Thanks for the tips.
Need help in trying to trace cause of distortion
I’m trying to track down the cause of distortion which occurs in the range of about two octaves above middle C (around 1000 hz-1500 hz). I hear it it the flute most distinctly but it must also be there in other instruments in that range. I’d like to determine which component is the culprit.
The equipment is fairly new except for a vintage Conrad-Johnson PV-11 preamp recently examined and Teflon recapped by the manufacturer. I suspect it is in the GoldenEar Triton 1 speakers.
The amplifier is a Benchmark AHB2. I don’t think the other components would cause this phenomenon, so I won’t list them unless requested. It occurs no matter what source is playing.
Otherwise the system sounds fine. Does anyone have any suspicion as to what component is causing this so I can take it for repair?
The equipment is fairly new except for a vintage Conrad-Johnson PV-11 preamp recently examined and Teflon recapped by the manufacturer. I suspect it is in the GoldenEar Triton 1 speakers.
The amplifier is a Benchmark AHB2. I don’t think the other components would cause this phenomenon, so I won’t list them unless requested. It occurs no matter what source is playing.
Otherwise the system sounds fine. Does anyone have any suspicion as to what component is causing this so I can take it for repair?
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- 30 posts total
Download REW
https://www.roomeqwizard.com/ and purchase a calibrated microphone
https://www.parts-express.com/dayton-audio-umm-6-usb-measurement-microphone--390-808 Learn how to use them and you will be able zero in on problems like this in short order. |
Many years ago, during the period when I had gone over to the dark side (Muse Model 150 monoblocks, Thiel 3.8s), there was a particular passage in one particular Martinu piano CD (Chandos) that excited some kind of distortion in one channel. "Luckily" it followed the monoblock when swopped, but I never found out whether it was just the monoblock, the interaction with the speaker, or something anomalous on the recording itself. No other CDs, even of piano music, created the problem. Muse went out of business shortly thereafter (surprise?), and I moved on to an SET + Proac. Moral of the story: yes, these are very irritating and yes, they can be very hard to track down. |
RV, to add to the good suggestions above I'll mention that one thing I've found to be very useful in diagnosing sonic anomalies, as well as determining if it is the recording or the system that is responsible for them, is to have a headphone and headphone amp in my system. In normal use a headphone amp would be connected to a tape output of your preamp, which would exclude the power amp, the speakers, the room, and most of the preamp circuitry from contributing to what you are hearing. For experimental purposes, though, it could also be connected to the preamp's main outputs, or to the output of a source component, or even (using a speaker-level to line-level converter) to the power amp outputs. A good low priced headphone I can recommend based on personal experience is the Audio-Technica ATH-M50x ($149 at B&H). I have no specific recommendations for a headphone amp, though. (I use Stax electrostatic phones in my main system, which require specialized amplification that is not suitable for conventional dynamic headphones). Good luck. Best regards, -- Al |
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