To put things in perspective, let me elaborate on Cary Audio's response and position:
When first contacted about the issue, Cary Audio responded with requests for pictures of the inside of the amp. After reviewing these, their initial advice was to make an incision in the trace at the rear of the input terminal. However, this did not resolve the issue, leading to further discussions and sharing of pictures. After a more detailed review of the issue, Cary informed me that the issue could be addressed by a cable harness which they could build for me at a cost. They also sent me a picture of the harness installed in another machine. As this appeared to be a known fix that had been implemented by Cary in other machines, my contention was that this was a known issue and, hence, a defect or bug in the design. Accordingly, I suggested that Cary should ship me the harness free of cost or, alternatively, send me the specs of the harness so that I could build it locally in India. Cary Audio was not willing to ship me the harness unless I paid for its cost plus shipping. As an option, they suggested that I could trade in my old unit and purchase the upgraded version on their website. They were also unwilling to mail me the schematics or the service manual.
Cary Audio does not agree that it is a design fault. In their words, "Some countries have issues with grounding and some with hum. In order to help with these countries and our product we design in more filtering. It’s not always the case in every country, but we have come across some which need our help resolving issues with their power infrastructure."
I had already tried the amp in different cities in India. Wanted to check if the issue was a result of the kind of power we get here. So I carried the unit with me on my trip to Singapore and tried it there. The same hum in that country too!
I do grant that Cary Audio has responded to all my mails and have been reaching out to help resolve the issue. But on their terms, which are not acceptable to me. In their latest mail received yesterday, they have now agreed to build the harness at their cost provided I pay for the shipping. I suppose this is a fair proposal and will take it forward with them.
I'll post an update after installing the fix.
Thanks for reading.
When first contacted about the issue, Cary Audio responded with requests for pictures of the inside of the amp. After reviewing these, their initial advice was to make an incision in the trace at the rear of the input terminal. However, this did not resolve the issue, leading to further discussions and sharing of pictures. After a more detailed review of the issue, Cary informed me that the issue could be addressed by a cable harness which they could build for me at a cost. They also sent me a picture of the harness installed in another machine. As this appeared to be a known fix that had been implemented by Cary in other machines, my contention was that this was a known issue and, hence, a defect or bug in the design. Accordingly, I suggested that Cary should ship me the harness free of cost or, alternatively, send me the specs of the harness so that I could build it locally in India. Cary Audio was not willing to ship me the harness unless I paid for its cost plus shipping. As an option, they suggested that I could trade in my old unit and purchase the upgraded version on their website. They were also unwilling to mail me the schematics or the service manual.
Cary Audio does not agree that it is a design fault. In their words, "Some countries have issues with grounding and some with hum. In order to help with these countries and our product we design in more filtering. It’s not always the case in every country, but we have come across some which need our help resolving issues with their power infrastructure."
I had already tried the amp in different cities in India. Wanted to check if the issue was a result of the kind of power we get here. So I carried the unit with me on my trip to Singapore and tried it there. The same hum in that country too!
I do grant that Cary Audio has responded to all my mails and have been reaching out to help resolve the issue. But on their terms, which are not acceptable to me. In their latest mail received yesterday, they have now agreed to build the harness at their cost provided I pay for the shipping. I suppose this is a fair proposal and will take it forward with them.
I'll post an update after installing the fix.
Thanks for reading.