Hello,
Long-time lurker here... I recently picked up a Marantz 10b locally and have a question for the experts. First, when I spoke with the gentleman who was selling the tuner, he said that it hadn't been powered up in 20 years so I asked that he not switch it on. Unfortunately, another interested party insisted that I was working an angle and plugged it in just to see if the tubes lit up.
The good news is that I was able to get the tuner for a very reasonable price. The bad news is that although the tuner works, one channel's gain is much lower than the other. The left channel occasionally "crackles" and seems to come and go between frequencies. It also seems to come back to full gain just as I turn the unit off and fades away (with a crackle or two). I did check the gain pots and switched the tubes and interconnects - to no avail.
Although the worst was already done, I did bring up the 10b with a variac using the 'Soft-Start' method to avoid any additional damage. Aside from the low-gain in the left channel and the dial bulb being out, the tuner seems to function well.
Could the problem be limited to a bad cap or is this a symptom of something deeper? If it is the cap, is replacement the only option? Do you have any other suggestions and advise in regard to maintenance - all tips and tricks will be appreciated. Also, I am not going to attempt any repairs and would prefer to have this serviced by an experienced tech in the Baltimore/DC area - any suggestions?
Thank you in advance for your help, Bryan
Long-time lurker here... I recently picked up a Marantz 10b locally and have a question for the experts. First, when I spoke with the gentleman who was selling the tuner, he said that it hadn't been powered up in 20 years so I asked that he not switch it on. Unfortunately, another interested party insisted that I was working an angle and plugged it in just to see if the tubes lit up.
The good news is that I was able to get the tuner for a very reasonable price. The bad news is that although the tuner works, one channel's gain is much lower than the other. The left channel occasionally "crackles" and seems to come and go between frequencies. It also seems to come back to full gain just as I turn the unit off and fades away (with a crackle or two). I did check the gain pots and switched the tubes and interconnects - to no avail.
Although the worst was already done, I did bring up the 10b with a variac using the 'Soft-Start' method to avoid any additional damage. Aside from the low-gain in the left channel and the dial bulb being out, the tuner seems to function well.
Could the problem be limited to a bad cap or is this a symptom of something deeper? If it is the cap, is replacement the only option? Do you have any other suggestions and advise in regard to maintenance - all tips and tricks will be appreciated. Also, I am not going to attempt any repairs and would prefer to have this serviced by an experienced tech in the Baltimore/DC area - any suggestions?
Thank you in advance for your help, Bryan