MA6200 Suspected Volume Control Issue

sc1801

sc1801

Go Gamecocks!
Hello fellow AK'ers

I recently made my first McIntosh purchase with a MA6200 integrated amp. I love the sound and the cosmetics of the unit I have are near mint condition.

I'm having an issue though with what I suspect to be the volume control. At low volumes I get some static with one of the channels dropping out.

Typically it's the right channel that drops out but today the left actually dropped out.

The MA6200 has the sealed ALPS volume control which I read from searching that Terry mentions is rarely problematic but I'm not sure what to do in this case.

I did attempt to clean it with deoxit D5 through a small opening in the top of the volume pot but it has made no difference.

Do you guys have any other suggestions as to what it could be? Do I need a new pot all together or could their be another culprit here? I might add that as soon as I increase the volume both channels kick back in with perfect sound quality so I don't suspect that it's anything else internally since it's 100% volume related.

Thanks in advance for all your help! You guys are great!
 
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Have you had it restored yet...if not it is pass due.

Loudness/ balance controls and board's molex pins are always a suspect.

Speaker mute relay is known to go intermittent at low volume levels.

Mode and input selector switches can go intermittant at low level.

ROE caps

The volume control was used in all the preamp sections back then. I can not remember ever having a issue with one.
 
c_dk said:
Have you had it restored yet...if not it is pass due.

Loudness/ balance controls and board's molex pins are always a suspect.

Speaker mute relay is known to go intermittent at low volume levels.

Mode and input selector switches can go intermittant at low level.

ROE caps

The volume control was used in all the preamp sections back then. I can not remember ever having a issue with one.
Click to expand...

Thanks for this info!

With the exception of the ROE caps, could everything else potentially be cleaned to help out the situation until I send it in for restoration?
 
DO NOT use D5 on rotating controls, use F5 FaderLube, use the D5 on the switches and F5 on the pots, the volume control has a green shield you can lift to get access to spray some F5 into.
 
Also consider checking for cold solder joints or cracks in the solder where pins/leads are soldered to the boards. After years of use, pressure applied to controls during adjustment may compromise the solder connections.

Douglas
 
My neighbor just gave me a MA 6200. He has not used it since 1981. Mint condition. Same issue when I first powered it up. However, it has diminished since i started giving it more use.
 
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