speaker buzzing is driving me batty!

cstmar01

wow. ok so my tube pre has some serious problems. I know I'm not using a power conditioner right now and maybe thats the problem, but I replaced my tube and got better soundstage, but now when I'm not playing anything I'm getting horrible buzzing in the tweeters and the cones and its just so freakin' frustrating.

This is the only thing that was switched so I know its due to the pre amp but besides a power conditioner is there anything I can do to correct it? Doesn't matter what tube I have in it, it still does it to a degree. Sometimes more sometimes less but just so annoying.

tonyb

Is the pre grounded? Could also be a cable or a bad ground somewhere else in the chain.

cstmar01

not the cables. The only thing that is "odd" about the pre is that the place I got it from gave me a power chord that had the ground plug taken off. When I use that I get less buzzing but there is still some there and too much for my liking.

cnoat

+1 I am thinking ground loop

joeparaski

Is your gear plugged into one circuit or different circuits? If they are plugged into different circuits, try plugging your pre into the same circuit as the amp.

Joe

reberly

i solved a ground loop by making sure all equipment was going into the same wall outlet, obviously a power conditioner or surge proctector is needed to give you more places to plug into.

I've read parasound manuals that actually suggest to use a cheater plug to get rid of unwanted hum. Im no electrician but that seems less than safe.

cstmar01

the only other odd thing was when I turned off the pre and then the amp. I heard a sound I've never heard before.

sounded like little pieces of class falling down a tiny way or something, lasted for about 3-6 seconds after I powered down. Did it twice and both times it did it.

reberly

yikes. The fun never ends

joeparaski

Turn off the amp first...wait a bit...then turn off the pre.

Joe

heiney9

Is this a new issue or one that has been there since day 1? PM Russman I believe he used to have the same pre and had some issues with it. I *think* those Golden Tube Audio gear have some issues. Do a Google search and see.

H9

P.s. sounds like a transformer issue

cstmar01

well its buzzed since the day I got it but never really knew why. We always though the tube was just noisy. the Golden Tube gear was known to be "prone to problems" but when I heard it in the showroom at the place I got it from it didn't seem to be so bad (in regards to noise ect).
A lot of the golden tube problems that I found was with reliablity issues where they would just crap out ect.

I mean I love the sound I get when its working correctly, however just don't want the buzzing and crap.

maybe time to sell both pre's and upgrade? lol

heiney9

In my short experience with tube gear and hundreds & hundreds of hours reading the tube really doesn;t cause buzzing. If you've tried more than one tube and it still does it then it's not the tube. Some tubes may cause more buzzing than others, but it's still not the tube. The weakest link in any tube gear (especially towards entry level or lesser known brands) is the transformer and buzzing usually comes from the transformer.

I'd rule out a ground loop if you already haven't but I bet it's either poor shielding around the transformer, poor circuitry or the tranny starting to go out.

H9

woodsman10b

Chris, just make sure you always have music playing. Result = no buzz, unless your drinking some good ole' vodka on the side! lol

cstmar01

heiney9 wrote: »

In my short experience with tube gear and hundreds & hundreds of hours reading the tube really doesn;t cause buzzing. If you've tried more than one tube and it still does it then it's not the tube. Some tubes may cause more buzzing than others, but it's still not the tube. The weakest link in any tube gear (especially towards entry level or lesser known brands) is the transformer and buzzing usually comes from the transformer.

I'd rule out a ground loop if you already haven't but I bet it's either poor shielding around the transformer, poor circuitry or the tranny starting to go out.

H9

I'll get a pic tonight up but there is a pic of the guts in the post a pic thread. If it would be a poor transformer is there a way that I could get this repaired? or do you think it would just be better to possibly sell both the pre amps and move to something else?

I was thinking possibly upgrading to a Halo P3 by Parasound or the Adcom 750 pre amp if I could find one. Or even get the Anthem thats out on the gon but doubt that would be around after I would sell these.

heiney9

No way for me to make that call as far as getting rid of it. Do you know of a reputable repair shop in your area that knows about tube amps/pre-amps to check it out for you. I have one guy in town and he is a first class a-hole if it isn't vintage gear. He knows his stuff but won't work on most newer stuff............well he will but 9 times out of 10 he tells you it's not worth repairing even if it is in almost all cases. He charges a bench fee to tell you that.

Had a friend take in a Monarchy SM70 Pro mono block solid state amplifer. Very nice piece of electronics. He told my friend it wasn't worth fixing. A 5 year old $900 amp isn't worth fixing????? My friend sent it back to Monarchy in California and they fixed it (put in a new transformer) for $60.

That's what I mean about a "reputable" shop. The big gamble with some of this cheaper chinese based gear is finding exact parts that fit even if you could find someone to work on it. Does Golden Tube Audio service their own stuff? One of the reasons I bought (3) seperate Dared tube pieces is because the importer is in Naperville IL about an hour or so away from me. They will service it and hopefully have parts. If not, I paid so little (in my eyes) that I can throw it away and find something else.

H9

cstmar01

well. So I switched some stuff around on the outlets and its better. Also changed out the chord a few times and it does it less when I have the chord without the ground plug on it so I"m using that. Still getting buzzing that is less noticable and only can hear now when close up to the speakers.
I'll be adding a PS Audio Duet here soon so we'll see if that makes a difference as well.

FTGV

I doubt you have a ground loop if the pre has a 2 prong plug.You might have a bad filter cap in the power supply.When a filter cap starts to go south it will cause a hum/buzz noise through the system.