Parasound HCA-1000A Minor Repair?

scubalab

I've been talking with someone local about buying their HCA-1000A. Was going to pick it up yesterday but the guy emailed me and said the Stereo/Mono (Bridged) toggle switch was stuck in Stereo. He didn't feel right selling it to me like that and is going to replace the switch. He said everything else works great, it's in decent cosmetic condition, and no hum or issues with either channel in stereo.

Since I'd only be using this in stereo and not bridged, should I offer to take it as-is (obviously for a little less money)? If I do take it this way, and ever decided to order a replacement toggle switch, is it an easy repair (assuming I can do some very basic soldering)?

What would a fair price be in this condition, assuming everything else checks out?

Thanks!

-Al

scubalab

Thanks NB! We agreed on a pretty good price of $150. I know it's an entry-level amp, but I'd only be using it to power my rear surrounds in the HT. Was thinking of offering him $125 for it. He could probably get $200 for it everyday on ebay, but he's considering the value of dealing locally, not having to ship (and the associated potential issues), and saving the 10-13% in fees.

I thought $150 was a very good deal. Do you think $25 less would be asking too much? If I'm only planning on using it in stereo, should I even bother replacing the switch just yet?

teekay0007

Scooby, I think your plan sounds good. If you're planning to not use the bridged mode, why fix it at all? Why put that effort and money into it for a fix you will likely never put to use? Who knows, it may develop a problem - YEARS down the road! - that costs more to fix than the unit in perfect working condition is even worth. In that case, you'd likely just be selling it at that time "as-is, for parts or repair" anyway.

For him to sell it on the 'bay, with the issue, he'd have to reduce the price also, to say $175. After fees are removed, risks and hassles of shipping, etc., etc., I think he'd welcome doing it for $125 in cash and being done with it.

Give it a shot and report back. All he can say is, "No....How 'bout $135?"

For that, I've got the perfect comeback for you: "No..........I'll give you $130."

BOOM! Done!

scubalab

teekay0007 wrote: »

BOOM! Done!

HE11 yeah! I emailed him with the offer... we'll see what he says.

My thoughts exactly - if I don't ever plan to use bridged, I won't attempt to fix.

Thanks all. Will let you know what happens!

Jhayman

Geez up here in Igloo land those amps are going for over $300 all day long, I just sold mine locally for $280

scubalab

Well, I met the guy this evening. Very nice guy - into older, lower-middle end audio stuff and guitars. The amp was in very nice shape aside from some scratches on the case, but worked perfect and very little or no static in the volume level pots. The switch is stuck, but in stereo. I brought it home for a very nice price!

Will clean it up a little better and maybe snap a pic or two. Then it's going on HT rear surround duty.

On another note, he's got a pretty beefy Carver amp (think it's more for big sound systems (PT1800) for sale here (basically two 600 Watt amps in one case):

https://pennstate.craigslist.org/msg/5258873988.html

You can see the Parasound 'hiding' underneath the Carver. I happened to see it there, asked about it, and that's what started this.

Anyway, I told him to check out the Polk Audio forum, meet some folks with similar hobbies, and contribute... hopefully we'll gain a new member!

Thanks for the help and 'nudge' (although at the price I paid, I didn't really need the nudge).

scubalab

Quick question... With the Home Theater, I have fronts, center, surrounds, and rears. I have the Rotel RMB-1075 and now this Parasound HCA-1000A. Should I use the Parasound on the front left and right, the surrounds, or the rear surrounds leaving the Rotel to power the remaining channels? Or does it really make a difference?

scubalab

Pics...

motorhead43026

very clean, looks great.

scubalab

Yep! I was impressed... It was much better looking in person than in the one poor picture he was able to send me.

scubalab

Skip - now ya got me wondering... They sure look like they're uneven and even bulging a bit in spots. If you zoom in on the fourth pic (the one of the front with the cover off) they look like they're popping up in spots, especially the two in the rear...

Is that a bad sign? It is a 10-15 year old amp. I imagine at some point it'll need new caps, but hopefully not for a while. I temporarily swapped it into my 2-channel in place of the HCA-750A to see how it sounded. (I'm using a Carver HR-752 as a pre and driving Paradigm Studio 40 bookies.) WOW, what a difference! It's a BIG improvement over the 750.

I'll have to pull it back out and pop the cover again in the morning and have a closer look at the caps...

scubalab

NB - I'm running Boston Acoustics all around (VR-M60 Fronts, VR-MX Surrounds, VR-M50 Rear Surrounds, VR920 Center) and an SVS PCi 25-31 Sub. I have an Anthem MRX-500 AVR and the Rotel RMB-1075 (currently driving the front 3 and the side surrounds leaving the rears driven by the Anthem).

skrol

I was going to ask about the PS caps too. It is hard to tell with the plastic over the tops but the do seem to be bulging. Mine were bulging but still measured good when I replaced them. They are operating right at their voltage spec. I was able to find some nice Nippon Chemi-Con 80V 12,000uf that fit perfectly.

If you can get it for under $150, I think you will do good even if it needs a cap refresh. Mine had an intermittent nasty hum, that turned out to be broken solder connections, and paid right around $100 shipped. It was a fun project and very worth the while and money.

scubalab

Stan,

Thanks for the tips/advice. I'm not the most handy person when it comes to electronics, but I may be able to do some simple soldering...

That said, I still have not pulled the amp out and popped the cover to have another look at the PS caps. They certainly do look, well, uneven, but not so much 'bulging'. I'm wondering if it's just the plastic covering warping.

Having little to no experience with this type of thing, what causes the caps to bulge, and what results from that? Honestly, if it wasn't pointed out to me, I honestly wouldn't have even known to look for that. The amp sounds great. And, it is in remarkable condition with just two scratches on the top near the back and the frozen stereo/mono switch. I was very pleased with the overall appearance and sound of the amp.

I did read your thread on recapping your 1000A. Don't know if this is something I want to get into for fear of the unknown! However, if there's something I should watch/listen for, I certainly will. I just don't want to get into too much time or money... but I will if it is necessary!

Curious how much those PS caps you picked up were... It looks like the Nippon 10,000uf, 63v caps can be found for around $3-$4 each. Are the upgraded caps you used much more, and if so, are they worth it?

Any online videos on how to replace the caps? I found a couple on adjusting the bias, but none on recapping. I like to see what I might be up against before I take on a new challenge...

Thanks,
-Al

skrol

The 12,000uF 80V caps were about $7 each from Mouser. To be quite honest, I probably could have left the other caps alone as they all measured good when I pulled them out. My older Parasound amp (HCA-800II), which used lower quality caps, had about 1/3 of the caps out of spec. I replaced them and the thing sounds great.