Parasound Halo A51 5th Channel Problem.

[tboooe]

Mitch, any updates or progress???

[mitch57]

tboooe,

Yes. But not what I expected. Richard emailed me right back saying he would talk to Tony and get back to me. Basically he turned it back over to Tony who called me yesterday and I had to go through the whole issue all over again because he couldn't remember all the details.

Tony agreed to replace the 5th channel of the amp entirely. He also said there couldn't be much else that could be the problem. I questioned him about what he meant by "not much else could be causing the problem". He stated the only other possibilities would be the input and speaker lead connections.

At any rate, I'm definitely not getting the service that you got. They haven't agreed to replace the amp. Here's the correspondence I've had with Richard as of yesterday afternoon. I suggest you start from the bottom of the page and read up so you are starting from the beginning. I haven't heard back from Parasound since I sent him my response. What are your thoughts on this issue?

I already followed Tony's detailed suggestions previously when the problem was first occurring as I stated in my first email. As a matter of fact, Tony and I had several conversations and each time I followed his exact suggestions. In the end he agreed that the problem appeared to be with the amp based on all the suggestions he had me do to isolate the problem.

I talked to him just before noon today and he was trying to find parts to replace the 5th channel entirely since that is the only channel that ever exhibits the problem.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Richard Schram [mailto:richard@parasound.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 4:28 PM
To: 'Mitch Wayman'; paul@parasound.com
Cc: 'Tony Pointes'; 'Bob Entrop Jr.'
Subject: RE: On Going Problems with Halo A 51


Hi Mitch,

The A 51 has no way that an individual channel's level can drop by 10dB; it would either work or not work.

We subjected the A 51 to every sort of test we know of to induce a failure and it worked perfectly on all channels continuously while it was here.

Tony suggests that you call him again and try to do only what he suggests to isolate the source of the problem.
You can reach him tomorrow morning.

I'll keep an eye on this issue, to be sure.

Bst rgds,
Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: Mitch Wayman [mailto:mwayman@wavecable.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 02, 2006 11:29 PM
To: richard@parasound.com; paul@parasound.com
Subject: On Going Problems with Halo A 51


Hi,

I've been having a problem with my A 51 amplifier for going on two months now. It appears that the Amp's 5th channel is on it's way out. I started noticing the the 5th channel, which is connected to the surround right channel on my receiver, didn't seem to have much of a signal. I first noticed it while listening to DVD-A and multi channel SACDs. It just didn't seem like I was hearing much of a signal coming from the surround right channel and I could hear more music from the surround left.

My first thought was that I didn't have my receiver's (Denon 3805) speaker channel trim set right so I went into the setup menu and played some white noise through all the channels to do some comparisons. Sure enough the trim was set correctly and no matter how high I jacked it up I just couldn't get the volume out of the surround right that I could with the rest of the channels. So I started some in depth troubleshooting to find the root of the problem. I switched the speaker leads from the surround left to the surround right. The problem moved to the surround left speaker. That eliminated the speaker and the speaker wire.

Then I had to figure out if it was the receiver, amp or a interconnect. I switched the RCA interconnects going from my receiver to the amp and the problem was still there. Then I disconnected the pre out from my surround right on the receiver and the amp and hooked the speaker leads on the surround right to my receiver. The problem went away. As a final check I tried switching my pre outs on the receiver so the surround right was now connected to the surround left on the Amp. The problem stayed in the surround right speaker (the receiver saw it as the surround left). The bottom line is that anything that is plugged into the 5th channel on the Amp exhibits the problem. I can hear white noise coming from the channel but it's at least 10 db lower then the rest of the channels as measured with a Radio Shack SPL meter.

As per Tony's recommendation I also switched my inputs so that my front left speaker was plugged in to the 5th channel on the amp and my front right was plugged into the 4th channel on the amp. That way when the problem reoccurred I could play a stereo CD in "Pure Direct" mode to verify that the problem was not related to the receivers test tones. Sure enough, the front left channel was between 10 - 12 db lower then the front right channel. As soon as I unplugged the 5th channel from the amp and plugged that channels speaker lead into my receiver the problem went away.

In mid June I took the amp to an authorized service center in Tacoma, WA (The Service Department) which is 111 miles from my home. I paid $20.00 to have it serviced right away so I wouldn't have to wait long for the repair. They had the amp for about 5 days but could not duplicate the problem. I drove back down to Tacoma to pick up the amp and bring it back home. When I got the amp home I hooked it up and everything worked fine for about one week and then it started doing the same thing again. The amp works fine when I have the 5th channel disconnected. If I drive channels 1 - 4 with the amp and channel 5 with my receiver it never exhibits the problem.

At this point Tony Pointes agreed to issue a call tag for the amp. He tested the amp for over two weeks and found no problems with it. Through our many conversations over the phone for periodic updates he agreed that the symptoms I described pointed to the amp. But he also said that because of the intermittent behavior that I was experiencing he felt it would be difficult to reproduce. Which in fact was the case. He also told me that if he couldn't reproduce the problem he would have to send it back to me and that I would have to live with the problem until it failed consistently. While Tony was very helpful and committed to solving the problem I find his response totally unacceptable.

I bought the Halo A 51 based on recommendations, reviews, reputation and Bob Enthrop's commitment to providing me with a free in home trial with no obligation to buy. I do like the amp and enjoy listening to it on a daily basis when it works. That's why I agreed to buy it within just a few days of my in home audition. However, I did not buy the amp expecting to have intermittent problems with it within the first year of ownership.

I asked Tony to ship the amp back to the dealer (Speaker Lab in Seattle, WA) where I bought the amp, which incidentally is 75 miles from my home, so they could test it in a real world environment similar to my environment at home. They have had the amp for over a week but the service has been less then stellar. I asked them to give me periodic updates on their progress but instead I have had to call them each time. I talked to Chris at Speaker Lab yesterday and he said he found another problem with it. He said when he set the volume level to a certain level (I suspect a low level. He gave me 50 as an example on his Integra receiver which was hooked up to the A51.) and he said the amp just shuts off. It doesn't trip the overload/overheat circuits, it just shuts off. I told him he probably had the "Auto Turn On Switch" set to "Audio to turn on the amp which I find very unreliable and have seen where a low signal will cause the amp to trigger off.. I use the 12 v trigger to power on the amp at home. He also said he called Parasound yesterday to report the problem but you were closed at the time so he left a message. I asked him to call me today with an update on what he found with the "Auto Turn On Switch" as well as what Parasound tech support had to say about the issue. He never called me back with an update as I requested.

The bottom line is that I am very frustrated with this whole affair. The dealer, Parasound's tech support, the authorized service center all agreed based on our conversations and the troubleshooting I did as recommended by them that the problem was most likely the amp. So here I sit rapidly approaching two months with no resolution to the problem in sight. As I stated previously, I like the amp but don't think I would purchase another Parasound product nor recommend it to others based on the fact that I still don't have a resolution to the problem with my amp nor do I see any light at the end of the tunnel.

Regards,

Mitch Wayman
mwayman@wavecable.com

[Peter Nielsen]

You got to wonder why on earth did they not replace the 5th channel in the very first place. That would have been the natural thing to do since they could not locate the problem...

Anyway, that should definitely fix the problem. (Sounds a bit like Parasound don't think there's anything wrong with the amp).

Peter

[mitch57]

You got to wonder why on earth did they not replace the 5th channel in the very first place. That would have been the natural thing to do since they could not locate the problem...

Anyway, that should definitely fix the problem. (Sounds a bit like Parasound don't think there's anything wrong with the amp).

Peter

My sentiments exactly! Yet through numerous phone conversations with Tony the end result was that he felt their was definitely a problem with the amp after doing all the things he suggested. Just because they can't reproduce it doesn't mean there isn't a problem.

I had it for more then a week after the first time it went in for repair and the problem didn't surface until about the 10th day after it came back from the shop.

Bottom line is that I'm not a "Happy Camper" about the way this whole affair has been handled up to this point. I still haven't gotten a response back from Richard. It sounds like he for sure doesn't believe there is anything wrong with the amp.

Very frustrating to say the least. It's down right depressing if you ask me.

[Peter Nielsen]

Very frustrating to say the least. It's down right depressing if you ask me.

They definitely treat customers differently... I'm sorry you ended up pulling the short straw :cry:

Anyway, I don't think that Parsound is that much different than other US companies in this respect. If you want an equal and fair system, you need to buy from a communist company :

Peter

[tboooe]

Mitch I am very sorry you are unhappy. I cant say that I am 100% happy with my Halo gear either. In fact I am in the process of upgrading away from Parasound. I personally have had too many issues with their products. I am sure it is a very nice product but perhaps I am just unlucky like you. My natural inclination will be to swtich to another brand. Its hard to enjoy an expensive piece of gear when you have doubts or an negative emotion attached to it.

Again, I am sorry and I hope you do find a resolution.

[Peter Nielsen]

I've had no issues with them. They have beautiful products and excellent service, IMHO.

It seems like having a good dealer is paramount though. (Read: Buy from Brent Huskins :W )

I sold my C2... At times, I question whether it was a wise move or not. The more I research things, I end up with only two good solutions: Get a $30k Tact/Boz system, or keep the 2 JC1s I still have not sold and buy a new C2 and an A51 to restore my setup. A much less costly solution that leaves a lot of money in the bank - and is almost just as good without the tech-geek-wiz factor :B

There's a lot of equipment that looks great out there, but once you research it, it all pales...

If looks are important, there is probably nothing that can beat Parasound Halo...

Peter

[mitch57]

I talked to Tony at Parasound again today. He is going to issue a call tag (AGAIN) to have the amp picked up from Speaker Lab and returned to him so he can replace the 5th channel. Then they will ship it back to me.

I would have bought from Brent if I had known about him when I made the purchase. However, I first wanted to audtition it first and Paul Enthrop, who is the distributor in my area, made arrangements to get me one to demo in my home without obligation to buy. I liked the amp and bought it but it had to go through a dealer and the closest dealer in my area was Speaker Lab. In hind site I wouldn't do it again.

Brent Huskins,

Can you turn back time so I can buy this amp from you and if I have a problem with it you will make sure it gets taken care of? Just kidding!

There is a dealer in my area who doesn't carry Parasound gear but he carries many other lines. I know from friends who have dealt with him and I know his reputation. If I had the same problem with one of his products I can guarantee that he would have replaced it as many times as necessary to fix the problem without all the runaround I have gotten from both Speaker Lab and Parasound.

Speaker Lab is not a dealer I will be recommending in the future and at this juncture I won't be recommending Parasound products either. Parasound to this day continues to tell me that they will take care of me. When? As Peter said, why didn't they take care of me in the beginning? Why didn't they replace the 5th channel or the amp the first time?

tboooe,

Let me know what you upgrade to and how you like it. Maybe I will follow suite.

[Micke.H]

From: Richard Schram [mailto:richard@parasound.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 4:28 PM
To: 'Mitch Wayman'; paul@parasound.com
Cc: 'Tony Pointes'; 'Bob Entrop Jr.'
Subject: RE: On Going Problems with Halo A 51


Hi Mitch,

The A 51 has no way that an individual channel's level can drop by 10dB; it would either work or not work.

No way ! I just got the same problem on mine A52 ....
Does Richard knows his own products ?
Hmm

[mitch57]

From: Richard Schram [mailto:richard@parasound.com]
Sent: Thursday, August 03, 2006 4:28 PM
To: 'Mitch Wayman'; paul@parasound.com
Cc: 'Tony Pointes'; 'Bob Entrop Jr.'
Subject: RE: On Going Problems with Halo A 51


Hi Mitch,

The A 51 has no way that an individual channel's level can drop by 10dB; it would either work or not work.

No way ! I just got the same problem on mine A52 ....
Does Richard knows his own products ?
Hmm

Apparently not. Please email him and let them know that you are having the same problem. I'm not very pleased with Parasound at this point. Let us know what you find out.

[bhuskins]

I really think you guys are going about this the wrong way...

Emailing Richard, Paul, Tony or Bob and then posting it here is not going to get you anywhere. Don't think that your posting here goes unread by Parasound. It very likely is read. If I was any manufacturer (not just Parasound) and knew before hand that it was unlikely to please a certain customer under any circumstance at this point in the repair, likely I would cut my losses and not bend over backwards trying. Patience is always a must with ANY manufacturer when it comes to problems and 2 months is not out of line. Do I prefer a 1 week turnaround and no more issues, SURE, but it just doesn't always go that way. When a company thoroughly tests an item out for an extended period and it works perfectly the whole time they have it, they are going to have a problem spending additional resources to fix it when there is nothing to fix. There's a chance when you get the 5th channel replaced that the problem will continue...then what?

Granted your problem showed back up, but it's still inconsistent with Parasound's findings and there could be an electrical power issue or something else...I'm not suggesting that you've missed something but there's a very small chance that you could have (we all could have...including Parasound.) That's really not the point.

Your 1st "mistake" was taking it to someone other than your dealer or Parasound directly...especially when the repair shop is complaining about how little they make, etc. BUT, since that aggravation (that was out of the hands of Parasound) you've not been happy. Basically you started out on the wrong foot when dealing directly with Parasound.

If I'm not mistaken Parasound has paid for all other transport expenses since the 1st shipment, correct? Likely around $70 each way. A lot of manufacturers would NEVER issue a call tag under any circumstance - that goes for most of the other PrePro companies out there. Be patient and I'm sure you'll get a reasonable outcome.

In addition to being patient directly with Parasound, my suggestion is to ride your dealer as hard as possible until you get the service you expect. Talk to the owner of the company or the person that's the real boss at the location. They are the ones that profited from your purchase (I know that Parasound did as well, but the dealer is really the one that brokered the deal and should be the one to broker the solution for you in a manner that gives you satisfaction.

Parasound really is a great company to work with and they are very consistent when it comes to service. Tony has been with the company a long time and definitely knows the product inside and out. The biggest thing to realize is that they aren't out to screw you over, just have a little patience and all will be just fine I'm sure.

Just food for thought.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

[bhuskins]

One other thing...When talking to the owner of the AV company, get him to give you a loaner. Then you've alleviated all of your concerns in the short term. I would always do that for my local customers if it is available. In a situation like this, I would break down a demo setup just to get the situation back on track.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

[mitch57]

One other thing...When talking to the owner of the AV company, get him to give you a loaner. Then you've alleviated all of your concerns in the short term. I would always do that for my local customers if it is available. In a situation like this, I would break down a demo setup just to get the situation back on track.

Brent Huskins
Media Design

I've been talking to the owner of Speaker Lab since the beginning and frankly he doesn't seem to know whether he is coming or going. The last time I talked to him he said he hooked up my amp and tested it once and didn't find a problem with it so he put it back in the shipping box. The next day I talked to another person who I had talked to previously about testing my amp. He said he personally hooked up the amp and it had been hooked up the whole time and was never put back in the box. Every time I talk to the owner I get a different story. As some have said in this thread, finding a good dealer is paramount in being a satisfied customer.

I've personally dealt with other dealers that when a problem arises with one of their lines they replace the product rather then put the customer through the rigors of trying to get it repaired. I've personally seen one particular dealer replace a product twice when two different problems surfaced on two processors. In the end the customer was happy and didn't lose faith in the reputation and quality of the product. In this particular case the product was an Arcam processor.

The bottom line is that my dealer is not taking care of the problem. Just for the record, the service center I took it to is an authorized Parasound service center. Granted, they aren't the manufacturer but I was trying to save time by having them look at the amp first since it didn't invlove the cost of shipping.

While I'm not an amplifier technician I am a computer technician and whenever a customer complains of a problem we attempt to duplicate the problem in the same or similar environment that the customer experiences the problem. In both cases Parasound and the Service Department only ran tests on channels 4 and 5. When the problem occurs the amp is driving all 5 channels not just two. Granted the problem is consistently with channel 5 but isn't that channel being provided power from the same transformer as the other 4 channels?

I also find it quite unsettling that Tony would suggest to a customer that they will just have to live with their intermittent problem until it fails consistently. If you brought your car in for service because of an intermittent brake failure and the service technician told you they couldn't duplicate the problem so you would just have to live with it until it fails consistently how would you feel as the customer?

Also, from what I've been reading Parasound treats some customers differently then others. I've seen in this very thread where Parasound replaced an amp when a customer complained of a problem he was having with his amp. According to Peter you yourself replaced a processor that he was having problems with rather then send it in for repair. And you did it within a few days.

Sure I could have sent it to Parasound in the beginning but what would that have accomplished? I would still be in the same boat that I'm in right now.

Also, your assumption that I can't be satisfied is incorrect. I can be satisfied. Replace or repair the amp and I will be satisfied.

[Peter Nielsen]

Also, from what I've been reading Parasound treats some customers differently then others. I've seen in this very thread where Parasound replaced an amp when a customer complained of a problem he was having with his amp. According to Peter you yourself replaced a processor that he was having problems with rather then send it in for repair. And you did it within a few days.

What I did was that I talked to my dealer, Brent first. I told him that my C2 went dead just by doing a software update. Brent called Parasound, and arranged for me to send the unit directly to them. They looked at it, and could not fix it quickly, so they sent me a brand new unit.

Since my dealer had talked to Parasound first, they knew that they had to get the problem fixed soon, or the problem would become the dealer's problem.

Go back in time: When you first opened that brand spanking new A51 box, you were greeted with a big white scary label with red text saying that now it's a good time to make sure that your A51 is eligible for Parasound warranty service, and that it's your dealer's responsability.

Parasound has never said that they agree to help customers directly. Right there on the box it says that from the minute you open up the box, you're at the dealer's mercy...

So, remember this. When you buy Parasound it is the DEALER that is responsible to make sure that you get your unit serviced, not Parasound. It's a chain of command YOU<=>DEALER<=>PARASOUND

So, yeah, a customer that is backed up by a reputable dealer is probably treated differently than a customer without dealer. It makes perfect sense when you think about Parasound's business structure.

Peter

[mitch57]

What I did was that I talked to my dealer, Brent first. I told him that my C2 went dead just by doing a software update. Brent called Parasound, and arranged for me to send the unit directly to them. They looked at it, and could not fix it quickly, so they sent me a brand new unit.

Since my dealer had talked to Parasound first, they knew that they had to get the problem fixed soon, or the problem would become the dealer's problem.

Go back in time: When you first opened that brand spanking new A51 box, you were greeted with a big white scary label with red text saying that now it's a good time to make sure that your A51 is eligible for Parasound warranty service, and that it's your dealer's responsability.

Parasound has never said that they agree to help customers directly. Right there on the box it says that from the minute you open up the box, you're at the dealer's mercy...

So, remember this. When you buy Parasound it is the DEALER that is responsible to make sure that you get your unit serviced, not Parasound. It's a chain of command YOU<=>DEALER<=>PARASOUND

So, yeah, a customer that is backed up by a reputable dealer is probably treated differently than a customer without dealer. It makes perfect sense when you think about Parasound's business structure.

Peter

I don't disagree with anything you are saying. Unfortunately "My Dealer" isn't taking care of me. Buyer beware. How the heck was I suppose to know that my dealer wouldn't take care of me when I had a problem? He's the only retail dealer in my area and the only one who agreed to let me demo the unit before I bought it which had to be done through the distributor.

As I have stated before, I originally went through my dealer who politely told me to bring them the amp and they would ship it to either the authorized service center or Parasound (which ever I preferred) for repair. Doesn't make much sense for me to drive 75 miles one way just to have the dealer send it in for repair and bill me for shipping charges now does it? I can put it in the box and take it to the UPS store down the street and ship it to Parasound directly.

If Parasound issues me an RMA # which is the same thing they would do with the dealer and my dealer is doing nothing other then being the middle man why would I go through the dealer and spend the extra time, money and gas? As you stated Peter, a good dealer would have followed up and stayed on top of what the status of the repair was. I can't even get my dealer to call me unless I call them first. I asked my dealer to call me after he researched the problem with the audio sensing trigger. He didn't.... I had to call him.

The bottom line here is buy from a good dealer who will take care of you after the sale. I guess I didn't do my home work before I whipped out the credit card. That does bring up a good questioin though. How do you ensure that the potential dealer is going to take care of you after the sale? Ask for references from the dealer of people he has sold to and who had repair issues that the dealer had to take care of?

Live and Learn...

[bhuskins]

Just for the record, the service center I took it to is an authorized Parasound service center. Granted, they aren't the manufacturer but I was trying to save time by having them look at the amp first since it didn't invlove the cost of shipping.

As an FYI, I would never take any brand of product to be repaired to a local service center, unless that was the only choice the manufacturer offered. You're never going to get the same service.

I also find it quite unsettling that Tony would suggest to a customer that they will just have to live with their intermittent problem until it fails consistently. If you brought your car in for service because of an intermittent brake failure and the service technician told you they couldn't duplicate the problem so you would just have to live with it until it fails consistently how would you feel as the customer?

No offense to Tony, but he can be rather direct when he should probably sugar coat it a little. I actually commend Tony's very open and honest answer, but some customers may not see it that way.

Actually, suppose you owned a nice Mercedes and when driving you found that the brakes felt bad or failed in some manner. You took it in and they can't duplicate it under any circumstance over many tests, etc. I can guarantee that they won't just replace all the brakes as a precaution. It just doesn't work that way. They'll likely give you a run around answer as well versus Tony's blunt and honest answer.

Also, from what I've been reading Parasound treats some customers differently then others. I've seen in this very thread where Parasound replaced an amp when a customer complained of a problem he was having with his amp. According to Peter you yourself replaced a processor that he was having problems with rather then send it in for repair. And you did it within a few days.

Both of these customers are mine, granted, but I don't feel that they give me any sort of special treatment when it comes to warranty service. If I put in a call to the right person, the situation will always be handled appropriately. The point is I've only had to call a couple times. Most repairs that I've had with Parasound don't require the follow up because they are easy to diagnose and repair. It's the 1 week and back scenario where all is better.

Sure I could have sent it to Parasound in the beginning but what would that have accomplished?

Likely quicker resolution...You would already have had Parasound look at it twice versus just once and that would definitely change the situation.

Also, your assumption that I can't be satisfied is incorrect. I can be satisfied. Replace or repair the amp and I will be satisfied.

I was just looking at your comments earlier about how you wouldn't buy another Parasound product and wouldn't recommend it to others...what am I missing?

Finally, I would add, that I assume your dealer has yet to call Parasound directly about all of this. Maybe to arrange shipping it back, but not a discussion on getting the situation behind them. If you get him on your side, you'll likely get this resolved in your favor.

[mitch57]

Finally, I would add, that I assume your dealer has yet to call Parasound directly about all of this. Maybe to arrange shipping it back, but not a discussion on getting the situation behind them. If you get him on your side, you'll likely get this resolved in your favor.

Get him on my side? He agreed based on the over the phone trouble shooting that we did that the problem was in the amp. Do I have to beg the dealer to get involved and take care of the problem?

Again, as I stated previously a good dealer would have taken the "Bull by the Horns" and handled the situation from the get go. Do your customers have to beg you take care of their problems? Not from what I've heard. All the feed back I hear about your customer service is very positive.

If I bought the amp from you and called you about the issue would you not take care of it from that point forward? The way I understand it from reading your posts and your customer's posts the answer would be yes.

I've heard others complain about my dealer's service in the past. Unfortunately I didn't hear about it until after I bought the amp from them.

[bhuskins]

Get him on my side? He agreed based on the over the phone trouble shooting that we did that the problem was in the amp. Do I have to beg the dealer to get involved and take care of the problem?

Again, as I stated previously a good dealer would have taken the "Bull by the Horns" and handled the situation from the get go. Do your customers have to beg you take care of their problems? Not from what I've heard. All the feed back I hear about your customer service is very positive.

If I bought the amp from you and called you about the issue would you not take care of it from that point forward? The way I understand it from reading your posts and your customer's posts the answer would be yes.

I've heard others complain about my dealer's service in the past. Unfortunately I didn't hear about it until after I bought the amp from them.

Do you have to beg...I would hope not, but you may have to kick and scream a little being that he's not very responsive. What I'm getting at is that this is where your complaints should be vocalized. We know that your dealer is a bit of a dud, so he made need "aggressive" discussions to get him on the same page.

The dealer does make the difference though. Not to toot my horn, but when buying AV gear on the upper end of the spectrum it becomes very important.

[mitch57]

You know what they say... "Hind Sight is 20-20". If I would have known before hand I would have purchased else where. But there aren't any other dealers in my area and I don't know what Parasound's policies are when purchasing outside of the customer's home area. Could I have purchased from you? I'm in Washington state so I don't know how that would have worked.

[Micke.H]

Yeeeahhh

I Know Whats Wrong :B I talked to the "repairman" on the phone today and he said its fixxed now just come and get it :T
The problem was thath my centerchannel was getting to much Current/Power in idle mode so it went hot too hot :M so it put it self in som kind of standby...
He just tuned the third channel`s current/power so it became just as hot as the other channels ond voila it works as it schould ;x( ;x(
He said it must have been som manufactor error :E
My English is so so...i hope you understood .
Best regards

[Peter Nielsen]

Micke,

This problem is usually caused by shipping and not by factory error. The potentiometer used to set the idle current is an electromechanical component. Its position can possibly be dislocated during shipping...

Peter

[Micke.H]

Peter,
Not correct according to what i have been told...
Micke

[Peter Nielsen]

Peter,
Not correct according to what i have been told...
Micke

So he replaced or changed some components then?

If he only trimmed the idle current, then the problem was probably that the setting had changed in shipping. (I've read about this problem with JC-1s too).

Peter

[Micke.H]

I hope that Mitch57 finally can get his Parasound fixed now...I think he have the same problem that i had .
Micke

[mitch57]

I hope that Mitch57 finally can get his Parasound fixed now...I think he have the same problem that i had .
Micke

Did he replace the channel that was having problems in your amp?

[Peter Nielsen]

Did he replace the channel that was having problems in your amp?

No, Micke already said that all they did was to adjust the idle current.

Checking that the idle current is within specs is a good thing to do in any case, so tell them to check that on all 5 channels...

Peter

[bhuskins]

The idle current may not be adjustable in the A51/A52's like it is in the JC1. That may have been what Richard was talking about...in that there's no way to "adjust" for Mitch's problem.

[Micke.H]

How did you think my repairman fixed my problem bhuskins?
Read what i wrote above.....

[bhuskins]

I know what you wrote but I'm still raising the question.

[mitch57]

GREAT NEWS!!!! The Parasound Rep for my area, Bob Entrop, Jr., emailed me today in support of my problem. I told him that Tony Pointes @ Parasound had changed the 5th channel of my amp and sent it back to me. It's due to arrive Monday. He also told me that if I still had problems he would persist in getting Parasound to replace the amp. He said that he was in contact with Paul at Parasound in regards to my situation.

Next thing I know about an hour Later after exchanging emails with Bob, Tony at Parasound calls me to inform me that he is issueing another call tag to have the amp picked up as soon as it's delivered to me. Once they get it he will ship me a brand new amp! YA Hoo!!! arty: My confidence in Parasound has been restored!!! I owe it all to Bob ;x( for getting involved and working with Parasound to get me a new amp. As many here have said choosing the right dealer is very important when buying higher end A/V equipment. Unfortunatley Speaker Lab fell far short in this area forcing Bob to pick up the pieces.

I have no doubt that if I were able to get in touch with Bob early on in the process I would have already had a new amp by now. It's now very apparent how important this forum is to Parasound. They do read what's being posted here as some of you have stated. I'm sure my dissatisfaction with the way the process was going and my vocalization about that process on this forum had something to do with the end results.

I am now one Happy Camper and feel confident that Parasound will take care of me in the future. I would like to thank all of you who have posted your comments and opinions in response to my post.

Case Closed!!! :T

[Chris D]

I'll give a big banana for that one: :banana: or what about the dancing banana? :dancenana:

[r100gs]

Mitch, That is great news! I hope they read this forum because I'm looking forward to the JC2.

[bhuskins]

:dancenana:

Gotta like the :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana: :dancenana:

[nbourbaki]

Glad to hear your problem has a happy ending!

[Peter Nielsen]

Yeah, that's the Parasound I know! They're usually very quick with replacing a faulty product. I don't know any other brand that offers this level of service. Sorry you had to go through all those hoops to get it done...

Anyway, all's well that ends well :T

Peter

[Chris D]

Yes, you can be assured that discussions here do make their way back to Parasound.

[mitch57]

Yes, you can be assured that discussions here do make their way back to Parasound.

Yes indeed! Bob Entrop who is the distributor in my area made that pretty clear. He said Parasound would be much happier having someone post good comments about Parasound then have a disgruntled owner post bad things about their products. He also made reference to a certain "Parasound" forum having quite a bit of clout. He didn't mention which site/forum but I think we all know which site he was referring to... now don't we?

I'm really physched about getting my brand new amp. They delivered my old one yesterday. It's still sitting in the box waiting for the call tag. I hope to have the new one by the end of this week or early next week. YAAAAA HOOOO!!! I've really missed it.

[Chris D]

... and that does go for both the good and the bad, here in Club Parasound, getting back to the company.