A Teensy-Weensy Audiolab 8000S Problem
It's a long story, but not to put too fine a point on it, one of the two Audiolab 8000S amps I sold on eBay last year is back with me. I'm talking of the classic, pre-TAG model here.
The problem? The connections for inputs are actually falling apart - disintegrating - it's as if the plastic molding is suffering the equivalent of metal fatigue. I opened up the unit, having looked at the inputs from the outside, noticing a couple had gaping holes where the red or white plastic should be, and found various pieces rattling round inside, and the others showing varying signs of cracking and/or breaking away. This includes input connections I never even used. Based on my communication with the chap who bought the amp from me, I doubt he has treated it badly during the last 7 months. I genuinely believe the plastic has begun to 'perish' after almost 20yrs.
The question is: is it feasible and, indeed, economical to get replacements for the input pieces (and get them fitted - ouch!?) or are we talking consigning this otherwise perfectly good amp to the skip?
Has anyone else had similar problems? If I found a cheap modern version of the amp, is it possible to use it for spares?
Or do I just give the chap a (limited) refund and cut my losses? Ideas anyone?
It's a long story, but not to put too fine a point on it, one of the two Audiolab 8000S amps I sold on eBay last year is back with me. I'm talking of the classic, pre-TAG model here.
The problem? The connections for inputs are actually falling apart - disintegrating - it's as if the plastic molding is suffering the equivalent of metal fatigue. I opened up the unit, having looked at the inputs from the outside, noticing a couple had gaping holes where the red or white plastic should be, and found various pieces rattling round inside, and the others showing varying signs of cracking and/or breaking away. This includes input connections I never even used. Based on my communication with the chap who bought the amp from me, I doubt he has treated it badly during the last 7 months. I genuinely believe the plastic has begun to 'perish' after almost 20yrs.
The question is: is it feasible and, indeed, economical to get replacements for the input pieces (and get them fitted - ouch!?) or are we talking consigning this otherwise perfectly good amp to the skip?
Has anyone else had similar problems? If I found a cheap modern version of the amp, is it possible to use it for spares?
Or do I just give the chap a (limited) refund and cut my losses? Ideas anyone?
Thanks to both for your helpful responses. So it's a known issue and not likely to be anything either I or my erstwhile buyer have done (the contact cleaning has never been an issue to my knowledge 
).
I'll take a look later at the options you suggest.
Sad, really, that such a nice piece of kit can be let down by this kind of thing - a nasty little legacy lurking.
I'm struggling to work out why this is your problem? You sold the amp "as seen" 7 MONTHS ago, I doubt any proper dealer selling pre-owned gear would give anyone a warranty longer than about 3 months. It's an unfortunate issue but it's not your issue.
I'm struggling to work out why this is your problem? You sold the amp "as seen" 7 MONTHS ago, I doubt any proper dealer selling pre-owned gear would give anyone a warranty longer than about 3 months. It's an unfortunate issue but it's not your issue.
I'm struggling to work out why this is your problem? You sold the amp "as seen" 7 MONTHS ago, I doubt any proper dealer selling pre-owned gear would give anyone a warranty longer than about 3 months. It's an unfortunate issue but it's not your issue.
I mean, fine, if it wasn't working the day it was delivered to the guy, then sure, get your money back, but SEVEN MONTHS later?
Yeah, maybe I'm a bit of a soft touch. I've not promised anything except that I would see if a friend of mine could take a look and maybe fix it. Didn't know what the actual problem was until I opened the box. I certainly wasn't expecting what I found! A couple of loose input connectors was the expectation, not disintegrating plastic components!
I'm trying to be helpful to the chap - he didn't come on strong or anything - just asked the question in hope I might help. He has no comeback on me after this time (so eBay tell me). With a spot of maybe misplaced altruism I just thought I would help a fellow hi-fi enthusiast if I could.
It might not be feasible or economical for me to help, in which case it will cost no more than the return to him.
Fine, see if you can help but make it clear that any repairs are his to pay and under no circumstances should you be offering any sort of refund.
Thanks for the advice - nice to know opinion seems on my side! I have just fired off a message pretty much to that effect - I will try to help but have no obligation. I would hope he already appreciates that.
It's certainly made me view buying/selling older kit with greater caution.
Ouch! Kevin says that I am looking at approx £100 for the work (probably excluding P&P) - the spares aren't cheap. I think we will have one disappointed eBayer soon. It's a real shame - it's a really nice amp and otherwise fine.
Firstly I can’t believe what I have read and have joined especially to add comment here.
I disagree with the three of you. Are things sold as seen on Ebay? Do you not entrust the person who is selling to give an honest and thorough account of the item? Since it’s clear that the chap intended to bi-wire this amp your description clearly didn’t state that it was not suitable for this purpose otherwise the chap wouldn’t have bought it – he bought in good faith and I can understand that he contacted you.
If I were the seller in this situation I would feel responsible for not checking the item thoroughly before selling and I would offer a refund – (7 months or 7 days later) you have to take some responsibility here.
Stop tittle tattling – basing your response to this chap on the opinion of a few isn’t very gracious.
Firstly I can’t believe what I have read and have joined especially to add comment here.
I disagree with the three of you. Are things sold as seen on Ebay?
Do you not entrust the person who is selling to give an honest and thorough account of the item?
Since it’s clear that the chap intended to bi-wire this amp your description clearly didn’t state that it was not suitable for this purpose otherwise the chap wouldn’t have bought it – he bought in good faith and I can understand that he contacted you.
If I were the seller in this situation I would feel responsible for not checking the item thoroughly before selling and I would offer a refund – (7 months or 7 days later) you have to take some responsibility here.
Stop tittle tattling – basing your response to this chap on the opinion of a few isn’t very gracious.
Firstly I can’t believe what I have read and have joined especially to add comment here.
I disagree with the three of you. Are things sold as seen on Ebay?
Yes.
And he has, most people won't open up an amp to inspect the internals before selling it and I don't think it's reasonable for an "amateur" to be expected to do so (it may cause damage for a start). Furthermore this is an OLD amp, it cannot be considered to be "as good as new" so it is expected that faults will develop as it ages. Provided ESP didn't list it as "new" there is nothing more he could have done.
Sorry, I've no idea where you're getting this idea from, nobody on this thread has mentioned bi-wiring (which is something you do to speakers incidentally, not amps) and from reading the description it's the INPUTS that are failing, not the outputs, so I don't know where this comment is coming from. *Deerstalker ON* Unless, of course, YOU are the buyer...
Rubbish, 7 days later yes, but 7 months is a LONG time. Clearly the amp must have been working when the buyer took delivery of it, otherwise he would have said something then, the fact he didn't means it must have been ok until recently. Despite what ESP said he's got no idea how the buyer may have treated the item, he could easily have put some kind of chemical cleaner on it which has caused this damage and is no epecting someone else to carry the can for his mistake. As I said earlier if he'd bought it secondhand from a dealer he'd have got a 3 month warranty, 6 at the most, in which case even the dealer wouldn't refund his money, so why a private seller should be expected to I really don't know. Where do you the draw the line? If this had happened 7 years later would you still be expecting the seller to take responsibility?
Sorry but Ebay is entirely "Caveat Emptor", I don't see that ESP could have done anything more than he has and now he's facing having to pay to send it back to the buyer!
Firstly I can’t believe what I have read and have joined especially to add comment here.
I disagree with the three of you. Are things sold as seen on Ebay? Do you not entrust the person who is selling to give an honest and thorough account of the item? Since it’s clear that the chap intended to bi-wire this amp your description clearly didn’t state that it was not suitable for this purpose otherwise the chap wouldn’t have bought it – he bought in good faith and I can understand that he contacted you.
If I were the seller in this situation I would feel responsible for not checking the item thoroughly before selling and I would offer a refund – (7 months or 7 days later) you have to take some responsibility here.
Stop tittle tattling – basing your response to this chap on the opinion of a few isn’t very gracious.
Do you happen to be the aforementioned buyer? 
Do you happen to be the aforementioned buyer?
*Deerstalker ON* Unless, of course, YOU are the buyer...
A common reason for this problem is the use of switch cleaners/contact cleaners etc. Although they appear to be "plastic safe" they are/were not. The problems appeared slowly weeks/months/years later.
I speak from experience... as a repair tech this problem was massive. Not just on sockets, it was on anything the stuff came into contact with. Whole TV's etc etc were written off due to this problem of plastics softening and disentegrating.
Have a look at all these (5 pages 100+ items) and see if anything looks similar. The sockets are sure to be a generic type but it's finding ecaxt physical replacements that's the problem.
Click the "show results" box on the web page
http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp?N=411+2005+206691&Ntk=gensearch&Ntt=phono+sockets&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&locale=en_CC&appliedparametrics=true&getResults=true&originalQueryURL=/jsp/search/browse.jsp%3FN%3D411%2B2005%2B206691%26Ntk%3Dgensearch%26Ntt%3Dphono%2Bsockets%26Ntx%3Dmode%2Bmatchallpartial%26No%3D0%26getResults%3Dtrue%26appliedparametrics%3Dtrue%26locale%3Den_CC%26divisionLocale%3Den_CC%26catalogId%3D%26skipManufacturer%3Dfalse%26skipParametricAttributeId%3D%26prevNValues%3D411%2B2005%2B206691