Issues with Rotel Ra-414 VU meters and power supply

[Gertjan90]

Hi guys,

I wonder somebody could shed some light on the issues I've been having with my Ra- 414 integrated amp.

First and foremost: the amp still plays well on all inputs, and both channels work fine.
But:
- The VU meters don't work while playing music, but they will jump to halfway the scale on power on, accompanied by an audible "whoomf"
-The pilot lights were burned out (the lights are fuse shaped), I measured the voltage before replacing them, and all was normal.
But when I went to put in new lights, they don't light up.
They aren't burnt out, so I measured the voltage again and now I can't find any. Just 0V over the lamp socket?

-Also, on powering down, The woofers of my speakers visibly move in and out (Marantz 7G's) Is this something I should worry about?

All fuses are fine, and on inspection, I can find no obvious signs of wear or damage on any of the components.

I'm fearing this might be transformer related.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[NAD80]

Hello Gertjan90. Welcome to AK. Found the Service Manual here.https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/rotel/ra-414.shtml . The manual has a troubleshooting section. Schematic, partslist is included, Hope it's a start.

 

[Gertjan90]

Thanks,
I've already got the service manual.
Someone pointed out that the problem might be in the op-amp that drives the VU meter, or in the trimpots besides it.
Does this sound plausible? I'll check it out.

 

[NAD80]

Possible in the op amp. Those trimpots were not the greatest.

 

[Gertjan90]

So, the lights are back on! (bad contact at the fuse)
But the VU meters are still giving me trouble.
The needles jump on power up, but no movement while playing music.
There seem to be no bad solder joints around the trimpots, and they look fine. Is there any way to check if they've gone bad?
The op-amp is an IC, and it kinda goes above my head to test it..