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Bellari Hum

I've been noticing that I'm getting a buzz/hum coming from the speakers when using the Bellari VP129 phono preamp. I have the ground wire attached from the turntable to the Bellari, but I'm still getting a hum. I have the Bellari going directly into 2 NAD C272 amps running in bridged mode. Anyone had this problem before, or have any suggestions?

Thanks
jwglista
radium141
13 posts
 
This is a very common problem, from what my dealer told me, and that it depends on how well isolated you have the Bellari, and other external factors.
jwglista OP
206 posts
 
I'm noticing that the hum comes and goes. There is no consistentcy here. It may happen for 5 minutes at a time, then I won't hear it for a good hour or so, then it will come back. Very frustrating.
roggae
95 posts
 
i have been using the bellari and have been loving it. it was only when i got the grado gold that i noticed any hum.
slackula
1 posts
 
I had this exact same problem for awhile. I lived with it for about a year but was recently prompted to investigate further.
I found a solution here-

http://www.audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=86591

"The preamp is fixed. I found that there was a ground loop between the case and the two screws that hold the circuit board to the case. So I removed the ground connection to the PC board near the power indicator LED and the hum stopped. Also I put a star washer between the top and bottom case to insure there is a good ground as the top was not grounding well to the bottom. IMHO the preamp sounds very clear and open."

I simply opened the unit and placed a small piece of electrical tape between the PCB and the place where the screw fixes it to the case nearest the LED. I then left that screw out, the other screw and the screw at the rear hold it all together well enough.
The hum is gone and I noticed an immense improvement in sound.
bassphil
13 posts
 
Hi. In case you haven't fixed your problem, I have another solution.

I bought the VP130 and had a horrible hum. I had 4 ground wires running too and fro, and even bound the RCA cables tightly together. That, combined with running the turntable and Bellari to two different outlets made the device usable.

Then on a hunch, I bought a new power adapter from RadioShack, and everything was cool. Disconnected all that junk, just left the regular ground wire from the TT to the Bellari and everything was dead quiet.

I'm going to send the original back this week for a replacement, just so they can see what a crappy plug it is.
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