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JL Audio Ahead of the Curve

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Old 07-02-2018, 11:02 PM
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jdandy jdandy is offline
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Default JL Audio Fathom f113 repair

My Fathom f113 failed to turn on about two months ago. It has been sitting on its Sound Anchor stand in the living room looking nice but doing nothing. I have procrastinated packing this 130 lbs. beast, 147 lbs. in its shipping carton, because it is more than I can physically handle these days. In addition, my living room is upstairs. This means that after I get it in the shipping carton I then must get it to ground level and to the garage for freight pickup. Ugh!

I talked to Randy Wagner, JL Audio's tech support guy, and asked about just shipping the amp to JL Audio. He said that could be done. He also gave me a great tip for getting the amp broken away from the cabinet seal by using 2" machine thread screws slightly larger than the counter sunk holes in the aluminum heat sink. They self tap in the aluminum and as they are screwed in they draw the amp heat sink out of the cabinet recess. It worked like a charm, and after disconnecting several quick connect plug sockets the amplifier came right out. I checked the weight, 33 lbs. Now, if I decide to ship the amplifier to JL Audio it will be a much easier and less expensive proposition than having to freight the entire subwoofer.

I have done a fair amount of research on the f113 amplifier failures and discovered quite a few people experiencing all sorts of issues, not turning on at all, loud hum even when off, pulsing hum, and high frequency squeal before dying. Several people have made repairs themselves and I found some useful information that I am going to take advantage of in an attempt to repair my failure to turn on problem. I am relatively confident it is a capacitor issue in the stand-by power supply. Tonight I ordered 2 different capacitors from Mouser Electronics with a higher temperature rating than the two capacitors I suspect are the culprits. When they arrive I will install them in place of the ones currently installed on the board. Hopefully this will solve my turn on problem and get my Fathom f113 back in service. If not, then the amp will get shipped to JL Audio.

Here are a few photos of the amplifier out of the subwoofer.














__________________
Dan



STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario
LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable, Micro Seiki DD40, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Nakamichi BX-300, Sony 60ES DAT, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Sonos Connect, Stillpoints, Wireworld, Kimber, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113
VINTAGE - McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, Sony DTC-59ES DAT, McIntosh 4300V, JBL 4312A

Last edited by jdandy; 07-03-2018 at 11:08 AM.
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Old 07-02-2018, 11:44 PM
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sircharles sircharles is offline
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Default JL Audio Fathom f113 repair

ing
Quote:
Originally Posted by jdandy View Post
My Fathom f113 failed to turn on about two months ago. It has been sitting on its Sound Anchor stand in the living room looking nice but doing nothing. I have procrastinated packing this 130 lbs. beast, 147 lbs. in its shipping carton, because it is more than I can physically handle these days. In addition, my living room is upstairs. This means that after I get it in the shipping carton I then must get it to ground level and to the garage for freight pickup. Ugg!

I talked to Randy Wagner, JL Audio's tech support guy, and asked about just shipping the amp to JL Audio. He said that could be done. He also gave me a great tip for getting the amp broken from the cabinet seal by using 2" machine thread screws slightly larger than the counter sunk holes in the aluminum heat sink. They self tap in the aluminum and as they are screwed in they draw the amp heat sink out of the cabinet recess. It worked like a charm, and after disconnecting several quick connect plug sockets the amplifier came right out. I checked the weight, 33 lbs. Now, if I decide to ship the amplifier to JL Audio it will be a much easier and less expensive proposition than having to freight the entire subwoofer.

I have done a fair amount of research on the f113 amplifier failures and discovered quite a few people experiencing all sorts of issues, not turning on at all, loud hum even when off, pulsing hum, and high frequency squeal before dying. Several people have made repairs themselves and I found some useful information that I am going to take advantage of in an attempt to repair my failure to turn on problem. I am relatively confident it is a capacitor issue in the stand-by power supply. Tonight I ordered 2 different capacitors from Mouser Electronics with a higher temperature rating than the two capacitors I suspect are the culprits. When they arrive I will install them in place of the ones currently installed on the board. Hopefully this will solve my turn on problem and get my Fathom f113 back in service. If not, then the amp will get shipped to JL Audio.


Jdandy, good to know you finally tackled the job!

My F113v2 amp arrives back from JL Audio tomorrow. It took a total of 3 weeks for the turn around (including shipping). Not bad.
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Melco N1ZH60/2 ---> EtherRegen ---> Bricasti M1 SE DAC ---> ASR Emitter II Exclusive Version Blue w/Battery PSU ---> Eggleston Andra III speakers rolling on Stillpoints Ultra 5's ----> Dual Rythmik E15 Subs ---> all tied together Via MIT MA-X RCA IC and MIT Matrix SHD120 Rev.2 Bi-Wire speaker cables.

Last edited by jdandy; 07-09-2018 at 10:46 AM. Reason: correct typos in quote
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Old 07-03-2018, 12:55 AM
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Originally Posted by sircharles View Post
Jdandy, good to know you finally tackled the job!

My F113v2 amp arrives back from JL Audio tomorrow. It took a total of 3 weeks for the turn around (including shipping). Not bad.
sircharles.......What failed with your Fathom f113V2?
__________________
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STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario
LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable, Micro Seiki DD40, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Nakamichi BX-300, Sony 60ES DAT, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Sonos Connect, Stillpoints, Wireworld, Kimber, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113
VINTAGE - McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, Sony DTC-59ES DAT, McIntosh 4300V, JBL 4312A
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Old 07-03-2018, 05:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdandy View Post
sircharles.......What failed with your Fathom f113V2?
When i received word that the Amp was fixed via email, I called JL Audio to ask for specifics but they haven't gotten back to me. i can let you know as soon as i hear back from them.

Btw... if you get to the point of shipping to JL audio and need a box with padding/foam i can send you the one i received from JL Audio. The shape of the amp plate is odd making it awkward to pack. JL Audio sent back the repaired amp in a box that protects the amp quite well.
__________________
Melco N1ZH60/2 ---> EtherRegen ---> Bricasti M1 SE DAC ---> ASR Emitter II Exclusive Version Blue w/Battery PSU ---> Eggleston Andra III speakers rolling on Stillpoints Ultra 5's ----> Dual Rythmik E15 Subs ---> all tied together Via MIT MA-X RCA IC and MIT Matrix SHD120 Rev.2 Bi-Wire speaker cables.
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Old 07-03-2018, 06:21 PM
Kal Rubinson Kal Rubinson is offline
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When i received word that the Amp was fixed via email..............
Wow. I wish they could fix mine by email.
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Old 07-03-2018, 06:24 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sircharles View Post
Btw... if you get to the point of shipping to JL audio and need a box with padding/foam i can send you the one i received from JL Audio. The shape of the amp plate is odd making it awkward to pack. JL Audio sent back the repaired amp in a box that protects the amp quite well.
sircharles.......I appreciate that offer. I will take you up on it should I need to send the amp to JL Audio, and of course pay the shipping to me and to return the box to you. I am hoping I won't need to ship the amp.
__________________
Dan



STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario
LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable, Micro Seiki DD40, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Nakamichi BX-300, Sony 60ES DAT, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Sonos Connect, Stillpoints, Wireworld, Kimber, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113
VINTAGE - McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, Sony DTC-59ES DAT, McIntosh 4300V, JBL 4312A
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  #7  
Old 07-03-2018, 07:09 PM
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sircharles sircharles is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jdandy View Post
sircharles.......I appreciate that offer. I will take you up on it should I need to send the amp to JL Audio, and of course pay the shipping to me and to return the box to you. I am hoping I won't need to ship the amp.
hopefully you will not need to. PM if you do.
__________________
Melco N1ZH60/2 ---> EtherRegen ---> Bricasti M1 SE DAC ---> ASR Emitter II Exclusive Version Blue w/Battery PSU ---> Eggleston Andra III speakers rolling on Stillpoints Ultra 5's ----> Dual Rythmik E15 Subs ---> all tied together Via MIT MA-X RCA IC and MIT Matrix SHD120 Rev.2 Bi-Wire speaker cables.
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Old 01-24-2021, 09:05 PM
Usuallysleepy Usuallysleepy is offline
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I bought a used f110v1. It had a slight hum when only the power was plugged in. Changing the volume or high pass filter didn’t make any difference.

After using it for a month or so the sub now has a rumble when not plugged in. The rumble gets louder and quieter with the volume knob and even goes quiet when volume is all the way down. Also changing the high pass filter will affect the sound. I’m assuming that somehow the amp is being fed a constant signal somehow. When I connect it to the receiver via rca it won’t play what is coming from the receiver, just the rumble.

I am planning to open it up and replace the capacitors when I get some free time. I think I’m gonna try to replace all the capacitors so I don’t need to order capacitors multiple times.

Does anyone know if it is easy to replace the capacitors at the bottom of OP’s picture with the black tar looking like stuff?
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Old 07-03-2018, 12:16 AM
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Bad caps cause a host of issues! Crossing my fingers for you Dan.
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  #10  
Old 07-03-2018, 12:48 AM
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jdandy jdandy is offline
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Originally Posted by Cohibaman View Post
Bad caps cause a host of issues! Crossing my fingers for you Dan.
Mike.......Thanks. A bit of positive energy never hurts.

My research has turned up several people's f113's that have been successfully restored by replacing the 100uf/35volt/85C cap (red arrow) with a 100uf/35volt/105C cap. I may also replace the 33uf/400volt/85c cap (yellow arrow) with a 33uf/400volt/105C cap. I should have the two capacitors by Friday. I hope this solves my issue of the subwoofer not powering up. If not then the amp will get shipped to JL Audio for repair. I did find a fuse on the circuit board. It checked good. Shipping a 33 lb amp will be much easier and cheaper than shipping a 147 lb factory carton by freight.


__________________
Dan



STUDIO - McIntosh C1000C/P, MC2301 (2), MR88, Aurender N10, Esoteric K-01X, Shunyata Sigma spdif digital cable, Sonos Connect, PurePower 2000, Stillpoints, Furutech Flux 50, Michell Gyro SE, Michell HR Power Supply, SME 309, Ortofon Cadenza Black, Wireworld, Sonus faber Amati Anniversario
LIVING ROOM - McIntosh C2300, MC75 (2), MR85, Magnum Dynalab 205, Simaudio MOON Neo 260D-T, Schiit Audio Yggdrasil, Aurender N100H, Shunyata Sigma USB cable, Micro Seiki DD40, Ortofon Cadenza Blue, Nakamichi BX-300, Sony 60ES DAT, PS Audio P10, Furutech Flux 50, Sonos Connect, Stillpoints, Wireworld, Kimber, PMC EB1i, JL Audio f113
VINTAGE - McIntosh MA230, Tandberg 3011A tuner, Olive 04HD, Sony DTC-59ES DAT, McIntosh 4300V, JBL 4312A

Last edited by jdandy; 07-06-2018 at 10:53 PM.
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