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June 27, 2012 - 5:07pm
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bryston $B-ST power amp / BP20 preamp emitting electrical odour
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If I were in your shoes and experiencing a smell like that, I would wonder if there was a leaking capacitor or something. I would either check it out myself by opening it up, or have the dealer or someone else look at it.
I usually take a look inside my equipment out of curiosity any way, so it wouldn't be a big deal to me to see if I could locate the source of the odor before contacting the dealer. You might just want to see what he says first.
I don't think I would just let it go.
I would certainly have an experienced audio technician check it out. Something is obviously running too hot. Overheated componnts usually are phyically obvious to an experienced technician.
It could be a power transistor or a power supply component such as a diode, capacitor, or power transformer.
Bryston comes with a 20-year warranty, but is it continued to the 2nd owner? Good question. You should contact their service departmant.
That model does normally run fairly hot. You might try cleaning the heat sinks with some rubbing alcohol and see if the smell goes away.
You don't have the preamp or any other component on top of the amp, do you? That would not be good.
I'd be concerned about the toxicity of the smell, especially if it's filling the room. In the past I've had equipment smelling after startup. Despite thorough cleaning and examination as to source it still remained. Finally took them to a recycling depot. My health was more important than the equipment.
i've been so busy with work these past couple of weeks i've had no time to troubleshoot the issue in fact i've hardly had any time to use the system at all. i have noticed when i power it up now the odour is not quite as distinct as it was initiall and the system does sound amazing once it fires up initially however now there is another issue concerning me.
when i power down the 4B-ST (after first powering off CD Player / DAC and preamp) i get audible static crackle through the left speaker then a small pop as it completely powers off. at the same time you hear the pop one of the green left / right channel lights on the front of the power amp flashes red for half a second. this happens every time i power it down.
when auditioning the amp speakers i noticed the static crackle from one channel as it powered down and the seller assured me that this was completely normal response from this setup. i don't recall hearing any pop however and i don't recall seeing the channel light flash red on power down. the dealer had several 4B-ST on hand and I chose not to take the unit that was setup for demo purposes. at least i know the static crackle recurred on 2 separate 4B-ST through the same speakers but am more concerned about the pop / red light flash.
i'm definitely taking it back in as i believe something is not right just thought i would share this info in case someone more knowledgable can point me towards possible causes before i return it. i'm actually considering taking it to a 3rd party audio expert before returning to dealer to get an independant opinion. also wondering if there is any troubleshooting i can try from my end to identify the issue (without opening the amp as i'm not comfortable with that).
does anyone know if the 20 year bryston warranty will carry over to my ownership? i've read previously that the warranty is transferrable but unsure of the details?
thanks again for your time.
cheers.
When parties outside of the network of authorized Bryston dealers and distributors sells a Bryston product, Bryston will not honour warranties on those products.
Proof of purchase in the form of a copy of the bill of sale from an authorized Bryston Dealer/Distributor must be presented to obtain warranty service.
:(
the audio dealer i purchased from offers 3 month warranty i just hope i don't get stooged on a replacement amp if that is what i need...
Bryston warranties are valid for the first and all subsequent owners.
There is no reference in the conditions that state they won't honour a warranty for a used product that is purchased from a non authorised Bryston dealer. Contact Bryston themselves with your serial numbers and they will tell you the date of manufacture which is when the warranty of 20 years commences.
Following is cut and pasted directly from a Bryston BP-20 manual.
Bryston products are warranted to be free from
manufacturing defects for a minimum of twenty
years from the original date of manufacture. This
includes parts, labour and return shipping to the
first owner and all subsequent owners. Warranty
coverage is automatic and commences with the
original date of manufacture which is kept on file at
Bryston.
In the event of a defect or malfunction, Bryston will
remedy the problem by repair or replacement, as
we deem necessary, to restore the product to full
performance.
This warranty is considered void if the defect, malfunction
or failure of the product or any component
part was caused by damage ( not resulting from a
defect or malfunction ) or abuse while in the possession
of the customer. Tampering by persons
other than factory authorized service personnel, or
failure to fully comply with Bryston operating
instructions, voids the warranty.
This warranty gives you specific legal rights and
you may also have other rights which may vary
from province to province and country to country
Hope this helps you.