Vote

Two CD-player failures.

Contrary to that old saw perpitrated by Harry Pearson, "if it works when you plug it in,it IS high end. I haven't had a single problem since switching to Wadia and Krell gear.

The only problem I've had with my system occurred with a used product that I didn't sufficiently examine. It was a centuries---oops, decades-old Nakamichi cassette deck that I bought as part of my kernel "hi-fi" system. It had been "fixed" several times before, it would seem, and by a woefully unqualified technician, possibly Dr. Frankenstein but I can't say for sure. I shortly thereafter replaced it with a Sony ES deck and have been problem-free ever since.

It1s the re-tubing with two big amps. Now that I have solid state amps and I leave them on - three years no problems.

I had some lights go out on the front panels of different equipment, but as far as the equipment doing its job, it did so well for some 16 or 17 years and is still going, with nothing done to it after I sold it.

By its very nature, high-end audio is fussy. Unless, of course, one is blessed with more money than sense; in which case one can pay an "expert/guru" to iron out any bugs! Otherwise, it's "tweak" city. Just call me "A genuine English tweaker"!

The only component that has given me any problem at all has been EVERY SINGLE CD PLAYER I'VE OWNED. That's one of the many reasons I prefer analog over digital . . . I've never had a turntable die on me. Everything from a circa 1982 Sony CDP-101 to a Creek CD-60 has gone to that great digital dumpster in the sky. I currently own a Naim CD3 because Naim gear never breaks . . . I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

With minimal maintenance, my system has been remarkably trouble-free over the past decade.

Audio Alchemy DLC, Adcom GFA-5800, CAL Alpha & Delta---never one problem!

I had an electrolytic capcitor fail and leak in my Cary SLP-70 pre-amp after only three years of use.

Since I have built and maintained most of my system, it is as reliable as I make it. For the equipment I bought (Pass Aleph 5, Theta DAC/transport, Sonic Frontiers phono stage), all I can say is a confident "Very Reliable."

Had to change the pinch roller in the almost new cassette deck - there were some problems with tape transport

All electronics have been perfect. My Linn 'table (several years old) lost a power supply.

My cd playerTRANSPORT was producing some strange sound

Actually, the only equipment failures I've had were with a Sumiko Blue Point Special cartridge, in which the left channel went out in two separate cartridges! Otherwise, no problem at all with electronics, speakers, or wire.

I have Thiel loudspeakers,Velodyne, B&K components, Adcom, Linn,Grado, and Meridian CD player. I am on my fifth CD player, and they ALL START TO SKIP AFTER ABOUT ONE YEAR. I've had Sonys, Adcom, now Meridian. I think in the future I will buy a cheap $500 Sony and just replace every 3 years.

Mostly mid-fi Harman and Onkyo gear. I'm a Circuit City salesman (ugh, Divx), and more and more commercial gear is needing repair every year. The market would support more costly (relatively speaking) commercial gear if it was guaranteed to be more durable! My daily customers attest to this fact. However, it must reach the Circuit Citys, Best Buys, Sears, etc., where Joe American buys his audio gear.

Always buy quality products and they'll never let you down. I've had much success in using professional recording studio gear. It certainly doesn't receive the abuse in my hands that it would get at a studio, and the sound quality is high to boot.

It's hard work but I'm getting closer and closer all the time. But the best way to get very very reliable results is to go once a week to the little jazz club and forget the system at home. Think about that. P.S. The magazine is the best that a high-end enthusiast can get in a country like Finland, where I'm from. Thanks, and keep up the good work.

No further comment. Krell, KEF, Sony, and MIT are working perfect.

I have B&K amp and Preamp with Martin Logan speakers

Although probably not considered high-end by most of your readers, my Sansui integrated amp has anchored my now-secondary system for 22 years without complaint. An attached Toshiba 6+1 CD changer is 10 years old with one minor recent hospitalization. Twenty-five-year0old analog front end still runs great.

Melior CD Transport and D/A Converter, ARC SP-10a, ARC D-76a, Martin-Login CLS

Having just purchased two McCormack products (TLC-1 preamp, DNA-1 power amp), the fear and loathing have left me after the good news that C-J has taken over McCormack Audio; hopefully, I can enjoy these products for many years to come. Coupled with the Thiel CS 2.3 speaker system, the sound is better than I could have imagined. Considering they replaced an NAD/KEF system, this is no surprise.

One of the biggest reasons I went Linn is their record of reliability . . . they haven't let me down yet.

The only manufacturer I have returned multiple new units, and which I will never consider purchasing again, is SONY. These were ES components assembled in Japan and not China or Taiwan, which was a suprise. SONY's quality control sucks.

Bryston 4BNRB THX - Returned to factory (unsoldered PCB lead) Theta Basic Transport - Returned to factory twice (failed transport mechanism) ARC LS2B - Returned to factory - (Volume Imbalance, Left Channel Buzz) - Upgraded to MKII & similar troubles have developed. Sloppy solder work on upgrade. Forte Model 50A D/A - Narry a Problem Marantz SE263 - Narry a Problem Technics Tape Deck (Acquired 1981) - Narry a problem Amcron PS200 - Narry a Problem Klipsch Forte II - Narry a Problem Note that manufacturers always upheld the warranty. The "high-end" components should never have failed given their cost and reputation.

Twice in two years, my Adcom preamp failed in the tuner section and a channel became inoperative. Same problem ocurring one year apart.

Read about my system in the E-mail I just sent you.

I love my current system. But it has been arrived-at after some initial problems that have since been worked-out. In short, I had a Micromega Drive-1 CD transport that was an absolute piece of junk. It skipped, failed to initialize discs, would stop playing at random,and just drove me nuts. Micromega Inc. did nothing to help -- even after multiple letters and faxes. I tried to have it fixed no less than three times, all to no avail. I began to feel that High End equipment was like a hot-house orchid -- beautiful to look at but much too delicate. With that finally out of my system, I am now able to enjoy music again without cringing with each musical passage or change in dynamics waiting for the thing to lock-up. Never underestimate after-sale service. There is High End and then there is high end.