No sound in bypass or operate but power amp still works?!?

Stage & Studio Power Station PS-100
1

Unit will not produce sound in bypass or operate mode, but the power amp still works as I can run signal into the FX Return and power a 4x12.

I purchased this about 9 months ago and it worked normally until just the other day. Seems strange issue to have considering power amp still works it just won’t engage the reamping feature.

Any help you can provide is appreciated!

2

Tested again today. Still won’t produce sound in bypass or operate modes. Seems maybe something is wrong with amp in input because I can get sound when driving a 4x12 and plugging into fx return. But as soon as I plug my SLO or D clone combo into the amp in input I no longer get sound.

Have tried multiple speaker cables and verified they all work.

I’m at a loss as to what the issue is.

3

Hi S.McCoy and welcome to the community!

  • Does your SLO and D clone combo work when directly connected to their speakers? I just want to check if they are sending a signal.
  • You have checked your speaker cables and know they are working – how did you ensure this?
  • What happens if you plug into the Line In rather than the FX return?

Here is the Power Station trouble shooting guide. Please go through all the “NO SOUND” steps,

4
  • Yes, both amps working normally.
  • I tried both speaker cables direct with two different half stacks, one with my SLO and mojotone 4x12 another with my '77 Superbass and Marshall 4x12. Swapping both speaker cables with both stacks. I have also tried using both speaker cables with the PS100 “speaker in” input to drive both 4x12’s which seems to work as normal,
  • I just tested plugging a guitar straight into Line In instead of the FX Return with 4x12 plugged into the “speaker in” input, and it does make sound! Although it is lower volume than FX Return which is I believe is to be expected (instrument vs line level).

I have run through that entire checklist multiple times as well. The main fuse is not blown. If the internal fuse was blown surely the power amp would not work any longer? It’s extremely strange I don’t get sound in bypass mode of all things.

5

Tested again today. To clarify setup:

SLO speaker out > PS100 Amp In
PS100 SPKR Out > Mojotone 4x12

Nothing in SLO fx loop. Tried same with D-clone combo. Guitar plugged straight into both amps. Still no sound in bypass or operate modes.

Also worth noting there is NO signal coming from the line out in silent recording mode. Makes sense if it doesn’t even work in bypass let alone operate.

However, I am still able to use it as a power amp in the following setup:

Eventide H90 in the fx loop of SLO. 2nd out of H90 to FX Return of PS100, PS100 SPKR Out to Marshall 4x12. Works seemingly normal. Plenty of volume and output (unity gain on PS100 is about 10;30 o’clock)

However this issue is very frustrating because I primarily have been using this as an FX loop for my D-clone as well as silent recording and suddenly it has stopped working.

Do you recommend I email customer service or should I reach out to Vintage King for a replacement?

Thanks,

6

Forgot to mention when it did work in bypass/operate mode it introduced a noticeable amount of noise floor. I figured this was normal but…

7

Hi McCoy!

Thanks for coming back and clarifying those things:

  • No sound in either mode when connecting to Amp In
  • Sound in bypass mode when connecting to FX loop (and Line In too?)
  • No sound from Line Out
  • You have gone through the “No Sound” checklist several times

I think your PS-100 might need a service; it seems an internal part has failed somewhere near the input of the unit. If the Amp In is receiving a signal, which it is, it should always appear on the Line Out. So in the meantime, please check one last time for a sticky impedance selector switch and any other mundane issues. Your next step would be to follow these instructions:

How Can I Send My Product to Fryette for a Repair?

Regards,