[gowz]

My amplifier is not powering on...was fine for a long while.  Not sure if it is just the toggle switch (have had issues with AVA and one of those previous) or something a bit more sinister.  Could I get myself in trouble by opening and inspecting to see.  CAPs are huge and scary...could send back to AVA but worried it would be more hassle than the S/H is worth.  Anyone else dealt with this in AVA Power Amps? JG

[JerryM]

It sounds like you may have lost the main 15 amp fuse inside the amp. If that is the case, the amp won't power on at all.

Make sure the amp is unplugged for about an hour before you open 'er up. This will ensure that you don't get zapped by a power supply that is not fully decayed. Follow the power cord going into the amp and look for a fuse at the bottom of the case.

If you change a fuse, make sure to use the correct fuse, i.e. slow blow with slow blow, quick blow with quick blow. The ampere ratings must be followed as well.

Do you have a multimeter that can be set to ohms? If so, you can test that main fuse. Hold a lead against each end of the fuse. The meter should read about 0. If it's bad, the number will be very high.

Good luck,
Jerry

[turkey]

I may have one of these amps. I'll take a look tonight and if so then I'll shoot some pics of the insides and power fuse for you.

Mine is an FetValve amp in an ST150 chassis. I don't remember the exact model number offhand, but I think it was spec'ed at 150W/ch, so 300 would fit.

As for sending it back to Frank, he told me some years back that old amps like this could be upgraded to some extent. That might be something to consider if you do wind up having to send it in for repair.