New Amp!

tommyboy

Ok, so I kinda tricked you guys a little bit because I posted a thread called "amp problems" but it hardly got any views...

Though I did get a new amp on Saturday that I purchased from Early B called the acurus 125x5. Well, when I first hooked it up I had two problems
1. I heard a very loud hum from my speakers

2. There is a crackling sound coming from the right speaker output. Its kinda tough to hear but when you are near that speaker, it can be heard easily...(and no, it is definitly not the speaker or the wiring, believe me, I made sure)

Well, I contacted early B on saturday by phone and he told me not to worry and we will fix the problem(and if it comes down to it, a refund). So first, he told me to get a cheater plug(I never heard of it before, and felt very embarrassed to ask him what it was:o ). Well, I have been very busy but finally bought one today and just like that, the humming sound is gone!:) .I put on some music and notice a big improvement over the H/K avr240. The highs were better, but the midrange and bass were a HUGE improvement:eek: Whats that saying, oh yeah " once you go seperates you never go back":p

But sadly, the crackling sound( it kind of sounds like an old record, I feel like a ****, but I don't know another way of explaining it) is still there... It doesn't seem to effect the sound quality right now but it worries me a lot to hear it in one channel but not another. I just feel if I let this go now,it could be a huge problem for me in the future. But, before anything happens, I (and early wanted to post this to see if anyone else knows what I'm talking about and tell me what to do...

Any input would be greatly appreciated.
thanks guys,
tommyboy

PolkWannabie

Switch the outputs to the speakers ... If the problem remains in the same speaker then it's the speaker, if not then it's something upstream ...

tommyboy

PolkWannabie wrote:

Switch the outputs to the speakers ... If the problem remains in the same speaker then it's the speaker, if not then it's something upstream ...

First of all, I never hear this sound from that speaker with the H/k. I switched the right speaker to the surrounds and center on the amp, and I don't hear that sound. I even switched the left speaker to the right, I only hear this when there is a speaker hooked up to the front right output.

I'm not sure how to get you guys to reply... is it because early B has 4000 posts and I only have 500?. Even though I have an entry level system and have 500 posts, I still at least know what I'm doing...

Maybe I'm asking the wrong question. Here, let me put it this way... Just put yourself in my shoes, what would you do if you payed a good chunk of change (for a college student) and hooked it up and heard this sound only from one channel?

Would you send it back and get a refund?

Send it back to get it fixed then have him resend it?

Or keep it and hope for the best even though when you bought it, you expected it to have no problems...?

Now like I said before, this sound is not easily heard and I know early B would never have sold it if he did...

later,
tommyboy

danger boy

Keep in touch with EarlyB.. he sounds like a cool guy, and i'm sure wants only the best for you out of the amp.

And no it has nothing to do with how many post you have or don't have.. sometimes it takes a while for some of us to figure out what's going on with your amp. Amps are pretty simple in design most times. no real moving parts.. and they only do one thing. amplify. check your interconnects, replace them if neccessary. check your speaker wires out.. replace if neccessary.

I just got my amp fixed. it had a bad solder joint.. and it was cutting in and out.. that may also be the problem with yours.. a short. could cause interference to get into the amp. and you would hear it thru your speakers.

tommyboy

Yeah, I read your thread and that actually scared me even more:eek: , I didn't want this to be a problem in the future where it ends up blowing my speakers too, hope everything turned out alright.

I really don't want to send it back to early B but it might look like I have to...

AndyGwis

I've had similar issues from time to time. I've found that the problem usually lies with the contacts (RCA and/or speaker inputs). Try to clean them out with some de-oxit. Some have also advised to use very find sand paper to clear out corrossion (600+ grade), while others say to never use abrasive cleaning on gear.

I've done both with good results. My carver amps in particular would cut in or out when I first got them. I cleaned the contacts where ever RCAs / Naners / Speaker wire connected and really haven't had any problems since then.

Also, you can pop the top and see what the inside looks like. If it's something major, you can probably tell. Have any caps come loose, do all the fuses and solder joints seem to be in good order, etc?

BTW, what is a cheater plug?

phoneisbusy

Hi tommyboy,

I purchased an arcurus 3x100 amp from the FM. Same problem as you've experienced. The issue was a ground loop from the cable outlet. I solved my problem by using a ground loop isolator on the cable outlet. The odd thing is I had zero issues with my Onkyo amp. It maybe that the arcurus design is more sensitive to ground loops.

I'd try cleaning the rca connections on your amp. Could be a dirty contact. Perhaps switching interconnects to see if it resolves the problem?

The vast vast majority of polkies are standup fellows. EarlyB has already said he'll arrange a refund if it comes to it. I think it can be resolved though.

regards

Dave

Ferres

How about the possibility of line noise? Are you using a conditioner?

My 2200 had some mild crackling sound and I traced it to my TV contaminating the line. Moving it to a separate source cleared it up.

Power amps seem to be more sensitive to power issues compared to Receivers or perhaps the issues are just getting magnified by the extra power.

tommyboy

AndyGwis wrote:

I've had similar issues from time to time. I've found that the problem usually lies with the contacts (RCA and/or speaker inputs). Try to clean them out with some de-oxit. Some have also advised to use very find sand paper to clear out corrossion (600+ grade), while others say to never use abrasive cleaning on gear.

No, it can't be Rca cables cause I hear the sound even when I have the rca cable disconnected...

AndyGwis wrote:

Also, you can pop the top and see what the inside looks like. If it's something major, you can probably tell. Have any caps come loose, do all the fuses and solder joints seem to be in good order, etc?

I would like to do that but I have never opened up an electronic component before and don't want to screw something up...

AndyGwis wrote:

BTW, what is a cheater plug?

good, I'm wasn't the only one:p. Its a plug that you plug the three prong power cord into a two prong to get rid of the ground loop,...

AndyGwis

Oh, I have some of those in my closet but didn't know they had a name. I would've probably thrown out something like "outlet adapter thingy" if I had to put a name to it

I didn't even know the third was the ground loop, shows you the kind of electrical engineering genius I am. I though more prongs were for electronics that needed more power. Three is more than two, and the bigger appliances always seemed to have that third prong. . .

Never feel dumb for asking questions. There's always someone smarter (and dumber) than you.

heiney9

At this point you have 2 choices.

Send it back because it has an issue within your system or keep it and take the responsibility of finding the problem.

If you are going to start messing with opening it up, cleaning, etc and I was the seller I'd nicely tell you to keep it.

Your dilema is you want it both ways. If you take on any drastic responsiblilty for trying to remedy the situation I'd say it's your to keep.

This is just my POV. Now if it was sold as is and there is no opportunity to return the item, that's a different story.

More than likely it's a grounding issue. That being said sometimes there is absolutely nothing wrong with the istem it just doesn't work out as planned. At an old house I lived in the transformer in my Adcom would hum pretty loudly. Had it in several times and there was no issue. When I moved I never heard the transformer hum again. Simple as that.

At this point I woudl disconnect anything and start with a very simple 2-channel set-up to try and isolate the problem. When you start adding video into the mix (specifically cable) that's when issues like this pop up.

I used to hear a scratching/static sound in one channel, but only when the dimmer on my halogen light was set at a particular setting. Even then it was very hard to detect and it was intermittent. So it can be a variety of things that cause issues like this.

Good luck with the hunt. I'd start by eliminating electrical things before I'd tear open something I might not even keep.

H9

tommyboy

Ok, heres what I'm going to do... I will ask my friend if I can bring this amp over to his house and hook them up to his rti70s. If that sound is still there, I will have to send it back to early B. If its not there, then I'll keep it and figure out what is wrong with my system. If it has anything to do with electrical work with the house, I will be moving in a couple months so it won't be a problem after that... sounds good?

thanks guys for the replies
tommyboy

Blownrx7

Tommyboy,
If it is definitely not the cables or the external connections
(btw the harshest abrasive I ever use on my connections is a pencil eraser - perfect for remoiving corrosion nasties. Anthing else can too easily take away some metal and the plating on these connectors is VERY thin),
it sounds a lot like a loose connection internal to the unit. It could be as simple as a cold solder joint that got jostled in shipping.
Does it go away or get worse as the system heats up to operating temp?
That could be an indicator of a bad solderjoint/loose connection OR a semiconductor on it's way out too. It wouldn't be too hard to pop the cover and CAREFULLY poke around for loose connections. Do this with the power cord disconnected. IF, and this is a big IF, you are comfortable around electronics and are very careful, you could poke around with it powered BUT proceed at your own risk...;-).
BUT double-check the cable/connectors first.
Hope this helps.

reeltrouble1

Nobody here can say difnetively what the problem is with the crackling although I suspect the amp. I would work with Early B. through private communication. I would also not try to "trick" folks with posts about purchases.

RT1

tommyboy

reeltrouble1 wrote:

Nobody here can say difnetively what the problem is with the crackling although I suspect the amp. I would work with Early B. through private communication.
RT1

First of all, I am working with early B through PMs, and he told me to post this problem on this site to see what others on the forum might think... He also thinks it might be a problem with the solder joint. The last thing I am going to do though is open this up... So I'll ask him if he wants me to bring it somewhere around here or send it back to him. I still want to bring this to my friends house just incase it is something with interference or just electrical issues with the house....

reeltrouble1 wrote:

I would also not try to "trick" folks with posts about purchases.

I really don't understand this comment. When I posted...

"Ok, so I kinda tricked you guys a little bit because I posted a thread called "amp problems" but it hardly got any views..."

means I already made a thread about the subject but it only has 30 views(at least half are mine) so I posted a thread with a new name to try to get some feedback... but in reality, I didn't "trick" you cause I got this amp on saturday.

heiney9

tommyboy wrote:

I still want to bring this to my friends house just incase it is something with interference or just electrical issues with the house....

This is a good idea; also I still think it's a good idea to hook it up as a simple 2-channel set-up with only 1 source in your environment.

H9

tommyboy

Ok, I brought it over the friends house last night and hooked her up, and sure enough, the sound was in that speaker. Different cables, different speakers, different house, same sound... My friends also said it sounds like a record.

I contacted Brad (Early earlier today and he agreed that I should take it somewhere local. So I contacted another polkie from the burgh to help me out:) . Carl(schwarcw) told me a few places to head to and even offered to take a look at her to see what the problem is. Very nice guy. Thanks Carl, we will be talking more soon:)

While I'm on the subject for thanking people, I also want to thank Jason(zombie boy 2000). Between me and Jason, I pretty much filled up my PM:) . I asked many questions and he seemed to always have the answers. He is also giving me cables:eek: (I asked to at least pay for shipping but he won't allow it:eek: :eek: )

So, what felt to me was going to be a terrible experience... has turned ok thanks to Early B's understanding and to everyone else generosity for helping me out.

thanks guys, I'll tell ya what happens next
tommyboy

danger boy

tommyboy wrote:

Ok, I brought it over the friends house last night and hooked her up, and sure enough, the sound was in that speaker. Different cables, different speakers, different house, same sound... My friends also said it sounds like a record.

I contacted Brad (Early earlier today and he agreed that I should take it somewhere local. So I contacted another polkie from the burgh to help me out:) . Carl(schwarcw) told me a few places to head to and even offered to take a look at her to see what the problem is. Very nice guy. Thanks Carl, we will be talking more soon:)

While I'm on the subject for thanking people, I also want to thank Jason(zombie boy 2000). Between me and Jason, I pretty much filled up my PM:) . I asked many questions and he seemed to always have the answers. He is also giving me cables:eek: (I asked to at least pay for shipping but he won't allow it:eek: :eek: )

So, what felt to me was going to be a terrible experience... has turned ok thanks to Early B's understanding and to everyone else generosity for helping me out.

thanks guys, I'll tell ya what happens next
tommyboy

C'mon. thank me too while you're at it.

heiney9

Good to hear tommyboy. Hopefully it will be up and working properly in no time at all. Electronics can be very fickle sometimes.

zombie boy 2000

Like I told you Tommy... you can do a whole lot worse than dealing with Early.
This will all seem like a distant dream when this minor problem is resolved. Your next set of speakers are already thanking you:)


Think of how all of this would have been handled on Fleabay:eek: