[kingdeezie]

So, I posted this in the lab section since I am assuming that people with the most intricate knowledge of electronics come to this circle, and I need understanding of what the hell is happening to me...

So, today I was listening to Vinyl. In between changing albums, while walking over to the turntable, there was a loud static POP and my right channel is DEAD.

This happened once before while listening to vinyl the same exact way, and changing out the fuse on the right amplifier seemed to make a difference; so I THOUGHT this was the problem.

I changed the fuse on the right channel and the channel was still DEAD.

So, I checked the fuses with a multimeter, even the replacement that I saved from two months ago when it happened the first time, and it turns out they are ALL OK; so it NEVER was the fuse.

So, now I start to panic that the amp is completely dead or something worse happened. I open the amplifier and check all the fuses internal and they are also all okay and reading normal....

So I panic its the speaker, like a cap in the crossover blew. I connect the right speaker to the left amplifier and the speaker works fine.

Then I think its the right interconnect, so, I connect the right interconnect to the left channel and everything is okay there.

Then I take both amplifiers out of the system and start from scratch.

I put the RIGHT amplifier where the left amplifier was and connect it using those cables; the right amp WORKS now.. Huh?? 

So I put the right amplifier back in the spot where it was before, hook it up with those cables and now its NOT working... 

So I think, maybe its the speaker cable? So I take the speaker cable from the left and move it to the right and now it works!

Ok, I found the problem right??

WRONG!

I take the speaker cable that might be broken and move it to the left and it works!!!!

WHAT THE HELL!?!?

What could be happening here?

Why did it occur twice when playing vinyl, and never digital?

Could the speaker cables be sensitive to the static from analog, that causes them to short out or something when playing analog?

The speaker cables are audioquest speaker cables I bought from Tweeter like 3 or 4 years ago. Some of the wrapping is coming one of the ends, but the wires are not fraid or anything...

Or, is static building up while playing vinyl and shorting out the amplifiers in some way, causing them to need to discharge or something?

WHAT THE HELL?

HELP!

[satfrat]

What's the amp is question? There may be more than just 1 fuse. My Butler amp has a main AC fuse on the back, an internal fuse after the transformer and 2 fuses on each of the individual channel circuit boards.
 
Cheers,
Robin

[kingdeezie]

I checked all 5 fuses; inside and out; all good and read with a multimeter.

Right now after switching some cables both amps are playing.

I just want to know what the hell happened in case it could lead to severe damage.

[decal]

Sweet Jesus, Help me....

I kinda doubt Jesus cares a lot about your audio problems.I could be wrong,have been before!!

[eclein]

Check the binding posts on the speakers. You walked causing a vibration enough to make it get loose momentarily.

[kingdeezie]

I kinda doubt Jesus cares a lot about your audio problems.I could be wrong,have been before!!

Likely not, I concur; but nothing wrong with asking for a favor is there?

Check the binding posts on the speakers. You walked causing a vibration enough to make it get loose momentarily.

Interesting idea, but its not the binding posts unfortunately, that I could fix easily. They are not loose. Also, why would they make a pop noise?
 

[hmen]

I don't know if I would keep looking. Sometimes something inexplicable happens in my system and after a switching some wires around and maybe unplugging a few things everything's alright again. I'm usually afraid that if I keep investigating I'll cause the problem to reappear.

[eclein]

No tubes in the system??

[kingdeezie]

I don't know if I would keep looking. Sometimes something inexplicable happens in my system and after a switching some wires around and maybe unplugging a few things everything's alright again. I'm usually afraid that if I keep investigating I'll cause the problem to reappear.

Perhaps true, but this is the second time it has happened...

Both times while listening to vinyl....

Which could mean there is a problem somewhere, I just don't know what it could be.

[kingdeezie]

No tubes in the system??

Tubes in my preamp and my phono preamp.

Neither of these pieces of equipment had an issue; it was isolated to the right channel amplifier.

I first thought maybe a tube was going bad, or went bad somewhere, but if something detrimental happened wouldn't it cause the amplifier to blow a fuse?

Also, if it didn't cause the fuse to blow, why was the amplifier not working until I switched the cables out? Wouldn't the amplifier be out of commision completely if it was in fact something wrong with it itself?

It wouldn't just start working again for no reason would it?

[decal]

Likely not, I concur; but nothing wrong with asking for a favor is there?

Absolutely not,I didn't say there was.

[eclein]

I'm stumped..let us know what it is when you find out..

[Elizabeth]

OK, my first impression is that NOTHING you did changed anything. It is the TIME involved, then the amp probably had gone into overload and shut down to protect itself. time goes by.. works. period. This is my theory.
As for the near explosive loud POP. Somewhere in the phono circuit is a problem. it is getting a full voltage hit for a moment, amplifying it and BOOM your amp is shutting down to keep the speaker from exploding.
So the problem is in the phono section, or in the cart wiring, or static electricity is building up and discharging into the channel that is going boom.
I do NOT think it is static. I think a wire, or some serious fault is in your phono section.
This is my diagnosis

[Ronm1]

I like the static thought!!  Rug on floor??  Dust bunnies???

[satfrat]

I checked all 5 fuses; inside and out; all good and read with a multimeter.

Right now after switching some cables both amps are playing.

I just want to know what the hell happened in case it could lead to severe damage.

Oh goody,,, another mystery amp thread.     

[kingdeezie]

OK, my first impression is that NOTHING you did changed anything. It is the TIME involved, then the amp probably had gone into overload and shut down to protect itself. time goes by.. works. period. This is my theory.
As for the near explosive loud POP. Somewhere in the phono circuit is a problem. it is getting a full voltage hit for a moment, amplifying it and BOOM your amp is shutting down to keep the speaker from exploding.
So the problem is in the phono section, or in the cart wiring, or static electricity is building up and discharging into the channel that is going boom.
I do NOT think it is static. I think a wire, or some serious fault is in your phono section.
This is my diagnosis

This is interesting....

It was along the lines of something I was thinking.

I can't rationlize how this could happen though.

If it was something with the phono preamplifier, why wouldn't the preamp first be affected?

Also, what would dictate to the amplifier that it was okay to turn back on?

I would assume that if there over-voltage of some sort, the amplifier would go into protect mode, but if unplugged and the source of the problem it would turn right back on.

Why would it take it 10 minutes to come back on?

[kingdeezie]

Oh goody,,, another mystery amp thread.     

No mystery.

Odyssey Kismets.

[kingdeezie]

I like the static thought!!  Rug on floor??  Dust bunnies???

Rug on the floor yes.

But geez, could that actually be the problem?

I don't think I live in a particularly static-y place. Why so much static?

[Ronm1]

Rug on the floor yes.

But geez, could that actually be the problem?

I don't think I live in a particularly static-y place. Why so much static?

I don't know, but the walk across the floor with a rug bothers me as an ingredient.  Do you actually have to touch something, cab, shelf, lp case poly shield??

[kingdeezie]

I touched nothing when it happened.

I was walking over to the turntable to change albums, and it happened.

The first time it happened though I was sitting on my couch.