What to do with an old NAD amp...

[Invader3k]

(I've already posted this at Audio Asylum, but I figured maybe someone here could give me some help as well.)

I have an old NAD 2200PE power amplifier that I bought used on ebay a few months ago. It worked great at first, and was just the kind of sound I wanted, but unfortunately I noticed that the channels would occasionally crackle, or even cut out briefly. I took it to the local NAD dealer in Madison, WI (about 45 minutes from me), and they had it for about two months without really calling me or updating me on its status. Finally I got it back after some pestering, and it was supposedly fixed, and it worked good for a while, but then started having the same problems. Don't really feel like taking it back to the same shop and going through the same hassles again. Unfortunately, there are really no other NAD dealers in Wisconsin, and NAD was no help in refering me to a repair center when I called them (I think the closest one was Chicago, good hour and a half drive).

My question is, what should I do with this amp now? Is there something I can do to easily fix the problem myself? Should I just cut my losses and dump the amp? It's a shame...I'd really like to use it in my secondary stereo system eventually with my Paradigm speakers.

Thanks,
Mason

[Beckman]

If it is a class AB amplifier and it shuts down when listening to loud and or fast music it could from the amplifier switching from class A into class B mode.
Does it do it after fifteen or twenty minutes of use, this could be a sign that there is a loose connection.
Maybe try listening to loud music with a lot of bass. Then try listening to slow and quite music.

[trollgirl]

Connect the NAD to the preamp with another pair of patch cords, and see if the problem persists. Sometimes (it has happened to me) an interconnect has an intermittent open. If that does not help, wait for the crackle or loss of signal, and jiggle the connection in the back, and it would not hurt to jiggle the preamp end too. That happened to me too, with a Yamaha M-35, and for a while I would just jiggle the connections and everything was OK for a time. When I rearranged my components and plugged the RCA's back into the Yamaha's jacks, I heard a "crunch" and ended up ripping out the jacks (they were mounted on the main board) and wiring in an old pair of Adcom interconnects permanently. No more problem. Wonderful-sounding amp, BTW. Anyway, if you must jiggle to keep the signal clean, you may have to replace the input jacks, and I can only hope they mount on the chassis and not on the circuit board! Hope this helps...

Lazarus Short in western Missouri

[jbangelfish]

One of the owners of Paradise Guitar in Beloit WI is very good with SS component repair. His name is Gary and is usually only there on weekends and evenings. They are not an NAD dealer but I would trust him to track down any amplifier problem.
As someone else suggested, make sure that all of your interconnects are in good working order first. I have had a bad connection before and this can make you think that an amp or other component is bad.
Bill

[Invader3k]

Thanks for the info. I will try calling them in a day or two and see if they could help. Beloit is not too far from me. It's worth a shot. I don't think it's the interconnects...I've tried different speaker wire and it hasn't seemed to make a difference in the problem.

Thanks,
Mason


One of the owners of Paradise Guitar in Beloit WI is very good with SS component repair. His name is Gary and is usually only there on weekends and evenings. They are not an NAD dealer but I would trust him to track down any amplifier problem.
As someone else suggested, make sure that all of your interconnects are in good working order first. I have had a bad connection before and this can make you think that an amp or other component is bad.
Bill