Sound cuts out occasionally in my system

If it helps, I'm running a tube pre and SS amp.

Hi, Is the tube pre also tube rectified?

Discover the source of the problem by swapping the components one at a time.

No tube rectifier in the pre.

If you have a dealer that you have a good relationship with they could lend you some gear to help troubleshoot.

Do you get any static (or light crackle) before the music cuts out or is just an immediate dropout in both channels at once?

Some solid state have thermal protection. Check with the company. I had this problem with my Music Hall.

There is some crackle and pop immediately as the sound cuts out, but not in the few seconds before.

My guess is bad contact on the preamp tubes. I would try a different preamp if available. If that's not possible I would clean the tube pins with contact cleaner and clean the sockets with a pipe cleaner and contact cleaner. This has worked for me with the problem you are describing.

I had the same problem,your tube preamp is putting out dc voltage and the protection circuit is kicking in on your amp.

Seven months later, I have some progress on the issue, but also another question.

After some experimentation, I found that the cutting out only occurs when my active crossover was used in my system. However, I was not actually able to measure any DC voltage at the crossover outputs, even right at the time of the cut-out. Additionally, I shipped the crossover back to the manufacturer, who confirmed that the unit completely checks out, and that it does not have a DC leak issue.

At this point, I'm not sure how to proceed. Perhaps I should contact the manufacturer of my amp (Parasound) and ask what, other than DC voltage, might be tripping the protection circuitry? It seems like either the crossover is putting out something the amp doesn't like, or the amp protection circuitry is acting too sensitive (though it's not clear what it's trying to protect itself from).