static when adjusting gain control

Audio4fun & everyone who responded, Thanks for the tips. I tried contact cleaner and thought things were improving but static seemed just as bad. I then tried an eye dropper with rubbing alcohol applied to the shaft of the gain control. I rotated the knob and positioned the pre amp at every imaginable angle over a period of about eight hours.... and PRESTO, NO STATIC! Thanks everyone and Audio4fun, The cigar is your's! Regards, John

Audio4fun: Rubbing alcohol?

This one is a no brainer! Old audio fix. FIRST BE SURE THE POWER IS OFF & THE POWER CORD IS DISCONNECTED. Use achol, Turn your componet so the the shaft of the control that has noise in it is vertical. Now just put a few drops on the shaft of the pot, enough so that it can run down inside the pot. Now rotate the pot several times. This should correct the problem in most cases. If not try it again. After a couple of tries if the noise doesn't stop you may have to replace the pot. I have used this for many years with great sucess. You may also find that the sound quality is better too, even if the pot was not noisy. Be sure to wait long enough that the fluid can dry before restoring power. Good Luck!

You can get contact cleaner. I wouldn't use WD-40. May too much oil. Contact cleaner spray is highly volatile and won't leave a residue to gum up the pot like oil will.

You may want to try Channel Master if they still make the stuff or another electrical contact cleaner, check Radio Shack. I believe that these have less oil in them than WD40.

Rmml, Thanks, It's certainly worth a try. Regards, John

I use to have a Cary SLP-50b that had a similar problem (both R and L channels) and I called Cary Audio about it. They told me to try and open it up first and spray a small amount of Cailube (I actually used WD40)on to the small hinges on the volume knob (inside the unit)and rotate the knob back and forth. They told me that if that doesn't work I might have to send it in and have the whole volume control looked at and possibly replaced. I'm glad it worked with the WD40 because it saved me a bunch. I don't know if this will work with Audible Illusions L-1 pre but just something to think about.

goodluck

Rmml

Doug, Thanks for the advice! John

yule need your wolume pot either cleaned or replaced. perhaps "exercising" it - repeatedly turning the knob back-n-forth - may help to clean it. obviously ya don't wanna try this w/an active source playing! ;~) doug