If you are sure you're in USB mode, my next suggestion would be to try a different rectifier tube. Even if the other tubes are lit, a failing rectifier can cause you to have no sound in either channel.
I did swap out the rectifier but even though I get high voltage at some of the tube pins I still have no output on either channel. The USB button is pushed in and Roon recognizes the B3 and acts as if music is playing so I assume that the USB board is on and working. Looks like a warranty return...
I did swap out the rectifier but even though I get high voltage at some of the tube pins I still have no output on either channel. The USB button is pushed in and Roon recognizes the B3 and acts as if music is playing so I assume that the USB board is on and working. Looks like a warranty return...
This is not Rob, but if you've been speaking with him I'll give him the nudge and let you two continue the trouble shooting directly in an appropriate protocol.
This is not Rob, but if you've been speaking with him I'll give him the nudge and let you two continue the trouble shooting directly in an appropriate protocol.
I did contact him a couple of days ago. He was going to speak with tech at Lampizator. Have not heard back so I am trying other "protocols".
Since this is a thread dedicated to the B3 with lots of experienced users it seemed like a good place to try. Seemed appropriate to me especially since Lukasz checks in periodically.
I found the problem. I decided to open the case to check if it was just a loose connector. Normally I would not have risked losing my warranty but I was going to have to pay $280 to ship the unit to Poland so I felt that I had nothing to lose. When I bought the amp three years ago there were two repair techs in the US.
The box must have taken a rough hit by the moving company during our family's recent move from DC to CA. One cap was completely separated, rolling on the case bottom, and the other 3 were dangling by one lead! These are the output caps, needing four for balanced operation. That explained why everything else seemed to work but the output.I saw no sign that the caps were originally held in place with more than the solder joints. Given that they are quite large and heavy they just could not take much movement.
Rob kindly and remarkably offered to pay to fix it locally. I figured that my warranty was toast anyway, and I did not want him to pay for my physical damage, so I temporarily soldered the two the singled ended (RCA) caps in on the top of the analog board and it worked. Putting all four back under the board took a lot more effort. I have been building and modifying audio equipment for about 40 years otherwise I would not have tried this. Hint: use your cellphone to always document the wire positions if you are going to be unsoldering and disassembling.
Anyway the DAC sounds great again with my LTA amp and a pair of Beyerdynamic HD800S headphones...
****Update: Rob said that my warranty (5 years) would remain intact. Much appreciated...
The 6F8G is a cool looking tube! I’ve never tried them as they have basically the same spec as a 6J5 which I have many of. I’m curious to know if you’ve compared them to the 6J5 and if so which brand/style and what do you like more about the 6F8G?
The 6F8G is a cool looking tube! I’ve never tried them as they have basically the same spec as a 6J5 which I have many of. I’m curious to know if you’ve compared them to the 6J5 and if so which brand/style and what do you like more about the 6F8G?
I have Cunningham/RCAs in my B3 but have tried other brands in an old SinglePower head amp I used to own. The tube I would like to try is the 76 but I cannot find the adapter for it. I know they used to make them.
The 6F8G is a cool looking tube! I’ve never tried them as they have basically the same spec as a 6J5 which I have many of. I’m curious to know if you’ve compared them to the 6J5 and if so which brand/style and what do you like more about the 6F8G?
