B&K Reference 30

Simplyrandom

I have a question for you experienced fellas. My boss just had his B&K go poof on him. He has had it for a few years and picked it up second hand from a buddy he had that worked in an Audio system store. Well it started having problems on start up so he took it to the local Audio repair shop and they said they could not do anything with it. I assume there is an issue with the board in it. From what he has told me B&K was sold a few years ago so I do not know if sending it to a service center is even an option anymore. What we are wondering is given the age of it should he even try to pursue a repair or should he look for something newer. I have read great things about his unit when it worked however I also found a lot of people having issues with it needing repairs. He currently has it hooked up to a B&K ST-1400 and is only running it in stereo or 2 channel mode. He would like to retain the option of surround in the future if it gets the urge to upgrade.I would mention a price range he is looking to spend but he is wishy washy on answers and I guess looking for some direction in what he might be looking to spend to get a comparable unit. I hope I have this in the right category.

tonyb

Repair it, no....repairs would cost more than the unit. I've seen the ref 30 pre go for 150 bucks used. Buy another one and keep the old one for parts if he digs the sound.

That said, none of B&K's stuff is current on the HT front, 2 channel....they make great pre's. He'd have to spend considerably more to get that sound from a current pre/pro.

sucks2beme

B&K stuff is indeed orphaned.
The reality is, a service manual, and specialty parts are going to be
hard to get. Time to sell it for parts on ebay and go look at
a newer unit from somewhere else.

tonyb

I dunno know man, his friend has all the earmarks of being a classic cheapskate. lol

A HT pre pro today that's current is gonna cost some coin. He's just using the 2 channel pre amp section anyway. I'd suggest a stand alone 2 channel pre but I have a feeling he'd balk at my suggestions.

A used Marantz or Outlaw HT pre/pro is probably the cheapest he can get with sound at least near his B&k.

sucks2beme

Or buy another used b&K. Or a Parasound.
As long as he's not looking at bells and whistles it would work fine.

Simplyrandom

tonyb wrote: »

I dunno know man, his friend has all the earmarks of being a classic cheapskate. lol

A HT pre pro today that's current is gonna cost some coin. He's just using the 2 channel pre amp section anyway. I'd suggest a stand alone 2 channel pre but I have a feeling he'd balk at my suggestions.

A used Marantz or Outlaw HT pre/pro is probably the cheapest he can get with sound at least near his B&k.

Actually he isn't a cheap skate he is indecisive. He paid 900 for the B&K used however I am sure it is a hard pill to swallow having to dump that kind of cash again. I guess I was really looking more for a which unit would be comparable to his B&K in sound quality and features so I could inform him the price range he would be looking at. I guess he just wants to spend the money wisely. He was not opposed to spending 300 to have the B&K fixed but it appears fixing it is not an option.

EndersShadow

sucks2beme wrote: »

B&K stuff is indeed orphaned.
The reality is, a service manual, and specialty parts are going to be
hard to get. Time to sell it for parts on ebay and go look at
a newer unit from somewhere else.

Disagree to some extent.

My amp was able to be repaired with the service schematic emailed to me by ATI (their contact info on the B&K website).

Heck if you just get the audio portion working it would work as a decent pre with volume control....

But if its too costly to repair, diff story...

footwedge

EndersShadow wrote: »

My amp was able to be repaired with the service schematic emailed to me by ATI (their contact info on the B&K website).

what amp do you have?

tonyb

Simplyrandom wrote: »

tonyb wrote: »

I dunno know man, his friend has all the earmarks of being a classic cheapskate. lol

A HT pre pro today that's current is gonna cost some coin. He's just using the 2 channel pre amp section anyway. I'd suggest a stand alone 2 channel pre but I have a feeling he'd balk at my suggestions.

A used Marantz or Outlaw HT pre/pro is probably the cheapest he can get with sound at least near his B&k.

Actually he isn't a cheap skate he is indecisive. He paid 900 for the B&K used however I am sure it is a hard pill to swallow having to dump that kind of cash again. I guess I was really looking more for a which unit would be comparable to his B&K in sound quality and features so I could inform him the price range he would be looking at. I guess he just wants to spend the money wisely. He was not opposed to spending 300 to have the B&K fixed but it appears fixing it is not an option.

That must have been some time ago as 900 bucks for the ref 30 has been long gone. Any of the current pre pro's are comparable. Marantz, Arcam, Anthem, Outlaw, Classe, just to name a few. Depends how high up the chain he wants to go. Having had the 307 myself, which is a ref 30 with an amp bolted to it, I can attest to it's sound quality and his eagerness to come close in a new piece. I like the Cary sound myself, but their pre/pro's don't come cheap. Their current Cinema 12 runs around 3k, but occasionally you can find a 11a, last model before the 12, at roughly 1-1.5k.

He can also move up the B&k line to a ref 50, which can go from 300-450 pretty much anywhere.

EndersShadow

footwedge wrote: »

EndersShadow wrote: »

My amp was able to be repaired with the service schematic emailed to me by ATI (their contact info on the B&K website).

what amp do you have?

B&K 200.5.

FYI here is the B&K website (excerpt below) and I used the email address provided to get schematics and they were very helpful.

Important news

Amplifier Technologies Incorporated (ATI), has acquired the assets of B&K components effective October 18, 2010. It is our mission to continue the B&K brand, and we are moving production to our factory in Los Angeles, Ca. We expect to have production of the most popular B&K products by Q1, 2011. In the meantime, you can e-mail: jeff@ati-amp.com for immediate inquires. If youve been a B&K dealer, wed like to renew B&Ks relationship with you. We know many of you have questions, so weve prepared a FAQ sheet for you . B&K Components joins Amplifier Technologies roster of prestigious brands: ATI, AudioAccess, BGW, and Theta Digital.

You can also use the internet time machine website to try and get schematics that way as they were at one point posted, just were removed recently.

tonyb wrote: »

That must have been some time ago as 900 bucks for the ref 30 has been long gone. Any of the current pre pro's are comparable. Marantz, Arcam, Anthem, Outlaw, Classe, just to name a few. Depends how high up the chain he wants to go. Having had the 307 myself, which is a ref 30 with an amp bolted to it, I can attest to it's sound quality and his eagerness to come close in a new piece. I like the Cary sound myself, but their pre/pro's don't come cheap. Their current Cinema 12 runs around 3k, but occasionally you can find a 11a, last model before the 12, at roughly 1-1.5k.

He can also move up the B&k line to a ref 50, which can go from 300-450 pretty much anywhere.

I agree with Tony, the Reference 30s go for cheap now, I've been watching B&K on eBay in case I find a good deal on a pre or another amp.

But he could also look on Accessories4Less for a decent AVR w pre-outs from say Marantz or Denon and not break the bank either.

Alternatively if he doesnt care about auto calibration and could dial it in by hand, there is always the Outlaw 975 which has all the newest video codec and connections and is under 600...

sucks2beme

Power amps shouldn't be too bad to repair. Pop the hood on a surround capable
pre and it's another whole story. Chips! That can be a lot harder to deal with.

Simplyrandom

Well I currently have him watching ebay for a cheap replacement to tide him over. he tends to turn to me with anything techy related and unfortunately surround processing is something I do not have much experience with. I had a HT inna box quite a few years ago but even then I had a stand alone 2 channel set up. I explained he has a lot of thinking to do as this stuff is not cheap and I can not justify having a surround processor because you still want to build an addition with a home theater room in it. I feel like he could buy a decent 2 channel pre now so at least you have something and then figure the cost of better gear in with the addition. I just try to be helpful as he is the one who signs my paychecks...lol

EndersShadow

Well here are some options:

B&K 50 for 400 but it now
B&K 20 for 275 Buy it Now
B&K 30 for 273 Buy it Now

tonyb

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/ele/4846119538.html

A 507 receiver which is a ref 50 with an amp bolted to it. In case he ever wanted to go surround sound, he'd have amps for speakers in place. All he'd need is an Oppo BRP with analog outputs and he'd be all set.

smwebhead

I am in same boat - My much loved Ref 30, gave up the ghost with the dreaded Eprom failure. It fails to boot, all steps have been taken. But short of sending off to the one and only repair tech in country for a $350 fix. I am with out a decent preamp. sad to see my Aragon 8008 and Focus 20/20s just sitting there collect dust. Watching a few replacements on ebay, or maybe find something else to replace that will not break bank as funds are tight right now. Thanks for all the info here in this thread.

tonyb

smwebhead wrote: »

I am in same boat - My much loved Ref 30, gave up the ghost with the dreaded Eprom failure. It fails to boot, all steps have been taken. But short of sending off to the one and only repair tech in country for a $350 fix. I am with out a decent preamp. sad to see my Aragon 8008 and Focus 20/20s just sitting there collect dust. Watching a few replacements on ebay, or maybe find something else to replace that will not break bank as funds are tight right now. Thanks for all the info here in this thread.

Have the same speakers as you and also used a 307 receiver at first with them. Same thing as the ref 30 pre and they sounded great. Have a Butler amp on them too.

You can find ref 50's all over for the cost of fixing the ref 30. Hifi Shark is a good place to start. B&k made some of the best sounding receivers, but Anthem's receivers are no slouch either in the sound quality department if you want modern processing. The upper levels of Pioneer elites are also good.

If funds are tight, buy used mid line receivers for the processing and HDMI since you have an amp already.

RamZet

@smwebhead
are you selling any of the parts from the ref30?
Im looking for the face plate that doesnt have the rack ears.

soundfreak1

The advise given is straight on. Repair will be over 80% of value (if not more) part it out to diy people and replace. Have had to 30 and it does a good job as 2 channel pre. But for the eBay prices you can do better in a stand alone parasound or B&K or many other choices. 3 bills buys a very nice vintage pre. Just saying.