a question about the GT low sound issue

[RR1980]

hey guys so like my other posts said I recently unearthed my PCE GT and games and since I am moving out of the country soon I decided to try to sell them instead of just have them sit in my basement for another 10 yrs. When I tested the GT I thought the sound was a tad on the low side even when the volume was cranked all the way up but since I haven't used it for so long I wasn't sure if the sound has always been this low and the truth is I was surprised that all after all these yrs it still work at all! So I made a listing on ebay to sell it and the games as a lot but then I started reading all the post here and found out that the low sound issue is such a common problem for the GT so I figured mine must be one of the unfortunate ones (which makes me almost want to cry since it was my pride and joy for so many yrs growing up and considering how many months of begging it took to get my parents to get it for me in the first place! hehe) so I cancelled the listing and I figured I might just get it fixed first and just sell the games by themselves in the mean time. But then today I started playing some of the games again on the GT and this time I thought the sound was actually ok....as in the volume was cranked all the way up and the sound was the normal level I would normally want it to be which is usually a bit on the louder side. So now I am starting to wonder if the sound just seemed a tad low when I first tested it because my room was loud at the time (with my comp, air purifier on max and then a fan on max) or if it just seems louder now because I expected it to be very quiet? Can anyone tell me when the sound for the GT/Turbo express is normal if you crank it all the way up is it supposed to be unbearably loud or just loud enough? I hope mine is one of the very few lucky ones that doens't have the sound issue although from the sound of everyone's posts I guess it's only a matter of time :-S

[NecroPhile]

I can't give a specific db level or anything (my caps are in desperate need of replacement), but it sounds like your caps are at least starting to fail, as you shouldn't have to have the volume at full tilt for it to sound 'normal'.  Most problem GTs and Expresses seem to be inaudible until they are turned up at least half way and have to be cranked to be heard comfortably, and eventually get so bad that they're barely audible even at full volume.  At least it's a fairly easy fix, though you could sell it as is and just describe the volume in the listing; I doubt that it'd make much difference in the end value.

[Platinumfungi]

Necromancer summed it all up but I just wanted to 2nd it. Your caps are drying up. Eventually all units should have this problem, it's just a matter of time. There are several people here that can repair this issue for you. If you sell the unit as it is right now, and you tell people that the audio issue is repairable and that people here on pcfx can do the work, I don't think it would scare away too many serious buyers.

Good luck with whatever path you take!