Agreed but he doesn't have the finances to do so.

Would that B&O sold such a product, at such a price... At USD $225 for a new one, you'll be hard pressed to find someone in the UK who will work on it economically. If it has been repaired before, bin it -- a used one on fleabay will cost less than the 1.0 hour bench fee. If it has never been repaired before, get any cowboy to remove the power supply screen/cage and replace the largest electrolytic capacitor underneath, and pray that was all you needed. Otherwise, bench fee to diagnose and repair: back to uneconomical... Note: In the USA, the Bose reps over the telephone provide straightforward price quotes for flat-fee repair -- which pricing was not totally out of line, for a very old LifeStyle system. Try calling their UK service number, maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised?

[[Edit: Urgh, sorry, forgot about multiple models.  The newer Solo (5, small one) has an external power supply.  But that's still where I would start: see if the DC power output is what it should be.  Replacing it will be the only truly cheap repair.]]