ATHENA has fallen!

[@Pacific1957]

I’ve absolutely no idea what this chap is talking about but his cheery, knowledgable presentations are a real pick-me-up. Welcome back.

[@thunderbeam9166]

That’s the best part about him, it doesn’t matter what your level of knowledge is, it’s enjoyable for everyone!

[@Samsgarden]

Me neither but I think he knows something about electronics and optimism.

[@stevebowbrick9024]

Same!

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

all the world loves a smiling face. i need to put this knowledge to use in my own life

[@billdoodson4232]

😂😅😂😅😅

[@cymaz100]

Mark is back.....All is well with the world 🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@mikemmikem2758]

I've never seen the inside of an amp this beautifly made.

[@HansDelbruck53]

beautifully

[@dingskydongsky]

flutybully@@HansDelbruck53

[@martinda7446]

@@HansDelbruck53 He might have been talking about a colourful wasp.

[@E-raticWarrior]

It's a pre-amp.

[@dingskydongsky]

@@E-raticWarrior yes sweetie, it is

[@metalman4141]

Thank God You are back 🎉

[@til2003]

That’s what I thought!

[@marcse7en]

He's NOT God, you know! 🤣

[@smyken1000]

I second that

[@metalman4141]

@@marcse7en Didn’t say he was did I !

[@marcse7en]

@@metalman4141 Well, my comment got a like, and yours hasn't, thus far!

[@greenbanananas]

Probably the highest quality device I've ever seen with the label "Made in China".

[@jobertvangool9961]

True, absolute quality!

[@edmaster3147]

hopefully there aren't many chinese insulted now ;)

[@usefulrandom1855]

"Chi-Fi" has come a long way! They make some excellent products now that as you can see are not cheap either!

[@ElxCriiO]

They always will be a lot more pissed of by cheer number of people

[@moffarocka3537]

Soo much effort, sooo much complexity, such an overkill for what basically is a 4-way switch with a potentiometer, albeit audiophile and with balanced I/Os, extreme filtering, magnetic shielding and all... Now, I wish they'd have gone the last few steps to perfection, like constructing the backplate to go in without bending and stressing the PCB, having transformers made properly with a healthy amount of reserve (say, leave a margin for like 260V mains, heck, why not even make it 300?) It's not like price is of any concern. I remember seeing some old broadcasting or recording studio equipment which is sometimes built like a tank. Not with tons of capacitors, but it can handle abuse and will work overhead and underwater 😁

[@TheRidgeChannel]

I’d have put a Perspex lid on the amp. It’s beautiful in there!

[@hardlines5472]

It couldn't cope with UK power supply? Not very well designed. 🤣 "Audiophile" anagram of "saw you coming"! Welcome back. Entertaining and informative as ever.

[@TheHeed1969]

Glad to see you back! Love watching your videos. Even the wife recognises your theme tune and sits down to watch with me!

[@iantyler4045]

Wasn't expecting it to be the transformer but the 220/240V issue is a real problem. In Aus we also have 240V mains and I'll bet 99% of people with 220V devices are totally unaware. Great video as usual.

[@guillermofalcon8841]

In Spain IS most normal more of 240Vac...

[@stripey1960]

Interesting fact: You put three feet on the bottom of box, it will not wobble if the surface it is sitting on is not flat, so it is always stable - effectively self levelling!

[@mattmoreira210]

Yes. Triangles are amazing, aren't they?!

[@OKuusava]

Yes, I have sit in 3 feet chair, real hifi!

[@johnbravo7542]

Yeah Audiophiles already know that.🙄

[@guruoo]

New (old) rule: Overkill construction does not always equal trouble-free longevity. Fine work, Mark. Glad I subbed.

[@jaymz168]

More parts is more chances for failure. I get the approach of paralleling caps for lower output impedance of the PSU but I really fail to see how a *preamp* can really benefit from that. The preamp is not delivering any appreciable current so the approach is less than useless., it will only result in worse reliability and more expensive repairs. So basically standard practice for this corner of the audio market lol.

[@pauldavies6037]

@@jaymz168 Totally bonkers design

[@peterlarkin762]

It does reduce supply impedance, but also reduces ripple far more effectively than using a couple of massive capacitors. The lower impedance is actually important lowering harmonic noise on the regulators. Granted, it is a bit showy and grabs attention in marketing material, but it is good engineering theory!

[@cls9474]

@@peterlarkin762 Not necessary. Good amp designs have massive PSRR. This is really bad engineering practice and a perfect example of audio phoolery. It's a waste of resources and about as useful as homeopathy. The resulting products are for people with weak egos who think that massive alumin(i)um cases and a collection of caps and relays would impress someone. I worked for a similar company for much too long and I quit because it's just stupid and also a waste of engineering. We have real issues to solve.

[@VoeViking]

Beautifully made machine. And the video, the time to film just one bolt being tighten just made it complete and beyond great. Excellent filming and editing.

[@georgedyson9754]

Except it seems not to handle UK mains voltage very well!

[@hydorah]

Notwithstanding the smart army of Elna caps ready for duty in that thing, there's enough SMD and flimsy ribbon cables to annoy my old eyes. Glad you nabbed that errant blob of solder. I saw a fellow earlier doing a KZbin video about arc welding and how not to die. He picked up his welder and shook it around. Something was rattling around inside. He said it had done that since day and he proceeded to do precisely nothing about it!

[@hydorah]

I run a Furman power conditioner in front of my valve amps. Before anybody beats me up for being an audio snob, these are guitar amps. UK mains supply voltage and permitted tolerances are 230 volts -6%, +10%

[@User_not_found_403]

Nice work. I feel so satisfied even though I did nothing except watch you fix this thing :)

[@shaunsiz.itsbetterbytube2858]

OMG look at all those. Caps Shango would love that lol another enjoyable post 👍

[@jerryspann8713]

And all those relaytercoclickers.

[@shaunsiz.itsbetterbytube2858]

@@jerryspann8713 Absolutely

[@Wil_Bloodworth]

Nicely done Mark. That's a fancy piece of equipment for sure.

[@zik316]

I have to admit those clicks were very satisfying. That device was well engineered. Cheers!

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

once you’ve experienced a stepped attenuator, you won’t go back

[@bhopale1]

Nice to see you back, hope you’re feeling better.

[@joshuaalbright]

Another brilliant episode from my favorite electronics repair guru! Thank you sir!

[@Timothycan]

Excellent. Seeing all that, those banks of capacitors and host of relays, I'm left wondering how much better this unit is than an ordinary mid-budget HiFi preamp. I think it's rather about diminishing returns, that you spend five times as much to gain a 0.01% improvement in signal quality! As for me, my 65 year old ears would never tell the difference...

[@georgedyson9754]

Yes, I thought the same. But it makes a show piece for your audiophile friends!

[@Sonnell]

Probably 99% of these products would fail in a proper blind A/B test. And their owners as well :)

[@WeeWeeJumbo]

well, you might be surprised at what is possible. high resolution audio devices change the way you listen

[@tedmich]

Wow all those counterfi …beautiful genuine Elna caps! Nice work!

[@ncooper8438]

Why have they used a hundred capacitors, is it to reduce the height?

[@mattmoreira210]

​@@ncooper8438might be to reduce the atrocious ESR to acceptable levels.

[@rupey]

Mark, you get a thumbs up just for the intro, your happy face always cheers me up.

[@alexdelara9858]

Nice. There is something very satisfying in opening a dead device, troubleshooting it and finding the problem. Then, tada !!, make it work again.

[@brubsdubs4529]

A very satisfying repair. Thank you for sharing.

[@edmaster3147]

Nice vid Mark, good job as always. It seems that the Denafrips design philosophy is 'more is more' and 'complicated is better'. I mostly find that electronics are better kept as simple as possible with the best suited materials of high quality and components for audio selected on sound rather then operating principle. But everybody should do as they please :)

[@gadgetwob]

I agree. In fact, I find there is something quite distasteful about this level of misguided over engineering for little or no benefit. The gratuitous use of materials....and after all that, did they really just drop a switcher in the bottom? I have to admit though, the volume control is kinda slick and silly at the same time. Hope those relays have gold contacts...

[@robinbowes]

@@gadgetwob The switcher will be for the display, and control chip, etc. The other supply is for the audio stages. It's not necessarily over-engineering - the performance of analogue preamps very sensitive to the quality of the power supply.

[@VidelicetMoi]

Too long of a period of time passed. I miss this guy's repairs.

[@PeopleThatFallApart]

What a distribution of components, really nice. Good job on the repair.

[@brianwood5220]

A nice easy fix for you, Mark. But what a piece of engineering. Thanks for sharing.

[@mattmoreira210]

A nice piece of (bad) engineering, indeed...

[@kaschi47]

Hi Mr. Mark. You are the ultimate Rockstar to me in your field with your videos on this channel. You are the best of everyone else. Respect! Karsten from Hanover... (an old electrician from germany)

[@chrismayes4527]

Thanks Mark, you have really helped me to understand the old analog circuits and have been able to fix a few pieces for my friends. Keep up the good work. Cheers from the US.

[@macstar8317]

Nice piece of audiofool hardware there! Great vid as always.

[@nevillegoddard4966]

@@macstar8317 Audiofool lol! Aint THAT the truth!

[@E-raticWarrior]

lol!

[@zedcarr6128]

I think the correct spelling is Audiophool. 😃

[@cbmsysmobile]

Those distributors deserve kudos for finding you a replacement part.

[@dirkhauke3204]

I'm looking your channel in Hannover Germany. It is a pleasure to see how you solve the technical problems. Continue in this way. I love your channel. Best wishes Dirk Hauke

[@DjDestinyChicago]

I was just watching one your old videos last night hoping you’d be back soon 👍👍

[@romanalfuth4160]

Gdzie byłeś tak długo mam nadzieję że na urlopie. Dziękuję za twój kanał. Pozdrawiam Roman

[@miketherefurbisher8000]

Always a pleasure watching you repairing stuff Mark. "Thank You"😅

[@peterduxbury927]

Here in Australia with lots of sunshine, my Audio setup is a simple Car Radio CD with Sub Woofer and Jamo Satellite Speakers. All running from a Solar Panel and 12V Battery. I'm certainly NOT an Audiophile, but the sound quality is really good, no power cost and also green. No 230VAC to worry about - and Definitely NO Mains hum! Even the very best (Mains-Powered) Audio systems will develop some 'Mains Hum' at some point in their life. And that is the difference. DC power supply is pure...... Mark, you always fascinate with your extensive knowledge, and many will question: How did you reach such greatness in repairing almost anything electrical? Years of hard study I guess, with a good Teacher behind you. The Test Equipment behind you is also mind-blowing!

[@stripey1960]

Another interesting fact: Toroid transformers give out a distinct magnetic field which can be picked up by sensitive electronics n the front end of amplifiers. Some Amplifiers where the transformer is not particularly well shielded can induce a slight hum. This can sometimes be 'tuned out' by turning the the toroid slightly and effectively changing where the magnetic field lobes are pointing. I had this demonstrated on an Ashdown Mag 300 Bass amplifier!

[@rossthompson1635]

Great video, what a crazy device. Anything sold for the European market should be able to cope with 240V though (230V +/- 10%) - but then again if someone is paying for a preamp like that they can probably afford a power conitioner too.

[@AudioFileZ]

I''m always amazed at how Mark can take a device he has no experience with and go to a diagnosis in short order. Mark you are a truly amazing electronic technician. I enjoyed you going through this bit of audio overkill. To think this complex circuitry is zero gain is just bonkers. Makes one wonder what it might look like if it also had a gain stage?

[@Edisson.]

Hello, amazing design, I have never seen a potentiometer made like this using an "n"-coder and resistance dividers switched with signal relays, that battery of capacitors is also impressive. You're lucky you have the cordless screwdriver, otherwise you'll be screwing at least until tomorrow 😂 Thanks for the example. Nice day 🙂 Tom

[@tjtreinen7381]

it would be a b%tch to have to find a bad capacitor in this arrangement.

[@Edisson.]

@@tjtreinen7381 Or replace all capacitors due to their age 😂

[@HansDelbruck53]

Nothing wrong with screwing until tomorrow.

[@KneppaH]

@@HansDelbruck53 Haha screwing like there is no tomorrow.

[@mattmoreira210]

Also, that attenuator design is just atrocious. If they were so worried about distortion and stuff, they should not have put EMF-generating components anywhere near the signal path.

[@m80116]

I was surprised by that impeccable quality construction so I checked for online prices... quite a bargain! I wish more stuff today had the same construction quality and I'd totally pay the price for having a complete through-hole construction. I enjoy surface-mount devices as long as they work... I can't tolerate working on them as I am certainly biased on the matter.

[@happyclash8360]

Wow this thing is so overkill, I love it

[@TheKent2288]

Thank you! Hope your channel get more audiophile equipment in for repair as things do go wrong regardless of QC and it's good to know the weak parts in the product. Subbed :)

[@randelcross]

Great job! And tremendous good fortune on that find... nice landfill rescue!

[@Jan-yc2lr]

Congrats on your new workshop! Looks great!

[@erwindewit4073]

I love your videos Mark. Happy and cheerful, knowledgeable and fixes things at the end. Thanks by the way, as I was thinking about buying one of those Athena pre-amps. But here in my home, the voltage (in summertime) usually hovers between 240 and 250 volts. That will kill it in no time! So I guess a step down transformer or some kind of battery buffer will be a good plan. My older streamer doesn't like the voltage either... Cool!

[@HappyHands.]

You got to applaud the so very neat and organized design

[@alexandermikhailov2481]

I made several amplifiers in my life, and I've always thought that they were an engineering overkill. This amplifier is a true overkill dwarfing my perceived achievement. 😢😂

[@jimbobroon-wj4qx]

Superb… As always Mark.. Love your channel 😊

[@Stuart_Cox1969]

Brilliant, I love it when we get a new video, thanks Mark.

[@eddieMurphy11111]

thank you for showing how to test things and I hope your batteries on the screw driver are ok , thanks for the video

[@mikecoller]

Short but sweet one this time...excellent as always.

[@peterdonnelly6804]

Welcome back Mark Great video, no idea what's what but I find it all very fascinating ❤

[@geraedertcom]

This is so great! Great channel, great Mark, great Amp! Thank you!

[@billlaporte8255]

You have some of the most enjoyable vids to watch. Keep them coming!

[@weyayemanjoe3082]

Another great repair as normal, That is a piece of art if it was mine I would put a perspex lid on it so you could see inside 👍🏻

[@Jesselovespinball]

That was one beautiful piece of kit ! That volume knob !!!!! Great to see you back Mark ! Hope your back is doing better ! Well done as always !

[@paulperry7091]

Might LOOK beautiful, but something that regularly fails catastrophically & expensively with a slight mains overvoltage, is a disgrace to the world of electronic engineering.

[@TheBudgie29]

I remember these Mark, at the Hi Fi fair at Earls Court. Sounded absolutely gorgeous on the end of the right Kit. Very high end that came with a huge price, Probably worth twice as much now. Thanks for sharing, and Keep 'Em Coming.

[@MrFathead]

That volume control must be very satisfying to use.

[@samwright8599]

I thought about your channel today. Good to see ya

[@luisvilleza2687]

Thats one of the most beautifull amplifier i have ever seen

[@MrMersh-ts7jl]

I love your videos more than most Mark. You are just a ray od sunshine!

[@brad9529]

No idea what that does, but its beautiful, that has been crafted like art. I love the volume clicks, very cool.

[@meljames172]

Saved from the scrap heap again. Great stuff Mark.

[@bikesmith]

Excellent video! Cool amp too. Not sure if it is worth the £2000 .

[@neutrodyne]

Here is a quick tech tip. Instead of unsoldering the primary wires on the power transformer to find the short just put an amp clamp meter on the primary (while using the dim bulb in series with the primary) and see which one is pulling the excess current.

[@nitrgnlab9400]

Wow, you were super lucky to get that replacement transformer. Although it is not that difficult to rewind it yourself if you have some free time and patience. Thanks, Mark, brilliant as usual.

[@clevermusicbox3630]

They likely realised it was going to be bad PR if a primary blew with such over-enginnering, it's clearly the QC that's lacking not the UK power. A case of reputation management for the manufacturer.

[@zorst99]

I love your skills and thorough repairs

[@danielzakreiss]

Keep them coming mark very interesting

[@brynybach7741]

Thanks Mark, I hope you told Alvin you were going to make a video of this so he can pass it on to Denafrips. Think they might not like a lot of the feedback that's been given but it hopefully might stir them into correcting what seems to be quite a few faults with this expensive piece of kit. Glad to see you back on form, great video. Looks like I need a step down transformer then 😁😉👍

[@nudebaboon4874]

Good to see you Mark, and really appreciate the walk through the circuit and what the readings should be. Excellent stuff! 👌👍

[@daveg8htfadlibaudio250]

Nicely built but rusty screws in the IEC mains socket

[@Plons0Nard]

I noticed that too. A bit worrying. Moisture ?

[@tommeier2299]

and Mark didn't do anything with them! Ususally he would create new ones from titanium on his lathe and anodize them with gold ;)

[@martinda7446]

@@tommeier2299

[@wattage2007]

@@tommeier2299 hahaha!

[@petercornell2002]

Thanks Mark, excellent vid. Peter

[@Retirement_Life]

How much patience do you need with so many screws to undo?! Good to see you again, Mark.

[@tony359]

such an (unnecessarily probably!) beautiful machine! Great to see you found a spare, those would be almost impossible to find! Thanks for the video!

[@andrewclough660]

Denafrips and Alvin. good stuff guys. I'm very happy with my Denafrip. It only took you 13 minutes Mark...well done.

[@jimfarrell4635]

Yep. Alvin is a star. Lot of Sinophobes in the comments who still associate China with poor quality. In fact you are much more likely to get ripped off by European hifi brands, most of whom manufacture in China anyway. My Terminator Plus, Aries G2 and Kinki amp are remarkable pieces of engineering.

[@558vulcanxh]

Nice one Mark, very interesting indeed 👍👍😊😊Thank You , ps, I think the Chinese mains voltage is 220 v 50 cycles .....

[@jimalcott760]

Mark, great job. I only wish that on a project like this, you would explain to us non audiophiles just what a pre amp does and also play some music to demonstrate., thanks.

[@DakarFourByFour]

What an insane bit of kit - amazing!

[@ashraf9472]

Nice work. Thanks for sharing

[@kerrygleeson4409]

Brilliant as always Mark what a machine wow

[@rickclink9196]

This is the kind of construction that helps a piece of equipment maintain it’s resale value. Thank you great job from a fellow repair guy.

[@ughhhh6953]

Thanks for this! I'd been wondering how to access the power section of my Athena for the longest time, but didn't want to desolder or risk damaging anything just for exploratory purposes.

[@marktubeie07]

Glad you're back mate ! That's an impressive piece of kit.

[@georgegeorge899]

Nice ! 👏👏👏 In Europe it used to be 220v now is 230v... I still have devices rated at 220v...

[@simongrove3276]

great repair as always, good to see inside one of these units, interesting point about the 240v, something they don't mention.

[@NickT6630]

A very enjoyable video. Well done! Very interesting over engineering on this unit. I quite like it.

[@Mistergreg]

Love watching your subscriber count grow. Another great video.

[@jobertvangool9961]

Funny this. Indeed Alvin is a really good guy!

[@Onionbaron]

Yeah, Happy hour!!! A sharp sinus wave is pretty nice, but an old Slade song (or any good old audio really...) would be pretty awesome to show the result with... Queuing of for your next one Mark!

[@richardhack9830]

Cum on feel the noize ! 😄

[@theboyrobuk]

Welcome back Mark!

[@peterofenback9263]

This preamp only costs about $2000. Therefore, one probably had to save a little in the selection of components. A short circuit in the primary winding of a presumably little loaded transformer suggests an inferior quality. Overall, I classify the device as audiophile silliness.

[@MeriaDuck]

Especially the volume relays (no messy pots, ow no!) and the custom chip or was it an FPGA.

[@noneofyerbeeswax8194]

You get what you pay for. No audiophool should expect to get good sound quality for the silly 2 grand. This thing’s connectors aren’t even lubed with snake oil!

[@trickydicky165]

Fantastic Mark. love the videos.

[@Alexelectricalengineering]

Nice to see you again, awesome video!👍👍👍

[@richclips]

Impressive, but totally over engineered. I am an audio enthusiast for sure, but for me, keep it sweet and simple :) I wouldn't want to own anything that is filled with so many caps, has such complexity etc, just give me a simply, short signal path class A pre and I'm very happy.... Plus this beast is priced at $3000 ! Superb video Mark, love your approach, and your workshop puts mine to shame ;)

[@martinda7446]

Hi Richclips, I've been in the industry for over 40 years and have run the service departments of a fancy London retailer or two for many years - I agree with you 100%. Not only that, but there may well be some disadvantage having a volume control spread all over the circuit board. I immediately raised an eyebrow. I certainly admire the engineering, but wonder how much depth they went into with the design elements. (I guess they would tell me I'm an idiot and that they covered every conceivable nook and cranny). Anyhow the more stuff there is often poses some real complex problems and many are simply not considered or addressed. As you say the signal path integrity must be maintained as audio design philosophy No.1! Minimum active component counts always seems to get good results. One and a half triodes per channel is plenty😸. Simplicity is king, up to a point. Some things deserve a little complexity thrown at it over and above the most basic arrangements as this often pays dividends in certain areas. Here they certainly went to town on the power supply, and that can generally thought of as a good thing, as of course, that is what we are modulating with our 'simple short signal path'. 😸 PS.Oop's I just noticed you are an engineer (with a workshop etc), so, sorry I may have been responding with a patronising tone. I am now going to check and see if you have a KZbin channel.

[@martinda7446]

PS. Some great hi-fi keeps it (relatively) simple regarding signal path AND is 'over engineered' (in both meanings of the term, complexity and bulk!) The Audio Research amps spring to mind. The SP8 being one of the very finest preamps, I loved it. Edit: The complexity is associated with maintaining optimum performance from the active elements without interfering in the signal path.

[@guilfordterminal]

All those caps scared me. Out of all the audio/video equipment I repair, the most common failure are capacitors.

[@iamthearmul]

Yess, he's back. Will watch this tonight after kids are in bed.

[@Stelios.Posantzis]

10:44 You got to love this set up!

[@cjh0751]

Great video Mark.

[@garfythecat]

Those relay clicks! Worth the money just for that I reckon