Illustration for Repair Belongs in the Product Story
Issue 01 August 2026
The lead story · By Bill Leebens

Repair Belongs in the Product Story

Repairability, parts support, and service information are product decisions. They deserve a place in the story before the sale.

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Also in this issue

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Heritage & Industry A Review Begins Before the Equipment Is Turned On By Bill Leebens Audio Repair Field Guide Why Component-Level Repair Matters By Tj Tomasetti Heritage & Industry A Warranty Is Part of the Product By Bill Leebens

The masthead

Two desks. Industry and bench.

Bill Leebens, the Audio Cynic, illustrated
The industry desk

Bill Leebens

Bill wrote “In Defense of Audiophilia” because he actually loves the music. Founding editor of Copper — 96 issues — and former Director of Marketing & Communications at PS Audio. Decades on both sides of the show floor.

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Tj Tomasetti, the bench desk, illustrated
The bench desk

Tj Tomasetti

Tj fixes the thing instead of throwing it away. Former sole service tech at PS Audio, with years on repair benches before that. He builds his own tools when nothing off the shelf fits — and he’ll tell you straight up when the repair isn’t worth the money.

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In this issue · August 2026

The Honest Bench: what repair, ownership, and the industry’s promises look like up close.

01
01 Heritage & IndustryRepair Belongs in the Product Story By Bill Leebens 5 min read 02 Heritage & IndustryA Review Begins Before the Equipment Is Turned On By Bill Leebens 5 min read 03 Audio Repair Field GuideWhy Component-Level Repair Matters By Tj Tomasetti 5 min read 04 Heritage & IndustryA Warranty Is Part of the Product By Bill Leebens 5 min read 05 Ask Tj / Ask the BenchAsk Tj: My Vintage Receiver Hums. Is It Worth Fixing? By Tj Tomasetti 4 min read 06 Heritage & IndustryThe Brochure and the Bench By Bill Leebens 5 min read 07 Tj's WorkshopHigh-End Audio Is Often Built to Be Thrown Away By Tj Tomasetti 5 min read 08 Heritage & IndustryWhen a New Model Replaces a Good One By Bill Leebens 5 min read 09 Heritage & IndustryThe Show Floor Is a Story Too By Bill Leebens 5 min read 10 The MagazineThe First Bench Tool Does Not Need to Be Expensive By Tj Tomasetti 4 min read 11 Audio Repair Field GuideThe Capacitor Problem: Why Old Gear Changes Over Time By Tj Tomasetti 6 min read 12 Tj's WorkshopWhat I Learned at PS Audio By Tj Tomasetti 5 min read 13 The MagazineWhen It Is Not Worth Fixing By Tj Tomasetti 4 min read 14 Tj's WorkshopRight to Repair: What It Actually Means for You By Tj Tomasetti 6 min read 15 Audio Repair Field GuideThe Repair Quote Is Not the Diagnosis By Tj Tomasetti 4 min read 16 Audio Repair Field GuideThree Things to Photograph Before Repair By Tj Tomasetti 4 min read
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From the bench

Real gear. Real failures.

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A vintage receiver on the repair bench
The unit on the bench, before the verdict.
Component-level view of audio hardware on the bench
Component-level. Where the honest answer lives.
Component-level repair work on the bench
The fix-or-replace call, made here.

The paid depth layer

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the verdict.

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Our standard

The uncertainty stays in.

We do not take pay-for-favor. We do not invent measurements, outcomes, or bench experience. We label what is observed, documented, likely, and still waiting for a measurement.

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