Speaker/amp disaster - I'm a worthless wretch :-(

[andybee33]

Hey everyone,

So I came back from a couple of days of working away to find my lovely new (to me at least) Harbeth HL-P3ES 2s sitting in my study along with some nice Atlas Equator Biwire to replace my MA Silver 5is and QED Silver Anniversary. Obviously, I couldn't get it set up soon enough. Alas, this resulted in:

a) putting one of the speaker connections in the wrong way round and
b) ALSO leaving the speaker terminal bridges in

I put a CD in, fired up my Cyrus 5 amp and heard about 2 seconds of music before the amp switched itself off. Funny I thought and switched it back on again - 2 more seconds of music then no sound at all........ :( Then I checked the connections....

I've opened the amp to find that the 2 3.15 amp quickblow fuses that protect the power amp stages have blown. Is this likely to be the extent of the damage?

I feel sick.....:doh:

Andy

[hifi_dave]

Hopefully, the fuses have done their job. However, I would connect a cheap pair of speakers to the amp when you next fire it up, just in case you wipe out the Harbeth's...:stalks:

[hifi_dave]

Actually, reading your post again, you don't appear to have done anything to blow the fuses.

When you say 'speaker terminal bridges', do you mean the bi-wire straps ? If so, this won't do any harm, nor will connecting one of the speakers with + and - reversed.

Check the speaker cable connections for shorts/stray wires.

[DSJR]

By the way, the speaker manufacturers fitted bi-wire terminals on the back mainly for their own (testing) benefit, the spiel being that bi-wiring is irrelevant to these designs (current models are gradually losing the second set of terminals I understand, but could be wrong).

The early Harbeths I sold came with heavy brass links between each pair of terminals and the habit was to replace these with wires. Current models still using these now have them heavily gold-plated by a local watchmaker, so the insertion loss should be inaudible (although I noticed dave still uses wires instead :))

I suspect that if you've shorted out the amp, the speakers would have survived as the fuses blew quickly. I hope so for your sake - fingers' crossed for you :)

[The Grand Wazoo]

Yes Dave's right, according to your diagnosis of the symptoms, you shouldn't have a problem - there must be something else wrong here.

[Reid Malenfant]

Actually, reading your post again, you don't appear to have done anything to blow the fuses.

When you say 'speaker terminal bridges', do you mean the bi-wire straps ? If so, this won't do any harm, nor will connecting one of the speakers with + and - reversed.

Check the speaker cable connections for shorts/stray wires.
Hi Dave, what hes done is connect via bi-wire cable leaving the shorting bridges & connected the cable the wrong way round on one speaker by the sound of it ;) This will result in a short from + to ground :rolleyes:

I'm not sure if they are rail fuses, i guess they must be if only the one speaker was corrected incorrectly ;)

Make sure you check the amp on a crap set of speakers as has been mentioned, no damage will have resulted to the speakers themselves. But there is no point in causing any if the amps output stage is now slag :doh:

E2A:- If you happen to have a digital multimeter then after replacing the fuses & case switch the amp on with nothing connected & see if you have any DC voltage between the positive outputs & the grounds. If you have about 0.02V or less then all is well... Check both channels!

I have a feeling that there won't be any tears, but best to be safe than sorry!

Fingers crossed for you :)

[Alex_UK]

Hi Dave, what hes done is connect via bi-wire cable leaving the shorting bridges & connected the cable the wrong way round on one speaker by the sound of it ;) This will result in a short from + to ground :rolleyes:

Yep, if we're talking biwiring that'd do it...

My heart goes out to you Andy, fingers (and everything else) crossed for you that it is just the fuses... :(

[andybee33]

Chaps - update!!

Quick trip to Maplin for some 3.15A quick blow fuses - and fitted to amp.

Quick test on MA Silver 5is - all seeming okay....

Fired up the Harbeths with the new cable - what can I say - :eek::):):):):):)

I didn't really have a hi-fi before, I've now realised.... Gosh they sound splendid. Did you know that there is more than one bass note? And cymbals go 'splash' and not 'tizz' - amazing.

Thanks for your help. I now have some listening to do!! :)

[Reid Malenfant]

Bloody good news! :)

Bonus as it now sounds better :lolsign:

[Alex_UK]

Chaps - update!!

Quick trip to Maplin for some 3.15A quick blow fuses - and fitted to amp.

Quick test on MA Silver 5is - all seeming okay....

Fired up the Harbeths with the new cable - what can I say - :eek::):):):):):)

I didn't really have a hi-fi before, I've now realised.... Gosh they sound splendid. Did you know that there is more than one bass note? And cymbals go 'splash' and not 'tizz' - amazing.

Thanks for your help. I now have some listening to do!! :)

Hurrah! Similar revelations to my own going from modern "boom & tizz" speakers to a "proper" design. Pleased nothing is broken, even more pleased that our collective recommendations have left you with a smile on your face. It will take some time for that to wear off, I can assure you! :)

[Tim]

That's a very different sound to MA isn't it Andy? Very natural and smooth with great midrange. It grows on you more and more too :)

So pleased no permanent damage was caused. Now enjoy your new music collection fella http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/thumbsup.gif

[andybee33]

That's a very different sound to MA isn't it Andy? Very natural and smooth with great midrange. It grows on you more and more too :)

So pleased no permanent damage was caused. Now enjoy your new music collection fella http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w63/greatgig/thumbsup.gif

Thanks very much. :) Yeah - the difference between these and the MAs is enormous. I think, in retrospect, the MAs seem to be trying to 'do something' to the music - sorry that's a bit vague!! Anyway, I'm on a veritable voyage of discovery - finding new dimensions to everything from Mahler to early New Order. Crikey it's great.

[Yoga]

Chaps - update!!

Quick trip to Maplin for some 3.15A quick blow fuses - and fitted to amp.

Quick test on MA Silver 5is - all seeming okay....

Fired up the Harbeths with the new cable - what can I say - :eek::):):):):):)

I didn't really have a hi-fi before, I've now realised.... Gosh they sound splendid. Did you know that there is more than one bass note? And cymbals go 'splash' and not 'tizz' - amazing.

Thanks for your help. I now have some listening to do!! :)

Marvellous, glad it all worked out!

Enjoy :¬)

[DSJR]

:)

Hope you have a long and happy relationship with your P3's. The BBC ideals were very thoroughly researched years ago, the ideas work and Alan Shaw has fiercely upheld and developed these ideas as new materials have come along (current models don't sound like wardrobes in the "knuckle test."

[Jac Hawk]

2 valuable lessons learned Andy, 1st take your time, and 2nd it isn't always the case that the latest newest is best, especially with HiFi.

[DSJR]

To be fair, the ideas may be well established over several decades, but the application, is very up to date, the hours AND HOURS of listening prior to the designs being signed off being backed up by computer aided modelling in the initial stages, to sort the basics out...

[andybee33]

To be fair, the ideas may be well established over several decades, but the application, is very up to date, the hours AND HOURS of listening prior to the designs being signed off being backed up by computer aided modelling in the initial stages, to sort the basics out...

That's an excellent point - and a valuable ideal to uphold in general. In all facets of life there is a tension (often artifically created) between 'tradition' and 'innovation' - but this is a superb of example of why each is worthless without the other. Just my humble opinion of course.

As for the speakers, I'm still rapt! :)

[Elvis's last movement]

That's an excellent point - and a valuable ideal to uphold in general. In all facets of life there is a tension (often artifically created) between 'tradition' and 'innovation' - but this is a superb of example of why each is worthless without the other. Just my humble opinion of course.

As for the speakers, I'm still rapt! :)

Sounds like I should be investigating harbeth speakers, too.