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Amp problem?
#27842 12/16/03 09:30 PM
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I drug out my beloved vintage Sansui intergrated amp today and hooked it up (feeling nostalgic I guess). I love this amp-lots of features and inputs with plenty of power (160w/ch) and great power meters.

The problem:
I hooked up the Maggies (4ohms) and the source (a tubed DAC) turned it on and got wonderful sound. But as soon as I touched the amp's chassis, after walking across the carpet, I got a static shock and the DAC instantly shut down. It happens when I'm charged up after walking across the carpet. If I touch something else before I touch the chassis it doesn't happen. Could this be an impedence problem (or am I blindly grasping at straws)? The amp's impedence switch has two settings: 8~16 ohm and 4~8 ohm. I had it set to 8~18.

Any electronics nerds (or even plain ol' nerds) out there with advice?


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
Re: Amp problem?
#27843 12/16/03 11:53 PM
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Sounds to me like the chassis and/or the entire unit isn't grounded. An electric shock to the chassis shouldn't cause the entire unit to shut down.

Re: Amp problem?
#27844 12/16/03 11:54 PM
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The amp didn't shut down, just the DAC.


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
Re: Amp problem?
#27845 12/17/03 12:02 AM
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Even stranger. It appears as though "the path of least resistance" (which is the way electricity always travels when given a choice) leads to the DAC.

Re: Amp problem?
#27846 12/17/03 12:07 AM
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mwc Offline OP
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I called my local electronics repairman and explained the problem. He said I should "junk it and get a new amp"....I hung up on him.


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
Re: Amp problem?
#27847 12/17/03 12:33 AM
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Whatta jerk. And someone who doesn't want repair business. Is there anyone else you could deal with? It sounds like it should be a relatively easy thing to fix, but I'm no EE.


I am the Doctor, and THIS... is my SPOON!
Re: Amp problem?
#27848 12/17/03 12:54 AM
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Go over to :

www.audiokarma.org

and ask this question. Theres a dedicated Sansui forum and people that repair this stuff and what not. Tell em i sent you too so i can get another refferal lol.

Re: Amp problem?
#27849 12/17/03 12:54 AM
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The next closest repair shop is in Dallas about 30 miles away. If push comes to shove, I may trek on down there. I was hoping it would be an easy fix and that someone on some message board some where would have an idea. I only put the message out this afternoon so I may get some advice yet. There's one message board I haven't tried yet...woof! woof! .


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
Re: Amp problem?
#27850 12/17/03 12:58 AM
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In reply to:

But as soon as I touched the amp's chassis, after walking across the carpet, I got a static shock and the DAC instantly shut down. It happens when I'm charged up after walking across the carpet.



Not exactly your original question, but you may want to look into an anti-static spray (a 4L jug is about $35CDN here) I'm somehow the most statically charged person in the world, and after getting shocked repeatedly in a most personal region leaning against the road cases as I cleaned the monitors in the arena video booth, someone bought a jug of the stuff (I'll look up a product name on Friday if you care)... haven't been shocked since, though it does leave a film on the carpet that makes it get dirty faster.

Bren R.

Re: Amp problem?
#27851 12/17/03 01:11 AM
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mwc Offline OP
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That's a good band-aid solution but I wan't to knock this problem out at the source because it's kind of sacrey. I'll have bad dreams about burning down my house or something.


I live the life I love and I love the life I live.
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