2. amps-preamps
  3. 129082-75799

Primare A32 front panel-rapidly flashing standby indicator light

Anyone own or owned a Primare A32 power amp and had problems with the front panel standby indicator flashing rapidly?  Over the last few months I've had to manipulate the rear left speaker cable inputs to hear sound out of the left speaker each time I turned it on.  But the unit always powered up and eventually played beautifully.  Now I get nothing.  I've disconnected and then reconnected the power cord, the XLR cables from the preamp, and both speaker cables.  The fuse is in good shape.  But the standby indicator still flashes when I try to power it up. A designer flaw I've found is that the front panel is attached by 6 tiny screws (2 on top, 1 on lower L & R side, & 2 underneath).  For such a massive unit one would think the designers could've used sturdier screws.  The top right screw broke a while back and may have left a fragment in the screw hole (hard to tell it's so small).  The front panel now has a little wiggle room which may be causing some wiring hit and miss inside though I can't see how.  I've never pushed or pulled on the front plate after the unit was set up and it's played many months without problems.  I researched online and found Audio Elite Technician LLC in Lakebay WA.  The website says they offer factory authorized service for Primare gear (along with McIntosh gear).  Anybody ever dealt with these guys?  The A32 weighs 88 pounds and I'm not fond of trying to ship it out of state.  Should I try a local repair shop first?  I really love my system's sound and want the A32 back in the game so I can again lose myself in musical bliss.
mewsickbuff
mewsickbuff OP
237 posts
 
martyfriedman, I haven’t priced shipping and insurance. Though it’s not funny I had to laugh when you said "my head exploded." I suppose when I do look into it I won’t be laughing anymore. This beast (boxed for shipment) weighs somewhere around 95 pounds. I plan to have UPS pick it up at my house. As stated earlier Primare supplied a service manual and schematics. I’ve taken a look at them both, but I’m not electronics savvy. I understand maybe 2% of the manual and 0% of the schematics. In my case it would be best if I don’t look for an internal fuse or try to find an "error code." For me, the best route is still to ship it and let the experts fix it. I hope it is something simple. But thanks for the info. Are you planning to DIY? If you do, let me know how it turns out. Best of luck.
martyfriedman
21 posts
 
Well I have a local guy who I have decided is competent to repair the unit, but he can't look at it for a few weeks. I have to say it would kill me to find that the problem is only a blown fuse. I have had this problem before with an admittedly cheaper amplifier and the fuse was quite obvious once I opened up the unit. I don't see what harm there could be to simply open the unit and look - power is off of course (for a few hours). And if I see a blown fuse, remove it, replace it, put the cover back on, and try it then, what harm?
martyfriedman
21 posts
 
One last thing, just fyi. There is an external fuse right above the power connector. You can pry the little plastic cover off and the fuse pops out. This is very simple to do. It is unlikely that this is the problem since power is getting to the unit. But you never know and this can be checked without opening the case.
mewsickbuff OP
237 posts
 
I've already checked the back fuse and it looks good. So you're saying you're going to open your unit to check your inner fuse before the local repair guy looks at it?
mewsickbuff OP
237 posts
 
Okay, I got curious and opened my amp.  There's a fuse on the bottom panel near the back.  It's fine.  BUT there are also 4 other fuses!  2 mounted on the left and right front wall panels.  And guess what?  1 is blown.  Problem.  Hopefully someone here can help me out.  The number engraved on all 4 fuses is F6.3AL250VP.  I've looked around on the internet and seen fuses that end in 250V but none with 250VP.  Can someone tell me the difference between VP and V (and please dummy it down to simple language)?  Also, where can I find a VP fuse or is it safe to just use the 250V?  The manual says replace the exact same fuse.
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