RB-1080 LCh. out, but fuses OK..?

[marekk]

RB-1080 LCh. out, but fuses OK..?
I have the amp only 3 months and did not use it in any extreme aplication...

[Andrew Pratt]

There are at least two fuses are you sure they're all ok?

[JDH]

RB-1080 LCh. out, but fuses OK..?
I have the amp only 3 months and did not use it in any extreme aplication...

There is a fuse on the outside and 2 fuses per channel on the inside, I would suspect your RB-1080 will be suffering from the blown left channel fuse, I had a fuse that looked OK but when I put the multi-meter across the fuse it was open circuit. I had the left channel failure 4 times on my RB-1080, on one occasion I also had a resistor fail in combination with the fuse. You will probably need to have the fuse/resistor/capacitor upgrade done by Rotel.

Search this newsgroup for RB-1080 left channel fuse failure and you will see what I mean. Below is an extract of an email I received from Rotel on why the RB-1080 needs an upgrade.

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Our Service Dept. advised yesterday that parts had arrived and will be fitted to your replacement amp in the next day or two.
Reports from both the UK and USA are calling this a full cure for the problem.
One pint that is now clear is that it is connected to the type of speaker cable and speakers used. Out of the 1000s of units now in use world wide only a small number has shown this problem.

We will be replacing the 6.3A use with 8A, the capacitors are changed to a higher temperature rating and the resistor is having its power rating increased.

[mpauline]

Same problem!

My 1080 has lost the left channel again. This is the third time. I have asked my dealer now for the amp to be replaced. I don't know what the problem is but I don't believe that it has anything to do with the speaker wire.

I have changed my interconnects and hooked up different speakers in different configurations to the 1080. Why is it that it is always the left channel that goes. No problems with my RMB 1095 when using the same interconnects, speaker wire, and speakers. Quite frankly I have had enough of Rotel's stories on this amp and am tired of having to constantly take my amp to the dealer for service. :M

Mark

[Mitchell]

My 1080 is at Rotel for the second time right now as well. While the dealer and Rotel are definitely taking responsibility and dealing with the situation I will be looking into a replacement as well. I intend to call them about it tomorrow. A lawyer friend of mine said that if enough people experience the problem a class action lawsuit might be a consideration. I am not sure if the NY lemon law applies to electronics but it may and supposedly says that a product in need of repair for the same defect three times should be replaced or money refunded.
I am told that the first fix was not correct as the temp rating of the caps was too low. They will be the correct caps this time.
I feel for the dealers who have to take the heat for this. Mine, Stereo Exchange in NY has been good about expediting and making a bad situation better. I have heard nothing about speaker/cable issues and I am using B&W speakers which I assume since they are related companies should work well with Rotel. My cable is a name brand high end cable.
The real shame of it is that when it works the equiment is great and at a very reasonable price.

[marekk]

Both left internal fuses were replaced but the channel condition is still dead.
I think that it is a shame when Rotel trys to service the RB-1080 for second or third time for the same problem, and I strongly believe that they should have replaced our amps (especially if this is such a small amount of the defective units, as they claim).
For now - mine was sent out to Rotel by my Connecticut dealer and I did not hear anything yet from Rotel (I sent them an e-mail describing the problem, but it's probably too soon). We will see what will be next...

[mpauline]

Marekk,

I agree with you 100%. I think that given the small failure rate, as claimed by Rotel, that they should replace the amps after 3 failed attempts to fix the problem.

Now my dealer has told me that the "local service center" failed to understand the scope of the problem with my 1080. Therefore my amp is being sent to Rotel for an upgrade of the fuses, capacitors, and who knows what else. The sad thing is that my dealer told me that it must be a problem with my set-up as he has sold many of them without any problems. I then told him about this amazing site and the information that we share, both good and bad. His response was to phone Rotel and find that according to Rotel there is a problem with some of their 1080's. So tomorrow I send my amp off for repair for the third, or is it fourth time. Regardless this is the last time I intend to suffer the same fate with this amp.

Mark

[marekk]

Yes - they should replace the bad amps and not have us suffer a nightmare with sending the amps to Rotel, and, what worse, just waiting for that horrible moment when the amp will fail again - and most likely it will as we learnt already, because if it fails once then it fails again due to its faulty construction...

[Mitchell]

My 1080 is on its way back from Rotel after its second blown channel issue. I talked with Rotel directly and heres what I have learned.
The fuses and capacitors do need to be upgraded. Originally Rotel thought that a they were supplied a bad batch of capacitors and replaced them with newer ones and a larger fuse. What they found out was that the capacitors were fine but that they needed to be rated for a higher temp as they broke down after a while and went out of tolerence and then blew fuses.
My original repair had been with newer caps at the same value. The latest repair (now) has the upgraded caps and Rotel believes it should work.
According to the specs the original caps should have worked and do in many cases. This info was found out in the last few months. My first repair was in Oct.
As a seperate issue it IS Rotels policy to REPLACE any unit that comes in for repair on the SAME issue THREE times.
If this has not been your experience you need to call Rotel directly. Shane at Rotel tech was clear on that. I hope this has been helpful.

[Azeke]

Thanks for the update Mitchell, keep us posted. I will be shipping my 1080 out for the upgrade during my summer vacation.

Good luck,

Azeke

[marekk]

As for my RB-1080 that was sent to Rotel on 6/7 with LCH down, it wasn't looked at (or into..?) yet... But the Rotel rep. promisses the job well done and both channels modified so the sound will be balanced. Wait and see (or hear)...