What's the worst thing to happen to your rig throughout the years?

[treitz3]

I'll start. Maybe some of you have seen this photo before running around the internet. This is me walking down the stairs at an audio event. Some folks at the event wanted to hear my speakers paired up with the legendary Carver Silver 7 tube amps, so we took them out of my rig and were going to carry them to the cabin next door when a friend of mine carrying the other speaker twisted his ankle on the edge of the paved yet unmarked handicap ramp. My face, which my buddies blew up for me pretty much explains my thoughts at that exact moment in time. The speaker was totaled after it's flight but don't worry....the pavement was okay.

Tom

 

[JackD201]

Omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[NorthStar]

Yes, that's a nasty fall...poor guy.

 

[GaryProtein]

Angled curbs and pavement is a bitch, especially near stairs because you expect more flat pavement and all of a sudden it isn't.

I have had several patients come in with severe dento-facial injuries because they either lost their balance, twisted their ankle, slipped on or didn't see handicap ramps either marked or unmarked--luckily never on my property! My office used to have two steps on the walkway leading to the front door. About 20 years ago we eliminated the two steps and just put in a 20 foot ramp. That made it easier for me in winter because I no longer had to shovel snow on the steps--I just ran the snowblower up the ramp.

You're pretty hard-core video taping the equipment transfers! I hope your friend didn't sustain any severe injuries.

I can't say I have had any equipment disasters that competes with this.

 

[BlueFox]

Well, that certainly was nasty for both the speaker and your friend. Worst thing that happened to me was trashing both S5s by accidentally maxing out the pre. I assumed it went from 0-100, but actually went from 0-83. I was getting ready to turn it down when the right went. A few months later, the weakened left went. The repair cost was painful.

 

[audioguy]

Blowing out the tweeters on my Wilson speakers (twice) by trying a new room correction system and not paying attention. The expense was the shipping to get them repaired.

 

[Mike Lavigne]

75 Watt Tenor OTL mono blocks had a few tubes going 'poof' (multiple times) taking out ceramic mid-range drivers on my Kharma Exquisite Reference speakers. the first time it took 3 weeks to get a new driver. after that I kept a couple of back ups. another time the amp had to go back to Montreal for an overhaul.

those amps sounded really wonderful. but life is too short.....

 

[Diapason]

75 Watt Tenor OTL mono blocks had a few tubes going 'poof' (multiple times) taking out ceramic mid-range drivers on my Kharma Exquisite Reference speakers. the first time it took 3 weeks to get a new driver. after that I kept a couple of back ups. another time the amp had to go back to Montreal for an overhaul.

those amps sounded really wonderful. but life is too short.....

I always wanted a pair of those, especially with my Kharmas, but I don't think I could cope with that kind of reliability. I've often wondered how the Tenors compare to my GRAAF OTL monos, which on the face of it have a similar spec and the same power tubes. Funny thing is, before I got the GRAAFs I heard all kinds of horror stories including setting curtains on fire, but so far mine have behaved very well. I hope I haven't tempted fate with that comment...

Anyway, the only mishaps I've had are some new valves I brought home from the US while I was still a student blowing up my first valve amp. That put me off tube rolling for a while, I can tell you. Apart from that, a curious 3 year-old pushing in a soft-dome tweeter is about the height of it. I feel like I've got away lightly.

 

[ack]

Leaky capacitors in my extremely-hot SDR-2000 DAC, which I have since sold, common after many years, unfortunately; blown tantalum caps I used when modifying an Akai receiver as a kid (those things smell so bad!); cracked power transistors, when I accidentally shorted them while building an amplifier; a blown transformer here and there, if I recall, all during kit building; tweeters a couple of times when overdriving with high distortion... and in the last 10 years or so... just a blown fuse last week, when I accidentally inserted the wrong value in my amp: extremely hot to the touch when I took it out, seconds later... Overall, nothing major. Have zapped myself a number of times, not fun - note to self: always unplug equipment

 

[DaveC]

Moving to an apartment near campus to finish my engineering degree. Not only did the acoustics suck but the neighbor factor was horrible, it was a large house converted to apartments and they put absolutely no sound insulation between my living room and the neighbors bedroom! The landlord threatened me about making too much noise, but when I told him I had an SPL meter and the problem was his cheap construction he went away. I told my neighbor to stop paying rent until he fixes the problem, it's not my fault you can clearly hear a normal conversation from my living room to your bedroom through the thin drywall. I'm happy to be back in a stand-alone house with decent acoustic space, hopefully I'll never live in another apartment/condo.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Never had much of a speaker problem , the only tweeter i ever blew up was a accuton diamond 20 mm and that costed me , had a whole correspondance with the manufacturer about it , supposedly it was my fault but imo they are quit easy to damage if driven hard , my current xpe designs are " undammagble "
I also blew up a mid while aplying DC to the unit by mistake , and the Voicecoil got hot and the glue melted so the coil touched the surrounding magnet ( scraping sound )

 

[TBone]

After minor internal changes to an ATI (SAE) amp, in a haste to get it up & running again, I unknowingly rewired incorrectly, regrettably didn't test (lesson#1), plugged it straight back into the system ... and proceeded to watch as it instantly vaporized all the voice coils / speaker drivers, while instantaneously arching the biwired cables together and started a small fire. I was not alone, so based on one's perspective, it was actually quite comical; and no CGI required ...

 

[ack]

I also blew up a mid while aplying DC to the unit by mistake , and the Voicecoil got hot and the glue melted so the coil touched the surrounding magnet ( scraping sound )

Nothing like a cone stuck at maximum excursion! It surely looks funny

 

[TBone]

and (lesson#2) ... for obvious reasons, I no longer wear long sleeve shirts while setting up expensive cartridges.

 

[NorthStar]

...And listening to music in the nude is safer. :b

 

[TBone]

well, be careful North, some appendages, should never venture too close to a hot heat sink.

 

[andromedaaudio]

Dropping a koetsu needle besides a record on the sme platter wasnt a succes either

 

[esldude]

I am not sure. There was my right speaker getting shot by a rifle. But was that worse than looking out a window during a thunderstorm to see lightning strike a tree next to the house. Seeing that lightning jump to the electrical service and noticing the burnt smell from your stereo which was playing at the time? Insurance covered the latter.

 

[Ron Resnick]

One of my Manley 125 (or was it 150?) mono-blocks spontaneously ignited. I came back from the kitchen to see flames leaping out through the top of the perforated cage.

 

[cjf]

I am not sure. There was my right speaker getting shot by a rifle.

LOL....Failed drive by attempt?

Would love to hear the story on that one