I'd send it back to Cary. I needed a cold solder joint fixed and they repaired it out of warranty, so I had them put in Cardas caps so I would not have to ship it again in a few more years. It also made the amp sound better. Cary will also run your amp for 24 hours to make sure everything is working before sending it back. Best of luck.
Cary SLI-80 capacitor problem questions
Apologies in advance for the length of this request.
I have a Cary Sli-80 F1 integrated that I've enjoyed for several years. Recently there was a sudden intermittent popping noise in the left channel and the EL34 tube in position 2 was flashing in time to the popping. Foolishly, I assumed it was a tube failure and put in another set of output tubes. On power-up the KT-77 tube in #2 began to heat up and glow dramatically so I shut off the power immediately.
Trying to avoid the cost and damage risk of shipping the amp back to Cary I took it to a local shop which is an authorized Mcintosh repair facility. The diagnosis is, "A shorted capacitor is causing the amplifier to blow the 2nd output tube." I'm assuming their diagnosis is accurate but they seem not to be familiar with Cary amps and I'm not thrilled with the two repair options they offer. One is to replace all the coupling capacitors with generic polypropylene caps or order the Jensen oil-in -copper caps from Cary at a cost of $600 for the caps, plus labor. They're also insisting that I supply a complete set of new tubes if they're going to warranty the repair.
So the questions are, can I source the four caps myself and what would be your recommendation for caps? I had a recommendation a couple of years ago from my dealer in Seattle to replace the Jensens with Cardas but they're no longer in production. I've found opinions online that either Mundorf or V-Caps would be a good option.
And, is it reasonable to consider replacing the caps myself? I've done a fair amount of DIY soldering and think I could probably figure that part out, but what do I need to do to ensure I don't zap myself if I decide to go ahead with doing the work myself?
-thanks in advance for your advice and help. Apologies for cross posting to audioasylum hoping I can find someone who has advice about this obscure issue.
I have a Cary Sli-80 F1 integrated that I've enjoyed for several years. Recently there was a sudden intermittent popping noise in the left channel and the EL34 tube in position 2 was flashing in time to the popping. Foolishly, I assumed it was a tube failure and put in another set of output tubes. On power-up the KT-77 tube in #2 began to heat up and glow dramatically so I shut off the power immediately.
Trying to avoid the cost and damage risk of shipping the amp back to Cary I took it to a local shop which is an authorized Mcintosh repair facility. The diagnosis is, "A shorted capacitor is causing the amplifier to blow the 2nd output tube." I'm assuming their diagnosis is accurate but they seem not to be familiar with Cary amps and I'm not thrilled with the two repair options they offer. One is to replace all the coupling capacitors with generic polypropylene caps or order the Jensen oil-in -copper caps from Cary at a cost of $600 for the caps, plus labor. They're also insisting that I supply a complete set of new tubes if they're going to warranty the repair.
So the questions are, can I source the four caps myself and what would be your recommendation for caps? I had a recommendation a couple of years ago from my dealer in Seattle to replace the Jensens with Cardas but they're no longer in production. I've found opinions online that either Mundorf or V-Caps would be a good option.
And, is it reasonable to consider replacing the caps myself? I've done a fair amount of DIY soldering and think I could probably figure that part out, but what do I need to do to ensure I don't zap myself if I decide to go ahead with doing the work myself?
-thanks in advance for your advice and help. Apologies for cross posting to audioasylum hoping I can find someone who has advice about this obscure issue.