Question About Channel Imbalances in Amps
Mar 24, 2020 at 5:15 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 8

TronII

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I have two identical amps, but one of them has a channel imbalance when I turn the volume knob to approximately 10 o'clock, but disappears at any other volume setting; however, this problem didn't exist when I first bought it; what is the most likely cause of this issue?
 
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Mar 24, 2020 at 6:09 PM Post #2 of 8
I have two identical amps, but one of them has a channel imbalance when I turn the volume knob to approximately 10 o'clock, but disappears at any other volume setting; however, this problem didn't exist when I first bought it; what is the most likely cause of this issue?

A bit of a long shot, but low risk: have you tried blowing out the volume potentiometer with a can of compressed air? Dust usually causes other symptoms but might be causing your issue.
 
Mar 24, 2020 at 7:48 PM Post #3 of 8
A bit of a long shot, but low risk: have you tried blowing out the volume potentiometer with a can of compressed air? Dust usually causes other symptoms but might be causing your issue.
What makes you figure that, if I may ask?
 
Mar 24, 2020 at 8:25 PM Post #4 of 8
What makes you figure that, if I may ask?

Dust tends to get into potentiometers and can cause problems. Most of the time, it's crackles/pops as the volume knob gets turned, but I don't think it's beyond the realm of possibility that dust could also impact one channel more than another.

Could well be something else, but IMO, worth at least checking.
 
Mar 25, 2020 at 3:43 AM Post #5 of 8
Is this 10 o'clock channel imbalance free from noise or crackling when you adjust the volume control into that position?

Dust or oxidation in a pot never causes a simple channel imbalance. It causes intermittent contact of the wiper to the resistive element, which causes noise, crackling, etc., but not a simple stable imbalance.

It's rare that pot problems are just dust you can blow out. Many pots, the good ones, are sealed. Pot problems most often can only be cleared with cleaning using the proper cleaning product, being careful to select one appropriate to conductive plastic, if that's the resistive element.

Without knowing more...a lot more... this is virtually impossible to diagnose. The OP didn't even say what the amps are.
 
Mar 26, 2020 at 4:57 PM Post #6 of 8
Is this 10 o'clock channel imbalance free from noise or crackling when you adjust the volume control into that position?

Dust or oxidation in a pot never causes a simple channel imbalance. It causes intermittent contact of the wiper to the resistive element, which causes noise, crackling, etc., but not a simple stable imbalance.

It's rare that pot problems are just dust you can blow out. Many pots, the good ones, are sealed. Pot problems most often can only be cleared with cleaning using the proper cleaning product, being careful to select one appropriate to conductive plastic, if that's the resistive element.

Without knowing more...a lot more... this is virtually impossible to diagnose. The OP didn't even say what the amps are.
They are both Xduoo XD-05 amps. The one with the channel imbalance is the silver and black model, while the one without is all black (if that's relevant, as the QC could be different, despite the only difference being color.) And there is no (audible) noise at that position, just a channel imbalance.
Is the best course of action to desolder the volume pot and buy a replacement?
 
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