Well, it may be too late now but a call to Kevin at Upscale Audio might be in order.
SOS: Ah Njoe Tjoeb Tube CD Player Low-Frequency Di
hello!
i have finally isolated much of the parts of the ah njoe tjoeb that might be the source of the distorted left channel.
1. not the philips tubes -
i switched the tubes and the distortion in the left channel remained.
2. not the goldplated RCA outputs-
i tried putting bare-wire interconnects on the left channel, same distorted effect.
nonetheless, by doing this, i also conclusively discovered that the distortions by the left channel included only the low-frequency sounds and not the high-frequenecy ones, as the sound of bass drums absolutely distorted.
3. whether the DAC is the problem - im not quite sure as yet.
though what i can say is that when i use the headphone output of the ah njo tjoeb, there is absolutely no distortion. therefore, we can surmise that if there is no distortion in the headphone output and logically, the sound in the cans still pass through the DAC, maybe the DAC is not the problem.
4. whether the tube outputboard itself is the problem - MAYBE.
i tried checking for loose and lousy connections. disconnected the outputboard from the main unit, checked over and under. reconnected the opamps and the DAC.
but when i reattached the outputboard, same situation, same distorted low-frequencies of the left channel.
I did one fatal error though.
as i was reconnecting the components of the pcboard to the different cd player parts, one of the wires suddenly let off a spark. maybe because i messed up the connections from the output board to the transformer sections. therefore, the cd player at present is dead.
nonetheless, i have a few questions, in light of the facts i have stated above.
1. as my cd player is dead, do you think it is merely due to a blown fuse, therefore, replaceable by some generic repair shop?
2. if i do get my cd player alive again, what do you think about these next few steps ill take to finally rid the low-frequency distortions:
a. replace the DAC.
however, if you think i made the right observations re the DAC-headphone output connection, there might be no problem with the DAC at all.
b. have the output board examined by a specialist repair shop
i was thinking, is it insanely possible for repair specialists to check the fuses and the bits and pieces in the outputboard itself, as maybe the connections or parts went wrong some way, some where.
more so, do you think this is a mere matter of faulty connectors, particularly from the outputboard wiring to the RCA outputs itself, or can this also be a matter of defective tube sockets?
c. as a final recourse, replace the outputboard.
if so, do you guys know how much this thing might cost and where it is sold?
oh, and if anyone would want to help out, you can pm me anytime.
thanks a lot!
i have finally isolated much of the parts of the ah njoe tjoeb that might be the source of the distorted left channel.
1. not the philips tubes -
i switched the tubes and the distortion in the left channel remained.
2. not the goldplated RCA outputs-
i tried putting bare-wire interconnects on the left channel, same distorted effect.
nonetheless, by doing this, i also conclusively discovered that the distortions by the left channel included only the low-frequency sounds and not the high-frequenecy ones, as the sound of bass drums absolutely distorted.
3. whether the DAC is the problem - im not quite sure as yet.
though what i can say is that when i use the headphone output of the ah njo tjoeb, there is absolutely no distortion. therefore, we can surmise that if there is no distortion in the headphone output and logically, the sound in the cans still pass through the DAC, maybe the DAC is not the problem.
4. whether the tube outputboard itself is the problem - MAYBE.
i tried checking for loose and lousy connections. disconnected the outputboard from the main unit, checked over and under. reconnected the opamps and the DAC.
but when i reattached the outputboard, same situation, same distorted low-frequencies of the left channel.
I did one fatal error though.
as i was reconnecting the components of the pcboard to the different cd player parts, one of the wires suddenly let off a spark. maybe because i messed up the connections from the output board to the transformer sections. therefore, the cd player at present is dead.
nonetheless, i have a few questions, in light of the facts i have stated above.
1. as my cd player is dead, do you think it is merely due to a blown fuse, therefore, replaceable by some generic repair shop?
2. if i do get my cd player alive again, what do you think about these next few steps ill take to finally rid the low-frequency distortions:
a. replace the DAC.
however, if you think i made the right observations re the DAC-headphone output connection, there might be no problem with the DAC at all.
b. have the output board examined by a specialist repair shop
i was thinking, is it insanely possible for repair specialists to check the fuses and the bits and pieces in the outputboard itself, as maybe the connections or parts went wrong some way, some where.
more so, do you think this is a mere matter of faulty connectors, particularly from the outputboard wiring to the RCA outputs itself, or can this also be a matter of defective tube sockets?
c. as a final recourse, replace the outputboard.
if so, do you guys know how much this thing might cost and where it is sold?
oh, and if anyone would want to help out, you can pm me anytime.
thanks a lot!
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