Have you tested the amps and xover/servo using another preamp? It's possible they weren't damaged at all.
Did my preamp short kill my Mark Levinson amps and Infinity Beta servo ?
My solid state preamp ( prefer not to name as maybe I am completely wrong in my thinking) that without warning developed a short in the right channel output due to some type of "leak" killl my wonderful vintage system? Both ML No23 amps and the Infinity Beta bass crossover servo unit all stopped working - non of which had any external fuses blow.
I am able to get my high end preamp fixed by the maker, but living in rual Minnesota makes it basically impossible to find a place that can look at all my other now non-functioning equipment. (No lightening strikes and everything on high quality heavy duty line conditioners that did not trip). The Infinity Beta servo is the unit I really hope to save because those speakers are mint and my wife actually accepts them. Anyone know who might service that piece?
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I am afraid so. Hooked up a heavily modified but sweet soundng Hafler 500 to the servo and new pre-amp....and that killed a channel in the Hafler....so I am thinking something went very bad with that servo as well. After everything working perfectly for over a quater of a decade, it all goes bad in a day. Yikes. Other than the Hafler, everything seemed to be military grade....and military grade prices originally. Hate to think of similar replacement costs. |
OK, a 'short' means that somehow the preamp leaked DC voltage into the Infinity crossover/servo box and the power amp? But if the Infinity is a Low Pass/High Pass setup, which I think it is, the high pass section would block DC from the HP output feeding your Hafler, wouldn't it? I'm just trying to understand. Maybe the short was in the power supply of the preamp and DC or worse, a rectifier diode failed, and it was AC that got on the chassis ground? In that case it may have fried the ground traces off the circuit boards in both down stream devices. That's not really fixable, and you'd be looking at replacements. Either way, bummers, Best of luck with your repairs. |
Update: I replaced a fuse in the Hafler and it came back to life. I hooked up one of the ML No23....the one that was not connected to the servo crossover...to another system and that is working (I did not realize the switch has a "reset" protection circuit). My second ML...the one hooked to the servo unit is not alive, but was told it might be an "internal fuse" issue. So I am thinking the servo unit is the damaged bad actor after reading other posts with similar problem ( massively loud "bark" once servo turns on with two different amps...very scarey loud). My pre-amp was repaired for under $700 and is on its way back to me. I am contacting PS Audio for help with the servo as recomended here. Thanks to all for all the help. I really want to save those IRS Betas. |
Update on saving the betas: PS Audio no longer works on the IRS Servo controller, however "magicmarksy" (ebay name) is someone to contact for work on this unit....and by the looks of what he has refurbished and lists for sale, a definite high end vintge Infinity system go-to guy. I currently added in two NHT SW3 passive subs with seperate amp and crossover to use along with the midrange and tweeter ribbons columns and it sounds OK, but really want to save those woofer columns and servo unit. I |
Tried that....with two different power amps, once of which had a volume control i could slowly turned up output before trouble. Same loud ...and I mean weapon of mass destruction loud...even blew off the dust cap on the servo wired woofer....with same results. I had both sequentially....and simultaneously..... turned on the servo unit and amp for 25 years and nothing like this ever happened. Infinity warns of this horrible output if the servo feedback not working properly. I will get the servo fixed as well has hopefully find someone to test the active woofers before hooking it all back together. |
@jerry_b2 I had that issue with my Betas before. Change the switch on the back of the Servo controller to 0. I also had custom (shorter) control cables made. They work great. I want to update one of my Servo Controllers but have not found a suitable shop. |
Thanks. Will look into that.....however, the servo unit was given a clean bill of health as it worked in another beta set up with no issues. It might be something bad happened to the one servo-controlled/feedback woofer in one of the columns as the horrible noise only came from one side. The dust cap was blown off that woofer. |
@jerry_b2 , So.....who manufactured your preamp? After fiascos like these, all brand loyalties would be out the door, I'd think. |
The pre-amp was a vintage (about 25 years old) Klyne.....which I believe is an absolutely wonderful solid state pre-amp for the price point and for my level of "audiophileness". It was repaired and is back to sounding great. I blame myself more than a component failure. My hope is to have my kids sell this at my estate sale someday, so I probably should have done some preventative maintinence that others have suggested on this forum for high end equipment that they plan to keep for decades. It was a reasonable repair cost. So if I die soon enough, it still might have been the most cost effective. There is a clear pyrex like top to this unit. I did notice that there was some "fogging" over one of the boards before it died....actually at least a year before it died.....so probably my bad not sending it in before it had full cardiac arrest.
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