Ever wonder what fried circuit boards smell like?

Rough weekend. In the span of 5 days I've lost three of my best friends.

2 days after I sold my trusty ol' Rotel RB-980 power amp and NAD 3140 integrated to clear out some of the less frequently used goods for the impending move, one of my Adcom GFA-535 s died.

Poor guy...not sure what happened exactly, I was playing some music moderately loud and next thing I knew one channels stopped playing. Checked connections really quick - nope, all seemed well. Then it hit me - the scorched scent of epoxy and pvc.

Took the amp in, and sure enough the left channel is toast. Cost of repair far exceeds the value of the amp. This really bums me out.

I feel like I just buried two children only to come home and find another had passed away...
:cryin:

Now my HT is severely crippled. I have one GFA-535 left. Still running the front mains. I've had to move an idle AudioSource Amp One that was about to have a for sale sign hung on its window (excellent little amp by the way) into surround duty. The Yammie is pulling triple duty on the center and rear surrounds. First time I've had to use that many channels on it. And I think I can hear my wife laughing every time I glance at my a/v rack...

That poor little 60 watt/channel Adcom was a beast of an amp for over 2 decades. And it still sounded better to me than any 100 watt a/v receiver today. His twin brother looks awfully out of place on my rack now. I'm going to have to find another use for him somewhere. Probably my workshop system where a lonely NAD 3020 could use a friend.

The Yammie holds its own on HT and multi-channel music in the meantime but things just aren't the same. 3 different amplifiers, 3 different sonic spins. That's no good, and now it's bugging me both audibly and visually.

Losing the NAD wasn't so bad - it was a pawn shop find that I never did use much. The Rotel was purchased just to see if a Rotel amp sounded much different than previous NAD amp I had. (I think it did) Still, got some use out of it, nice piece that is going to a good home...Heck it was a killer amp that I liked alot. Except I like the Adcoms better Gonna miss all those guys...

But life goes on and this gives me an excuse, nay, a REASON to perform a little experiment I've kinda been wanting to do for a few months now...more on that in 5-10 business days.

Dude, that comment you put in about your wife is soo funny. Kinda sounds like my wife when UPS lost my C-3's.
http://forums.audioreview.com/showpo...4&postcount=23
What's up with these women man :lol:

Umm...soo...you gonna have a nice lil review coming out soon huh?

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Originally Posted by L.J.

Dude, that comment you put in about your wife is soo funny. Kinda sounds like my wife when UPS lost my C-3's.
http://forums.audioreview.com/showpo...4&postcount=23
What's up with these women man :lol:

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Certain future plans necessitated the liquidation of a few pieces of gear, against my better judgment, much to her interior-decorator-wannabe glee. She's been nag--err..relentlessly suggesting the reduction of inventory for some time now. The untimely demise of another amp just made her day.
I'm pretty sure she's wishing a few tweeters would blow too.
:rolleyes5:

I can share your pain. I loaned a friend my Rotel RA 970BX and he hooked up three pairs of speakers somehow. Now he says it looks all melted inside. I asked him to save me the pain and not return it. I am sure he knows what fried circuit boards smell like. Sadly he does not know the smell of firing neurons.

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Originally Posted by JohnMichael

I can share your pain. I loaned a friend my Rotel RA 970BX and he hooked up three pairs of speakers somehow. Now he says it looks all melted inside. I asked him to save me the pain and not return it. I am sure he knows what fried circuit boards smell like. Sadly he does not know the smell of firing neurons.

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3 pairs of speakers? Didn't he read the memo "not stable into 1 ohm loads"...
Send him your Krell next time.
That's aweful JM...with friends like that who needs feng shui wives?

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Originally Posted by kexodusc

That's aweful JM...with friends like that who needs feng shui wives?

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Who needs either?

Sorry gents. I now know there are two kindred souls out there who can relate to my feelings upon opening my last Mac package to find a twisted mass of broken glass and steel. If I can do anything just let me know. I'll be there through the trying times.

...sniff...it sucks to lose a friend.

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Originally Posted by bobsticks

I now know there are two kindred souls out there who can relate to my feelings upon opening my last Mac package to find a twisted mass of broken glass and steel.

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A quick death is one thing, but to witness a bloody mutilation, oh the humanity!
I thought mac glass was bullet proof....

Not when the asswipe who loads the truck thinks he's Zidane Zidane.

Ol' boy thinks he's got some fancy footwork, I'm hoping karma bites him in the ass and he gets a little of this action...


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I had a power supply burn out on an Arcam amp, it smelled so bad I thought I caught the house on fire. Did I ever mention I had an Adcom 5400 I was willing to sell?

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Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

I had a power supply burn out on an Arcam amp, it smelled so bad I thought I caught the house on fire. Did I ever mention I had an Adcom 5400 I was willing to sell?

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I have been looking at a new Adcom 5400.
Did you like yours?

HOOKING UP "CAN" capacitors backwards is fun.
We sent more than one metal case through the roof in class.
Getting up all of the paper insulator was a chore tho.
Stay in this hobby and you will smell that smell sooner or later :1:

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Originally Posted by bobsticks

Not when the asswipe who loads the truck thinks he's Zidane Zidane.

Ol' boy thinks he's got some fancy footwork, I'm hoping karma bites him in the ass and he gets a little of this action...

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Damn that guy needs to drink more milk. Video has made me cringe more than once

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Originally Posted by audio amateur

Damn that guy needs to drink more milk. Video has made me cringe more than once

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I almost lost my breakfast.

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Originally Posted by pixelthis

HOOKING UP "CAN" capacitors backwards is fun.
We sent more than one metal case through the roof in class.
Getting up all of the paper insulator was a chore tho.
Stay in this hobby and you will smell that smell sooner or later :1:

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We're not in high school anymore pix. :Yawn:

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Originally Posted by JohnMichael

I can share your pain. I loaned a friend my Rotel RA 970BX and he hooked up three pairs of speakers somehow. Now he says it looks all melted inside. I asked him to save me the pain and not return it. I am sure he knows what fried circuit boards smell like. Sadly he does not know the smell of firing neurons.

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:lol: This is good. So the next time a nit-wit engineer here gets me pissed off, I'll tell him: if you start to smell burning neurons, you better BACK OFF!

The irony here Kex is the fact that you were getting ready to replace your receiver, just about the only component that hasn't suffered an ill fate one way or the other.

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Originally Posted by Kex

And I think I can hear my wife laughing every time I glance at my a/v rack...

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Originally Posted by L.J.

Dude, that comment you put in about your wife is soo funny.

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I have to agree. That's the only part of your post that I didn't feel sympathetic towards. :smilewinkgrin:

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Originally Posted by Rich-n-Texas

The irony here Kex is the fact that you were getting ready to replace your receiver, just about the only component that hasn't suffered an ill fate one way or the other.


I have to agree. That's the only part of your post that I didn't feel sympathetic towards. :smilewinkgrin:

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Yeah. Had I known my amp was going to just die I would have planned things a bit differently. I asked the tech dude about what I can expect for the other Adcom since it's the same age/model. He seems pretty sure this was just an act of god, so to speak and hasn't seen an older Adcom in his shop in years. Stuff happens.
Just my luck.

Sorry to hear (read) about the loss of your friends. But this does give you the chance to try out that Emotiva amp you were spying. Oh wait! This wasn't planned was it? OH NO! You killed your amp just to see it die? Say it ain't so!
Sniff sniff... I can't believe it.
I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

Yeah. Sounds like a stunt L.J. would pull. :rolleyes:

I think I smell a few neurons firing.
(wife won't let me buy a new amp. How about if I just fry this one? Yeah yeah, that works:idea: )

I know what smoked voice coil smells like:ihih:

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Originally Posted by GMichael

Sorry to hear (read) about the loss of your friends. But this does give you the chance to try out that Emotiva amp you were spying. Oh wait! This wasn't planned was it? OH NO! You killed your amp just to see it die? Say it ain't so!
Sniff sniff... I can't believe it.
I JUST CAN'T BELIEVE IT!

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Aww c'mon GM...I may have kicked a few kiddies out of the house to make room for the next batch of buns in the oven but I ain't no murderer...

:devil:

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Originally Posted by kexodusc

Aww c'mon GM...I may have kicked a few kiddies out of the house to make room for the next batch of buns in the oven but I ain't no murderer...

:devil:

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WHAT? Your wife's pregnant with twins? Hey! Congrats Kex! :thumbsup:

I must not read English very well.

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Originally Posted by kexodusc

Aww c'mon GM...I may have kicked a few kiddies out of the house to make room for the next batch of buns in the oven but I ain't no murderer...

:devil:

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Amp killer.:mad5: