I had noticed a small storefront up the street about two blocks from where I live. I decided to drop in and chat with the guy.

I met Sasa Malkoc, a Bosnian man who has lived here in Charlotte for over 20 years, and I could tell by the stuff stacked floor to ceiling, that I had found "The Man" when it comes electronics repairs.

I told him of my poor Yamaha RX-350 and it's scratchy right channel, and he said, "No problem, I can fix it better than New" I asked the price, because being the "Computer Audiophile on the Cheap" means if I cannot afford it, then I will just listen to the h/k330i until the caps melt.

To my pleasant surprise he said it was $25 to diagnose, and that the caps were only a few dollars each to replace. Plus getting thirty years of dust blown out of the interior will no doubt improve the life of this unit after a re-build.

We agreed that vintage electronics are 'better' than the new stuff, and companies like Yamaha made good electronics when this unit was new.

I can hardly wait, and since tomorrow is the First, I am taking the Yamaha in for a tune-up. I can hardly wait! I have no problem with the h/k 330i, and it is better than nothing.

But, I miss my CD Direct circuit. I said that when he got in there, he could disconnect the receiver stage and wire up the amplifier exclusively. If the receiver stage is not operating, then the bleed-over noise should also be gone.

I would be happy if he bypassed the Volume Pot entirely and made it a pure amplifier, as I use the Schiit SYS passive pre-amp for volume control, and that big old knob is cranked to maximum anyhow.

Stay tuned for the results in a few days....