2. amps-preamps
  3. 161800-92835

100 W Tube Amplifier Malfunctioned

I will not name the brand of the malfunctioned amp in question, except to say that it is a US brand and it is not a boutique shop. I bought direct from factory as there were no dealerships in my region of the world, Taiwan. As I traded in my old amps, I was given a discount and paid $5,000 for the pair. 

My system consists of a Verdier Turntable, A MFA Luminescence preamp, a Wadia 16 CDP and Eminent Technology LFT 8b speakers. The amps were brand new and worked well for 6 months. Then one of the amps malfunctioned. I sent it to a local technician, and determined that the transformer was shot. 

The malfunctioned amp was sent back  at my expense. After inspection,  I was told that the amp failed because it was operating over voltage. Our power grid delivers 110 v electricity.  And in order to be certain, the other amp which was perfectly fine was requested to be sent back for inspection. 

The solution for repair was to increase the VAC of the amp to 125 V, obviously for both amps, and the tubes will be inspected and biased accordingly. The cost for repair will be $ 850 for each amp. My questions is: Should I pay for the repairs? I was told the reason for the failure was due to the fluctuation of our local power grid. Therefore, the user is at fault. However, if it is  power grid is the problem, then why did only one amp fail? Would it not be a reasonable assumption that there are quality control issues at fault? 

Given that there are brand new amps ( six months old ), isn't paying $ 1650 for repairs unreasonable? Any insight would be appreciated. 
ledoux1238
bob540
415 posts
 
@scrumpymanjack — precisely!   I never understood companies not even trying to build good will with customers and also getting positive word-of-mouth reviews of their customer support.  Sounds short-sighted to me too,

Im not tech savvy at all, but the fact that the amps worked fine for 6 months suggests to me that it was a problem with the one amp and not the electric power.  It sounds to me like the manufacturer is trying to push the responsibility onto the customer instead of standing behind their high-priced product and building brand credibility.  Sorry to hear of this hassle you are going through.
sgreg1
612 posts
 
Electrical issues are just like water it will always go to the path of least resistance. Could have been that the one amp had a weaker transformer than the other and just needs to be replaced under warranty. It could have been a surge but that would have gone through your entire home and you would have had weaker items that would have blown too.
boomerbillone
360 posts
 
It sure is sad when stuff blows up! My condolences. the issue could be the frequency of the power; 50 or 60 cycles. A transformer made for 110 volts should be ok from 100 - 125 volts. A transformer made for 50 cps may overheat at 60 cps; that's a 20% difference. I live  Southern California. During our frequent fires the voltage swings as high as 170 volts. I have a bathroom night light that blistered the paint on the wall because it got so hot during  a power surge. But my audio gear survived. I'm guessing the transformer in the failed amp was NOT made for your country's voltage & frequency. That's a manufacturing/shipping problem and the company should fix it for free.
cal3713's avatar
cal3713
1,421 posts
 
@bob540 & @skrumpymanjack Couldn't agree more.

I know someone who bought a secondhand dac and was, after a third emailed question, told "I haven't made any money from you and I'm going to have to change you for the next one." That asshole response not only cost the manufacturer that person's money for a future upgrade, but also mine. Their dacs cost from $5-12k, so that one email subtracted at least $10,000 from their bank account. It's idiotic and shortsighted. 
cal3713's avatar
cal3713
1,421 posts
 
Also, let’s talk a little bit about the $1700 bill. What’s the actual parts cost here?? Probably $150. This is criminal.


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