repair restore classe ca300

Have you read this thread?

https://www.diyaudio.com/community/threads/classe-ca-300.305191/

DeKay

That's a good thread. 

Does it go into protection mode right away every time you turn it on, or is it intermittent?

I have the monoblocks version of this amp. It's a great amp that will drive most hard to drive speakers and it is definitely worth fixing / saving imo.

Thank you very much dekay – read previously but of course way over my head as my ability with electronics is limited.

Hi Devinplombier - into protection mode immediately everytime. Different plugs - sockets differing areas of the house I have 2 of these 1 for each Magnepan. OK cause I have 7 snells connected to bryston so can still play but miss using Maggies.

The problem can either be (a) the protection circuit is detecting excessive DC offset on the output and shutting it down to protect the speakers, in which case the amp developed a fault and the protection circuit is working and doing its job, or (b) the amp is fine, but the protection circuit has gone faulty.

If you're not well-versed in electronics, it may be best to take the amp to a local tech. Classé can probably direct you to someone in your area. This is a common fault that can affect many / most amps. Good luck!

Try looking inside and see if there are any fuses and check them. A lot of amplifiers have rail fuses -- one for each negative and positive voltage rail -- to protect speakers against a transistor short. Usually, if only one side blows it results in a DC voltage on the output and that voltage is enough to trip a DC protection circuit.

Another thing to check is the thermal switches on the heat sink. Follow the wires and see if the connections have come loose along their path. The thermal switch breaks the circuit on overheat and activates the protection circuit. A loose connection emulates a thermal trip.

These guys have repaired a few of my Classe Sigma2 amps. Give them a call.

https://www.deltronics.com
 

I owned a Classe CA200 about 20 years ago. My suggestion is to move on and forget about it.

My suggestion is to move on and forget about it.

@ozzy62 

Right now, OP has a nonfunctioning amp that he could put on craigslist and get maybe $100 as-is. Is that your advice?

By move on, I mean move on to something better. Of course repair and sell.

The old Classe CA series amps were wonderful sounding and extremely powerful, but they had a tendency to break-down and were widely considered problematic.  Over twenty years ago, I owned a Classe CA400 that I purchased new, and it had to be repaired a couple times over the 2 or 3 year period I owned it.  It was not a very pleasant experience.  Luckily, there was a local repairman in my area.  I wouldn't waste my time and money on the old Classe CA300.  Move on to something newer and more reliable.  Happy listening.      

@kennymacc 

Maybe the particular CA-series you owned was a lemon? By now these amps are 25+ years old, and those that made it this far are probably neither more nor less reliable than their peers.

As you correctly point out: 

The old Classe CA series amps were wonderful sounding and extremely powerful.

That’s the salient point here. OP would be hard pressed to buy a modern amp that came even remotely close to the sound quality of his Classé with what he’d get from selling it minus what it will cost him to fix it.

Deltronics in Chicago repaired my Classe SSP800 and they did a great job. 

I'm in NJ and can repair modify upgrade any audio component  if I can be of service