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A little less than a year ago, I picked up a pair of BX5a's cheap off eBay. They've worked just great up until about five minutes ago. I was working on a minimal techno track with pretty heavy bass (which is admittedly not the norm for me), and I had the monitors going pretty loud, but it wasn't anything that I hadn't done before. I switched them off for a few minutes. When I pulled the track back up again and turned them back on, I noticed that my left monitor's light wasn't on, and that there was no sound coming from it - at all. I figured that I just hadn't turned it on, so I flipped the switch, and I saw the light turn on but fade out. It's been totally unresponsive ever since. Here's a quick list of things that I've done:

  • Switched power cord; nothing
  • Put the fuse from the working monitor in; nothing
  • Unplugged it, flipped the AC Select switch back and forth (from 115 to 230, and back again); no change

I don't have a lot of time right now to mess with them, but I will probably open it up this afternoon or evening and have a look around with my multitester. I've never had it open before, so I'm wondering - other than the obvious, what should I look for?

Thanks in advance.

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    Please see this meta discussion and my answer to this similar question. If a change in fuse didn't revive it, I suggest taking it to a repair depot. You're about to probe around in some seriously high voltage equipment. That's an undertaking that should not be embarked on haphazardly. – Ian C. Mar 14 '11 at 14:31
  • Have you figured out what the problem was? I just had the same problem with mine last night and can't seem to figure out why this happened or what the solution is... let me know if you figured it out – user1623 Nov 12 '11 at 20:18
  • Nope - haven't had time to look at them yet, but I plan to soon. I'll update if I figure it out. – kivetros Nov 30 '11 at 21:44
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One of my BX5a's had the same issue about a year ago and the culprit ended up being failed capacitors. You can usually spot them when you open the unit because they're bulging and often leaking dark colored goo.

If you're not experienced and comfortable working inside electronics, you should take them to a shop for repair. This is a potentially dangerous job, as capacitors can carry dangerously high voltage.

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  • Thanks - I'll look into it myself. I wasn't at the time, but I'm currently studying electrical engineering in college, and I'm sure that my professor will lend a hand if I bring it in. – kivetros Nov 30 '11 at 21:44
  • It should be no problem for you then, good luck! – Danny Dec 1 '11 at 2:06

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