Illustration for Repair Belongs in the Product Story
Issue 00 September 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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WHY THIS SITE EXISTS

Bill Leebens has spent close to fifty years in high-end audio, on both sides of the show floor: the press room and the table where the launches get planned. He loves the gear and he loves the music. He has lost patience with the nonsense around them, and The Audio Cynic is where that impatience goes in print.

The money part is simple. Everything you spend here goes straight to Bill, tips and the shop alike, and nothing costs more than fifty bucks. Tip if the crank made your day, and subscribe if you want the depth layer.

Also in this issue

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Heritage & Industry A Review Begins Before the Equipment Is Turned On By Bill Leebens Heritage & Industry A Warranty Is Part of the Product By Bill Leebens Heritage & Industry The Brochure and the Bench 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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In this issue · September 2026

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

00
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 Heritage & IndustryA Warranty Is Part of the Product By Bill Leebens 5 min read 04 Heritage & IndustryThe Brochure and the Bench By Bill Leebens 5 min read 05 Heritage & IndustryWhen a New Model Replaces a Good One By Bill Leebens 5 min read 06 Heritage & IndustryThe Show Floor Is a Story Too By Bill Leebens 5 min read 07 Ask the BenchAsk the Bench: My Vintage Receiver Hums. Is It Worth Fixing? By Tj Tomasetti 4 min read 08 The MagazineThe First Bench Tool Does Not Need to Be Expensive By Tj Tomasetti 4 min read 09 Audio Repair Field GuideThe Capacitor Problem: Why Old Gear Changes Over Time By Tj Tomasetti 6 min read
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From the bench

Drawn from the bench.

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Illustration of a wood-cased vintage radio on a workbench, lit by an oil lamp
A set on the bench, before the verdict.
Illustration of a rack of vintage test instruments with rows of knobs on a workbench
Where a claim becomes a measurement.
Illustration of a person in a cap and vest working at a cluttered repair bench under a lamp
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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