T1B

I have a Denon PRA 1100 preamp playing through a Denon POA 2200 amplifier. I bought both of them new in 1986. The preamp seems to be finally biting the dust, or it seems like the balance control is anyway.

Right now I'm only getting sound out of the left channel. When I turn the balance control or even touch it I get a crackling sound. For the past several months I could sometimes get both channels to work by playing around with the knob, but now it seems like the right is completely dead.

Does anybody know of anyone out there that fixes this old equipment, or where I might get replacement parts? I'm no electronics genius but I'm sure I could replace the part if I could find it. I'd really like to keep this high quality piece of equipment working as I have become somewhat attached to it over the years.

I've got a NAD 7100 receiver that's been sitting on the shelf for five years. It's a pretty high quality receiver with a preamp out that I could bridge from, but like I said I'd like to keep using the Denon.

I have an old Harmon/Kardon receiver that started doing the same thing. I took it to a local repair shop and it was fixed quite cheaply. It was just a bad transistor, or something like that.

I found this website that discusses all things audio.

http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?

There's even a forum for "vintage solid state", where they discuss buying and caring for older components. Some pretty cool reading, actually.

They adivsed me that the pot probably needs cleaning. I may try to do this myself.

I was going to say something like "The pot for the balance control sounds like it has some funk in it." They sell commercial spray cleaners for this purpose.....but, if you know what a "pot" is, and are brave enough to fix it, then you already knew this.

I've lost my zeal for audiophilia. As a youngun', I was all about it. I still have in my bedroom, a rarely used, but pretty bitchin late 70's/early 80's setup. A [homer] Audionics[/homer] 100 x 2 amp, made right here in Portland, which I'm sure could weld plate steel(sup Mark Levenson). One of these days, I'll fix the cones and the exterior water damage to my window-shattering Satterburg passive subs, and then I'll be able to run the output through their internal crossovers, and go back to using my Polks as just upper speakers.

Did I mention that the setup is run by a NAD 1020 preamp? I'm not too familiar with the Dennon 1100, but New Audio Dimension was legendary for making mid/high-end preamps better than everybody else, yet for much less money. Maybe you should look into that preamp, and use it's amp to biamp some more stuff. Because if you're anything like the audiodorks I know, you're all about running more stuff.

Side note: Couple years ago, my bud scored a set of Polk SRS towers for $200. He's been offered $2000 for them since then, but isn't selling. I'm sure you 80's kids remember the SRS -- the BIG fuckers, with the 8 5 1/4's running the 15"(?) radiator -- you know, the ones we used to drool over as kids. Damn, talk about a big, smooth sound. Symphonies are jealous at the size of sound coming from those badboys.

And in seriousness -- I don't think he posts here, but shutyomouth is pretty darn knowledgable about this stuff, if you get ahold of him, he's a wealth of knowledge.