Conrad Johnson Customer Service

[roberto]

Just got this ARC VT-200. A serious damage happened. Part of the tube base melted and the PCB foils were damaged.

This is the best that I could done.

IMG_7595.jpeg (3.07 MiB) Viewed 3161 times

[AnotherJohnson]

Yes, old gear does need repair. You’ve shown some pretty horrific failures over the years.

I wish you lived in my neighborhood. If the current financial problems that ARC are facing bloom to full failure, I may need your help to repair some day.

[AnotherJohnson]

That model is another “long in the tooth” model. It was introduced about 25 years ago.

When I was selling McIntosh tube gear from the 60’s as vintage/antique as a hobby in the 80’s, the McIntosh was often not yet 25 years old. When you’re 30, 25 years ago seems like forever. When you’re 75, 25 years ago seems like the day before yesterday.

https://www.arcdb.ws/model/VT200

[admin]

Roberto,
Kudos on the repair. Glad you got it working.

[antaresbluespirit]

They are doing Triage … you’re looking for support on a product that has been out of production on the order of 40 years.

It is a VERY small operation. And they’re inundated with calls from guys needing help with things that they’ve not seen a nickel from in decades.

I wish Jeff were cloned so that there were a dozen of him.

But right now, I’m glad that the one Jeff is doing his best to support customers with current models, and warranty work.

This doesn’t help … but try to get help from Saul Marantz, Julius Futterman, Harvey Rosenberg … these are tough times, and, as I’ve waited now a full month on a Levinson warranty claim, I’m inclined to cut Jeff some slack.

Hello,

Jeff Fischel 'drone exist regarding support of CJ vintage line......"Bill Thalman"
When I got my PV10A and PV8 a long time ago,my Dream was to meeting him to get an upgrade of theses machines..

So leaving in France such an opération has never been realistic..(to expensive) despite sonic amazing improvements experienced by us audiophiles in keeping the CJ sound !

I had the opportunity to talk about a us distributor who stop its activity a few months ago and was able to send me a MF2500A to be converted in EU 230v by Bill chanel who also insure shipment...So he remains opérationnal..

( I have got a unit in France at the end)

Enjoy music !

Raymond

[Big Dog RJ]

Nice one Raymond! Glad to hear that you're enjoying those fine tunes!

The MF2500A is a top amplifier, you'll be very pleased with it, look after it well and it will provide many years of excellent performance.

Cheers, RJ

[Wildcat]

This is somewhat unrelated, but this was inspired after seeing a few of Roberto's photos. I wonder if I should occasionally take the panels off of the Premier 11 and clean away any dust that accumulates. The insides of my PV14 and EV1 are always clean, but with the P11 having more open gaps, I'm thinking that may be a good idea. I wouldn't bother now, as the P11 was serviced about a year ago. But maybe in another year?

Heat is the enemy of electronic components, and getting the dust out helps it all flow better. The inside of my "work" computer often needs to be blown out due to all the dust we have in the house.

[admin]

I think it's probably a good idea to do a visual inspection once in awhile. Your computer is going to attract a lot more dust because of the fans sucking in air constantly. But any opening to the outside world will allow dust to enter.

[AnotherJohnson]

I’ve never had any units that approached the dirt that some of the ones that Roberto has had to repair. I’ve got some things here that date back to the ‘80s. If you keep your stuff in a clean environment, regular cleaning isn’t necessary. But if your windows are open and you’ve got a general dust problem in your house, put cleaning on a schedule and revise the schedule after a few cleanings as makes sense.

[Wildcat]

We do have an issue with a lot of dust in this old house, plus we try to keep fresh air coming in the windows as much as we can. I have no windows directly adjacent to system, but I do try to keep a cross-flow of air being pulled from the room vs. blowing air into or around it.

I'm only thinking that the gaps in the top panel adjacent to the tube sockets are what could find dust settling in over time.

[Truth71]

I've had many contacts with CJ ( and later JF) over the years, some regarding "vintage" pieces. At all times the company ( and especially JF) was responsive and helpful. I have a role in a small audio company, and can tell you from personal experience how difficult it is to offer support on products many decades past production. That JF does it al all, let alone with a smile, is no small accomplishment, especially as this is concurrent with designing and producing products that are quanta beyond the company's origins.

[Paolo]

I've had many contacts with CJ ( and later JF) over the years, some regarding "vintage" pieces. At all times the company ( and especially JF) was responsive and helpful. I have a role in a small audio company, and can tell you from personal experience how difficult it is to offer support on products many decades past production. That JF does it al all, let alone with a smile, is no small accomplishment, especially as this is concurrent with designing and producing products that are quanta beyond the company's origins.

Yes indeed and a big PLUS One from me. While not vintage, I had a question about my new Classic 62SE and Jeff responded via email quickly, provided me with the answer, and gave me his personal phone number in case I still had any questions. Stellar customer service.

[Big Dog RJ]

Now that's outstanding! A mighty WOOF & cheers to CJ!
Oh! Do enjoy those finest tunes.
RJ