Well put, Don! (Have I used that one before...?). The only thing I would
add is if you see a cap that is bulging, it may be a a sign that
whatever chip it is directly connected to (could be either an input or
an output) has some DC offset on it that the cap doesn't like and should
be replaced. I see this a lot with 5532's, which I don't think are used
at all in the Series boards and then relatively sparingly in the "E" desks.
best,
Ike
Donald Put wrote:
David,
I have owned a Neotek Series One 16X8 console for about 12 years. I
am going to be doing some
work on it in the near future. Would it be a good idea to replace all
the ICs while I am in there? I am
wondering if ICs can degrade with age and if I would benefit from new
5534 and TL074s?
My experience has been that ICs either fail (get noisy, distort, etc.)
or work. Having said that, current production ICs might have a bit
lower noise spec. (guessing here as I haven't checked date sheets),
but I'm not sure if it would be enough to worry about. If you like
the way the console sounds now, then I would imagine the ICs will be
fine for a while longer. It wouldn't hurt to pull them out and
clean/deox the pins and sockets while you're in there. Caig makes a
fine line of products for just this purpose. This will ensure a good
connection and protect these connections for a long time.
If the console hasn't been recapped, then that's where I'd put my
money and time. Try recapping a channel to see if you notice any
substantial improvement; if so, then perhaps a recap of the entire
board is in order.
Cheers,
--
Don
--
Ike Zimbel
Zimbel Audio Productions Ltd.
Toronto
416-720-0887
"Studio House Calls" - Repairs and upgrades to analog audio equipment including:
Amek, Allen & Heath, Neve, Neotek, MCI, Soundcraft and more.
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