Summit Audio Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ Index
Categories:
Category: Fix an Issue
  1. How do I align my meter on my TLA-100A?
  2. My metering stopped working on my 2BA-221, how do I get them to work again?
  3. How do I align my meter on my TLA-100A?
  4. How do I align my meters on my DCL-200?
  5. How do I align my meter on my MPC-100A?
  6. When should I change my vacuum tubes?
  7. Where can I get a light bulb for my Summit Audio gear?
  8. How do I change the voltage on my DCL-200, ECS-410, TLA-100A, MPC-100A, TPA-200B, EQP200B, or EQF-100?
  9. How do I change the voltage on my 2BA-221, TD-100, TLA-50, or FeQ-50?
  10. I own a TLA-50 that has been my workhorse for bass and vocal comp for many years. Lately it has started to hiss a lot! My first guess would be to change the tube. But what tube (maker or type) should I use?
  11. My pot feels scratchy on my ECS-410 Everest? What do I do?
  12. How do I change the tube on my 2BA-221 or TLA-50?
  13. How can I tell if the tube is still working in my 2BA-221 preamp?
  14. The blue LED registering Phantom Power on my 2BA-221 is staying on. What does this mean?
  15. The internal fuse(s) on my TLA-100A, DCL-200, MPC-100A, TPA-200B, EQP-200B, or EQF-100 have blown. What happened, and how do I replace them?



  1. How do I align my meter on my TLA-100A?
    In Output mode, you'll need to contact us for the alignment procedure. In Reduction mode, take off the top of the unit and warm up completely. BE VERY CAREFUL AND TOUCH NOTHING ON THE INSIDE OF THE UNIT; POTENTIALLY LETHAL VOLTAGES INSIDE. EVEN WITHOUT POWER CONNECTED CAPACITORS WILL STORE A CHARGE THAT CAN SHOCK AND POTENTIALLY KILL. If you are unfamiliar with doing this, please have a qualified service technician do this for you. Set the meter select switch to Reduction. With a small, flathead screwdriver, adjust R53 towards the back, left side of the main board until the meter rests at 0. It is helpful to switch back and forth from Output to Reduction to make sure the meter sits in the proper position.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  2. My metering stopped working on my 2BA-221, how do I get them to work again?
    When using the XLR +4dB tube output, use a balanced cable. If you need to use it unbalanced, float the low instead of tying pin 3 to ground.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  3. How do I align my meter on my TLA-100A?
    In Output mode, you'll need to contact us for the alignment procedure. In Reduction mode, take off the top of the unit and warm up completely. BE VERY CAREFUL AND TOUCH NOTHING ON THE INSIDE OF THE UNIT; POTENTIALLY LETHAL VOLTAGES INSIDE. EVEN WITHOUT POWER CONNECTED CAPACITORS WILL STORE A CHARGE THAT CAN SHOCK AND POTENTIALLY KILL. If you are unfamiliar with doing this, please have a qualified service technician do this for you. Set the meter select switch to Reduction. With a small, flathead screwdriver, adjust R53 towards the back, left side of the main board until the meter rests at 0. It is helpful to switch back and forth from Output to Reduction to make sure the meter sits in the proper position.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  4. How do I align my meters on my DCL-200?
    In level mode, you'll need to contact us for the alignment procedure. In GR mode, take off the top of the unit and warm up completely. BE VERY CAREFUL AND TOUCH NOTHING ON THE INSIDE OF THE UNIT; POTENTIALLY LETHAL VOLTAGES INSIDE. EVEN WITHOUT POWER CONNECTED CAPACITORS WILL STORE A CHARGE THAT CAN SHOCK AND POTENTIALLY KILL. If you are unfamiliar with doing this, please have a qualified service technician do this for you. Set the meter select switch to GR (gain reduction). With a small, flathead screwdriver, adjust R9 on the top circuit board, this is the trim pot on the far right of the board when looking at the front. Turn R9 until the left meter is at 0 in GR mode. Then adjust R9 on the lower board to adjust the right meter. It is helpful to switch back and forth from Level to GR to make sure the meter sits in the proper position
    Category: Fix an Issue


  5. How do I align my meter on my MPC-100A?
    In Level mode, you'll need to contact us for the alignment procedure. In GR (gain reduction) mode, take off the top of the unit and warm up completely. BE VERY CAREFUL AND TOUCH NOTHING ON THE INSIDE OF THE UNIT; POTENTIALLY LETHAL VOLTAGES INSIDE. EVEN WITHOUT POWER CONNECTED CAPACITORS WILL STORE A CHARGE THAT CAN SHOCK AND POTENTIALLY KILL. If you are unfamiliar with doing this, please have a qualified service technician do this for you. Set the meter select switch to GR. With a small, flathead screwdriver, adjust VR4 near the middle, left side of the main board until the meter rests at 0. VR4 is located in the middle of a line of 3 trim pots next to a large, black square (U5) and to the back right of the vacuum tubes. It is helpful to switch back and forth from Level to GR to make sure the meter sits in the proper position.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  6. When should I change my vacuum tubes?
    We have seen 10,000 hours and more out of our vacuum tubes without signal degradation. We accomplish this by regulating and filtering the heater voltage to the tubes, greatly increasing their life, something of a rarity if this industry. So, time is not as much of an issue as is sound. If you hear a ringing sound in your audio or when you rap your knuckles on the front, the tube is going microphonic. If you hear an increase in the noise floor, the tube may need to be replaced. Contact us if you need new tubes, we can help.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  7. Where can I get a light bulb for my Summit Audio gear?
    Contact us! We'll get you what you need.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  8. How do I change the voltage on my DCL-200, ECS-410, TLA-100A, MPC-100A, TPA-200B, EQP200B, or EQF-100?
    Select the voltage on the back voltage selector switch (220V or 115V) and change the fuse (500mA 250V slow blow for 115V operation, 250mA 250V slow blow for 220V operation). For 100V operation, please contact us.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  9. How do I change the voltage on my 2BA-221, TD-100, TLA-50, or FeQ-50?
    There are several different methods of changing the voltage, please contact us for directions. We may need to see a picture of the back of the unit so be prepared to e-mail a picture. If your power entry module shows the voltage (110V or 220V), here is how to change the voltage. First, take a small flathead screwdriver and insert it from above into the top of the tab that currently says "110V or 220V" on the power entry module. Then pull this tab straight out all the way. Now, take this tab in one hand and slide the voltage selector board to the left, out of the tab. Flip the selector over, and slide back in the same way. It should read either "220V" or "110V" in the little window now, make sure it matches the voltage you need. Now, change the fuse to 125mA, 250V slow blow for 220V operation, 250mA, 250V slow blow for 110V operation. Put the tab back in to the power entry module, select the proper power cable, and it will be working properly at your voltage.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  10. I own a TLA-50 that has been my workhorse for bass and vocal comp for many years. Lately it has started to hiss a lot! My first guess would be to change the tube. But what tube (maker or type) should I use?
    Hi and thanks for your question, it does indeed sound like a tube. Try a new 12AX7A or ECC83 tube and see if that fixes it. If you have any questions, please contact me at paul@summitaudio.com Paul Grove Senior Product Manager Summit Audio Inc.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  11. My pot feels scratchy on my ECS-410 Everest? What do I do?
    It's probably not the pot that's scratchy, it's just the skirt around the outside of the knob that is slightly touching the front panel. That can happen sometimes. It is very easy to fix it and it doesn't have to come out of the rack to do it. You can pop the cap off the knob with a knife or small flathead screwdriver and you'll see a small collet in there. Just loosen it a bit (it's a 12 3/8, you can use some needle nose pliers as well) and pull the knob out just a little bit, then tighten it up again. That will stop it from rubbing.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  12. How do I change the tube on my 2BA-221 or TLA-50?
    Be sure that the unit is unplugged! There are lethal voltages inside, do NOT do this if you are unfamiliar with high voltage electronics. As you can see, the tube shield does not quite come off easily. You will need to put your hand on the tube board and pull it slightly towards the front of the unit, bending it just enough that the shield will come off past the input card. It's made to bend a little, it's no problem. After removing the shield, work the tube loose by pulling straight back while still holding the card down. Put the new tube in the same way (ONLY 12AX7A or ECC83 tubes!).
    Category: Fix an Issue


  13. How can I tell if the tube is still working in my 2BA-221 preamp?
    That tube should generally have a very dull glow, not very visible at all. To tell if it's functional, try turning up the tube gain above 2 o'clock. If you hear an increase in the gain then the tube is working fine. If you turn it up all the way, you will hear a noticeable increase in the noise floor, but in general it should be pretty quiet. If you have the tube gain turned up and hear a ringing sound, especially if you move the unit or rap your knuckles on the front, then your tube has turned microphonic and needs to be replaced. In general, we see very long tube life in our products, so there is no need to replace tubes due to age, only if something is wrong with the tube in particular.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  14. The blue LED registering Phantom Power on my 2BA-221 is staying on. What does this mean?
    The blue LED on the 2BA-221 shows the presence of phantom power. This can still show even if phantom power is not selected. If you switch on phantom power, then switch it off, it takes several minutes for ALL the voltage to leave the microphone line, the LED stays lit until there is no more power. We did this as a safety precaution for anyone using mics that are sensitive to DC voltage, such as vintage ribbon mics. If you want it to drain faster you can turn the 2BA-221 all the way off, the blue LED should be off when you turn it on again in about 5 minutes or so. If you turn it from the phantom ON position to phantom OFF position, it will take a little over 10 minutes to disappear.
    Category: Fix an Issue


  15. The internal fuse(s) on my TLA-100A, DCL-200, MPC-100A, TPA-200B, EQP-200B, or EQF-100 have blown. What happened, and how do I replace them?
    If the internal fuses have blown on your unit, it is likely that one of the 990 op amps have failed (OP1, OP2, OP3, or OP4). The fuse is a 500mA, 250V, fast blow type fuse but replacing it may not fix the unit, it may blow again. If it does fail again, please contact us or your distributor to work out getting the replacement op amp that you may need.
    Category: Fix an Issue