Have you had any hi-fi disasters?

Not necessarily talking about purchasing a bum component, but incidents that almost destroyed you hi-fi.

Years ago when I still lived at home I had the hi-fi in my bedroom. Just above the hi-fi I had a wooden shelf with my Jam records on permanent display.

After returning from the pub - my dad was asleep in bed - and decided to play a couple of records very quietly. My window was partially open and heard it started to rain. Looked across to the hi-fi and there was a lot of dampness on top of the turntable and cassette deck.

It dawned on me very quickly it wasn't rain but water was dripping down from the ceiling. I ran downstairs to switch the water mains knob off. All of a sudden I heard this big crash; my dad came to his door and we saw the carnage. The part of ceiling above the hi-fi and shelf was covered in wet plaster board - and the contents of the attic was strewn over the hi-fi and the bed. The shelf had literally clattered to the floor via the hi-fi.

It took nearly a week to clean the hi-fi and the record covers from the plaster. A few of my covers still have the scars of that night.

The ballco#k stuck open in the water tank.
 

Blacksabbath25

Well-known member
Sep 20, 2015
309
88
10,970
Visit site
plastic penguin said:
Not necessarily talking about purchasing a bum component, but incidents that almost destroyed you hi-fi.

Years ago when I still lived at home I had the hi-fi in my bedroom. Just above the hi-fi I had a wooden shelf with my Jam records on permanent display.

After returning from the pub - my dad was asleep in bed - and decided to play a couple of records very quietly. My window was partially open and heard it started to rain. Looked across to the hi-fi and there was a lot of dampness on top of the turntable and cassette deck.

It dawned on me very quickly it wasn't rain but water was dripping down from the ceiling. I ran downstairs to switch the water mains knob off. All of a sudden I heard this big crash; my dad came to his door and we saw the carnage. The part of ceiling above the hi-fi and shelf was covered in wet plaster board - and the contents of the attic was strewn over the hi-fi and the bed. The shelf had literally clattered to the floor via the hi-fi.

It took nearly a week to clean the hi-fi and the record covers from the plaster. A few of my covers still have the scars of that night.

The ballco#k stuck open in the water tank.
I have

about 20 years ago I had an expensive set of b&w floor standing speakers which cost about £1800 I loved them . But one day my wife was walking down the stairs and tripped and fell down into my b&w speakers . The speakers had spikes on them and they were on sitting on carpet at the time so when she fell into the speakers she ripped out 2 of the spikes on one of the speakers which then took a load of the vernier of the side and left a hole at the side of the speaker . I was gutted as I only had them for a week . But the bad thing was I was more worried about my speaker then I was about my wife who just fell down the stairs but she was not injured just shocked she fell down the stairs but she had these stupid pig slippers on and she tripped because of this pig slippers . So i ended up claiming on the house insurance to replace my speakers . It's funny now but not at the time it happened . But just shows I love my hifi more then my wife

*smile*
 

insider9

Well-known member
Nothing as major as that, thankfully. I've almost ruined my electronics by knocking over a glass of red. Wine went everywhere and near a surge protector that powers my hifi. That was on Boxing Day just gone. I don't think I've had alcohol while listening, since.
 
When I was a teenager I kind of acquired my mums Fisher separates into my bedroom...but I only had one socket handy...I had a wire with plug on one end....so I took all the earth's twisted them together neutral,live etc from the separates and planned to attach it all to the single length of wire....yes it worked but I forgot to unplug the single length of wire while attaching the others to it....I just couldn't work out why I was lying on the floor shaking about and feeling very strange...yes I was being electrocuted.lol.what a idiot.
 

ellisdj

New member
Dec 11, 2008
377
1
0
Visit site
When i first moved in with my partner i couldnt wait to get my hifi setup. Coming from my parents bedroom to my own living room my hifi was obviously going to sound amazing.

I spent ages setting it all up to be perfect. I had rock solid sounds (b&w) speakers they have an integrated leg for wall mounting - they were standing on top of speaker stands to be at correct ear height.

Well after getting it all looking perfect the time was atlast here to listen i went to turn the system on full of excitement but i knocked one of the rock solids onto the floor like an idiot and it broke the integrated leg off so the speaker wouldn't stand up and i couldnt listen.

Donut!!
 

Gazzip

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2011
88
2
18,540
Visit site
I had a Cyrus PSX power supply melt a few years ago. That was quite frightening given that the plug socket was out of reach down the back of the rack. My scariest hifi moment was actually Christmas Day 2015, a week or so after my Devialet 800 and PMC Fact12's had been delivered. My then two year old daughter got hold of the Devialet remote control and started to spin the volume wheel. I have never moved so fast in my life getting from living room to listening room, but it felt like the whole thing was happening in slow motion. Each step I took the volume got louder, and louder, and louder as she unleashed 2x800W in to my brand new speakers... I'm amazed nothing blew!
 

jonathanRD

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2011
179
52
18,670
Visit site
I forget which pair it was, but I snapped one of the speaker posts on one of my Monitor Audio Bronze speakers for my home cinema. I picked them up from my local Audio T, drove straight home, opened the boxes, and trying to remove the little plastic bungs (where the banana plugs go) with a screwdriver, I snapped the post. So I walked back into Audio T less than one hour after buying them, feeling rather embarrassed. Thankfully, they just smiled, and fixed the post free of charge.
 

Samd

Well-known member
wanted to install some speakers near the BBQ and drilled a hole in the house wall which exited the other side into his fish tank. Thinking he had somehow hit the mains he turned off the stop ****.
 

ellisdj

New member
Dec 11, 2008
377
1
0
Visit site
Samd said:
wanted to install some speakers near the BBQ and drilled a hole in the house wall which exited the other side into his fish tank.  Thinking he had somehow hit the mains he turned off the stop ****.
think that is the funniest yet.
 

jonathanRD

Well-known member
Jan 27, 2011
179
52
18,670
Visit site
My hifi used to be in my dining room, with my Mission 780 bookshelf speakers on stands either side of french doors. My children were in junior school and we had a cat. So the french doors, children and the cats are clues to what comes next.

One day I started to notice that the speaker posts had oxidized and I assumed that was because of moisture ingress. My son had a fog machine which he liked to use to create a disco/dance atmosphere or when his or his sister's freinds came around to play. Or had they simply spilled some water on my speakers? So my kids got interrogated so that I could find the cause of the oxidization. But they assured me that they had not split anything, and my wife reasoned that the fog machine wasn't used enough to cause the problem. So I started to wonder whether the speakers proximity to the french doors was the problem. Or maybe had the cat pis#ed on them? I was getting a little wound up not knowing the cause of the problem.

Thankfully my wife had some common sense, she said 'Jonathan, your speakers are on stands and those posts are about 70cms from the floor - how on earth do you think the cat could do that?'

Apparently there was a known problem with those Mission speakers and I had the drivers replaced. I have since apologised to my kids and the cat. *smile*
 

jmjones

Well-known member
Mar 8, 2009
51
15
18,545
Visit site
Having had my 3 yr old daughter push in the tweeters on my Kef 104ab's, and receiving some very practical advice from a fellow enthusiast, my wife walked in on me sucking out the tweeter domes.

After "what the hell are you doing?" Was answered, she was cross-legged laughing for about 10 minutes.

I had drawn the curtains.

Shall we start a thread about how much you love your HiFi?
 

Gazzip

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2011
88
2
18,540
Visit site
jmjones said:
Having had my 3 yr old daughter push in the tweeters on my Kef 104ab's, and receiving some very practical advice from a fellow enthusiast, my wife walked in on me sucking out the tweeter domes.

After "what the hell are you doing?" Was answered, she was cross-legged laughing for about 10 minutes.

I had drawn the curtains.

Shall we start a thread about how much you love your HiFi?

*lol* As somebody very wise once said to their children; They are not tweeters. They are the buttons you press if you don't want Father Christmas to come next year.
 
Gazzip said:
jmjones said:
Having had my 3 yr old daughter push in the tweeters on my Kef 104ab's, and receiving some very practical advice from a fellow enthusiast, my wife walked in on me sucking out the tweeter domes.

After "what the hell are you doing?" Was answered, she was cross-legged laughing for about 10 minutes.

I had drawn the curtains.

Shall we start a thread about how much you love your HiFi?

*lol* As somebody very wise once said to their children; They are not tweeters. They are the buttons you press if you don't want Father Christmas to come next year.

Class. I'll have to remember that one. ;-)
 
The only major disaster I can recall was my red wine consumed / bouncing tonearm encounter. On changing an LP whilst in red wine 'relaxed' mode the tonearm bounced off the support and the cartridge burried itself into the arm of my jumper. Too quick to pull it free resulted in a nice expensive Zyx cartridge ending up without it's cantilever and stylus.

Approximately £750 down the drain......

You learn quickly this way. :)
 

Gray

Well-known member
Amongst my family I'm famous for overtightening screws (everyone has to be good at something)

"That ain't going anywhere", I said to myself after fixing my turntable shelf to a solid wall.

Days later it went somewhere - down to the floor, with my TT and half the wall still attached to the brackets.
 

Infiniteloop

Well-known member
Jul 23, 2010
51
6
18,545
Visit site
Gazzip said:
I had a Cyrus PSX power supply melt a few years ago. That was quite frightening given that the plug socket was out of reach down the back of the rack. My scariest hifi moment was actually Christmas Day 2015, a week or so after my Devialet 800 and PMC Fact12's had been delivered. My then two year old daughter got hold of the Devialet remote control and started to spin the volume wheel. I have never moved so fast in my life getting from living room to listening room, but it felt like the whole thing was happening in slow motion. Each step I took the volume got louder, and louder, and louder as she unleashed 2x800W in to my brand new speakers... I'm amazed nothing blew!

If you had SAM engaged, they would have been protected anyway.
 

Gazzip

Well-known member
Jan 15, 2011
88
2
18,540
Visit site
Infiniteloop said:
Gazzip said:
I had a Cyrus PSX power supply melt a few years ago. That was quite frightening given that the plug socket was out of reach down the back of the rack. My scariest hifi moment was actually Christmas Day 2015, a week or so after my Devialet 800 and PMC Fact12's had been delivered. My then two year old daughter got hold of the Devialet remote control and started to spin the volume wheel. I have never moved so fast in my life getting from living room to listening room, but it felt like the whole thing was happening in slow motion. Each step I took the volume got louder, and louder, and louder as she unleashed 2x800W in to my brand new speakers... I'm amazed nothing blew!

If you had SAM engaged, they would have been protected anyway.

Ah. I didn't know that SAM did that, but there is no SAM for the Fact 12's, or at least there wasn't last Christmas...
 

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts