Parasound amp channels cutting out

dbaldus

I just recently picked up a Parasound HCA-2200II to power my SDA 2As and have absolutely loved it. The first week or so, everything was fine from what I could tell. However, after that I have made the following observations:
* Immediately after turning the amp on after being off for awhile (possibly up to a day or so), typically only one speaker will be outputting sound.
* Sometimes, the left speaker will output sound while the right is silent, then the right speaker will output sound while the left is silent.
* Sometimes, both speakers remain silent with sound coming in and out every few seconds from either of the speakers.
* Regardless of what happens in the first few minutes, after that both speakers start outputting sound and there are no further issues for the rest of my listening time.

Furthermore, sometimes it seems that when the song I am playing gets past the intro and becomes "loud" or more intense, both speakers kick on and start outputting sound. This may just be a coincidence, but it seems like it has happened at least twice.

I have tried the following but the same issues keep happening:
* Changed out interconnects between the amp and the receiver and the amp and the CD Player
* Changed out speaker wires between the amp and the speakers
* Made sure none of the speaker wires, interconnects, and power cords are crossing over each other/tangled up.

Has anyone had an issue like this? I'm really frustrated with this and could use some ideas on how to nail down the particular problem. I would really like to avoid running this in to a technician and paying their ridiculous fees. My setup is in my signature below if you need that for reference.

Thanks in advance,
Derek

xj4094dg

I have the same amp and love it. I've never had any problems with it and it gets heavy use. This amp does have some slo-blo fuses, not sure if the symptom you describe could be caused by them going bad but maybe you can contact Parasound and ask. They have been really good on the phone whenever I contacted them about other amps that I have.

Parasound Products, Inc.
2250 McKinnon Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94124
(415) 397-7100
(415) 397-0144 (Fax)

billbillw

Have you checked the amp's output using another source (ie, not your HK receiver)? If you isolate the problem to the amp, then I can offer some sugguestions since I had this amp awhile back. It has speaker relays in it. Perhaps the relay contacts need to be cleaned. It also has a number of small capacitors that could need replacing after all these years. I'd take the top off and look for leaky or bulging caps. I'm not sure if the protection circuit is on the main top board or if it is hidden underneath. That may be an area to look at. A weak or failed cap in that section could cause the problems you describe.

Definitely give Parasound a call. Ask for their tech support (Tony? I think that is who helped me in the past). Describe your problem and they might be able to tell you where to focus your efforts. If all else fails, you could send it to Parasound for repair. The cost would probably be less than you might think. Most of the parts that go bad in these amps are inexpensive and since they know the amp well, they wouldn't waste a lot of time diagnosing.

dorokusai

Call Tony @ Parasound.

dbaldus

billbillw wrote: »

Have you checked the amp's output using another source (ie, not your HK receiver)?

Thanks for the idea - I'll definitely give this one a try.

billbillw wrote: »

It has speaker relays in it. Perhaps the relay contacts need to be cleaned. It also has a number of small capacitors that could need replacing after all these years. I'd take the top off and look for leaky or bulging caps. I'm not sure if the protection circuit is on the main top board or if it is hidden underneath. That may be an area to look at. A weak or failed cap in that section could cause the problems you describe.

Could you describe the relay contacts so I know what I'm looking for? I'm assuming that you are not talking about the interconnect inputs on the back of the amp? If you could describe what to look for as far as physical description and location on the circuit board, how to tell if they are dirty and need to be cleaned, and finally how to clean them, that would help me get started.

Thanks, I really appreciate it!
Derek

billbillw

dbaldus wrote: »

Thanks for the idea - I'll definitely give this one a try.



Could you describe the relay contacts so I know what I'm looking for? I'm assuming that you are not talking about the interconnect inputs on the back of the amp? If you could describe what to look for as far as physical description and location on the circuit board, how to tell if they are dirty and need to be cleaned, and finally how to clean them, that would help me get started.

Thanks, I really appreciate it!
Derek

The relays are what click when you turn on the amp. They are hidden down under the input circuit board. Cleaning them is not really something I can describe how to do because it varies with each type of relay.

dbaldus

Alright, I've taken the top off and could not find any weak solder points, bulging or leaky caps on the input board. From talking with an experienced amp tech in the area at Hi-Fi sound and Tony at Parasound, it seems that I need to replace the speaker relays.

Has anyone had any experience doing this? If anyone in the Minneapolis area has had experience with this and could help out, that would be GREATLY appreciated as the amp tech charges $100/hr

Just shoot me a PM if you could help out - thanks!

WilliamM2

Can you solder, or do you know someone who can? I had a similar issue with my Parasound amp, it was extremely easy. The stock relays were very poor quality Chinese units, I used some Japanese relays a friend had on hand.

Although you may need a tech. On mine, although the relays were badly burned, they did still work. The problem was the circuit that supplies 12v to the relay had a couple bad caps in it, and was not suppling enough voltage. About $0.50 in parts to fix.

dbaldus

I have done some very basic soldering, although I probably wouldn't trust myself soldering something like my amp as I am worried I would mess it up! The thing is, I have talked to the techs at Parasound about how to fix it, I could get the relays directly from them, and I know how to get to the relays, I just don't trust myself when it comes to actually soldering the new ones on.

I guess I'm really just looking for someone who has had some experience soldering and would be willing to help

WilliamM2 wrote: »

Can you solder, or do you know someone who can? I had a similar issue with my Parasound amp, it was extremely easy. The stock relays were very poor quality Chinese units, I used some Japanese relays a friend had on hand.

Although you may need a tech. On mine, although the relays were badly burned, they did still work. The problem was the circuit that supplies 12v to the relay had a couple bad caps in it, and was not suppling enough voltage. About $0.50 in parts to fix.