Repairing Hi Fi

A pair of mans hands working on the internals of a stereo system.

At Dr. Hi Fi, we expect repaired equipment to work for a lot longer than just our warranty period. This requires a vast knowledge of servicing hi fi, gained through many years of experience.

It starts with taking in the repair, sometimes the most important part of a repair. Receiving a full description of the fault, as well as a thorough history of any previous symptoms often ensures the job is done fully to everyone's satisfaction.

Prevention is better than cure. A Service and Overhaul is highly recommended on good quality hi fi. Apart from repairing the immediate fault, we look for potential problems and investigate areas where other faults are known to occur. After servicing, the unit is usually run under arduous conditions in a "soak test" situation.

Depending on the nature of the fault, we will often do a soak test on the repaired item. For example, amplifiers may be given a "stress" test. The amplifier is run at various power levels, sometimes in excess of 15 hours. Many parameters are monitored including cross-over distortion levels, noise figures, D.C. component on the output, quiescent current, symmetry of clipping and power output levels into various loads. This test is extremely thorough, and if an amplifier passes it then one can be confident that the critical power amplifier section is in order.

Intermittent faults can be the most difficult to diagnose and repair. For example, an amplifier may give out a pop or crackle once every few hours, perhaps for just a few seconds. We may choose to replace certain components likely to cause the fault, and then run the amplifier on a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) for many hours or even days. This digital oscilloscope stores and displays all noise from the amplifier from the entire time it has been connected.

When you collect your repair, we can explain exactly the work that was done. We will let you know about any preventative measures you might take to avoid the fault recurring. We will advise you on how to reconnect the equipment.

The internals of a stereo system device.

How Long Do Repairs Take?

● Generally, most hi fi is repaired at Dr. Hi Fi within a week. We have a huge stock of parts from many manufacturers on hand, as well as parts sent by courier to us daily. We rarely have any backlog, as we work into the early hours if necessary. Of course, sometimes parts availability can stump us and cause delays. Commonly this is because parts have to come from overseas. We will do our best to give you an estimate of when the parts for your repair are expected. Unlike repairs done by manufacturers, we have access to many sources of spare parts so our turn around time is far better (plus we work harder).

● Should a repair be extremely urgent, then we will endeavour to complete a repair within 24 - 36 hours. Obviously, this is subject to parts availability. There is an additional charge for this service and it is only recommended when absolutely necessary.