Gremlins. So, my lovely Anthem PVA5 lost its center channel. Sent it to the authorized repair facility in LA. They could not reproduce the issue. Gave me a loaner of a Cary 7 channel amp with XLR connections. Sounds very good though not quite as sweet as the Anthem.

Got a TCL 4 series 75" TV. everything was going well.

Then I visited my friend's audio store and we listened to his big, beautiful $10,000 Wharfedale towers driven by a 100 wpc Line Magnetic tube amp. Bliss, until a great cracking noise followed by a very energetic jet of white smoke from the LM. I couldn't help myself and laughed.

The next day, I turned on my Cary, Marantz system and the sound and picture broke up, pic and sound were terrible. Picture was fine direct from cable box. Called my friend who suggested the universe was laughing back at me. Clearly correct.

Ordered a 7705. Probably a bad HDMI board on the 7703. If I get the 7703 fixed they will probably charge the fair market value of a used 7703.

The trials and tribulations of AV electronics.

Gremlins.

Sorry to hear that Phil.

Sometimes it's better to bite your tongue. Karma is a @%$#(*&^.

Hope the newer unit is an improvement over the older one.

Cheers to new gear
Brendan

UPDATE!

OK, so I ordered the AV7705. Then I had Cox cable come over and swapped out the cable box. Voila! Fixed!

So, I called my friend who immediately apologized for not putting my order into Marantz yet. I was so happy. If he had, I would have taken it and tried to sell the 7703. I've been saved.

The bedroom HT system is pretty interesting.

Cary Theater 7 amplifier 7 channel amp
Marantz AV7703
Marantz 7025 2 channel amp (for Michaura M55 high front ATMOS)
Oppo BD95
Panasonic 4K Blu-Ray player
XLR connections

Thiel CS3.6 fronts
Axiom VP180 center
6 Axiom made M22-like drop-dead gorgeous high gloss rosewood Michaura M55 front high surrounds (ATMOS) and side and back surrounds
2 x Axiom EP500 subs
1 x SVS 20-39 sub

TCL 4 series 75" 4K TV

The TCL picture is disappointing compared to the LG in the living room and the Sony XBR 75" 940d in the den. TCL 1080 performance is weak (upscaling issue? calibration issue? defective TV issue?) but the 4K performance is pretty good.

I use the OPPO for SACD and redbook CDs.

Despite the Thiel fronts, and one SVS sub, I consider this an Axiom system.

Sound quality? FANTASTIC!!!!

A word about the Thiels. They are pretty old. The cabinets are beautifully finished wood veneers, not sure whether rosewood or walnut. They are great sounding speakers. Jim Thiel did a great job on these beauties. Jim was a very nice man. I contacted him years ago about getting some spikes. We chatted audio for quite a while. He sent the spikes no charge. Rest in peace, Jim Thiel. Your work still brings a lot of pleasure to many audiophiles.

2x6 - Excellent news on the 7703! And yes, Jim Thiel was a true icon in the audio industry. The only downer is he didn't have anyone ready to take over his company with the same love he had. Brian Cheney at VMPS was a similar man - when he passed WAY too young, his company folded.

We need to treasure companies like Axiom, Legacy Audio, Ohm and others who still make their gear in the original factories in North America - there are not that many left.

I agree Craigsub.

Magnepan is another, and all the little guys who take a chance on building exceptional speakers here in North America.

How did I miss Magnepan? I have a pair of the LRS in my workout room. Definitely a bad miss. Cool speakers!

My workout room vintage system

Integra M504 amp
Integra P309 preamp
Onkyo T-9090 tuner
Onkyo C 7030 CD Player
Dahlquist M905 speakers
(Vifa driver and tweeter)
Velodyne dual servo sub

A really nice sounding system