Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Does this repair quote seem correct?

One of my DSP8000s was noticeably lower volume than the other (I posted here previously about it), so I dropped off the amp plates, psu’s and the top driver units to a local authorized Meridian repair shop here in LA.

I just finally got the repair quote back after 2 months and was told this:

“We need to replace several capacitors in the power regulating circuit, and completely calibrate.”

14 10uf 50v capacitor 105 Degree $8.92ea. $124.88
8 1000uf 16v capacitor 105 Degree $11.99ea. $95.92
2 470uf 16v capacitor 105 Degree $10.91ea. $21.82
6 3300uf 6.3v capacitor 105 Degree $12.89ea. $77.34
1 SHOP MATERIAL MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL USED IN REPAIR $39.95 $39.95
3.2 Technical Charges Technical Charges $149.90 $479.68

$873.78 total after tax


This is PER AMP PLATE. So 1,747.56 total.


It just struck me as odd that both amps would need the exact same capacitors replaced. Is that normal? Or is it possible that based on the problem, they’re just replacing all the caps in that signal path?

It seems they are recommending, basically recapping everything.
With older speakers it's the thing to do, as when caps fail they take out more expensive or hard to get/discontinued parts such as the DSP board. I have had older DSP speakers recapped.

Hope this helps.

That makes sense. Like there could be a cascade effect if only replacing just the out of spec caps. I appreciate your response.

Hi Travis,

The costs don't look too outrageous... The disassembly and reassembly times for Meridian equipment are long as there are so many nuts and bolts to undo. The power output transistors are mounted to the heatsink and need to be de-soldered just to remove the amplifier boards, so a lot of work. Component prices have been rising at a steady rate recently and some parts are becoming harder to obtain.

As already suggested, it looks like they are carrying out a major re-cap - on the faulty panel, that should resolve the issue and the other one would be re-capped as a precaution and to ensure both speakers sound identical.

If you own a Ferrari, don't expect Mini service costs!

Good luck,

Steve

Changing more than one capacitor makes sence. You don't wanna go back after six months with an other bad capacitor.
Labor costs seems to be ok. Prices for the capacitors are very very very high if you ask me but perhaps includes some labor costs or are made of gold?

My only question would be what brand/model caps they are using. Not everything *has* to be Nichicon or Pana but it'd be good to confirm they are not no-name.

Honestly given the value of a decent pair of legacy 8ks, and the amount of work it takes to re cap a panel, I would consider the repair costs to be chump change given how long they should provide enjoyment after being refurbished.

1 x 10uf 50v capacitor 105 Degree $8.92 ? I would definitely ask what kind they are using. Panasonic or Nichicon aren't that expensive the quoted 124$ for 14 of those caps is a price higher than the total of capacitors for both speakers would be from a good series by Panasonic.

And as i red the first post correctly the caps are being replaced in the power regulation circuitry so not in the signal path

They are recommending to replace all capacitors. This is in my opinion the correct way. I have repaired a few of these in the DSP5200 series and they were all degraded due to heat. So it's good they replace ALL with 105 degree capacitors.
Should probably replace the voltage regulators as well.
The price per capacitor is very high, the parts don't cost that much if you buy them directly from Mouser or Digikey.
Total cost for the service from a company that gives you a warranty is high but reasonable.
I would charge about 60% of that (not a company) so looks ok.

Nichicon UPW 10uF/63V costs about 50 cents ,,,

I really appreciate all the responses here!

I figured there was a lot of markup built into the capacitor price (although theirs seem egregious), but there's probably not much I can do about that.

If it is any consolation, in my opinion the labor charge is way cheaper than I would expect for LA so it's kind of a wash.