[purk]

Like @lancefire, I think I have to replace the battery of my PHA-3AC as it switches off sometimes
Does anyone know what battery it contains? It might be different from the regular PHA-3.
In the process I can clean the volume control too, as it has some crackling and imbalance when turning down.

It should not contain any battery.

 

[Whitigir]

Yeah I think there are 2 versions of it AC has no battery and non AC has battery

 

[Roland P]

Found it! It's the LIS1553(SY6)

 

[whitedragem]

... to share some ‘PHA3’ love;

Just had an absolute corker ‘head-fi’ moment;
Child comes to me as I am hooking a FiiO DAP into the most excellent PHA3 (as an amp, handily trumps ‘quite a few’ modern devices and certainly flogs the dual ‘THX amplifier chips’ that I would have been at the mercy of, if I didn’t go ‘chain of devices’).. The wee youth wants to borrow a music player (with Nine Inch Nails on it), and I am looking at the one in my hand thinking ‘I need this’, the alternative is to offer the kid the Questyle QP1R DAP, but knowing it would be driving Meze 99 ‘over ears’ (and I wanted to drive Cardas IEMs) it made sense to give Mezes’ the ‘more powerful amplifier’ (certainly for NIN!)

Apparently the reason a DAP was needed was ‘the iPad sounds like crap’. A lightbulb moment happens, my illumination being to share the PHA3 as a DAC and amp.
One minute later, I still have my DAP, the kid has been educated to not blow their ears out, and the iPad is sufficient, with external support, to do the task at hand.

I really felt this was a teaching moment. (I have bought a few DAC and Amp combos for them over the last seven+ years, but this was a home run; I even informed what the sound enhancement slider on the side of the PHA3 would do to the feed (convert to upsampled DSD for the ESS DAC inside to do its very best!!).

As a flatline/‘no EQ’ family who like ‘quality sound’, those Mezes are about to get a cobweb destroying blast from the past.
Nice one Sony.

Sitting here, myself, listening to an inferior setup to what I set out to relax too.. ahhh the sacrifices we make. “Love”

 

[CyberAthlete]

Welp my unit which has been malfunctioning since I bought it on the forums is now basically becoming unusable. The problem initially was that when I powered it on the left speaker would take a few moments for sound to come in and I didn't think much of it when I bought it used, as the once the sound came, it would work fine. Now after being on for a while, the sound starts to go away in one channel, and the other one stays. Then it starts to come back in that channel and the other channel starts to mute. And this continues every few moments. Anyone else having this experience?

 

[Apogie]

Welp my unit which has been malfunctioning since I bought it on the forums is now basically becoming unusable. The problem initially was that when I powered it on the left speaker would take a few moments for sound to come in and I didn't think much of it when I bought it used, as the once the sound came, it would work fine. Now after being on for a while, the sound starts to go away in one channel, and the other one stays. Then it starts to come back in that channel and the other channel starts to mute. And this continues every few moments. Anyone else having this experience?

I've had a similar experience. One side was partially reduced in terms of volume and more importantly, sonics dynamic range. it sounded about 30% as loud, compared to the other channel and severely dull. After warming up it would play normal or if I switched from low to high gain. But it would fade in and out as I used over a few hours. Started to use a Fiio Q5s and never looked back... I have used the Pha3 a few times after 7 month break and listening now as I write this. The unit now seems to work flawlessly. My issue was the single ended out.

 

[CyberAthlete]

I've had a similar experience. One side was partially reduced in terms of volume and more importantly, sonics dynamic range. it sounded about 30% as loud, compared to the other channel and severely dull. After warming up it would play normal or if I switched from low to high gain. But it would fade in and out as I used over a few hours. Started to use a Fiio Q5s and never looked back... I have used the Pha3 a few times after 7 month break and listening now as I write this. The unit now seems to work flawlessly. My issue was the single ended out.

I am using the balanced connection L and R with my Sony MDR-Z7. I guess I can try the single connection. It may be a capacitor issue. But no parts are available for repair when I called Sony and even the authorized dealer they gave me contact for said it can't be repaired. No parts.

 

[Apogie]

I am using the balanced connection L and R with my Sony MDR-Z7. I guess I can try the single connection. It may be a capacitor issue. But no parts are available for repair when I called Sony and even the authorized dealer they gave me contact for said it can't be repaired. No parts.

United Radio in upstate NY handles this service for Sony. When I spoke with them, they mentioned that there are no direct serviceable parts and that they could only offer warranty replacement. There is a service manual out there on the web and it can be serviced by a knowledgeable repair center with off the shelf components and of corse donor parts from an existing Pha3. It would be cheaper to just find another pha3 on eBay and sell yours for parts.

 

[Roland P]

Since my unit (pha-3ac) was randomly switching itself off and back on again, I replaced the battery. Unfortunately, the same thing happens with the new battery! I tried to clean the volume potentiometer, but no improvements there, I can live with that, but not with the off-switching fault.
Strangly, I used it a while in balanced/toslink mode and it worked well. When I connected my turntable (analog) and used single end, it started to switch off again, then, in balanced mode, it switches now off too.

I really like the sound, so it's all bit depressing. I could try to measure the battery voltage during operation, maybe the new battery is faulty too? The voltage should drop when it cant deliver the current the circuit asks for...

Maybe I should get the TA-ZH1ES, digital volume control, and no battery, it should have a better longevity than the pha-3.

 

[Whitigir]

Since my unit (pha-3ac) was randomly switching itself off and back on again, I replaced the battery. Unfortunately, the same thing happens with the new battery! I tried to clean the volume potentiometer, but no improvements there, I can live with that, but not with the off-switching fault.
Strangly, I used it a while in balanced/toslink mode and it worked well. When I connected my turntable (analog) and used single end, it started to switch off again, then, in balanced mode, it switches now off too.

I really like the sound, so it's all bit depressing. I could try to measure the battery voltage during operation, maybe the new battery is faulty too? The voltage should drop when it cant deliver the current the circuit asks for...

Maybe I should get the TA-ZH1ES, digital volume control, and no battery, it should have a better longevity than the pha-3.

I bought an almost 6 years old TAZ, just modified, still running like a champ

 

[jbhatnagar00]

Yes for both the IER and MDR. I’ve owned my PHA-3 for over 4 years and I’m still impressed by it. I was using it earlier today with my Focal Clear/WM1Z and it pairs well with that as well.

Do you still think it is good for the Clear, or the Elegia in 2022? How does it sound?

 

[justonwo]

All, I have the PHA-3. Have had it for a couple of years. I use the Apple camera adapter to get high res from my iPhone. I have to use the Sony cable supplied with the PHA-3 (don’t recall the special port name but it has two holes that the cable plugs into). Then I need an adapter cable between that cable and the Apple camera adapter to complete the connection.

It works, but the cables are VERY sensitive to even the tiniest movement. If I move the camera adapter even slightly, I lose the connection from my phone to the PHA-3. I’ve tried two different camera adapter cables at this point. It seems like there’s something very twitchy about the connection and I’m stumped. Anyone else have this issue?

 

[drbluenewmexico]

Same issues with usb connections

 

[justonwo]

Same issues with usb connections

Wow, that’s a bummer. You mean direct from lightning cable to the USB A connection on the Sony?

It’s driving me nuts. Makes the PHA-3 totally unusable for me.

 

[raif71]

All, I have the PHA-3. Have had it for a couple of years. I use the Apple camera adapter to get high res from my iPhone. I have to use the Sony cable supplied with the PHA-3 (don’t recall the special port name but it has two holes that the cable plugs into). Then I need an adapter cable between that cable and the Apple camera adapter to complete the connection.

It works, but the cables are VERY sensitive to even the tiniest movement. If I move the camera adapter even slightly, I lose the connection from my phone to the PHA-3. I’ve tried two different camera adapter cables at this point. It seems like there’s something very twitchy about the connection and I’m stumped. Anyone else have this issue?

Do you mean the micro-usb port of pha-3 ?