Amplifier static click/pop through speaker when turning on & off

Clipdat

Calling all electronics engineers and amplifier experts!

What would cause an amplifier that was previously silent when turning on & off, to randomly start making a static click/pop through the speaker when turning it on and off?

I realize different amplifiers tend to make various sounds upon powering up and down, but I'm specifically curious about what would cause this behavior to suddenly start happening out of the blue.

It's not an outrageously loud static click/pop sound, so I don't think it'll damage anything, but this just started happening to me so I'm curious. By the way these are monoblocks, and the other one is still silent, no static click/pops upon power up or down.

pitdogg2

What changed other that perceived problem? Anything new plugged into the circuit?

Clipdat

Hey Ivan. A different preamp is the only change to the system.

pitdogg2

I'm sure you thought of it but did you go back to old pre just for giggles ?

Clipdat

I no longer have the previous preamp that was connected, but I have another preamp I could try just to see if that is somehow it. Although it seems unlikely.

However, it's worth testing that theory.

pitdogg2

Yep test away Drew. First step
Second step switch speaker outputs on current preamp see if it follows or you can do it first. Just process of elimination

Clipdat

My first thought of potential culprit was some electronic component inside the amp changing or having some "fault", one that is physically close to or related to the power switch.

pitdogg2

Things like this drive me nuckinfuts

I'm out off to bed good luck

Clipdat

Testing with the second preamp will happen... eventually. I'm not overly concerned as the performance while playing music is unaffected.

motorhead43026

A sudden case of too much DC offset?

Clipdat

DSkip wrote: »

Bigger question is why do you turn it off?

lol! I knew this was coming.

I told my wife last night "If I ask on the forum about this, they're just going to say I should have been keeping them on all the time."

joecoulson

All of the power amps I have owned I have left on. Including subs. Just felt it was better for the circuitry. I know that doesn’t answer the question Drew but it’s feedback

pitdogg2

I'm probably one of the few who do turn mine off unless it's a weekend or i know I'll be listening for an extended session. I have my reasons and the main one is I no longer have dedicated power to the gear.

mhardy6647

Troubleshooting 101. If a change is made, and something different happens - the change is more likely than not the source of the "difference".

If you have a source with its own attenuator, bypass the preamp entirely and see what happens. Heck, if you want, you can disconnect everything from the input of the power amplifier, turn it (the power amp) on - let it come up to operating 'speed' - then turn it off and see if it clicks/pops/whirrs/whatever. Short the inputs, if you wish -- this should be the 'deadest' (quietest) operating condition for the power amplifier (and they way they're generally tested for quantitative performance analysis by, e.g., Stereophile).

DC offset from the new preamp is certainly a possibility - direct coupled circuitry can be anywhere from annoying to dangerous when there's any DC offset anywhere in a signal train. Capacitors and transformers can be very good things to have around

If there's a constant DC offset from the preamp, it should be measurable with a DMM (if one is curious/motivated) enough.


If not related to the "new" preamp -- Clicks and noises on turn on and shut off in an amplifier, if they "suddenly" occur, are often symptomatic of a failing capacitor.

Remember that things get very nonlinear in a power supply when current is first applied (before caps charge up and the system settles into steady state operation) and at shut down. This is one of the reasons (besides "acoustic aesthetics") that many components have relays that, in essence, disconnect the loudspeakers until the power supply is stabilized.

Clipdat

Thanks, very helpful information!

I'll unplug the RCA cable going to it and then try powering it on/off that way and see if it still makes the static noise. Good idea!

mhardy6647

divide and conquer.

Wasn't it Julius Caesar who said that (albeit in Latin or Italian or Greek or suchlike furrin' language)?

EDIT: Wiki-p sez it was Philip II of Macedon. Whatev's

Clipdat

I just tried turning the amp on with no RCA cable attached to it and it made a thump on power on and then there was a loud buzzing and hum coming through the speaker.

I guess these don't like to be turned on with no cable attached?

joecoulson

I’m not an expert in any sense, but that doesn’t sound like it should be that way?

Clipdat

I had another strange experience just now, I turned the preamp on, and then I turned both amps on. Right one first, made a slight static click. Then I turned on the left one which previously wasn't making any noise and it made a static click through the right speaker. Not sure why that would happen.

I had the preamp set to input 1 and I turned on the source (cd player) that's connected to input 3 and there was a loud static pop through both speakers. Volume knob was also all the way down. What the hell.

joecoulson

Is this the Dayens?

Clipdat

Yes, right now I'm using the Dayens Ampino Preamp and Ampino Monoblocks.

mhardy6647

Clipdat wrote: »

I just tried turning the amp on with no RCA cable attached to it and it made a thump on power on and then there was a loud buzzing and hum coming through the speaker.

I guess these don't like to be turned on with no cable attached?

Shorted inputs would be better (as stated earlier) but any properly designed and functioning amplifier should be OK with no inputs.

Clipdat

Well clearly it did not seem to be "OK" with it. I switched it off after about 3 seconds of the loud buzzing for fear it was going to damage my speaker.

I have everything playing now and it sounds fine, so crisis averted I guess.

I still don't know why turning on a component hooked up to a completely separate input with the volume knob all the way down would make a loud static click through the speakers.

I guess both the pre and the amps are an extremely minimalist design that is more susceptible to this type of thing?

motorhead43026

The last sentence, good point and very possible and there is nothing wrong with that.

mhardy6647

Transient current can flow. The less blocking there is (e.g., interstage capacitors) the less protection against such things -- for better or worse.

The thump represents transient power supply instability, and is normal -- although many (solid state) amplifiers use a relay to keep the 'warm up' sounds from being passed along to loudspeakers.

Buzzing is typically indicative of an ungrounded condition (or possibly a ground loop -- although ground loop hum is usually fairly quiet). The other possibility, of course, is failing power supply filter capacitors, but the symptoms sound like the first or second explanation is most likely. I guess it is possible that the feedback loop in the amp requires a grounded input, and thus goes nuts when open-circuited. You can always turn the amp on with whatever it is hooked to turned off (but still connected and plugged in/grounded) and see how the amp reacts.

Dead silence on turn on can only be guaranteed with a relay that disconnects the speakers from the power amp outputs until the system's stable, AFAIK.

Clipdat

I listened to a few CDs and some vinyl earlier and things sounded fine.

I was finished so I turned the volume knob on the preamp all the way down, and then stopped the record and took it off the turntable and switched off the table. I was 4 feet away putting the record back into it's sleeve and randomly there was a static pop heard through the speakers. Bizarre, as I wasn't near the system and the volume knob was all the way down.

Then when I switched off the amps I switched off the left one first that's previously had no turn on/off noises and it made a static pop. And then the right one made one upon power off as well.

Not sure what's going on with my system but there's definitely some static popping oddities going on and it's slightly annoying.

Clipdat

Firing up the system and taking another listen tonight for any abnormalities.

Left amp powered on first completely silently. No static click, literally silent.

Right amp powered on with a moderately loud static click heard through the right speaker.

joecoulson

That’s strange it’s not the same from what should be the same blocks

Clipdat

I agree.

In terms of the actual performance, everything still sounds absolutely fantastic. There doesn't seem to be any degradation to their performance, or their ability to draw me into the music and strongly hold my attention while taking me on an emotional ride of lush, involving sound.

I will switch to vinyl later and back to CD and see if there's any more random static popping or anything strange.

Clipdat

And of course shortly after I post that, I hear two rapid static clicks during a quiet passage of a song.

It was difficult to discern if it came from both speakers, but if I had to guess I'd say it came from the right speaker.

I think something is definitely going on with one or both amps.

Tony M

What does Verty Audio say about fixing them?

Does Verty Audio know of any problems arising with these amps happening across the line of mono blocks?