Hi there. It has been some time since my Sprout (june, 2017) has started to cut the sound insistently (each 30s +/-). I have changed the cable connections and the problem seems to be a little bit worse than i thought. I have noticed that, when i start the amplifier everything goes right, very good sound via digital coax IN. But, the mess starts just a few hours later. The cuts starts to happen independently which connection i am using (bluetooth, coax, analog…). Is possible that the amp internal heat can cause this issue? Any suggestions or my device has reached its “shelf life” 3 years later? Thanks
I haven’t heard anything quite like this. Specially after a few hours of working well. The original Sprout never got very hot so I wouldn’t think it was a heat thing. If you power cycle it, does it start working again for another few hours?
Might want to replace the fuse and see if that clears it up. May be getting to end of life.
Hey Jamesh, thank you for your answer! I have mencioned the heat as a possible problem because the amp needs to “rest” some time to back to normality…and yes, the bottom (aluminium part) is very hot when played more than 1 or 2 hours…I also could try the fuse replace as dawkinsj mencioned…Thanks again
Maybe a bad cap…?
I was thinking maybe a cap as well. I leave my Sprout on 24/7 for the last year or so with no issues.
OK, certainly could be heat related if it needs a rest in order to start working again. I’d be hesitant with the fuse. Because of its size and how dense it is, working in the Sprout is a bit of a nuisance to say the least. Shoot our service guys an email with the description, they may end up wanting to take a look at it. service@psaudio.com
I have been having the same problem. I got my Sprout100 last December and it has stayed on 24/7. I have had issues with AirPlay suddenly deciding it doesn’t want to connect any more - restarting AirPlay and reconnecting takes care of that. Either a software restart or a hard restart of the AirPort base station works equally well. It doesn’t matter which source component I use, although it is a little difficult to admit that my “source components” are Apple iPads and a MacBook going through an AirPlay 2. (I got what I think would help me connect directly, including a very nice and expensive - for me - USB cable, but I have trouble motivating myself to do it.)
Now my Sprout100 has taken to shutting itself off unpredictably. It just quits, sometimes immediately after I power on again, sometimes hours later. As I said earlier, the Sprout100 stays on all the time except when we are watching television (or should I say “streaming”). AirPlay is not an issue with the televisions or Blu-Ray players - video goes through its own system and AirPlay device, although we are currently cursed by living somewhere about 500 feet away from where AT&T’s fiber optic just stops.
I have thought a lot about what is causing the highly annoying Sprout100 shut down issue, including the Iranians, Russians or Chinese overloading the Internet or even hacking into systems. I will do a power cycle the next time my Sprout100 decides to take my music (Tidal, always Tidal, so I guess it’s really Tidal’s music) and go wherever electronics go when they sleep. The other thing I have to motivate myself to do is to finally connect my AntiCables biwire speaker cables to my B&W’s so I can plug directly into my Sprout100 and eliminate those adapters for spades, as I worry about what happens if the cables touch each other, as the adapters and speaker cables wobble considerably as they are now.
I am going to upgrade to a Strata as soon as my wife gives the okay (insert whip crack here). For now, I am having to put up with snide remarks deriding the quality of PSA products (“It sounds fine but it looks and feels like crap” and “That new amplifier costs how much?”). C’est la vie. Sigh…
What does it take to get it to start playing again? Also, does it seem like the power gets completely cut from the unit? Meaning, does the power LED shut off?
There is no completely OFF when it is playing. Just a little sound interruptions starts to happen about each 30s. This starts to accur after 1 or 2 hours of normal playing and it is the new “standard” of my amp…in other words…i just can use the amp for 1 or 2 hours because the cuts and sound interruptions will never stop once it has begun…and does not matter which input i am using (digital, analog or bluetooth) unless if i turn off the sprout and rest it for 30min or 1 hour…my amp is not the SPROUT 100…is the first one SPROUT model (and it has no power led). Just for information I am using it with a pair of Klipsch RP-150M speakers. I’ve bought the SPROUT in june, 2017…thanks again!
Very bizarre and definitely seems like a heat related thing. Did our service guys have any ideas?
Hi again, i did a test last weekend and after the cut sound problem starts (after 2 hours playing using my acoustics speakers) i connected my headphones and i have noticed that the problem didn’t happen using it. The sound was played well using the phones…is there some reason for it? I am not sure if this information can be useful or relevant but i have just decided to share…thanks!
Yes, this is very helpful. What this tells us is that the Sprout isn’t powering off when this happens, and it isn’t a source issue either. Doesn’t rule out that it isn’t a heat related issue though. It does however tell us that the Sprout isn’t going into a protection mode. The unit would completely shut off if it were. Something funky is happening with the speaker output stage. If you don’t mind, shoot our service team an email at service@psaudio.com They will have some more ideas of what could be happening and if they think it needs to come in to be looked at.
hi, just to finalize this subject. Definitely was a heat problem. I’ve made a test after the problem starts. I put a big fan close to the amp and in 1 or 2 minutes the problem was solved and starts to sound great again. Now i am improvising a notebook base with little coolers inside as a base to my Sprout Amp. Thanks for attention and fast answers! Keep rockin
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Excellent news, and thank you for the follow up!