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

[DSJR]

Strictly speaking he didn't say "available on first of April 2025".



And further more:


Note that exchange rate. Funny.

My ASD tendencies just don't get that kind of humour, but I can see it now Hope @Michael Fidler doesn't have to drastically increase his prices, accepting he's being given a lot of work currently.

 

[rank]

Well, thanks to this production, which was quite questionable in terms of execution as well as implementation, I was able to get to know this dear Mark, who was very smiley!

 

[Old_School_Brad]

Well, thanks to this production, which was quite questionable in terms of execution as well as implementation, I was able to get to know this dear Mark, who was very smiley!

His videos always brighten my mood. He's so easygoing, calm, and positive, showcasing great skill and ingenuity.

 

[sq225917]

I hear that a lot from boutique manufacturers but doesn’t always survive under scrutiny (measurement).
Keith

The TE phono is as quiet as I can build a Paradise, so defo top 5 commercial products.

 

[rank]

This thing has measurements ?

 

[Mannish Boy]

Is it a better phono that the Michael Fidler designs ( at 1/25th the price)
Keith

For what it's worth, I preferred the £1000 Tom Evans Microgrove Plus over the MC Pro in my system.

 

[harkpabst]

For what it's worth, I preferred the £1000 Tom Evans Microgrove Plus over the MC Pro in my system.

Which product bettered the "Honest Tom" Evans Microgrove Plus in the end? A MasterGroove RS?

 

[Mannish Boy]

One thing that

Which product bettered the "Honest Tom" Evans Microgrove Plus in the end? A MasterGroove RS?

A Rega Aria and now a Darlington Labs 7B with a Rothwell step-up transformer.

 

[Mannish Boy]

What I don't understand about all this is why someone with 25 grand to spend on a phonostage (passing no judgement, it's their money!) didn't pack and insure it properly. And if you were the sort of obsessive audiophile to own such a thing, wouldn't you want it back fully tested and good as new? Why suddenly become a cheapskate and have it sent off to Mend It Mark to save a few quid?

 

[Petrushka]

What I don't understand about all this is why someone with 25 grand to spend on a phonostage (passing no judgement, it's their money!) didn't pack and insure it properly. And if you were the sort of obsessive audiophile to own such a thing, wouldn't you want it back fully tested and good as new? Why suddenly become a cheapskate and have it sent off to Mend It Mark to save a few quid?

Possibly the original owner dropped it and sold it.

 

[Graham849]

What I don't understand about all this is why someone with 25 grand to spend on a phonostage (passing no judgement, it's their money!) didn't pack and insure it properly. And if you were the sort of obsessive audiophile to own such a thing, wouldn't you want it back fully tested and good as new? Why suddenly become a cheapskate and have it sent off to Mend It Mark to save a few quid?

The owner of the damaged amp declined to pay Tom Evans as the quote was excessive, and instead requested TE to send it to MIM. TE claimed MIM would be unable to repair both the electronic and physical damage. MIM rose to the occasion.

 

[Graham849]

Nick uploads insupport of MIM

 

[Old_School_Brad]

I found this comment stood out:

 

[Petrushka]

It just occurred to me, why wouldn’t you star by looking for overheating components?

 

[restorer-john]

It just occurred to me, why wouldn’t you star by looking for overheating components?

Mend it Mark is smart enough to know the first thing you do is a visual inspection before powering anything up, especially something with lose parts inside.

The second thing you do is check all your rails (power supply rails).

His video is part fact, part entertainment and the non-linear timeline is exploited.

He had already removed the stuck-on feet once before, looked inside and determined it was physically broken, but probably not going to do any more damage powering it up in that state. So he spent several minutes doing an extended dismantling when it was patently obvious how it was put together. Every glass and metal TV stand and audio rack for the last 30 years has been built with threaded rods and end caps going through holes in the material. I must have sold tens of thousands of audio/tv racks built that exact same way.

A thermal imager is a game changer for audio repairs, but it makes for a pretty boring video if you fix the physical issues, power it up and look for something that stands out like a hot tant cap. It's almost like cheating to be honest, but I use mine all the time. 2 channels in most audio, and you can compare identical components on one channel to another.

 

[Count Arthur]

Does anyone know what tool mark is using at around 20:15:

I assume it's some sort of soldering iron with a vacuum to remove solder. It looks much easier than using a wick or a separate solder sucker - I always seem to run out of hands with those.

 

[antcollinet]

Does anyone know what tool mark is using at around 20:15:

I assume it's some sort of soldering iron with a vacuum to remove solder. It looks much easier than using a wick or a separate solder sucker - I always seem to run out of hands with those.

I guess something like this:

Amazon.com

 

[Count Arthur]

I guess something like this:

Amazon.com

Hmm, difficult for me to justify Hakko prices for what would only be very, very occasional use.

 

[Petrushka]

Hmm, difficult for me to justify Hakko prices for what would only be very, very occasional use.

Might save a lot of wear and tear on circuit boards.

 

[Count Arthur]

Might save a lot of wear and tear on circuit boards.

I've no doubt it's a useful tool, but I just don't do that sort of thing very often.

Good tools can doubtless make a job easier, quicker and lead to better end results, but the high price of some items can be hard to justify for hobbyists, DIYers and tinkerers, like myself, that might only use them very occassionaly.