New RB-1080 and no left channel!

[Azeke]

I actually have had this issue for awhile now (3 blown left channels), and I have now received the 8 amp fuses from Rotel. I will perform the switch soon. Rotel supports says the 8 amp fuse solves most of the blown channel issues (approximately 90%, according to tech support).

My thoughts are similar to Geoff's, I wish to keep my amp at home, but if the replacement caps resolve the issue, I too would not hesitate to ship. Who knows, maybe replacing the caps also makes this 1080 sound better (wishful thinking perhaps).

We will see said the blind man, as he grabbed his hammer and nails.

Regards,

Azeke

[Mitchell]

According to Rotel it happens to 1 in a hundred. They cannot duplicate the problem in the shop so they are not entirely sure why it is happening.
Rotel says that all evidence indicates that the upgraded capacitors and fuses fixes the problem for good.
Mine has been back from the shop for a week and it is fine - so far.
Some people seem to feel that the 12v trigger has something to do with it but Rotel sees no connection as it does not cause cause any problems in the shop. I mentioned spearmints idea about inadequate power and a power surge as a cause and that seemed to resonate with the Rotel tech. They have ample power. In my own apt in NYC when I turn on the amp I see a slight flicker in nearby lamps for a second.

[Spearmint]

In my own apt in NYC when I turn on the amp I see a slight flicker in nearby lamps for a second.

This is what I was referring to, causing a brief brown out or sag in the supply, and on the other side an inrush of current.

Installing a dedicated circuit minimizes this problem, in fact when we get our new house built; I am installing 2x dedicated circuits into my HT room, and will be bonding the 2x earths of the 2x circuits in the HT room to minimize earth loops.

[Mitchell]

Unfortunately I am unable to rewire the coop. I just turn on the amp seperately from the other components.

[Spearmint]

Unfortunately I am unable to rewire the coop. I just turn on the amp seperately from the other components.

This is the situation that most people have, and I think that Rotel need to be mindful of this, especially as more and more of us buy additional equipment to improve the HT experience.

I think these 12v triggers are a great idea, but they should include adjustable power on delays, similar to the ones used in SCSI hard drives to reduce the initial startup load. This only needs to be a couple of dip switches on the back of the amp.

Then again this may not be what is causing the fuse blowing problems.

[JDH]

This is the situation that most people have, and I think that Rotel need to be mindful of this, especially as more and more of us buy additional equipment to improve the HT experience.

I think these 12v triggers are a great idea, but they should include adjustable power on delays, similar to the ones used in SCSI hard drives to reduce the initial startup load. This only needs to be a couple of dip switches on the back of the amp.

Then again this may not be what is causing the fuse blowing problems.

OK, The RB-1080 has been returned to the dealer in Sydney for Repair by the Australian Distributor of Rotel - International Dynamics in Melbourne.

Hopefully they will do more than they did last time which was to only replace the existing fuse with another 6.3A one. I have pointed out my concerns so hopefully it will be repaired properly this time.

If a product is so sensitive to different cables, speakers, 12V triggers etc etc it should of never been released to the public in the first place. I have never had a similar issue with other AV receivers I've owned or other Rotel Power amps like the RB-1070 or RMB-1075. so I shouldn't have to put up with it with the RB-1080.

[Mitchell]

This is the situation that most people have, and I think that Rotel need to be mindful of this, especially as more and more of us buy additional equipment to improve the HT experience.

Obviously this is a solveable problem as other Rotel amps as welll as equipment by other manufacturers do not have it. I think it would be nice if the info was just put out there a little more aggresively by Rotel. My dealer in NYC didnt know about it. It seems that only recently was it nailed down on this forum as a "common problem" Why let people spend hours trying to figure it out and worry when they can just annouce a recall or an FYI. At this moment there are probably people who know nothing about this forum that are trying to figure out why their left channel has blown and will spend the better part of a night and tomorrow trying to fix it to no avail!

[JDH]

OK, The RB-1080 has been returned to the dealer in Sydney for Repair by the Australian Distributor of Rotel - International Dynamics in Melbourne.

Hopefully they will do more than they did last time which was to only replace the existing fuse with another 6.3A one. I have pointed out my concerns so hopefully it will be repaired properly this time.

If a product is so sensitive to different cables, speakers, 12V triggers etc etc it should of never been released to the public in the first place. I have never had a similar issue with other AV receivers I've owned or other Rotel Power amps like the RB-1070 or RMB-1075. so I shouldn't have to put up with it with the RB-1080.

Got back my RB-1080 from repair yesterday, on the warranty repair sheet it said that a left channel resistor was replaced and the bias checked but nothing else done, ie. change in fuse size, capacitors etc as mentioned in earlier threads. I spoke to the Australian Distributor, International Dynamics who carried out the repair and and they confirmed that the fuse was not blown but was infact an open circuit resistor. I asked whether there was a general policy to install larger slow blow fuses or any other form of upgrade and they indicated that there was not one and infact did not recommend the replacement of the fuse with anything other than the original 6.3A fuse.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the matter, I will connect it up again tonight, hopefully this will be the end of my left channel issues.

[Mitchell]

My info came directly from a guy at Rotel. I called the 800 number and left a message and a tech called me back a few hours later. I believe his name was Shawn. I found him to be very forthcoming about the issue and he was the one who told me about the upgrade. When mine came back the service sheet said "upgrade" or something like that.
I would suggest calling Rotel and asking just as I did. While I was annoyed at having to deal with the problem I was generally happy with the service and the communication after the fact. As I mentioned in earlier postings my dealer in NYC (Stereo Exchane) which is a pretty high volume Rotel dealer had no idea about thiis issue when I told them about my discussion with Rotel. They confirmed all the info and were even going to call another customer who had repeated blown fuses on a 1080. If it were just the fuse, the dealer would have just replaced it. They sent it out for the upgrade.
Hope this is helpful.

[JDH]

My info came directly from a guy at Rotel. I called the 800 number and left a message and a tech called me back a few hours later. I believe his name was Shawn. I found him to be very forthcoming about the issue and he was the one who told me about the upgrade. When mine came back the service sheet said "upgrade" or something like that.
I would suggest calling Rotel and asking just as I did. While I was annoyed at having to deal with the problem I was generally happy with the service and the communication after the fact. As I mentioned in earlier postings my dealer in NYC (Stereo Exchane) which is a pretty high volume Rotel dealer had no idea about thiis issue when I told them about my discussion with Rotel. They confirmed all the info and were even going to call another customer who had repeated blown fuses on a 1080. If it were just the fuse, the dealer would have just replaced it. They sent it out for the upgrade.
Hope this is helpful.

Maybe the upgrade is only applicable to North American RB-1080 which are supplied at 110V or are designed in a slightly different way. The Rotel Distributor in Australia made it pretty clear that there was no upgrade for RB-1080s in Australia. anyway time will tell whether I will have the same problem again.

[Spearmint]

Thanks for the update JDH...

I hope all goes well for the future.

I now have my 1080 up and running for the last 2weeks, after owning it but still boxed up for about 6weeks, both the 1095 & 1080 are operated via 12v trigger.

The only thing I am doing is having a delay when turning on/off both amps; this is purely in case voltage sag is causing some of the problems. Although both amps are on the same circuit as the rest of the HT gear it is a dedicated circuit.

[JDH]

Maybe the upgrade is only applicable to North American RB-1080 which are supplied at 110V or are designed in a slightly different way. The Rotel Distributor in Australia made it pretty clear that there was no upgrade for RB-1080s in Australia. anyway time will tell whether I will have the same problem again.

OK this is my 4th time with a blown left channel fuse on my RB-1080 since buying it new in Late August 2004. The first two times I had to send it to the distributor interstate for repair, on the 3rd time the local dealer replaced it with a new RB-1080. Anyway tonight I had my 4th left channel fuse blow since new. To confirm that it wasn't my wiring or speakers I exchanged the RB-1080 with an RB-1070 I use for zone 2, it worked perfectly so I assume the issue is with the RB-1080 design or maybe quality control in general on this model.

The Rotel distributor in Australia does not seem to want to acknowledge a problem with the RB-1080 or provide any real fix other than replacing the fuse again and again with standard 6.3A fast blow fuses. Just wondering where to go from here. Can the issue be raised with Rotel direct rather than the Rotel distributor if infact this seems to be a known issue with this model?

I actually like the sound quality of the RB-1080, however with so many owners indicating left channel fuse failures with this model its a real let down. I will be looking at probably downgrading to the RB-1070 or maybe an RMB-1075 just for reliability if a permanent fix isn't available from the Rotel Distributor in Australia.

[gymguymass]

It is certainly a shame that your new RB1080 suffered the notorious "no audio" bug. Prior to my becoming a proud owner of this amp, I read of this issue and was concerned that my amp was going to be MIA. Fortunately, with the assurance of this forum, I learned this happened only in rare instances. I learned that the best way to deal with was to simply leave the amp on ALL the time. As a result, I have encountered no issues. So, as a result, my advice is to simply leave the amp turned on all the time. The amp has performed flawlessly for me in the year I have had it! I love it.

[Stevebez]

Have to say I have one of the older non-transparent binding post 1080's bought second hand about a year ago more or less and have suffered through about 3 left channels going and one right channel recently.

The last two drop outs were with 8amp slow blows all round. To replace the fuses is not much of a hassle as long as you have some in stock !! That reminds me I better get some more soon. Anyway... I considered having "The Fix" done - but I kind of like the character of the amp ... bit like a tempremental sports car ... needs occasional tuning ... hahaha...

It clearly is a design / component problem (more likely the latter), and I think "The Fix" is offered in the U.K. In case you wondered I am using 12v triggers from 1068 and chained to power 1075 - maybe I should change the order? The most difficult thing about this is its VERY difficult to determine exactly when the fuse blows.... anyone able to work this out ? I kind of discover it when I finid one side of my amp is cold well after the fact ... especially with the centre channel doing so much work these days in movies.

Rgds Steve.

[JDH]

Have to say I have one of the older non-transparent binding post 1080's bought second hand about a year ago more or less and have suffered through about 3 left channels going and one right channel recently.

The last two drop outs were with 8amp slow blows all round. To replace the fuses is not much of a hassle as long as you have some in stock !! That reminds me I better get some more soon. Anyway... I considered having "The Fix" done - but I kind of like the character of the amp ... bit like a tempremental sports car ... needs occasional tuning ... hahaha...

It clearly is a design / component problem (more likely the latter), and I think "The Fix" is offered in the U.K. In case you wondered I am using 12v triggers from 1068 and chained to power 1075 - maybe I should change the order? The most difficult thing about this is its VERY difficult to determine exactly when the fuse blows.... anyone able to work this out ? I kind of discover it when I finid one side of my amp is cold well after the fact ... especially with the centre channel doing so much work these days in movies.

Rgds Steve.

I would have to agree it never seems to fail while listening to 2ch music, so I'm certain the fuse is blowing during either turn on or turn off. Ideas regarding either leaving the amp on permanently or not utilizing the 12V trigger really do limit the use of the amplifier for me. Clearly it is a design issue with this particular amplifier that should be solved quickly otherwise Rotel should remove it from sale.

The price vs perfomance is hard to beat, however all this means very little if it is not reliable.

[Azeke]

I have also suffered from the infamous RB-1080 amp blowing calamity (four times). Rotel US has acknowledged this issue, and has a "fix" (capacitor and resistor replacements, I believe) .

I am hesitate to send my amp at this time, because I don't wont to be w/o it (I will send it in during my summer vacation). So, to compensate, I have disconnected my 12v trigger and I leave my amp on, so far so good, it's been about 4 months now. We will see said the blind man.

Regards,

Azeke