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Problem RB1080
I have a RB1080 that is less than 3 years old and has blown the left channel 3 times. I am running a Niles speaker box for 3 sets of speakers of which only 2 are running at the same time. Although still under warranty, the repair rep is telling me that Niles boxes are a problem (although this was recommended to me by an authorized repair dealer after the 1st time it blew.) Does anyone know if this unit can actually handle more than 1 pr of speakers running through a Niles box? ?
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I suggest you do a search for RB 1080 blown channel issues here at Club Rotel. There have been many, but none that sound quite like yours, or go back as far as yours.Jerry Rappaport -
Good looking does not mean good reaabilityComment
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lvhung, what if you think that Rotel amps are not particularly good looking?
OK, OK, I'll wash my mouth out with soap.
Sorry that this post wasn't at all helpful for you atinaebud! I don't have an answer for your problem.Comment
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When u say "blown channel" do you mean a fuse that has blown or the electronics got fried ?
Electronics being fired I have not heard of on a 1080 ... if so get it straight back to dealer for another unit. Fuses on the other hand - blow plenty ... nature of the beast. Mines gone at least 3 times in 18mnths (always left channel oddly)... but I live with it - there is a "fix" for this but honestly its more bother to me getting the unit in to have it done than changing fuses occasionally.
Also I really dont want to change the charatcter of the sound at all - you never know what might change sound wise after the "fix".
Rgds Steve.Comment
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I have read that the sound does change with the fix. There was a thread a month or two ago where a few people were discussing it.Originally posted by StevebezComment
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Hi,
The RB-1080 is not rated for speaker loads below 4 ohms. Most speakers (even with 8 ohm ratings) have quite widely varying impedances which drop to around 4-5 Ohms. Indeed 4 ohm rated speakers cam drop to around 2 ohms. The speaker switch box you are using will (almost certainly) be putting the two speakers in parallel... Which will halve their impedance to (for at least part of the frequency range) below the RB-1080's rated limits. This will be straining your amplifier and (most likely) is the cause of the blow fuses or channels.Does anyone know if this unit can actually handle more than 1 pr of speakers running through a Niles box? ?
If it is fuses that are blowing they are particularly speaker sensitive - so you need ot only play one speaker at once or get a new amp, or change your switch so the speakers are wired in series not parallel (thus doubling the impedance and creating a safe load).
GeoffComment
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I was going to reply the same Geoff, ya beat me to it, and also, stevebez, I would use caution feeling it is the nature of the beast, as one day you will replace a fuse, and the new one will go instantly. Eventuaully you will fatigue a component enough to get the electronic failure you refer to. It is truely the nature of the beast.....Comment
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What's the model number of the switch box? Most 4 or more switch boxes actually wire in a resistor so that no mater how many speakers you have on the amp will never see a bad load. Of course I haven't seen a three out model before, so that may not be the case.
In addition, a lot of them have 'protection' switches that can disable the resistor for better sound when only running one set. If that is off, clicking on the second set can cause issues.
Kevin D.Comment
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Speak of the bloody devil ... right channel popped last night.
First time I really "caught it in the act". When turning the unit off I heard a "tick" on the right channel - got suspicious and when tried to turn it on again - toast.
O well, at least the "repair" is not too much work for me... but I am a little concernd about longevity of the unit.
It seems mbe some grounding / isolation issue on the 12v trigger and the capacitors discharging... pure guess though - at least I caught it in the act though!
Rgds Steve.
Edit: At least the unit seems to be doing its job protecting the speakers though.Comment
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Indeed, I have blown my RB-1080 serveral times as well, even though I upgraded to the 8A fuses. There is an upgrade available through Rotel (capacitors and resistors I believe), but I don't want to be without it that long. So in order compensate, I leave the 1080 on without utilizing the 12v trigger, and it hasn't blown since.
Regards,
AzekeComment
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I would be more than happy to leave mine on if after 3 weeks of stalling and beating around the bush I could get Rotel to do something other than send me more email asking questions about everything except what color underwear I have on. It
is pretty annoying when I can not get any customer satisfaction and am seriously considering turning this over to the Attorney General in Massachussettes.........Comment
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Again, what is the model of your speaker switch box? Are you using the 12v trigger with the 1080?
We're trying to help, but we need some information from you. There is a fix available if we can determine it's the same known problem.
Thanks,
Kevin D.Comment
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Perhaps you may want to try a more conservative approach, before persuing such drastic measures.Originally posted by atinaebud
Have you called Rotel directly?
Is this a used RB-1080?
What does your dealer/seller have to say?
Provide a little further information as KevinD suggested, we may be able to assist you.
Peace and blessings,
AzekeComment
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I've had some private contact with Bob and feel that it is the same 12v trigger problem everyone else has had. It's blown in three different setups, once before the speaker selector was even installed. We use similar speaker selectors every week and never have any issues, they are fairly simply devices.
I'll get in contact with Rotel and see if we can't get the upgrade done.
Thanks,
Kevin D.Comment
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Thanks
I looked at my previous repair tickets. The first repair in Fla. which I used the Radio Shack box, replaced the 6.3a fuses and did the routine THX and trigger check. He was the one who recommended the Niles SPS4 box. The second repair occured about 18 months later wih only my Revel F50 and Fisher XP 10 speakers wired into the Niles box. That repair ticket which I just looked at had the fuses changed to 8A and the caps to 1000uf, the THX and trigger device ckecked. I got the unit back from that repair in June, and in August it blew once more, barely 2 months later. Personal info, I am 58, use this system primarily for DVD's, classical music and listening to either Jazz or some Rock and Roll. My head banging days are long gone, and I exercised extreme caution when using it after the second failure. I have a cooling fan over the left channel which is on everytime the unit is on and what strikes me is the fact that the unit never shuts down from a power overload but blows fuses, I believe on startup. I have asked Andrew Shaw at Rotel about keeping it constantly on and his reply was that because it didn't have to warm up it would sound better. BUT, would it solve the problem. I realize that trouble shooting is an extremely difficult task as my wife did it for Lucent Technology a few years back and I remember the troubles she had. Most people here do not think it is the Niles box, and I have been totally honest with Andrew and all of you as to what I have done. Andrew wanted all system components, type and length of speaker wire, and model and ohms of my 3 sets of speakers. He continuously reverts to using only one set at a time, but when I bought the unit I went out of my way to tell the salesman I had the Fishers and wanted something to run them. It was he who recommended Rotel and the Revels, knowing full well I was planning to use the Fishers also. Heck, I didn't even know Rotel existed and he could have sold me any of the other brands he carried. I went with his recommendation but made sure he knew exactly what I was going to do. I would dearly love to find the root cause of this issue so if it is something I am doing, I can correct it. However, the consensus here and with others i have talked to is that it is not my wires, speakers, or the Niles box. I guess that leaves Rotel and operator error????Comment
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thanks
Thanks for all your helpOriginally posted by atinaebudComment
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I am surprised to hear the cap repair did not solve the issue - - but I think they need to replace a resistor/s as well ... anyhow I think Kevin is on the case.
Sorry to hear you having such a bad experince - but hopefully they can get the unit 100% for you soon.
Rgds Steve.Comment
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RB 1080 Problem
HI, You may have fixed your 1080 issue by now by just in case you are still having problems , here is a suggestion. I had a similar problem (overheating which could lead to a blown fuse) with a Niles box in my connection to a 1080 and discovered that the box has a common ground for the speakers connected to it which allows the box to put speakers in parallel or series. You could cause ground or low resistence problems for the 1080 based on your connections. The best approach is to use a selector that isolates each set of connections you want to make to the 1080. I found a 3 selector switch that works but I cannot remember the name and it is not on the switch. If you still need to know, let me know and I will get try to find the manufacture's name. I know it's a well known company that I think I found by searching on speaker selection switches. You can send me an e-mail at pwgundy@msn.com.Comment
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