weird sound from amp

[sophie]

to day when i turned my amp on i herd a funny crackling noise and then a bad smell almost like burning electronics. anyone know what this is? it was an adcom gfa 5500

[tonyb]

Think you answered your own question pal.

[twochannel]

Send it out for repair or damage may result to your speakers. I have my 565 mono block in for repair for a turn on thump and crackling in the speaker. Both my 565's have had main board failures during my 16 years of ownership, but I keep them because of their clean sound and powerfull base. Adcom amps do not offer any protection for speakers if they suffer a main board or transformer failure except the output fuses. How old is this 5500?

[sophie]

i just got it about a month ago. it has thumped when turned on and off the whole time i have had it. the crackling is not from the speakers it is from inside the amp.

[danger boy]

get it checked out, before it toasts any of your speakers.

[GV#27]

oops posted in wrong thread.

[ben62670]

Adcoms almost all thump when you turn them on. The older ones have had problems with the capacitors leaking on the input boards. I am not sure about the 5500's having this problem. Hopefully Heiny9 will chime in on this. If you don't have any luck PM me in a couple of days. I am on VaCa
Ben

[tonyb]

...and where exactly do people from florida go for vacation?

[sophie]

i turned it on with the top off for a few secconds and smoke comes from the switch. how much would it cost to replace this. i have an ant and uncle who live about 20 min. from a adcom service center and are coming to our house this weekend, should i sent it with them and have them drop it off at the repair center or is there a way for me to get the part and replace it with out taking it to a repair center?

i dont think i would have any difficulty soldering a new switch in.

Payton

[heiney9]

i just got it about a month ago. it has thumped when turned on and off the whole time i have had it. the crackling is not from the speakers it is from inside the amp.

Thump at turn on and off is typical and harmless with Adcoms. The crackling inthe amp and the smell IS NOT. Repair before you use it again.

As to the person with the 565 mono's both the 565 and 585 of the day had a run of bad caps (not Adcom's fault) over time they leak taking out the internal board.

This is a known problem and some during the day were recalled and repaired. I would suggest anyone who owns either the 565 or 585 to have the bypass caps changed if they are still the original ones.

If they leak and the electrolytic solution is left on the boards it can and will ruin them. The boards are no longer avail and haven't been for awhile. Cleaning them can be done but it's a bitch and a half to get it done right and requires full dis-assembly of all the parts if the leak is large enough.

The 5500 didn't suffer from this problem. But you have an issue that needs to be taken of. You will either do furthur to the amp which means more cost to fix or damage those minty 10b's.

[heiney9]

i turned it on with the top off for a few secconds and smoke comes from the switch. how much would it cost to replace this. i have an ant and uncle who live about 20 min. from a adcom service center and are coming to our house this weekend, should i sent it with them and have them drop it off at the repair center or is there a way for me to get the part and replace it with out taking it to a repair center?

i dont think i would have any difficulty soldering a new switch in.

Payton

If you know nothing about electronic repair take it to Adcom. You are ahead of the game because you don't have to pay shipping to and from which could be as much as $100 both ways. If they are that close to Adcom have the repair done there. Call them for rates, etc. I'd plan to spend a $100 in getting it repaired. Then again I have no idea what's wrong it could be simple or complex.

If it's an output transistor they really should all be matched so just replacing one isn't then best solution; it's certainly the cheapest. Ask them if it is indeed a transistor if they will match and replace all (per side of course).

Sorry if this is getting over your head. Just take it to the Adcom service center and let them deal with it.

H9

[sophie]

i know that the switch is causing the prablom but i dont want to wate several months untill i see them again to pick it up. i think i can do the repair myself if i knew where to get the parts.

[danger boy]

what if you do more damage to the amp beyond just a switch? then you're up the creek. and out more $$

unless I built the amp.. i'd let someone else repair it.

[heiney9]

i know that the switch is causing the prablom but i dont want to wate several months untill i see them again to pick it up. i think i can do the repair myself if i knew where to get the parts.

What happens if it's soemthing else related to the switch and you replace the switch and then it happens again and you do more damage to the amp? I can tell you the only way to get a switch is from the factory and it won't be cheap. My guess is the part is much cheaper if they are doing the labor; that's just how it is.

[sophie]

i dont know how i can do more damage. there are just 2 wires going into the switch. if i had a replacement switch all i would have to do is pull the old one, hook up the 2 wires to the new one and mount it.

anyone know where to get adcom parts?

what if you do more damage to the amp beyond just a switch? then you're up the creek. and out more $$

unless I built the amp.. i'd let someone else repair it.

[heiney9]

i dont know how i can do more damage. there are just 2 wires going into the switch. if i had a replacement switch all i would have to do is pull the old one, hook up the 2 wires to the new one and mount it.

anyone know where to get adcom parts?

Adcom.

Hey go for it if you are so sure it's the switch. You are messing with a fairly expensive piece of audio equipment not a clock radio, your gear, your money. Have you even tested the switch with a VOM to see if it working properly or not?

H9

[sophie]

Adcom.

Hey go for it if you are so sure it's the switch. You are messing with a fairly expensive piece of audio equipment not a clock radio, your gear, your money. Have you even tested the switch with a VOM to see if it working properly or not?

H9

when it is turned on smoke comes from the switch. and i have read from two different places that the switches are not made great and that they break/where out fairly easy.

[GV#27]

Other than the smoking switch, does the amp work and sound fine?If so you may just have arcing across the switches contacts causing it to smoke.

[sophie]

Other than the smoking switch, does the amp work and sound fine?If so you may just have arcing across the switches contacts causing it to smoke.

i dont know i dont have anything hooked up to the amp. as soon as i herd the weird noise i shut it off and unpluged it. havent had it hooked up to speakers after that.

[tonyb]

Could always use it as a curb stop in the garage.:p :) ;)

[Jockos]

I replaced the power button on my adcom. I ordered it directly from adcom. I believe it was $15 for the plastic 10cent button. The switch itself is adjusted and held on by some very thin nuts. An ordinary wrench will not work. I just used some pliers. Good luck.

Jockos

[tonyb]

You still need to have the amp checked out.Not worth it if it blows your speakers.Like all things in life...it costs some dough.

[twochannel]

My 565's were repaired under warranty for the bad capacitors and a bad transformer less than a year after I purchased them. Adcom brought them up to their new specifications at that time. I'm driving original series SDA-SRS's.
After 14 years of flawless operation, both failed at different times. One had the main input board rebuilt and the other just had new output caps replaced. Affiliated Electronics in New Jersey still has many discontinued parts in stock for repair of these vintage amps.

[heiney9]

My 565's were repaired under warranty for the bad capacitors and a bad transformer less than a year after I purchased them. Adcom brought them up to their new specifications at that time. I'm driving original series SDA-SRS's.
After 14 years of flawless operation, both failed at different times. One had the main input board rebuilt and the other just had new output caps replaced. Affiliated Electronics in New Jersey still has many discontinued parts in stock for repair of these vintage amps.

I take it you were using the AI-1 SDA cable or you had the negative speaker terminals strapped between the amps. SDA's don't like non-common ground amps and if neither of these solutions was used that's probably why you've had several failures of the amps.

Using non-common ground amps with SDA's will damage either the speaks or amp or both.

H9

[twochannel]

Negative posts are strapped with 10ga speakercable and the chassis is also strapped with seperate cable as per Adcoms recommendation. GFA-565's were not the most reliable amplifier that they built, but they were the most powerfull. Mine do not have the fan option which increased their reliability. My SDA-SRS's have the blade-blade interconnect and from what I have been told, the AI-1 cable is not compatable according to the serial #'s on the speakers. Almost 14 years with no problems is great for these amps.

[heiney9]

Negative posts are strapped with 10ga speakercable and the chassis is also strapped with seperate cable as per Adcoms recommendation. GFA-565's were not the most reliable amplifier that they built, but they were the most powerfull. Mine do not have the fan option which increased their reliability. My SDA-SRS's have the blade-blade interconnect and from what I have been told, the AI-1 cable is not compatable according to the serial #'s on the speakers. Almost 14 years with no problems is great for these amps.

My brother has the 585 and he is the 2nd owner, no problems at all. Both the 565 and 585 were designed by Walt Yung and Victor Campos and they are much more complicated (and better sounding) than the std 555 series. So perhaps that's why they were/are more troublesome. Still soild amps that sound great even today. I have a 545 which I bought new in 1986 and it has never missed a beat.

Actually my brother is selling his 585 and I might consider buying it.