Audiogon mishap

Montoya
Montoya Posts: 506
edited February 2010 in 2 Channel Audio
So my new/used usher 1.5 amp arrived today and looking through the case I see 4 15,000uF caps this is no good I knew I was fooled. On further inspection it had four more below it so 8 15,000uF caps WTF The usher has 4 10,000uF caps upside down not visible through the case. The seller claims he did not know it was modified I am no audio electronics guru and I noticed just looking through the vent holes. I think I found the person who Modified it by doing about an hour and a half of google searching. I asked him to give me some info on the mods I hope he can answer what exactly was done to this amp hopefully it is good. The wiring and soldering are a bit messy but again I'm no electronics major. Anyway this is my first audiogon purchase and I'm extremly dissapointed I'm out a grand and possibly got a bootleg amp.
Post edited by Montoya on
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Comments

  • Montoya
    Montoya Posts: 506
    edited February 2010
    I had a gut feeling about it to damn always follow the gut feeling. Uggh the more I think about the more pissed I get.
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  • rcrook317
    rcrook317 Posts: 280
    edited February 2010
    sorry to hear that....always risk when buying 2nd hand
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  • cstmar01
    cstmar01 Posts: 4,424
    edited February 2010
    did the seller claim that nothing was changed in his posting? I would say if he didn't state that and stated was in perfect condition ect I would do a dispute on the gon. If your selling something you should know about it and its history and if you don't and say its perfect when its not, its the seller's fault to me, not the buyers because there is no way for you to know before you get it (besides local pickup) to know if a mod was done by just looking at the case, unless they messed the case up which would normally require an explation from him.
    I would say if the mods done are not to standard and the seller doesn't handle it do a dispute and claim that the seller sold you something that was not posted as described and see if you can get some money back, or have him take the unit back and get a full refund.
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  • mhardy6647
    mhardy6647 Posts: 33,804
    edited February 2010
    Does it not work correctly nor sound good? I am not seeing a priori that this would be a bad outcome as long as it wasn't a hack job.
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  • Montoya
    Montoya Posts: 506
    edited February 2010
    Well after doing a little bit of listening this amp blows away my roksan ka/2. The soldering job is messy that's and I don't know a lot abot amplifier modification. This amp from the info I collected is an overseas version pure class-A but again the fact that the caps where changed I have no idea what that does to the specs anyone have a clue?
    40,000uF to 160,000uF
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  • Jetmaker737
    Jetmaker737 Posts: 1,047
    edited February 2010
    If you can't get the pedigree on the mods then your resale value will suffer. If it was me and I wasn't happy with the sale I'd ask the seller to take it back.
    SystemLuxman L-590AXII Integrated Amplifier|KEF Reference 1 Loudspeakers|PS Audio Directream Jr|Sansui TU-9900 Tuner|TEAC A-6100 RtR|Nakamichi RX-202 Cassette
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited February 2010
    modded amps with that many caps would command a premium over the stock. So I would say it might not necessarily be a bad thing, IMO.
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • Montoya
    Montoya Posts: 506
    edited February 2010
    Well I'm not kidding when I say that it sounds phenominal but it's hard to make a judgment when you have no experience with the original. It's very 3dimensional the sound is really warm almost to tube level I could see it fooling people into thinking it had tubes. The speakers just dissapear into the background it almost seems like the music is coming from some space other than the speakers. Demoing it with Yes 90125 right now. I had some Diana Krall on earlier it was other worldly to be honest.
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  • polkatese
    polkatese Posts: 6,767
    edited February 2010
    that's what matter, Montoya. Grats on the new amp, enjoy, and give us some pics.. :)

    btw, a pics or two of those massive caps would give a few members here bonner (not me)....so post away I'd say :p
    I am sorry, I have no opinion on the matter. I am sure you do. So, don't mind me, I just want to talk audio and pie.
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  • marvda1
    marvda1 Posts: 4,901
    edited February 2010
    any updates montoya?
    Amplifiers: Norma IPA 140, MasterSound Compact 845, Ayre v6xe, Consonance Cyber 800
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  • Montoya
    Montoya Posts: 506
    edited February 2010
    I ended up sending the unit back it was modified a bit to much in my opinion. The mono switch didn't work and the quality of the modification was really poor. I ended up with a Anthem integrated 225 it's a really good unit perfect for the size of room I have.
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