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Nad c-370: Right Channel drops out

I took my NAD to a local repair shop to investigate why the right channel goes out on my amp and they proposed to charge me $420 to install a main amp kit, a filter set plus labor. Needless to say, I paid them their $70 "diagnostic fee" and brought the Nad home, unrepaired.

I am a bit baffled because I can get the right channel to come on if I tinker around with the amp by switching source inputs form CD to Video and so on. I have been reading on the internet about problems with these amps due to capacitors overheating and bugging out. Is there a particular capacitors or group of capacitors that I could replace myslef and get my rig running again?
tbone1
kotta's avatar
kotta
649 posts
 
If you contact NAD they will refer you to an authorized repair center and they should charge around $50 for the estimate. (You would have to pay shipping though.) I wouldn't mess w/it unless you really know what you are doing. Have you tried cleaning the balance, volumn and input switches? Also, it may be a loose solder joint. Good Luck!
magfan
1,583 posts
 
What's a 'main amp kit'???
tbone1 OP
20 posts
 
I dunno what a "main amp kit" is...that's what they told my girlfriend is needed (plus a filter set.) I did not get to talk to the technician. The only one I got to talk to was the lady at the front desk who held me up for $70.
tbone1 OP
20 posts
 
what would I use to clean volume, balance and input switches besides compressed air Magfan?
magfan
1,583 posts
 
Well, Tbone, I don't know.
RadioShackup has some stuff. Read the label, then the same label at the 'audiophile' shop which will be 5x the cost and probably the same stuff from the same pipe.
Use per directions. I HAVE NEVER USED THIS STUFF, so I don't know any potential downside.
REPEAT:: I have never used this stuff, so read the can. TWICE.

Also, I know it isn't fair, but women STATISTICALLY pay more for cars than men, even comparing identical cars / equipment. So, when they see a woman come in to pick up some electronics, they feel free to BS away, even if it is another woman behind the counter.....Isn't sisterhood powerful?

I don't know current (no pun intended) practice, but large caps come with screw on contacts. These are easily replaced, if they are connector up. Sometimes there is a band around the bottom, sort of like a hose clamp, to keep the caps mechanically secure. After everything has been unplugged for a couple hours, it should be OK to service. WARNING.....WARNING:: Caps typically come with some 'bleed' resistance across them, so they won't hold a charge for long. If these resistor(s) are defective a cap can hold a LETHAL charge for quite a while.
If you aren't comfortable with this procedure, have a REAL tech do it for you.

If you believe in 'audiophile' caps, you can either specify at time of work order, or bring 'em in yourself. Cap size can vary, even for same rating, so be careful there, too.

Now that I've either A) scared you or B) confused you, please feel free to follow Kotta's advice. Probably better than mine!
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