Parasound amp heat issue
lomic
Posts: 407
So this problem has been driving me insane with my system for quite a while. Some days it works fine, others it has this problem, but I'm pretty sure I finally narrowed it down to heat.
One of the 3 outputs on my Parasound HCA-1203A seems to output audio at about -8dB when the unit is sufficiently warmed up. I thought it was a loose cable or such at first, but I've changed every cable around many times with hit and miss luck. Then I realized it tended to work for a while the longer I left the unit unplugged while changing cable configs. If I let it cool to room temp with a fan for 10 minutes, it will work properly for 30-60 minutes, then I can hear the audio skew slowly to one side (2ch audio listening).
If I use my H/K for example to increase that speakers output by ~8dB, the audio will sound alright, but this is a "ghetto" fix and I don't want to employ it.
My first thought is that there may be a cold solder joint somewhere along the path of this one channel, causing it to loose partial contact when the innards of the unit begin to heat up.
This problem didn't exist for the first year or so I had the unit, but unfortunately I'm not the original owner so I'm doubtful that Parasound will cover it. Just looking for any suggestions if anyone has seen a problem like this in the past. As for now I guess I'll just try to increase the ventilation to the unit.
One of the 3 outputs on my Parasound HCA-1203A seems to output audio at about -8dB when the unit is sufficiently warmed up. I thought it was a loose cable or such at first, but I've changed every cable around many times with hit and miss luck. Then I realized it tended to work for a while the longer I left the unit unplugged while changing cable configs. If I let it cool to room temp with a fan for 10 minutes, it will work properly for 30-60 minutes, then I can hear the audio skew slowly to one side (2ch audio listening).
If I use my H/K for example to increase that speakers output by ~8dB, the audio will sound alright, but this is a "ghetto" fix and I don't want to employ it.
My first thought is that there may be a cold solder joint somewhere along the path of this one channel, causing it to loose partial contact when the innards of the unit begin to heat up.
This problem didn't exist for the first year or so I had the unit, but unfortunately I'm not the original owner so I'm doubtful that Parasound will cover it. Just looking for any suggestions if anyone has seen a problem like this in the past. As for now I guess I'll just try to increase the ventilation to the unit.
Dodd Audio ELP [ Tubes ] // Harman Kardon AVR330 // Parasound HCA-1203A // Denon DVD-2900
Polk Audio LSi9, LSiC, LSi 7 // HSU STF-2 // Signal Cable Interconnects (SG BW/A2/MP)
Polk Audio LSi9, LSiC, LSi 7 // HSU STF-2 // Signal Cable Interconnects (SG BW/A2/MP)
Post edited by lomic on
Comments
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Does chassis of the unit get hotter on the side with the faulty channel?
If you have changed around all inter connect and speaker cables and the problem stays with that channel then it is internal.Possibly a cold solder. It sounds like it will need to be bench tested with a can of cold spray to track down the heat sensitive part.Testing
Testing
Testing
