2. amps-preamps
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Intractable Problem

I am having a problem and hoping that I might get some useful advice here. Thank you in advance to anyone that might offer helpful suggestions.
My two channel system is not playing equally out of both channels. Specifically, one channel plays probably at 5% the volume of the other.
My preamp is an Ayre K-5xe. My power amp is Parasound 2250. Speakers are
B&W 803-D. Interconnects are Nordost Blue Heaven. There are two digital sources--Oppo 105 and a Denon "Anniversary Edition" SACD/CD Player. TT is Clearaudio Concept from a Music First Phone Preamp.
The problem occurs with all of the sources. I took both the Ayre and the Parasound to their respective dealers and they checked out fine. Changing the interconnects doesn't help.
I put in an old Pioneer Elite receiver and left the speaker wire arrangement (it was tacked into walls by an installer and has worked fine for a year) unchanged. The receiver plays equally out of both channels and all the sources work well with it. This would seem to eliminate the speaker wire/connections as being at fault.
The Parasound dealer loaned me another amp. It immediately blew two fuses when I put it in the system with the Ayre. I think this may be due to the fact that I was using bare wire at the amp connection, and with all the switching in an out of different pieces of gear, I had let some loose ends of wire be exposed. After this happened I bought some Tributary plugs and have carefully trimmed the wire down. When the Parasound was returned it didn't short, at least, but I'm still only getting 1 channel out of the system.
I am pretty frustrated--it's been 3 straight weekends of messing with this, trips to different dealers, etc....and I'm starting to see the wisdom of Integrated Amps or receivers vs. separates. I'm thinking of trading in the pre and power amps and using the $ for an Integrated and be done with it.
Any suggestions appreciated.
richardfinegold
sandstone
201 posts
 
Sorry you're having a problem, especially during this season of great music.

Since one speaker is only playing at 5% relative volume, that likely rules out sound cancellation effects as the culprit.

It wasn't completely clear from your post that you had systematically followed the usual means of isolating speaker vs. pre-amp vs. amp problems, so I'll just ask:

1. When you switch speaker wires between left and right channels, what happens?
2. When you switch preamp-to-amp interconnects between left and right channels, what happens?

Other Qns:
How did this setup fail, e.g., did it ever work in current configuration?

What about your grounds, and any power supplies?

Good luck. I'm betting that with the help from other A'goners here, you'll be able to come up with the solution.
...and without abandoning a separate pre and amp configuration!
ivan_nosnibor's avatar
ivan_nosnibor
782 posts
 
Hi Richard, I'm really echoing Sandstone here, but, from your op, it *looks* like you've narrowed things down to your Ayre (output stage problem???). But, I too would be curious to how long you've had the problem, under what circumstances it arose and did the time it began coincide with any other changes you happened to be making to the system...

John
zd542
5,339 posts
 
Make sure the level controls on the back of your amp are set exactly the same. If that doesn't help and the system sounds good aside from the volume issue, lower the gain on the louder channel until the volume is equal.
newbee
4,093 posts
 
You can to clear up a bit of confusion. When you put in a new amp your dealer furnished for you blew 2 fuses. You discovered that you had allowed speaker cables wires on one channel to touch shorting out the amp (I assume). You replaced the fuses and the amp you were then using was ???. Again I'll assume that it was the dealers loner. If that is correct, I'll assume you blew one of channels in the amp and it will now require repair.

After correcting the wiring problem did you discover that your amp still didn't work, or are you just assuming that?

FWIW I think it is logical to assume that your wiring issues were the cause of your problem and I would run that to ground. There are other possibilities including DC from your pre-amp but the short just seems to make more sense. Which causes me to ask, does your amp have protection from DC built in? Some do, some don't.
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