Why did my amp just crash and burn ?

@gdnrbob The manual says fuse is located on the mains socket. 

 I have a 2010 YBA YA201 amp. It has been a reliable versatile amp for quite some time. Even using it to route my cablebox through to TV. It has gotten plenty of use over the years. Nothing was playing through speakers at time of burn out if we can call it that. In fact just installing the cables for the very first time. The hissing sound from the speakers was the first sign something was just not right. Checked and saw the L and R cables were installed to the correct posts on the amp. Within a minute the amp just switches off and is now lifeless. 

How do I check fuses in amp , can it be completed by newbies like myself. If I find fuse is blown, are they generic and fit all brands ? If repairable, what are chances the same situation can happen again ?.

If amp , as you mentioned , could be in protection mode, how to unprotect ?

Is the amp repairable at all given all the details provide above?

@ozzy62 Never do any of this work on your hifi when tired after work. I had long day and was ready for bed & decided to try and get it all done before hitting the sack. In effect do you think the cables are now useless ?

@drrsutliff Are you referring to the YBA YA201 ?, If you are then much thanks for doing that research. I now see what you talking about with the little slide out drawer above the power cord. 

Correct . It is quite a nice amplifier. I have held onto it for quite some time as the aesthetics and overall musicality certainly merit the great reviews it received upon release. What I am planning to do is review some videos on Youtube on how to determine if a fuse is blown & the methods employed to replace it. As somebody with limited knowledge in this area, are fuses pretty generic for all amplifiers in general, similar to replacing say a household fuse perhaps ?. One other thing is even though the connectors from the amp to the speakers were assigned correctly, with Left running to the L connector on the amp and ditto for the Right to R connector on the amp. Would the fact I designated the Left speaker of the system , facing me as Right , as the Left channel in this case and vice versa for the Right channel have anything to do with it?. if this indeed caused the problem, I will have to redress when the amp gets repaired. By the way keep the info flowing as you have been really helpful with your input. 

@ozzy62 

Looking at the YBA YA201 manual :

Fuse - 6 A ( versions 110v and 117v)

ou 3.15 A (versions 230v)

I will try and open the small drawer compartment above the power cord later today.

Btw, just spoke with the tech dept at AQ, ITO, applying the left cable to the right channel and vice versa should not have any attendant issues. Sound will just be transposed in the process. They believe it might just have been a power spike or surge last night, which is possible. As for the cables, the chances they were damaged would be quite low. Although , as we are finding anything is possible with audio system setup.

@blackdoghifi I would value your advice if  the fuse does not fix the problem. 

@erik_squires 

No music playing at the time . Can you elaborate on "DC on the the amp outputs"?

I have some news for everyone. So, I got home and turned off the amp and all other components in the chain. Next, located the fuse drawer on the back and could not get it to open with a flat head screwdriver. Easier to just unscrew the two screws attaching the socket to the chassis. Finally got the drawer open from there. Inside there was what looked like a frazzled 6amp fuse and next to it in a small storage compartment was a spare fuse. Inserted the new one . Went ahead and connected all ICs and the new speaker cables to the amp. Moment of truth. Connect the power plug , turn on the power button. Life is back in the amp. Life is good again .

Lessons learned : Never work on installing cables in particular spade connections with power on . Ensure spades are fastened tight enough to ensure non contact now or in the future. Never rush the process. 

All worked out well. Much praise to all who contributed along the way. A great show of support I would like to reciprocate to beginner questions in the future.