped and I stood mortified at the remains of my poor JVC. The hi-fi which first got me into hi-fi, the little gem of a music maker sat there...dead.

Being me, I took the lid off it and surveyed the damage...and it was pretty obvious. One of the Toshiba transistors had melted and taken half the heat sink with it. So, what did I do next? I put it on the concrete floor outside and ran it (with extensive circuit protection systems) off our garage socket...I shoved some Aiwa speakers on it and it was fine, albeit some smoke kept on appearing on and off...

So, what shall I do? Keep on using it, knowing any second it could blow up or fix it or ebay it for spares or repairs? Poor little thing.

 

[chebby]

Get the Radio Spares catalogue and dust off your soldering iron.

 

[Andrew Everard]

I wouldn't even think of using it until it's been completely checked over and repaired. At best it could damage some other part of your system; at worst it could give your parents' insurance assessor an interesting time if he reads this forum and you've continued to use it knowing it to be faulty.

 

[chebby]

Remove all trace of bell wire from all connections anywhere on anything and get some decent cabling installed. I don't mean expensive, just appropriate.

And change that....

"Cool guys use bell wire".

...quote in your signature.

 

[Anonymous]

Andrew Everard:I wouldn't even think of using it until it's been completely checked over and repaired. At best it could damage some other part of your system; at worst it could give your parents' insurance assessor an interesting time if he reads this forum and you've continued to use it knowing it to be faulty.

That's not a problem, because it's being used on speakers worth £20 and an ipod. But I think you may be right about not using it until it's fixed, because it might just take the whole house with it next time!

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:Remove all trace of bell wire from all connections anywhere on anything and get some decent cabling installed. I don't mean expensive, just appropriate.

That's just a temporary thing, really.

 

[chebby]

Although looking at the rest of your equipment (!) I wonder why you were using ratty old bell wire in the fist place.

£900 h/phones and then bell wire? Aaaargh!

 

[a.g.]

Fix it yourself! Get the transistor model number and put it into eBay, failing that Google.

I have fixed a Cambridge Audio amp that I bought as spares/repairs with a new power IC. Use computer CPU heatsink paste between the transistor and heatsink.

It should be straight forward to fix. Test it with your Aiwa speakers, before you let it loose on anything else.

At the cost of a few quid, you've got very little to lose.

 

[gpi]

I think it committed suicide, poor thing.

 

[Anonymous]

gpi:I think it committed suicide, poor thing.

So do I...I think a mixture of bad electronics around it and its owner's bad taste in music was what clinched it.

 

[Anonymous]

chebby:Although looking at the rest of your equipment (!) I wonder why you were using ratty old bell wire in the fist place.

£900 h/phones and then bell wire? Aaaargh!

No, no, no... The JVC is on my 2nd system - my primary Arcam/Wharfedale/Grado system is put together using Maplin Bi-Wire cable! oooooh...

 

[gpi]

Hughes123:gpi:I think it committed suicide, poor thing.

So do I...I think a mixture of bad electronics around it and its owner's bad taste in music was what clinched it.

I'm afraid it was that final chorus of 'How Many Times Can We Say Goodbye' that pushed it over the edge.

Anyway, I always thought Loofer Vandross was the music played in the delivery vans of bathroom accessory companies.

 

[Anonymous]

Infact, if you want to know the song that finally sent it over the edge, it was Metallica "Sandman"!

 

[a.g.]

Hughes123:Infact, if you want to know the song that finally sent it over the edge, it was Metallica "Sandman"!

I think if I was an amplifier I'd get angry when asked to play that as well.

 

[Big Chris]

a.g.:Hughes123:Infact, if you want to know the song that finally sent it over the edge, it was Metallica "Sandman"!

I think if I was an amplifier I'd get angry when asked to play that as well.

I think the amp somehow heard the new Metallica track on Radio 1 last night. It decided that it'd rather go out on a high than have to play any of the rubbish they've done since the black album.

 

[Anonymous]

now, now, big chris i think thats a little harsh... some of the tracks off load and reload were pretty good - and not the ones that got the airplay either. im talking about Bleeding Me, Outlaw Torn and Fixxxer(probably the only saving grace of Reload)

 

[Anonymous]

Hughes, seriously if you can afford a pair of GS1000's then the least you can do is lash out and get a s/h Pioneer A400 to replace your JVC. RIP

 

[Anonymous]

ifitsoundsgoodlistentoit:Hughes, seriously if you can afford a pair of GS1000's then the least you can do is lash out and get a s/h Pioneer A400 to replace your JVC. RIP

Yes, I think that's what I'll do. I do have another JVC (A-X400) but it's a pile of poo compared to the late A-X5...

 

[Anonymous]

Guess who has on the desk infront of him a set of 4 transistors for a JVC A-X9...!!! ..but I have a JVC A-X5 and that was rated at 70wpc, not 100wpc...will it be okay to fit the higher power ones?

 

[Anonymous]

IT LIVES!!! IT LIVES!!! IT LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I removed the old ones, and soldered in the new ones, put a bit of paste between it and the heatsink AND IT LIVES!!!!!!!!!!!

And the best part? This beasty is now 100wpc not 70wpc!!!

 

[fatboyslimfast]

Hughes123:Andrew Everard:I wouldn't even think of using it until it's been completely checked over and repaired. At best it could damage some other part of your system; at worst it could give your parents' insurance assessor an interesting time if he reads this forum and you've continued to use it knowing it to be faulty.

That's not a problem, because it's being used on speakers worth £20 and an ipod. But I think you may be right about not using it until it's fixed, because it might just take the whole house with it next time!

I think Andrew meant the buildings rather than contents part of the insurance!