While listening to my system my Rhea blew up

Your description is like a tube failing catastophically and taking out something with it.
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The smoke and pop sound like a capacitor.

Yes...smoke...spark....pop....like a small fire cracker. But why???

Film dielectric breakdown, possibly from over voltage condition, high peak current or over temperature. When a cap breaks down, hydrogen is generated inside. PC mounted caps have "vents" (grooves) in their tops that are supposed to let this pressure release before the rubber bung on the bottom blows out. Sometimes that doesn't work out. Many axial lead(as used for point-to-point wired components), and multi-section capacitors are built like a small tin can with a cap crimped into one end. When pressure builds up from electrolytic breakdown in one of those, you often get the firecracker effect. A tube with an internal short can cause a sudden high current condition. Hopefully it's that simple.

Sorry Rick!This type of experience we all go through,from time to time.It sucks,but if we have good representation,the problem usually has a happy ending.

Best.

Aesthetix can be tough to get hold of -last I looked they didn't have their own web site - but don't be alarmed. You may need to go through the distributor, but in the end Jiim is a great customer service guy. Based on my experience with him (bad tubes in an early production Rhea) I'm sure he'll get you back up quickly and walk you through what happened.

Marty

I experienced the same event once. It was a capacitor and sounded like a firecracker going off.

Did you have to return it to Aesthetix? Has it been working fine now?