PAS3 Problem: Cannot reduce volume level to be quiet.

Even with the volume turned all the way down, my PAS3 still passes enough signal to the power amp so as to be audible. This happens when using both the "spare" input as well as the phono input.

I tried it with another, different power amp & the issue remains the same.

Any suggestions as to what may be wrong here?

martin wrote:Even with the volume turned all the way down, my PAS3 still passes enough signal to the power amp so as to be audible. This happens when using both the "spare" input as well as the phono input.

I tried it with another, different power amp & the issue remains the same.

Any suggestions as to what may be wrong here?

This is a common problem Martin.....

martin wrote:Even with the volume turned all the way down, my PAS3 still passes enough signal to the power amp so as to be audible. This happens when using both the "spare" input as well as the phono input.

I tried it with another, different power amp & the issue remains the same.

Any suggestions as to what may be wrong here?

Replace the volume pot.

There is alps-copies on ebay , 250k with loudness for a small amount of money.
One example is here :
https://www.ebay.com/itm/164352365084?hash=item26442a121c:g:gjIAAOSwsDZcS8A7

peterh wrote:

martin wrote:Even with the volume turned all the way down, my PAS3 still passes enough signal to the power amp so as to be audible. This happens when using both the "spare" input as well as the phono input.

I tried it with another, different power amp & the issue remains the same.

Any suggestions as to what may be wrong here?

Replace the volume pot.

There is alps-copies on ebay , 250k with loudness for a small amount of money.
One example is here :
https://www.ebay.com/itm/164352365084?hash=item26442a121c:g:gjIAAOSwsDZcS8A7

That's a nice price peterh. I found this one on ebay but it's $90.00. That's crazy !

https://www.ebay.com/itm/164495522004?hash=item264cb278d4:g:n6cAAOSwbURcauns

Thanks for pointing me in the right direction regarding the volume control being the culprit.

As an experiment, I put a drop of DeOxit contact lube into both pots and to my amazement, the issue disappeared.

Does this make sense to anybody?

martin wrote:Thanks for pointing me in the right direction regarding the volume control being the culprit.  

As an experiment, I put a drop of DeOxit contact lube into both pots and to my amazement, the issue disappeared.

Does this make sense to anybody?

Yes. But the effect may go away.
While it's still in effect, buy a replacement and be prepared to change it.

martin wrote:Thanks for pointing me in the right direction regarding the volume control being the culprit.  

As an experiment, I put a drop of DeOxit contact lube into both pots and to my amazement, the issue disappeared.

Does this make sense to anybody?

Probably dirt or corrosion on the resistive track at the ground end was cleaned off by the DeOxit.  There was probably enough there to hold the wiper of the control above ground, instead of being AT ground when turned all the way down.

You could do a lot better than the original Dynaco control, even if it is working properly. ALPS is generally good; but I prefer stepped controls using precision surface mount resistors. Either way, you'll eliminate the annoying tendency of aging Dynaco controls to shift channel balance as the control is rotated.