Because in many cases the equipment will have been damaged or otherwise compromised, creating headaches for the next person.

Do you like cleaning up someone else’s mess? I know I don’t and who does? Many customers understand or have learned that the best hi-fi equipment is usually unmolested, in original condition, and ready for someone who deeply understands how to care for it.

I am very happy to work on pieces some have worked on previously, just not many, only two or three people in Western Australia for example, and these are not people who copy what they do from Liquid Audio either. Sadly, across all fields and locations, highly skilled professionals are few and far between.

Many DIY and commercial attempts at maintenance introduce faults such as damaged printed circuit boards and pads, compromised wiring and low-quality, incorrect or mismatched parts. This work not only doesn’t resolve the original issues but often introduces new ones. Owners are left with a mix of old and new faults and the need to find a skilled repairer who will take on such a case. Many won’t.

Every good mechanic for example knows the pain of starting work on a vehicle, only to find loose, broken, stripped or missing fasteners everywhere, and this is common. Just as many don’t know how to use electronic tools and it becomes torture to work on a bodged ANYTHING, be it a car, motorcycle or amplifier.

Undoing this stuff can be time-consuming, tedious and expensive. It’s not something I enjoy, so in most cases, I reject such work. When you’ve seen and tried to undo this sort of thing as I have, you will truly understand why it’s usually not worth taking these jobs on.