Advice Wanted: Audio Alchemy DAC Damaged?

[InsanityOne]

Hello Everyone,

Pre-face: I have VERY limited knowledge about electronic internals / why things break.

I am seeking advice with how to go about getting my Audio Alchemy DDP-1's power supply repaired as it is out of warranty and I cannot operate the DAC without it (plus I love this DAC and would hate to trash it). I am going to try and make this as concise as possible so please bear with me, first the backstory:

I recently moved (nothing major, just from one state to the next in the USA) and haven't used my system in about two weeks. My previous apartment was new, built in 2015, this new apartment is slightly older, built in 2012 but both should be new enough to have solid electrical wiring. Tonight I finally had time to get everything all set up perfectly just like I had it in my old place, and when I turned on my Audio-Alchemy DDP-1's power supply (PS-5) it operated normally, but for some reason the DDP-1 itself wouldn't turn on.

Now, I always turn my system on in the following order:

1.) PS Audio Power Plant 300 (set at 60 Hz Sine Wave at 117 Volts) (power regen.)
2.) Audio Alchemy PS-5 (external power-supply for DAC)
3.) Audio Alchemy DDP-1 (DAC)
4.) iFi Audio Pro iCAN (amp)

In this situation I never made it past step 2 as the DDP-1 would not power on. That was when I knew something was up. A few seconds later I heard some strange crackling coming from the PS-5 and I knew right away something was VERY wrong. I turned everything off immediately and then noticed a small tuft of white smoke coming from the rear of the PS-5 along with the distinct smell of burnt electronics.

So, I did what most of us would do, and un-plugged to PS-5 and took it completely apart to inspect the damage. I have uploaded pictures (https://imgur.com/a/TquTAuZ) of what I believe to be a fried MOSFET of some type, maybe TO-220? Neither of the two fuses were blown on the PS-5 and nothing was hot to the touch right after the damage occurred. The PCB itself looks to be in great condition other than the single burned component.

I am not sure why this one particular MOSFET decided to fry, or what even caused all of this in the first place. I have been living here nearly 3 weeks now and NONE of my many other electronics (toaster, microwave, phone / laptop chargers, 1000W gaming PC, Wi-Fi router / modem, lamps, etc.) have had ANY issues what-so-ever. So why did my PS-5 just decide to fry out of nowhere like this? I even transported it very carefully in its original box using my own vehicle when the moved itself went down.

So, to anyone who is experienced with repairing / modifying audio gear, does this look repairable? Also, why did this happen? I love this DAC, but since I am not the original owner and seeing as it has been over 1-year since the original owner purchased it, any hopes of a warranty claim from ELAC are lost. So please, help me find a way to get my beloved DAC back and let me know if I should be consider about any other electronics in my apartment!

P.S. - If anyone needs more pictures / explanation please let me know in the comments and I will do my best to provide you with what you need.

- InsanityOne

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

My engineering experience is limited but I'll try and share what I know.

There may be a certain period of time before the power regenerator can supply a steady 117V to your equipment, so you may want to ask PS Audio if there is a period that you need to wait after turning it on before turning on other equipment. I'd assume the PP would have a relay that wouldn't supply power to equipment until it is ready, but you know what they say about assuming.

I'd imagine that silicon part is a rectifier for one of the voltage rails. It would be easy to replace, but it may not be the only part that is damaged. Did you contact AA to see if you could ship it to them for repair? If this is a common occurrence they've likely repaired others and have developed an appropriate remedy.

As far as why it happened, a diode will smoke or burn up from excess current running through it. As far as why it happened, there are too many possibilities, which is why the unit should be looked at by a professional. Some possible causes for overcurrent include a short circuit, excessive load, incorrect design, a ground fault, either that or the rectifier may be underrated, the design should have incorporated a heatsink, it was a bad part, etc. etc. etc.

There are many people more experienced than I on DIYAudio.com, so if you want to go the route of fixing it yourself, you may want to post over there for some additional input.

 

[InsanityOne]

Thanks for the reply! I am seeing about contacting ELAC to see if they will even accept it for repair at my own expense. If they won't, or if they try to charge an exorbitant fee then I will look for a local shop instead.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Let us know how it goes. One could slap a new rectifier in there, put a heatsink on it and call it a day, but there's likely an underlying cause that will cause the issue to come up again down the road.

 

[InsanityOne]

I am still seeking any input on this issue / how to proceed with getting it inspected and repaired. In the time since my original post I have placed the damaged PS-5 into storage and have been using an iFi iPower 9V to power the DDP-1 which is working fairly well, but it has exposed a new issue which I think may have been caused when the PS-5 melted down. When operating the volume control on the DDP-1 it begins to produce an extremely loud hum / hiss through my headphones starting at around 60, peaking around 70, and disappearing around 80. The rest of the volume positions are completely quiet, as normal. I am not sure what could be causing this, but it is just another nail in the coffin for this amazing unit. I really wish that I knew someone who was really knowledgeable about audio repair, as I would like to get it repaired. If anyone has any input at all, please feel free to let me know.

 

[Pars]

I would probably check both D13 and D14. As for U6, you should see if you can read any part numbers on them as whatever they are, they are probably available thru Mouser, etc.

 

[InsanityOne]

Just an update on my progress getting the DDP-1 and PS-5 inspected / repaired. IT IS FIXED! I finally caved and just reached out to ELAC / Audio Alchemy customer service and explained to them the issues I was experiencing and they recommended that I send both units in to them for repairs. So, I paid the $50 to send both units out to California for them to be expected, and after about two weeks they were back in my possession. Here was the diagnosis from the owner of Audio Alchemy (Peter Madnick) himself:

The PS-5 had a blown voltage regulator caused by the PS-5's umbilical cable being plugged in with a bent pin that shorted to ground. The DDP-1 was fine. I recall that the owner had tried running it with a DC power-supply (it must be AC) and it worked, but caused a noticeable hiss. Fortunately the DDP-1 was not damaged by that attempt. We updated the software and tuned it up, as well as cleaned both units.

The cable for my PS-5 must have gotten damaged when I moved, and I didn't check it before plugging it in. So this was definitely my fault. But even still, Peter's team at Audio Alchemy repaired the unit and sent it back to me free of charge. The only thing I paid for was the original $50 for the one-way shipping to California. I would highly recommend purchasing an Audio Alchemy product as they take great care of their customers! Also, shout-out to the ELAC support team member Charles Mallari for keeping me up-to-date throughout the whole process.

 

[HiGHFLYiN9]

Great service for sure! Nice to know that Peter's superlative customer service matches his impeccable hair-style.

 

[InsanityOne]

Great service for sure! Nice to know that Peter's superlative customer service matches his impeccable hair-style.

I couldn't agree more!