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DC coupled amps

Danger Boy

Danger Boy

web troll :-)
i have a dead DC coupled amp.. my repair guy says they are tougher to work on or at least track down a problem with it burning up the output amps over and over again.

can someone give me a readers digest education on a DC amp... and how it differs from other amps.

tanks
 
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I'd say you need to find a tech that knows whats going on.What make and model Amp are we refering to? DC coupled or direct coupled refers to a solid electrical conducting path from the output device to the speakers Usually most solidstates fall into this category.
 
Third time's a charm. Find a new tech. In the last 30 years almost all solidstate amps are direct coupled from one stage to the next. Many amps have an input capacitor so that any DC from the preamp is blocked. Any competent tech can work on them and has repaired hundreds.

Tube amps are different. They are usually capacitor coupled from one stage to the next.
 
ok, i take is my tech isn't all that good... it's a Pioneer A-88X from 1987. I wrote about it's ongoing problem in another thread... and got some good advice over in that thread.

I was just looking for some basic info on DC coupled amps.

I have decided to take my amp to someone else now.. a shop that is a certified Pioneer repair shop. I'm hoping they can fix it once and for all.
 
have decided to take my amp to someone else now.. a shop that is a certified Pioneer repair shop. I'm hoping they can fix it once and for all.
Click to expand...
Wise move..
 
Danger Boy said:
i have a dead DC coupled amp.. my repair guy says they are tougher to work on or at least track down a problem with it burning up the output amps over and over again.

can someone give me a readers digest education on a DC amp... and how it differs from other amps.

tanks
Click to expand...

How many sets of outputs IS that thing up to?

The only real "difference" in that amp is what was discussed in the earlier thread, which is the PA0016(?IIRC) integrated circuit that manages the bias setting for each channel's outputs. PLUS there was the strong suggestion to get 2 replacement chips (while they are STILL available from Pioneer), put one in and save the other for the future. With the exception of that chip, it is a REALLY simple amp.

Like what was said above, most solid state amps ARE DC amps, with ONE capacitor inserted at the input to block any inadvertent DC coming from some external source. DC is NOT good for your speakers...
 
A good example of a non-DC solid state integrated amp is the Marantz 1060. When you shut it off, if the sourse id still playing, you'll hear music for a while as the caps continue to discharge energy. It will slowly drift off, ghost-like.
 
Danger Boy said:
ok, i take is my tech isn't all that good... it's a Pioneer A-88X from 1987. I wrote about it's ongoing problem in another thread... and got some good advice over in that thread.

I was just looking for some basic info on DC coupled amps.

I have decided to take my amp to someone else now.. a shop that is a certified Pioneer repair shop. I'm hoping they can fix it once and for all.
Click to expand...


DC amps use less components (capacitors) from stage to stage. The downside of this design is that when a component fails, usually a shorted or leaky transistor, it takes the next component tied to it. As a result, the cost of repair can be higher.

Ron
 
Terry DeWick is a sponsor or AK. And I am lucky enough to have him ~6 minutes away from me.

Call him and ask about your amp.

P.S. Highly recommended!
 
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