Anyone use Big Sky Audio

littlewoodboats
littlewoodboats Posts: 823
edited August 2012 in Electronics
I found a super clean Adcom GFA-585 in need of recapping/upgrading. Searching Adcom service leads to Big Sky Audio. They offer the service/upgrades for the 585 at $429 (seems a bit high but maybe not)

Has anyone used this place and if so could you comment on your experience one way or the other.

Thanks
Post edited by littlewoodboats on
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  • zingo
    zingo Posts: 11,258
    edited August 2012
    Haven't heard of them, but remember you will pay shipping both ways as well. Do you know anyone local who can help you do the mods yourself? Shops can be great for repairs/upgrades although pricey, but DIY is fun as well!
    Jake
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  • littlewoodboats
    littlewoodboats Posts: 823
    edited August 2012
    Shipping the beast will be a big expense for certain. I have done several DIY projects but this one is probably over my head. With work commitments time is also an issue. This one is probably best left to the professionals.
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  • chumlie
    chumlie Posts: 8,658
    edited August 2012
    I've heard they do quality work. There also recomended on Adcom's website for non-warranty repairs. Pyramid Audio in Austin Texas also recomended, they are closer to you.
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  • EndersShadow
    EndersShadow Posts: 17,590
    edited August 2012
    PM dcmartinpc. I believe he had his Parasounds looked at/upgraded by them (may have posted about it here too). IIRC he was pretty happy with the service... but I havent talked to him in a bit and its been at least a year since I think he mentioned that lol....
    "....not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." William Bruce Cameron, Informal Sociology: A Casual Introduction to Sociological Thinking (1963)
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  • JayCee
    JayCee Posts: 1,500
    edited August 2012
    Yes. I recently dropped off 2 Parasound HCA-1500A amps with Big Sky Audio. I moved from your neck of the woods (retired out of Sheppard AFB, TX) and had an opportunity to stop in Helena (home of Big Sky Audio) on my way up to Glacier National Park.

    Prior to dropping the amps off I spoke w/Rick, the owner/repairman, and arranged to swing by his place. Rick's business is in his home and he has a very clean/professional basement shop. He invited my wife and I in and spent approx an hour showing us the shop/test equipment, discussing upgrades and showing me an HCA-2200 MKII in-work on his bench. He originally started in aircraft avionics, worked for defense contractors and then struck off on his own. My wife has an electronics background so the two of them talked geek and about the test sets on his bench.

    We didn't discuss Adcom (he did say, though, Adcom was one of his specialties), but he's an authorized repair facility for Parasound. Rick has consulted w/John Curl, legendary designer for many of Parasound's best amps, so he is very knowledgeable on their products. Rick assured me I would be VERY pleased w/the upgrades and stated he had many repeat customers after having upgrades done (owner of the 2200 on his bench was a repeat customer).

    My amps are still there (have been since mid June) and he's completed the full upgrade listed on his web-site. I'm currently visiting my parents in Washington State and am moving to Maryland later this month. I'll swing by and pick up the amps on my trip back East and can't wait to get my ears on them. Rick was prompt w/the repairs, even though he knew it would be a while before I returned to pick them up, agreed to hold the amps and contacted me throughout the upgrade process to discuss options. He wasn't pushy on anything and wanted to ensure I would be pleased w/the results.

    I'm going to dedicate each amp to my 1.2tl's...bi-wire L/R channels of each amp to each speaker (not bridged). So, without hearing the amps I can't comment on the work, but walked away completely comfortable with leaving them and having the upgrades done. Give me a call and I'll share a bit more with you I believe you'll find very interesting...I'll PM you my tel # if you're interested.

    Here's the post that originally pointed me to Big Sky Audio and it references Rick working w/John Curl on dcmartinpc's upgrade:

    http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-108338.html

    Hope this helps,

    John
    ➀Speakers: Polk1.2tl's (Uber Mods) ➁Pre/Amp/DAC: PS Audio BHK Signature & 250, DirectStream ➂Cables/IC's: MIT S1Bi-Wire/S1 Balanced +Avel Lindberg 1000VA "Dreadnought" ➃Power Conditioner: PS Audio P15 Power Plant ➄Power Cords: Core Power Technologies Gold, DH Labs Power Plus DIY w/Neotech NC-P301 & P311ends ➅Streaming: Roon ROCK on wifi'd NUC, TP-Link WAP, & Uptone EtherREGEN, AfterDark, Emperor Double Crown Clock, Black Modernize LPS, PS Audio AirLens⟿Ω☯☥☮⟿🔊♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬♩♪♫♬
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  • littlewoodboats
    littlewoodboats Posts: 823
    edited August 2012
    Thanks for the replies. I talked with Pyramid in Austin and got the impression they were not interested. They told me they would repair the unit but did not fix anything that was not a current issue and only replaced parts with spec parts. When I asked about upgrades they told me they did not do that type of work. Bummer as they are pretty close.

    Good link. He seemed happy.
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