• The move to the new server is done. There are some software and database maintenance updates in process. This has us passing the hat around to help out. We appreciate any donations. Seriously, even a dollar helps. The payment page may be found here - https://www.audiokarma.org/support.html

Harman Kardon Citation 16a question

A

Adam Chroman

New Member
Hi all, I have a question.
When I turn on my Harman Kardon citation 16a amplifier the left channel comes on faintly amd after 10 minutes or so is up to normal amd same as the right channel. I don’t recall this doing that before so something g has definitely changed. Any one have any ideas what could be the cause and what would need to be replaced? I heard I might want to change the 4 big original caps which were Mallory 10000 uf 85V and replace them with the new KEMET . I believe these plug in to the board and are not sottered so it would be something I could do myself if that was what was needed short of haveing a full service done which I would happily avoid if I could.
Any thoughts or advise is appreciated. Thanks
 
Register to hide this ad
Odds are the main capacitors are not causing the problem. Shotgun recapping is not an effective method of trying to repair a broken amp.

I don't have any advice for troubleshooting this particular amp, other than throwing parts at it isn't the way to go.
 
@Adam Chroman if you don't have a real good handle on what you're doing I would suggest finding a qualified tech to go through it. Having it recapped and serviced shouldn't be too expensive, and I think I paid 300 or 350 to have my 16 done a couple of years ago.
I will admit to changing the original 10k caps out for 22k ones out before having mine serviced though and it was fairly straightforward, but they don't plug into the board they have screw terminals and are held in place by clamps.
 
Roadrash said:
@Adam Chroman if you don't have a real good handle on what you're doing I would suggest finding a qualified tech to go through it. Having it recapped and serviced shouldn't be too expensive, and I think I paid 300 or 350 to have my 16 done a couple of years ago.
I will admit to changing the original 10k caps out for 22k ones out before having mine serviced though and it was fairly straightforward, but they don't plug into the board they have screw terminals and are held in place by clamps.
Click to expand...
Agreed, how did it sound after you changed the 10k caps out?
 
Adam Chroman said:
Agreed, how did it sound after you changed the 10k caps out?
Click to expand...
To be honest not really a whole lot different, and I changed them after checking into a couple of websites that specialize in Citation restoration that claim the larger caps are better. You know what they say about a fool and their money, lol. Anyway, after attempting to set the DC offset and bias, the offset kept drifting so I decided it needed professional help. It was recapped and set to factory specs, and maybe some solder joints reflowed. I'd have to dig out the invoice to know for sure what was done.
After it was gone through by someone that actually knew what they were doing then I noticed a difference in the way it sounded. I love that amp now and the only reason it's not my A system amp is because I scored the L-09Ms. Good luck and let us know what you think after you get it straightened out.
 
Adam Chroman said:
Hi all, I have a question.
When I turn on my Harman Kardon citation 16a amplifier the left channel comes on faintly amd after 10 minutes or so is up to normal amd same as the right channel. I don’t recall this doing that before so something g has definitely changed. Any one have any ideas what could be the cause and what would need to be replaced? I heard I might want to change the 4 big original caps which were Mallory 10000 uf 85V and replace them with the new KEMET . I believe these plug in to the board and are not sottered so it would be something I could do myself if that was what was needed short of haveing a full service done which I would happily avoid if I could.
Any thoughts or advise is appreciated. Thanks
Click to expand...

if you are not getting any hum noise, the big power supply caps may not need replacement right away. as for a weak channel, I would be looking for cracked solder joints or a gain transistor that is not functioning properly.
 
There is no hum or noise. The sound is clean. The left side just starts off quieter and after about ten minutes it is properly loud and equal to the right channel. It didn’t do that years ago so at some point it changed. If I turn on the amp and wait 10-15 minutes and then play material it is properly good and correct and you’d never notice there was an issue but if you play material right away you’ll notice the left channel is not putting out the same volume as the right till after about 10 minutes. Appreciate your thoughts on what could make this happen. Thanks
 
mcgjohn said:
if you are not getting any hum noise, the big power supply caps may not need replacement right away. as for a weak channel, I would be looking for cracked solder joints or a gain transistor that is not functioning properly.
Click to expand...

There is no hum or noise. The sound is clean. The left side just starts off quieter and after about ten minutes it is properly loud and equal to the right channel. It didn’t do that years ago so at some point it changed. If I turn on the amp and wait 10-15 minutes and then play material it is properly good and correct and you’d never notice there was an issue but if you play material right away you’ll notice the left channel is not putting out the same volume as the right till after about 10 minutes. Appreciate your thoughts on what could make this happen. Thanks
 
Adam Chroman said:
There is no hum or noise. The sound is clean. The left side just starts off quieter and after about ten minutes it is properly loud and equal to the right channel. It didn’t do that years ago so at some point it changed. If I turn on the amp and wait 10-15 minutes and then play material it is properly good and correct and you’d never notice there was an issue but if you play material right away you’ll notice the left channel is not putting out the same volume as the right till after about 10 minutes. Appreciate your thoughts on what could make this happen. Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi Adam,

if its quiet and clean, then would be more inclined to look for a suspect solder joint first. I used to have a quad of CIT 16s running my speakers. its been a while but they were pretty reliable. If you have access to a scope, you could trace the signal through the amp and see where its not passing through.

If no scope is available, then would get a head magnifier and begin to look at all the solder joints on the PCBs.
Logic would be as your amp warms up the suspect solder joint makes better contact and now works properly, but just a guess on my part. Could also be something else. Not easy to diagnose long distance.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom