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Post by swampfire on Nov 23, 2020 17:34:41 GMT -5
My 7-year-old XPA-5 Gen 2 was no longer working when I got home last night. The front button halo is a steady/flickering amber, and it doesn’t respond to the button. I confirmed that the trigger input is 12V DC. Other than the amber light, no other LEDs are on - not even the 115V LED on the back. Same behavior with all speakers disconnected (though I did check to make sure they all had reasonable impedances). I pulled the top off and checked both fuses; unfortunately they were both still good.
I suspect that we may have had a lightning storm or power surge while I was at a wedding this weekend, and zapped the little board on the front panel. I sure hope I can still source a replacement. I’ve loved this amp, and I’m not ready to drop $1600+ on a replacement. I was saving up for a new video processor, I guess that’s out now.
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Post by rockman85 on Nov 23, 2020 17:37:36 GMT -5
That a bummer. Sorry to hear.
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cawgijoe
Emo VIPs 
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,035
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Post by cawgijoe on Nov 23, 2020 18:01:14 GMT -5
Call Emotiva support in the morning. If it needs repair and can be repaired, I believe they have some very fair prices to fix.
Don't panic yet.
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Post by leonski on Nov 24, 2020 1:15:51 GMT -5
If you DID have a lightning induced surge it is time for a Whole House Surge Protector.
SOMETIMES the power company has a fault and it is not 'act of God' so they may fix. That happened to me many years ago.
We were leaving for a ocuple days holiday. Stereo was ON. There was a HUGE surge / brownout and my amp died. When we got back, I rang up the power company and
told them EXACTLY when the problem occurred and what I saw. They reimbursed me for the fix. I have No Idea what happened.....maybe a transformer exploded? I've seen THAT
happen and it thru the steel plate lid (you could drive on it) across 4 lanes of traffic. The Surge took out the building i was working in.
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Post by dougport on Nov 24, 2020 1:27:15 GMT -5
Open it up and check the fuses, I've had that happen from lightning and the fuses will blow to protect the circuits
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Post by swampfire on Nov 24, 2020 10:34:44 GMT -5
I had a really nice talk with Steve at Emotiva this morning. The fuses were intact, so he suggested that I look at my 5V supply. He sent me a picture, with values for the capacitors that sometimes go bad. I’ve repaired a bunch of older pinball machines with similar issues (bulging capacitors or just a bad solder joint), so I’m hoping that’s the case here. Emotiva will also do a $300 flat-rate repair, which is very reasonable IMHO.
Talking to Steve today makes it very likely that I’ll buy any new A/V gear from Emotiva. I have a lot of respect for a company that helps you fix something that’s out of warranty.
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cawgijoe
Emo VIPs
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,035
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Post by cawgijoe on Nov 24, 2020 13:28:00 GMT -5
I had a really nice talk with Steve at Emotiva this morning. The fuses were intact, so he suggested that I look at my 5V supply. He sent me a picture, with values for the capacitors that sometimes go bad. I’ve repaired a bunch of older pinball machines with similar issues (bulging capacitors or just a bad solder joint), so I’m hoping that’s the case here. Emotiva will also do a $300 flat-rate repair, which is very reasonable IMHO. Talking to Steve today makes it very likely that I’ll buy any new A/V gear from Emotiva. I have a lot of respect for a company that helps you fix something that’s out of warranty. I thought they had a set price to fix. That's good. Let us know what you find out, if anything when you check the capacitors. Just a thought....you may want to replace the fuses with new ones anyway.....sometimes they look good but really are not. It's a longshot.... |
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Post by leonski on Nov 24, 2020 18:32:08 GMT -5
300$ to change a 10$ board? Nice work if you can get it. Even if it takes 45 minutes.
Will EMO part with a Schematic?
FUSES, especially lower current types or ceramic SHOULD be checked with a meter.
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Post by vintagehifi on Nov 25, 2020 10:20:32 GMT -5
Hello,
In defense of Emotiva Service, the $300 flat rate repair for the XPA-5 Gen2 is BUMPER TO BUMPER and covers all parts, all labor and RETURN SHIPPING. This includes replacement of any swollen capacitors, even if still functioning.
After repair we test to NEW product spec's and any failures require unit going back to bench until all parameters pass.
Considering the Industry Labor rate is $125-$150 per hour, this is actually a really good deal and we very often lose money on repairs.
We also release schematics for those out of warranty customers who wish to have it repaired locally.
Steve G Emotiva Service
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Post by swampfire on Nov 26, 2020 9:46:19 GMT -5
$300 is honestly a no-brainer, especially with return shipping on a 75-pound amp.
With Steve’s help, I checked the 5V (good), and reflowed the solder on the front panel PCB. Still no luck, but we’re ruling things out and that’s progress. I’ll check and reflow the relay board later today.
Incidentally, I discovered that my basement thermostat died the same weekend, so I’m almost sure now that we had some kind of brownout. I’ll be putting in a surge suppressor, and I feel dumb for not having one to begin with.
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cawgijoe
Emo VIPs
"When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi Berra
Posts: 5,035
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Post by cawgijoe on Nov 26, 2020 9:50:05 GMT -5
$300 is honestly a no-brainer, especially with return shipping on a 75-pound amp. With Steve’s help, I checked the 5V (good), and reflowed the solder on the front panel PCB. Still no luck, but we’re ruling things out and that’s progress. I’ll check and reflow the relay board later today. Incidentally, I discovered that my basement thermostat died the same weekend, so I’m almost sure now that we had some kind of brownout. I’ll be putting in a surge suppressor, and I feel dumb for not having one to begin with. Agreed. Unless you find something obvious, the fee is extremely fair. |
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Post by leonski on Nov 26, 2020 13:24:28 GMT -5
Fee is based on NOT spending that much for a fix. I'd love to see the actual 'breakdown' of what is wrong with that amp VS actual cost to fix.
And not just that one amp, but ALL sent back under this program. Does the amp have a common failure / weak point?
I'll bet that few of them exceed the cost of the fee.....or are declared 'UnFixable' and returned to the owner.
OUCH! Didn't realize the amp went 75lb. That's a LOT of iron and the best reason yet to convert every amp in the line to a Switcher!
I don't know that a surge suppressor will help with a BrownOut, but cerainly with any nearby Lightning Event. My Panamax will kill all its outlets IF the
voltage exceeds maybe 135vac OR drops below about 95vac. I know this works since it has done this 2 or 3 times over the years.
Time to CHECK WITH THE POWER COMPANY and find out if any system or grid event occurred. Power company MAY fix stuff depending the their rules
and just what DID happen. Under those rules, my power company PAID for the fix of my amp a decade+ ago. It blew up as we were gathering out
luggage at the door for a brief holliday. I knew the exact day and time which helped when it came time to talk to the power company....
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Post by swampfire on Nov 27, 2020 11:43:39 GMT -5
Just to close this out, Emotiva has resolved this to my satisfaction. And if this had never happened, I would have missed seeing that the XMC-1 can be had for $1000 today!
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