Hi all. I have an Outlaw Audio RR2160 integrated amplifier purchased new from the manufacturer in July this year (2019). I love the thing. Sounds great, looks great. I've had one small issue with it, however, and I'm wondering if other owners of this amplifier have experienced anything similar. Three times since owning it, the machine has simply spontaneously lost power momentarily and then come right back on, by itself. This has happened while listening to a CD through a connected CD player, while playing an LP through a Rega Planar 6 and the internal phono section of this amp, and watching TV with the audio otuput from the TV running into one of the optical inputs on the amplifier (one incident each time). I stress that each time this has happened, I've not been in contact with the machine physically and I've not been using the remote or any other remote. I've been talking with the Outlaw people, who have been very responsive, and offered to have me send it back for them to look at (which I am loathe to do given the cost, trouble, and being without an amplifier) but, they point out that this would be very hard to diagnose if it's so random and infrequent (weeks between incidents). Again, anyone else had this problem? Anyone else have any ideas? Thanks!
I agree. It's strange and the Outlaw folks say no one else has reported this symptom to them. They suggested deliberately bumping it during play to see if anything might be loose--but that's not it. They asked if the room it's in is carpeted and if a static discharge could have been responsible (not likely, as I'm ten feet away when listening), and they had me do a factory reset, just in case, but it happened again (the third time) last night. Hmmm.......
Couple things to try. Pull the IEC end of the power cord and reseat it. Turn the unit off first. While turned on kind of wiggle the main power switch on the rear panel. Is the unit plugged directly into the wall or something else?
Have a VERY close look at the speaker terminals. Are there any stray speaker wire strands causing a short?
No, no dimming of lights or any other symptoms to suggest a dip in voltage. Everything is plugged in through a surge protector/conditioner that hasn't tripped or anything.
That's probably a good idea. --but wouldn't that cause a constant issue? Why would it suddenly cause the thing to shut down momentarily after working just fine for weeks.
Ensure it is getting proper ventilation. If anything is blocking the air vents, the issue you're experiencing could be related to overheating. I did experience the exact same issue with my old Arcam AVR. After I looked at some pics of the internals, I knew this would be a costly thing to fix. Managed to sell it to a gentleman who didn't care since he was getting a bargain and the problem would occur every few weeks or months. My suggestion is that if it's still under warranty and the Outlaw gang is willing to exchange or repair it, please take advantage of their offer.
Plug it straight into the wall. This is excellent advice as well. You should have at least 6 inches of open space above and it should not be in a closed cabinet.
Interesting. I don't know how to judge that. It's in a cabinet raised so that there's about an inch clear below. There is three-quarters inch clearance on right and left and 3 and 1/4 inches clear above. Nothing is or has ever been on the vents. It certainly gets warm but not especially hot, as far as I can tell, but, as I say, I don't really know how to judge....
I'm afraid that really isn't much of an option. It's the only place I have to put it, where it is now.... If this is critical, I'll have to do a complete rethink.
It would be worthwhile to place it in a more open area to see if that solves the issue. Something else you could try without moving it would be to have a fan blowing on it.
Where are the vents located? The amount of clearance is *quite* small all around and frankly inadequate. My guess is it's overheating. Heat needs to escape. Might not be hot to you but it's how hot it is inside the amp that matters. You could slide a thermal probe in there to check if you cared to find out. With that little clearance, it wouldn't surprise me if it was simply suffocating from the heat. There are protection schemes that activate when it's too hot inside where they'll shut down the amp. Sounds like that's exactly what's happening here.
If that's the case, though, why does it start right back up again in a fraction of a second? Shouldn't a protection circuit shut it off until it's turned back on again manually? Also, you'd think that the Outlaw Audio people would have suggested that. I'll ask them. It shut off again tonight, after being on for about three hours. That's the fourth shutdown.
Up to you but if it were me, I wouldn't be debating it. Interested to see what they respond assuming you've relayed accurate information about the amount of clearance it has all around. I'd be surprised if they wouldn't be immediately concerned as any amp and electronic component emitting heat would need more clearance than what you've typed, lest it eventually get choked from the heat. Wouldn't surprise me at all if it keeps shutting off more and more frequently and develops more significant issues in the future. It may or may not be permanently affected from what it has sustained so far. If it were me, I'd remove it from the cabinet altogether and sit it on the floor as a test. If it never exhibits the problem ever again, you have your answer. Another shutdown regardless will confirm it's been affected anyway and will need to be fixed. Everybody has their own way. I troubleshoot and don't mess with stuff like this. Some may want to delve deeper and debate the issue. Personally, I see it as wasted effort as it won't resolve the problem one way or another. My 2 cents, FWIW.
I understand what you're saying, it's just that the vents are near the front of the case and the amplifier sits on a shelf that extends out about two inches over the lip of the actual shelf, so the front vents are very close to the edge with no obstructions above of any kind. There are also holes at the back of the cubby that allow warm air to rise out of the enclosed area in the back. The case doesn't feel especially hot, just warm. So, I'm skeptical about heat being the issue. I asked Outlaw Audio about this. I expect an answer on Monday. We'll see what they say. Thanks for your input.
I have encountered some odd electrical things in the past. First, don't overcomplicate the issue until you prove the simple things are NOT the issue. When I read your thread title the first thing that popped into mind was "thermal overload protection." This has already been addressed so I will not go much further than to suggest you really do ensure proper ventilation...It does matter and if at the endge of good enough you can get random thermal shut downs like you are experiencing. Lots of ways to get more air moving though. Next has also been addressed...The speaker terminals and one or two stray wires making contact somewhere else. This is not always a full contact issue, often times only maing contact when the dust makes the connection. Then one teeny tiny pop and it is clear again until the dust builds and makes the connection again. Another real oddity is spiders. They get inside the gear, make a web, the web maks contact and blows the breaker while also blowing the web that made contact. Until the spider builds another section of web that makes contact. Sometimes this kills the spider and the issue is gone until another find the nice living conditions and makes a new web. Other times the spider lives and makes a new web each time it get a hole blown in it. Dust build up can also cause issues but this sounds pretty new so probably not that yet. Next is the power lines feeding the unit, Make certain they are not poor connections...many can be but need only tiny bends to the plug prongs to solve the issue. When you go searching for possible poer interruptions be gentle and easy with the wiggling of plugs while paying very close attention to the power feed. Some of these issues are VERY subtle and only interrupt just enough to trip the internal safety in the unit. If the unit is fused, or breaker equipped, be certain the fuse or breaker is making full, quality contact. Sometimes the fuse or breaker itself gets oxidized just barely enough to make a poor connection and it trips, or blows. After the power cords are proven and after the speaker leads are proven, and after the thermal protection is proven, only then should you go searching inside the unit. Inside you may find cold solder joints, loose connectors, bad wire crimps or other similar small issues that are hard to diagnose and find. If you are not versed in such things it is best to take it to the shop, or in your case send it back for warranty inspection...Both stink though.
Mine has never done this and runs pretty cool, rarely even warm. I'd imagine it's got a pretty easy load with my Heresy III, though, and is in a fairly open environment. Outlaw manual says "it is a good idea to provide at least three to six inches of room above the unit for air circulation". (Although I've never understood the concept of saying "at least" then specifying a range. There can only be one "least".) It does seem like unusual behavior for a protection mode, just blinking out/in like that. Even if it's not heat-related, more ventilation can never hurt. I've used these on AVRs in tight spaces, should work with the 5V DC Accessory Power USB ports on the Outlaw. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B012CL2V3I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'd forgotten about the Outlaw recommendation for "at least 3 to 6 inches", which, I agree, is an odd way of wording it. As I have 3.25 inches above the device, I guess I'm within their recommendation. As I've said, I'm not convinced that this is an overheating problem. I was thinking along those lines (of a fan), but that fan is too big. I don't suppose you know of one that's no more than about 3 inches square? Actually, I've just checked on Amazon. The same company makes a 3-inch version. I suppose I could hook one up, but I'll wait to hear back from Outlaw first. Thanks for your thoughts.
