Service from Audio Research

any lemon laws in Taiwan?

Hey Tli, got a dumb idea. Are you using the 12V triggers to turn the amps on and off through your preamp? If not, try tying the amps together using the triggers. If you are using the triggers, unplug em' and turn the amps on and off manually. Just an idea. Wondering if anything changes. At the least, it might help isolate the defective part.

On more thought Tli. Did you try switching your amp/speaker combo? I realize there is almost a zero possibility that a speaker issue is causing the fault with the amp, but what the heck, what does it hurt to give it a try?

My experience with ARC has also been excellent, albeit simply for fuses, tube recommendations, packaging replacement and such. I've not needed repairs. But Kalvin has been great about replying quickly and follow-up. I'm sure you'll be taken care of in good order, whatever the issue might be.

A dealer's primary obligation must be to his customers. In this case he should be communicating diligently with ARC to quickly resolve the issue without you needing to be involved. A dealer deserves to make a fair profit on the sale, and as part of that implicit agreement he has to be there for you if and when such problems occur, effectively taking ownership of your problem. If the dealer repeatedly ignores your requests or is very slow responding, your options are (1) let ARC know of your dissatisfaction with the dealer, (2) do what you have been doing and get it repaired by an authorized ARC service technician under warranty, and (3) sell the amps after they are repaired and move on to something else less troublesome.

This is not to say that instant response is due, just that weeks or months shouldn't pass before you have your amps back up and running.

Good luck and listening.