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Hey guys. I have been looking for quite a while and finally found a (NIB) HCA 2205 at a dealer in Allandale NJ. Last one he had (maybe last new one anywhere). Drove the four hours one-way today and picked it up. Got it home and hooked it up. I've got a hum from the left surround speaker that would make you grind your teeth. Unhooked everything and started over. Still there. Then tried going backwards from sources. With interconnect to 2205 from pre-amp unhooked it still hums. Tried cheater plug, unhooking cable, plugged 2205 into line conditioner: still hums. Connected center channel interconnect and center speaker into left surrond connections and center hums. Think I have a bad channel in the 2205? Any suggestions?
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How loud is it?
if you have to put your ear to it, I wouldnt worry about it. If its really loud to the point you grind your teeth, and its only coming from that pre-in, then Id say yes, its defective and needs to be looked at.
if your ear needs to be at speaker to hear it, forget about it and enjoy I say.
you will go nuts trying to get it all to be dead silent. I got lucky with this current house. -
If it's NIB, get it checked out while the warranty is in force. No sense paying for a new product and then having to listen to it hummmmmm.
Good luck.
Oh, welcome to The Guide GR. :welcome:.
David - Trigger-happy HTGuide AdminComment
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Thanks for the response (and welcome). Spoon, it is LOUD. You can hear it from across the room. I may not have been clear in my first post about the pre-in. If you unhook all the pre-ins then hook up the left surround, it hums. Dead quiet with all other speakers except left surround connected with or without pre-ins connected. This would lead me to believe that it is something other than a ground loop. Ground loop would most likely come from the pre-amp or cable, yes. Could it be coming just from the amp being plugged into AC and only occur through one speaker? I have not had the problem with previous gear. Thanks for your thoughts.Comment
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A ground loop is like the name implies, a LOOP. It will not occur with only the power cord and the speaker wire plugged in (assuming, of course, that you don't have the speaker grounded in any way or the speaker wire is stripped and touching something that is grounded).
Sure sounds like a defective amp...
PeterComment
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Thanks Peter. Yeah, I am not electronics engineer but you validated what I was already thinking. It is not the speaker because I tried hooking up the center speaker to the left surround speaker post and this caused the center to hum. All speaker terminations are bananna plugs so no short possible. Bad news is, the dealer is four hours away. Think I will call Parasound and see what they say.Comment
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Yes, that's the best thing to do. Here's an extract from the manual that applies to your situation:Originally posted by GRB
"Call your Parasound dealer or Parasound Technical Service. We can suggest other diagnostic tests you can easily perform. If we determine that your amplifier should be returned to Parasound or an Authorized Parasound Warranty Center for inspection and possible servicing, call Parasound for the location of a warranty center near you. If you choose to send it to Parasound, contact us to obtain a Return Authorization (RA) number. You will be asked to repack the unit in its original packaging including the additional outer box for protection during transit. The Return Authorization number must be clearly marked on the outer carton only. You should ship the unit by UPS with adequate insurance and a copy of your purchase receipt to validate your ownership."
PeterComment
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All excellent advice. Please keep us posted on how this goes, GRB.Comment
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I spoke with a Parasound tech. He initially thought ground loop. He started asking about cable, dimmer switches in room, etc. I finally stopped him and said if you just plug the amp into the wall and plug a speaker into the left surround binding post, you get a loud hum. He said "Oh, that's a problem". You think? He advised either swap it for another at the dealer or take it to a local authorized service center. The problem is, the dealer does not have another 2205. Now my dilemma is, do I drive 4 hours back to dealer to return it, then start over looking for another amp, or do I take a brand new amp to the shop? Needless to say, not a happy customer right now. Beginnning to think I should have kept the Rotel 1075. Thanks for the moral support guys.Comment
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Well guys, I bit the bullet and took the 2205 to the local Parasound authorized service center. They have had it for over two weeks now. They are really backed up and haven't even cracked it open yet! Waiting...
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Let me guess. They are probably going to tell you that the problem is one of the volume chips on the input board. :bash:Comment
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Grrr! If I were you, I would take it back and send it to Parasound in CA. From what I've heard, their service has a pretty fast turnaround.Originally posted by GRBWell guys, I bit the bullet and took the 2205 to the local Parasound authorized service center. They have had it for over two weeks now. They are really backed up and haven't even cracked it open yet! Waiting...
Also, sending it directly to Parasound gives you piece of mind. Noone will monkey around while fixing it. If the local service guy is inexperienced you may find things inside the unit like separated PCB foil and other horrific issues that basically requires you to purchase a new unit if/when you understand what has happened to the "inner soul" of the unit :B
I can see your unit lying there defenseless on the table being raped by an inexperienced service dude that could never afford to buy one for himself... :E
Okay, okay, the Parasound service guy may be inexperienced too. However, if he mocks up, he can correct his mistake simply by throwing in a brand new PCB. The local service guy does not have this luxury and is forced to cover up any mistakes... (I know, because I've worked in this industry and I've seen both sides of the fence).
PeterComment
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Thanks Peter. I feel so much better now! Actually this shop has a great reputation and has been in business for many years. I think that is why they are backed up. I actually went back into the shop and it is very clean, well organized, etc. Anyway, I talked to the tech and he said he thought it sounded like a cross-grounded binding post. Hopefully something as simple as this. I guess if they screw it up, I'll send it back to Parasound then. When I talked to Paraasound they told me if I ever had any problem with an authorized service center I could ship the unit back to the factory and they would take care of it. Keeping my fingers crossed. Meanwhile, no superbowl in surround sound.Comment
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"I can see your unit lying there defenseless on the table being raped by an inexperienced service dude that could never afford to buy one for himself..."
Why did you have to put that image in my head Peter?! :PComment
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Ok, then I would say it's no problem! Knowing the people you have do deal with is always the best thing. In this case I would just bite my tongue and give them some more time! :TOriginally posted by GRBComment
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Hehe, sorry about that, but that's exactly the way I feel when I bring my 'vette in for service, and I know I would feel the same if I had to send in any of my Parasound gear for service :POriginally posted by nicholtl
PeterComment
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Bad capacitor boys. New one shipped from Parasound Monday. Should be replaced by the weekend. Only problem is now I may have to pull the cover off when I get it home just to make sure they didn't muck anything up in there. Thanks Peter, for giving me the paranoia! :unsure:Comment
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Have been busy lately and forgot to post. Got the 2205 back about 2 weeks ago. Wow, this amp rocks. Amazing with movie sound tracks. Biggest difference I have noticed with music is the smoother mids. Happy camper.Comment
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