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Cary SLI-80 capacitor problem questions

Apologies in advance for the length of this request.

I have a Cary Sli-80 F1 integrated that I've enjoyed for several years. Recently there was a sudden intermittent popping noise in the left channel and the EL34 tube in position 2 was flashing in time to the popping. Foolishly, I assumed it was a tube failure and put in another set of output tubes. On power-up the KT-77 tube in #2 began to heat up and glow dramatically so I shut off the power immediately.

Trying to avoid the cost and damage risk of shipping the amp back to Cary I took it to a local shop which is an authorized Mcintosh repair facility. The diagnosis is, "A shorted capacitor is causing the amplifier to blow the 2nd output tube." I'm assuming their diagnosis is accurate but they seem not to be familiar with Cary amps and I'm not thrilled with the two repair options they offer. One is to replace all the coupling capacitors with generic polypropylene caps or order the Jensen oil-in -copper caps from Cary at a cost of $600 for the caps, plus labor. They're also insisting that I supply a complete set of new tubes if they're going to warranty the repair.

So the questions are, can I source the four caps myself and what would be your recommendation for caps? I had a recommendation a couple of years ago from my dealer in Seattle to replace the Jensens with Cardas but they're no longer in production. I've found opinions online that either Mundorf or V-Caps would be a good option.

And, is it reasonable to consider replacing the caps myself? I've done a fair amount of DIY soldering and think I could probably figure that part out, but what do I need to do to ensure I don't zap myself if I decide to go ahead with doing the work myself?

-thanks in advance for your advice and help. Apologies for cross posting to audioasylum hoping I can find someone who has advice about this obscure issue.
128x128sfar
steveaustin
57 posts
 
I recently had a positive experience with Cary's Service Dept. (they added a mod to one of their older AES pre-amps for me, bench-tested it and then 'listen-tested' it for a few more days :) and they have a pretty well-thought-out and -executed RMA system on their website where you can check on repair status, etc..

There's a former Cary tech, Kirk Owens, now works on his own (kirkowens@soundsgood2me.net) who replaced some blown output transformers and did some upgrades to my Cary SLA-70 amp a year or two ago - real nice guy who knows his Cary stuff inside-and-out, though perhaps not as quick a turnaround as Cary (he does his mods/upgrades/repairs as a side-business, I believe).

At least that would be another option that would give you a higher level of confidence on your Cary meter :)
jmcgrogan2's avatar
jmcgrogan2
6,346 posts
 
Here is a link to Soundsgood2me, the company run by Kirk Owens that Steveaustin is talking about.
sfar's avatar
sfar OP
1,761 posts
 


Many thanks to all of you for taking the time to give me the benefit of your technical expertise and sometimes hard-won experience. I learned a lot that has helped me get to a tentative decision about how to deal with the amp problem.

I had a great conversation yesterday with John at Audio Connection, the Cary dealer in Seattle. I’d had good dealings with them when I lived there and knew he is very knowledgeable about Cary amps since they not only sell them but repair them, as well.

Unless there is some problem beyond a shorted capacitor they can replace all the caps in the amp, not just the coupling capacitors, for about the same price as the local place was going to charge for just the four generic caps. They have a stock of the discontinued Cardas caps and recommend them very highly based on other replacements they’ve done. Shipping charges will be a factor, of course, but the costs would seem to be very reasonable compared to the alternatives and I do have some confidence in their work based on past experience.

I’ll update with results within a few weeks, I hope.

Thanks again
radni
96 posts
 
Yes , I do recall meeting Kirk Owens at Cary Audio in year 2000. Actually he built my custom ordered Amp , so had a chance to meet him and Dennis Hud when I went to take the delivery of Amp .
Kirk Owens is very knowledgeable in the field and very nice , helpful guy.
I did not know of his recent activity , so nice to know update of him through this thread . Sure will consider to go to him for his services in future when need arise .
radni
96 posts
 
Sfar,
I would still suggest to go for Jensen copper foil oil caps as coupling caps rather than Cardas .
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