Back in the late '80s I had borrowed a tubed Counterpoint amplifier from a dealer in San Francisco. (I had bought my Counterpoint preamp from him earlier that same year.) It was plugged in to drive my Martin Logan Sequel II speakers. So my friend and I sat down to audition it, and I fired it to to listen. (Fired it up being the operative word here!) Flames immediately shot straight out of the unit as soon as we started, and I quickly jumped up and turned it off and pulled the plug.
I took it back to the dealer and explained what happened. (Up until this point, I was really scared that he was going to say "Well, looks like you just bought an amp!!!")
He looked and said a tube had gone bad, and that it was no problem, and he would just send it back to Counterpoint. Charley was his name, and he was a really nice guy, but I don't believe he is in business anymore.
Apart from having my friend's kids strum my Benz Micro Glider II's cantilever like a guitar string, (thus breaking it of course - but he paid for the replacement), that is the only, (and worst), accident I've ever had with my audio equipment.
My two cents worth.
I took it back to the dealer and explained what happened. (Up until this point, I was really scared that he was going to say "Well, looks like you just bought an amp!!!")
He looked and said a tube had gone bad, and that it was no problem, and he would just send it back to Counterpoint. Charley was his name, and he was a really nice guy, but I don't believe he is in business anymore.
Apart from having my friend's kids strum my Benz Micro Glider II's cantilever like a guitar string, (thus breaking it of course - but he paid for the replacement), that is the only, (and worst), accident I've ever had with my audio equipment.
My two cents worth.