Parasound Halo A-21 rapidly shutting on and off

Beta

Good evening,

I am hoping someone might be gracious enough to provide me a bit of assistance. My Parasound Halo A21 Amp is very, very rapidly shutting off and on sporadically while I am listening to music. This just started to occur after working flawlessly for months.

I have my A-21 amp, P-3 preamp, Cambridge Audio 840C CD player, Denon DCM-380 5 CD changer, Onkyo daul cassette unit, Ipod and XM reciever all connected into a Furman Elite 15PF -i- Power Conditioner. The power conditioner is then simply plugged in to the electrical outlet in my wall.

I'll be the first to admit I know very little about electronics and how they work. Any insight one could kindly provide me as to what is going on and how I might fix this problem would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much in advance!

dohcmark8

I would check the speaker wire for any shorts.

Beyond that I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in....

Gaara

First thing to do is check speaker wire, make sure nothing is touching.

Second thing to do is try different interconnects, if you have a broken rca or something it can cause this to happen.

Next do you have anything on top of it? Feel the top, how hot is it? If it gets to hot it will shut itself down to prevent damage.

LessisNevermore

Check to see if your power cord has vibrated loose. Either that, or maybe the power switch is dirty/bad.

If it was a speaker wire shorting out, it would shut off, and not come back on, on it's own.(protection circuit)

mmadden28

Beta wrote: »

Good evening,

...My Parasound Halo A21 Amp is very, very rapidly shutting off and on sporadically while I am listening to music. This just started to occur after working flawlessly for months. ...

Just the amp? Is it powering off and on? Or is it just the sound cutting in and out?
Or is everything turning off an on?
Does the Furman indicate any thing wrong?
How loud do you have it?

In addition to checking your cabling as other's mentioned, try connecting your amp directly to the wall.
At this stage its process of elimination that will narrow down the main cause.

disneyjoe7

Yes how loud do you have it?

Other then a speaker wire shorting out, if over volume the amp will shut off then back on.

billbillw

Its dead. Send it to me and I'll deal with it I'll pay you for shipping.

Seriously, its probably the protection circuit coming in and out.

1st Check for shorts in speaker wire or in your speakers themselves. That is usually the problem.

If you don't find anything, then try disconnecting the speaker wires completely and see if the behavior is the same.

If the amp is cutting on/off (or in/out of protection) with no speakers attached, then there is a problem with the amp's protection circuit. If that is the case, you should be under warranty, so it would be best to send it to Parasound for repair.

Beta

Thanks all....

I'll try your suggestions and report back.

Your responses and suggestions are very much appreciated!

Beta

By the way, the system is shutting on and off at low volume. The amp does not appear at all to be overheating. The problem starts very shortly afterly turning the system on.

Thanks again...

dkg999

I'd plug it directly into the wall outlet, and see if the condition goes away. If it does the power conditioner maybe is the problem.

mightymouse

Sounds like a short. Like other people said, check the speaker cables to see if any of the positive and negative terminals are touching.

Beta

Checked the all the speaker wires and they all appear well connected.

Here's what happens..

When I turn the system on, it plays "normal" for about three to five minutes. Then, I hear a click behind the amp. Then, a couple of seconds later, the amp starts clipping very, very rapidly. Then, very quicky after that, the sound all but dissapears. Once the sound goes, one can hear the music only very faintly. A that juncture, I quickly shut the system off.

I''m stumped...

george daniel

Did you disconnect the speaker wires as someone suggested and power it up? If so,, and the issue continues,,sounds like a checkup is in order,,good luck,, as someone else mentioned,it may be the "protection" circuit malfunctioning,, question is,,why? Good luck,keep us posted.

dkg999

Call Parasound. They're good people who care about their customers, both new buyers and used buyers.

schwarcw

I'm sorry to hear about this problem. I have two of these amps and it always concerns me when I read something like this. As Doug suggested, call Parasound. They may want you to send it to them. Of course the only problem is that amp weighs about 70 lbs so shipping is expensive, especially if you are paying both ways. Are you the original owner with a warranty? Good luck!

Beta

I really appreciate the suggestions folks are providing me. Thank you!

I disconncted the speaker cables from the amp and turned it on. Exactly 6 minutes and 18 seconds later, the amp started clipping.

I have everything connected to the power conditioner which is then simply plugged right into the wall socket. Also, I have my amp and pre amp connected to one another via balanced cables.

Should the next item to address in this process of elimination be to disconnect the amp from the power conditioner and plug it directly into the wall socket via a surge protector?

Is it possible that I am over loading the Furman Elite 15PF -i- Power conditioner?

Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Everything was purcahsed brand new through Audio Advisor. None of it is more than six months old and has been very well care for.

Also, I will definently call Parasound tomorrow.

Thanks again!

mmadden28

Beta wrote: »

...I disconncted the speaker cables from the amp and turned it on. Exactly 6 minutes and 18 seconds later, the amp started clipping.

...
....

Describe exactly what you refer to as 'clipping'. Clipping, the way I understand it, requires speakers in the loop to hear its effects.

Beta wrote: »

...Should the next item to address in this process of elimination be to disconnect the amp from the power conditioner and plug it directly into the wall socket via a surge protector?
...

I suggested that up in post #5. :rolleyes: Instead of asking if it will work- just do it. Straight into the wall-nothing else in the power path- no conditioner.

If it still does it also disconnect the analog inputs-meaning literally the amp is connected to NOTHING but the wall.

If it still does it, plug the amp in on another circuit all by itself with nothing else on the same circuit.

billbillw

Follow the advice above. Hook the amp straight to the wall with no inputs, no outputs. See what happens.
If you have the same problem, its time to call Parasound. Tony is great to deal with.

Steve Zodiac

Happy Christmas everyone!

Whilst waiting for dinner to be ready, I found this thread and though great, someone's had the same problem as me with a Parasound Halo A21! Unfortunately - as with a great many problem threads on the internet - there's no solution mentioned for this cutting out problem and the thread was left for over 2 years with no conclusion.

Beta, did you ever get the Parasound amp sorted? Mine's doing much the same thing - after a few minutes from turning on, the blue power LED turns red, the relays click and there's no sound; then, a few seconds later, the relays click, the red power LED turns blue and the sound is back. This can happen 3 or 4 times over a space of 15 minutes, then usually it works without a problem for several hours until being intentionally powered down.

Mine still does it with the speakers disconnected, but I've yet to try it plugged directly into the mains as opposed to into the 6-way power conditioner block I use. Anyway, thought I'd ask to see if you eventually got to the bottom of the problem...

Steve.

Beta

Steve Zodiac wrote: »

Happy Christmas everyone!

Whilst waiting for dinner to be ready, I found this thread and though great, someone's had the same problem as me with a Parasound Halo A21! Unfortunately - as with a great many problem threads on the internet - there's no solution mentioned for this cutting out problem and the thread was left for over 2 years with no conclusion.

Beta, did you ever get the Parasound amp sorted? Mine's doing much the same thing - after a few minutes from turning on, the blue power LED turns red, the relays click and there's no sound; then, a few seconds later, the relays click, the red power LED turns blue and the sound is back. This can happen 3 or 4 times over a space of 15 minutes, then usually it works without a problem for several hours until being intentionally powered down.

Mine still does it with the speakers disconnected, but I've yet to try it plugged directly into the mains as opposed to into the 6-way power conditioner block I use. Anyway, thought I'd ask to see if you eventually got to the bottom of the problem...

Steve.

Hi Steve,

I experienced problems with my A21 with my speakers disconnected as well.

I initially took the amp to an authorized Parasound repair technician. After he went through the unit, the problem I was experiencing stopped for about nine months, but then it returned. I called Parasound and decided to have them look at the amp. Since my amp was still under warranty and I already had an authorized technician try to repair the unit, Parasound paid for shipping both ways. I have not had any problems since. It has been about a year.

Parasound has excellent customer service. They returned my amp in brand new factory packaging and didn't charge me a dime for anything.

The quote below is exactly what the Parasound invoice stated when they returned my amp to me.

"Removed intermittent short from main board. Ran unit on and off for several days". "Action Requested....Repair". "Action Taken....Repaired".

Make sure the amp has plenty of room to breath. Not just on the top, but on the sides as well. If you have it in a confined space, you may want to look into a Parasound Zbreeze cooling fan. They are a little expensive at $150.00, but they have 12 volt trigger capability and are built like a tank.

I you haven't done so, you may want to call Tony or Richard at Parasound (Richard is the founder of Parasound and he loves to talk to end customers). They will help you trouble shoot.

Best of luck.

schwarcw

Good Advice!

Parasound is a great company to do business with. Please send you amp to them. This is probably a problem with the internal electronics.

Regards,

Steve Zodiac

Beta wrote: »

Hi Steve,

I experienced problems with my A21 with my speakers disconnected as well.

I initially took the amp to an authorized Parasound repair technician. After he went through the unit, the problem I was experiencing stopped for about nine months, but then it returned. I called Parasound and decided to have them look at the amp. Since my amp was still under warranty and I already had an authorized technician try to repair the unit, Parasound paid for shipping both ways. I have not had any problems since. It has been about a year.

Parasound has excellent customer service. They returned my amp in brand new factory packaging and didn't charge me a dime for anything.

The quote below is exactly what the Parasound invoice stated when they returned my amp to me.

"Removed intermittent short from main board. Ran unit on and off for several days". "Action Requested....Repair". "Action Taken....Repaired".

Make sure the amp has plenty of room to breath. Not just on the top, but on the sides as well. If you have it in a confined space, you may want to look into a Parasound Zbreeze cooling fan. They are a little expensive at $150.00, but they have 12 volt trigger capability and are built like a tank.

I you haven't done so, you may want to call Tony or Richard at Parasound (Richard is the founder of Parasound and he loves to talk to end customers). They will help you trouble shoot.

Best of luck.

Thanks for the fast reply - and it's reassuring to hear that your A21 is now trouble-free.

My A21 has been in an open rack (good cooling) for a few years and until quite recently I've had no problems with it whatsoever. In the case of my fault - which developed a few weeks back - it does seem to behave better once it has warmed up - in fact, once it's been on for 20 minutes or so it does seem (sounds) perfectly fine, so heat's certainly not the problem here.

It's a pity that Parasound didn't elaborate on the 'intermittent short' on your A21 or I would have had a look for the same on mine (I do have an electrical/electronic background). I can only think they meant a faulty component as I can't really imagine it's a faulty circuit track, or a stray wire end or a paper clip or similar that's fallen inside!

I have already sent Parasound an e-mail and I've received an e-mail back from Richard Schram who suggested I call their Technical Department - which I will do in the New Year.

Thanks again for the reply.

Steve Zodiac

schwarcw wrote: »

Good Advice!

Parasound is a great company to do business with. Please send you amp to them. This is probably a problem with the internal electronics.

Regards,

Thanks for your reply.

Many a time I do wish I lived in the US, but I live in the UK. Unfortunately sending it back to Parasound themselves would probably be cost prohibitive. I do know that a company called CSE in the UK used to be the importer/distributor/authorised repairer for Parasound, but I recall that this has been passed onto another company. When I ring Parasound's Technical Department hopefully they'll point me in the right direction - or ideally tell me what needs doing so that I could fix the thing myself!

PrazVT

I'm sure they will find some way of helping. Richard is the CEO and he usually replies and is aware of the customer issues. I was lucky in that Parasound HQ is a 20 minute drive (hidden away in the industrial section of San Francisco). I had the a21 - would not want to ship that monster overseas either!