Polk audio 4 channel internals (PAD 40004) - FR channel faulty

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

This amplifier is going back to be replaced/repaired, but before I do that I wanted to get a couple pictures of the internals in case it's helpful for someone in the future.

Everything inside looks pretty pristine. I visually inspected it to see if there way any apparent burning or breaks in solder on the board and couldn't find anything. I'm not an amplifier design expert, so I have no idea how to check connections.

From what I've gathered, I believe the Front Right channel has a bad ground and is causing some sort of distortion/DC current that blows speakers. Two speakers have failed thus far on this channel. If an expert could direct me towards where I should look if I wanted to inspect the FR channel I'd really appreciate it. I'd be happy to take more pictures before I put it back together and ship it off.

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[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

bump

is there a forum specific for amplifier discussion/repair? I think i saw more discussion on MAF. not a lot of circuit designers on CA apparently

 

[Spooney 10+ year member]

bump
is there a forum specific for amplifier discussion/repair? I think i saw more discussion on MAF. not a lot of circuit designers on CA apparently

Head over to diyAudio and check out the car audio forum there. There is a few really good and very experienced tech over there that might be able to help you. On another note if its under warranty you probably shouldn't have opened it. If they can tell that you have been inside of it they will most likely not honor the warranty.

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

Thanks for the advice, I'll head over there and make a post. It is under warranty, but there's no stickers of any sort anywhere. Before opening it up I contacted polk audio and asked if there was any stickers or issues with me opening it up prior to sending it in to check if there was any apparent burns, they said no. I didn't find any stickers upon opening it or devices to check if it was opened.

It's getting sent back to amazon anyway, it'll be a lot faster TAT for me than sending it to polk over in CA from FL. They'll probably just replace it, I doubt PA would of told me if there was an issue anyway. Most manufacturers don't.