Hoping for an honest repair. Trying to avoid getting scammed.

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elguapo511

Senior Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2010
Messages
210
Hello everyone,

Happy holidays. The more I read this forum and the more recordings I listen to I realize that my Lafayette sq-w does not decode as well as it should.

I took it to a local repair shop in Chicago. They have had it a while and said it should be done in a week or so.

So... please help me with the pick up procedure.

How can I test it in the store?
I am trying not to get scammed and just want this puppy to work.

Any tips?
 
This depends on how busy they are and if they have a burn-in table and/or a separate room from the lobby to do this in (I'd ask if it would be OK before packing up the following). I had a shop and would not have been averse to this, in fact I told a customer they had to bring in their whole stereo system after they blew tweeters and mids twice on speakers that were repaired with original stuff (teenage guy was cranking into distortion with graphic EQ and tone controls maxed for high and low).

Also, I have a garage 5.1 receiver and lots of speakers.

I'd bring the garage Onkyo, four of the tiny speakers that came with it, and something for a phono pre maybe my bench amp a Lafayette LA-25, , maybe a turntable, and a record with a bold mix, and actually test it by listening. I don't know of any other way to know it works, if you don't know/trust anyone there. Also, if there was something slightly off when back in your main system, I don't know how they could fix it unless they can witness the issue themselves. I would have set up a four channels system back in the 80's to test something like that, it would be exciting! Never happened though. Eventually I started seeing the Dolby surround receivers and had to.

Maybe they are too busy of a shop to even consider this, but it might not hurt to ask. I'd still ask if they played a matrix record through it into four channels, (sorry, but I'd ask if they could test it before letting them service it, again, sorry to mention it, but really how does anyone, tech or not, know if something is truly working except to use it as intended?). Maybe they already do have a way to test by ear and you can simply bring a record?

Apologies if this sounds like a rant. :) It is not intended to be. :)

Now I'm back to rewinding the recoil starter on the snowblower!
 
Doing an instore test would be perfect but it's a tough job to pull off on someone else's equipment ya know.

I see they have some oscilloscopes in the pace.


Should that work? If I bring in a test record.

I am about to buy the "popular science sq q4 test record"

0r will an oscilloscope not work?
 
Doing an instore test would be perfect but it's a tough job to pull off on someone else's equipment ya know.

I see they have some oscilloscopes in the pace.


Should that work? If I bring in a test record.

I am about to buy the "popular science sq q4 test record"

0r will an oscilloscope not work?

A four trace scope would work but that is rare to non-existent in a repair shop, at least in my experience. Unless they often look at four channels. A single or dual trace would show one or two channels respectively. Quad oscilloscopes mentioned here at QQ are different animals than 'scopes in a shop.

Again, ask them about it! They might be into trying it out, maybe, ....
 
Doing an instore test would be perfect but it's a tough job to pull off on someone else's equipment ya know.

I see they have some oscilloscopes in the pace.


Should that work? If I bring in a test record.

I am about to buy the "popular science sq q4 test record"

0r will an oscilloscope not work?

A four trace scope would work but that is rare to non-existent in a repair shop, at least in my experience. Unless they often look at four channels. A single or dual trace would show one or two channels respectively. Quad oscilloscopes mentioned here at QQ are different animals than 'scopes in a shop.

Again, ask them about it! They might be into trying it out, maybe, ....
 
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