Have you tried bypassing the Variac to confirm?
Variac noise
Hi all. Not sure if this is the correct place for this question but here goes…
I have a Marantz model 8 from Japan running at 100volts through a variac. The variac hums while under load and it’s (just) loud enough to be annoying. I have a friend who uses the same variac for a similar setup and his is dead silent. Thought it might be a bad variac so I ordered another and set it up and still the same problem, so could it still be the variac? It’s a brand sold through Amazon and quite a few buyers complain about quality control problems with this product. I’ve looked at buying an American made variac but they cost more than $700. Could the amp be causing the variac to hum?
Any thoughts?
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- 10 posts total
@ccogopher Variacs usually make some noise. There is an alternative way to get the right voltage. You could use a small transformer that puts out 15-20Volts and use it to buck your line voltage down to 100V (or alternatively, from 100V to 120V). This is done by powering the transformer and then putting the secondary winding in series with the AC line to the preamp. It will boost or cut the voltage depending on the phase of the secondary connection. The nice thing about doing it this way is the transformer need only be rated about 20% above the current draw of the preamp so its inexpensive. You might have to have a technician set this up for you if any of this sounds mysterious... |
- 10 posts total