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After about 6-7 weeks, I have my Classe CA-5300 back. I started a thread a few weeks back asking if cables could blow an amp, and received many interesting responses. I hadn't wanted to identify the brands involved, but yes, they were posted on my user profile, and it is the CA-5300 and Transparent TWP cable, which they tell me is now known as Hi-Performance 10-2.
This was the second time this amp has blown, and Classe service, which, by the way, was very responsive, wanted to know more about my set up and were suspicious of the cables. As I couldn't find TWP cables on the Transparent web site, I contacted them and I must say the response was very rapid, and supportive. Bottom line is that the dealer (Future Sound in South San Francisco), Classe and Transparent have exchanged a number of emails and determined that the cables are NOT at fault - although a different kind of cable in this system could have been an issue. My speakers are not at fault either - apparently Magnepans have a reputation for drawing a steady amount of current (a good thing).
So bottom line is uncertainty -we have made sure that the connections are now solid and locked (which they likely were before, by the way). They (Classe) have also been concerned that I might be playing music too loudly, which kind of makes no sense to me for a speaker of this power (300 Watts per channel into an 8 ohm load). My listening area isn't that large.
The first time this issue occurred, the dealer loaned me a Rotel 5 channel amp, and this time, an NAD - the Classe's performance is much better than either, faster, sweeter, more realistic, less veiled.
This has been an education for me in terms of understanding of compatibility issues. Frankly, I had thought (because I never thought about it before) that amps, cables and speakers were completely interchangeable, although you might get better sound with certain combinations.
I will be asking Classe for a warranty extension, by the way.
Follow Ups:
When exactly did the amp blow? Was it idling? Playing particularly loud brass? Bass?
The likely culprits are either a cable short, or excessive capacitance in the cable construction.
Reasonably accurate meters that can measure both Ohms and Farads are under $40.
Also, what speakers are you using? If they are capacitive by design such as ESL's that could also be an issue, but I would think Classe amps take that possibility into account.
Another possibility is that you have a source that's oscillating. That is, for some reason it's pushing out a lot of RF and the amp has too much bandwidth so tries to play it. That would be harder to track down without an oscilloscope.
Best,
Erik
You did not mentioned what failed on the amplfier and yes some cables can push some amplifiers into oscillation causing them to fail.
Good to read- TGR.
Transparent and Classe' are natural, sonic matches to one another.
Further, Transparent can voice your cables to the Classe'.
Do you know if either company is junk-sourcing (knowingly or secretly) to china?
Thanks for the detail but I don't understand your comment below since you stated previously that the cables and the speakers were not at fault. The only conclusion I can arrive at is that the AMP is at fault and we have learned nothing about compatibility.
This has been an education for me in terms of understanding of compatibility issues.
If the cables are properly made, they *are* interchangeable. What can be improper? Sloppy solder joints where the wire is affixed to the RCA (or XLR) tabs. A stray "wire hair" coming off the the wire that connects to the center RCA pin could brush against the plug housing creating either a short or an intermittent short. A cold solder joint can give all sort of weird results.
No matter how much you pay for interconnects, it's not a bad idea to test them with an ohmmeter to make sure you have < 4 ohms from pin to pin (preferably < 2 and ideally zero) and from shield to shield. You should have infinite resistance (open circuit) across the pin and shield. Not a bad thought to wiggle and bend the I.C. while doing the test.
Even better to open up the plugs at both ends and look at the solder joints. Look for no stray "hairs," and smooth, shiny solder. I know most cable manufacturers seal the ends with heat-shrink tubing. Cut it, remove it, and look at the connections inside the plugs. Then if you want to put color-coded heat-shrink tubing back on, get it at any parts supplier and put it back on. I never do, because at some point, those connections inside the plug can weaken and I like to be able to get back in to see what's going on.
Good luck.
WW
"A man need merely light the filaments of his receiving set and the world's greatest artists will perform for him." Alfred N. Goldsmith, RCA, 1922
A Classe - ooh that must have been an sweet smelling but expensive puff of smoke!
Enjoy and I hope you find out (or never find out again!) what is blowing up such a beautiful piece of audio gear.
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