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Repairing The Questionable £25,000 Tom Evans Audiophile Pre-Amp

Why would MIM send it back to Tom Evans after repair?
Not sure. Maybe the owner originally took it to Mark to fix the electrical fault, but Mark looked at all the ground off part numbers so decided it was best to not mess with it and sent it on to Tom Evans.
 
In that version of the tale, the customer sends it to MIM first, he doesn't want to fix it, so sends it to TE, it gets damaged on the way. TE sends it back to MIM saying 'it's your problem, you sort it'.
In the email he says they offered to repair it in a new case, it doesn't say how much they would have charged.

I'm not sure if posting links or copy and pasting stuff from other forums is allowed here?
 
In the email he says they offered to repair it in a new case, it doesn't say how much they would have charged.

I'm not sure if posting links or copy and pasting stuff from other forums is allowed here?
Post a link to the start of the relevant thread on the other forum. In cases where there is legit interest I have no problem with that
 
@ i got a letter. I guess you're referring to me, as I think I'm the only poster who's heard one, two in fact.

I said it 'sounds excellent', because it does and because I have no measurements to provide to validate that.

I did compare it against my own phonostage, which is measured at -84db snr 20-20khz, ref 2v output level, 64db gain. I've not heard a quieter MC stage. It's a Paradise, designed by Joachim Gerhard, but built by me, and features quad paralleled devices on the input, all hand measured and selected for low noise. Make of that what you will.

Just guessing I'd say the TE mastergroove is certainly into -80db under same conditions, tested with the old reliable ear against speakers at full volume.

I'd certainly describe both of them as being as close to a riaa shaped curved wire with gain as you're likely to find.
 
According to an email from Tom Evans shared on another forum. It was actually posted to him by Mend It Mark "wrapped it in a couple of sheets bubble wrap and placed it in a card box".
"According to an email from Tom Evans shared on another forum". Orlly?

ETA, having gone to the site that 'published' the email I have to wonder about the copy/paste of text rather than a screenshot - things that make me go 'hmmm'.
 
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All the goobers making crappy products and getting mad that people call them out need to start a new company. Tekton owner should pair up with this junk preamp maker. Then they can just argue with each other and try to sue each other and keep all their nonsense to themselves.
 
All the goobers making crappy products and getting mad that people call them out need to start a new company. Tekton owner should pair up with this junk preamp maker. Then they can just argue with each other and try to sue each other and keep all their nonsense to themselves.
dCS and Børresen can join right in:

Anyone else? Meridian perhaps?
 
The innards of this phono stage just repels me. For "good enough" MC reproduction, spending this kind of money just strikes me as ridiculous. The interior looks like a hamster maze. Even if it performs wonderfully, the aesthetics of it and the cost - yuck.

I guess I'm just not a boutique audio guy...
 
The innards of this phono stage just repels me. For "good enough" MC reproduction, spending this kind of money just strikes me as ridiculous. The interior looks like a hamster maze. Even if it performs wonderfully, the aesthetics of it and the cost - yuck.

I guess I'm just not a boutique audio guy...

There are small-scale boutique brands that are well built for cheaper, even if we discount Luxman, Accuphase, McIntosh et al., so this is really egregious. Consider the 6,800£ Soul Note E-2 phono pre, which has 144 record curves and XLR output.

1734279725910.jpeg


Or the ~US$12,790 Aurorasound Vida Supreme:

1734279863534.jpeg


Or from out of Italy, the $12k Gold Note PH-1000 with a custom digital interface.
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My point is: even if one wanted something more exclusive than a Luxman/Accuphase, there are at least boutiques that respect the customer and respect themselves.
 
Found this gem over at the asylum, can't vouch for the authenticity. The poster also claims that Mark sells the reverse engineered manual. The saga continues.

 

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Found this gem over at the asylum, can't vouch for the authenticity. The poster also claims that Mark sells the reverse engineered manual. The saga continues.

This is the same things as posted in #185 above.

He gives no reason for the "Copyright" strike.
 
The email reads legit. This bit raises my eyebrows:

"The capacitor failed because the customer that owns the unit pulled the inputs whilst the unit was powered up, something we strongly advise all our customer against doing !"

Is he serious? Unplugging a cable damages a pre-amp if it is playing? In a $25,000 piece of gear no less?

Seems to be a transient that is damaging said cap. If so, the cap is rated at too low of a voltage.

He also says:

"To make matters worse we could clearly see that the unit had been previously opened by Mark, this also voids the manufacturers warranty."

In US, consumers are protected against this and are allowed to open a box without voiding warranty. Is it different in UK?
 
Another strange claim is that if the capacitor has gone bad, the IC that it is connected to fails as well. This is nonsense. If replacing the cap got the unit working again, there is no damage to the IC. Him claiming it would fail soon is nonsense.
 
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