2. amps-preamps
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Need help w/ Audible Illusions M3A

First off I'll say that I'm new to owning tube gear and appreciate any advice Audiogoner's can give. I own an Audible Illusions M3A and it has developed some "hiss" in the right channel. It's loud enough to hear when the system is idling from 12 feet away, and therefore fairly annoying. It doesn't sound as though the performance is comprimised any other way though. Time for new tubes? If so, any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,

Scott

associated equipment:

Audio Research D-200
Theta Data basic
California Audio Labs Sigma II
Vandersteen 2CE
Synergistic/XLO cables
Tice Solo
trailrunner1
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
Bigtee,
I'm basing on my experience as well that the IMO combo of two AES3 and EAR834P will perform far more superior than one M3A.
Moreover EAR can be fed directly to the amplifier since it has volume control which gives an extra flexibility for the same amount of money.
elevick
2,638 posts
 
Nice system. Don't fear tubes. Try switching sides to see if the hum follows. If it does, buy tubes! They are not so expensive-avoid crap (sovtek is crap). Try these sites:
www.tubesandmore.com www.thetubestore.com www.upscaleaudio.com www.jeffssoundvalues.com
Find a local store with a tube tester if you are curious or send them out for testing. All it will cost is shipping.
bigtee
803 posts
 
Marakanetz, Everyone is certainly entitled to there opinion. After dealing with audio for over 35 years, I have found that a lot of components just present a different presentation. Better is in the ears of the listener. The M3A is capable of outstanding phono reproduction as verified in all of the positive reviews over the years by leading mags. My experience concurs. It is extremely neutral for a tube based preamp. It is also a hell of a bargain on the used market.
trailrunner1 OP
10 posts
 
Thanks for all the feedback everyone. I switched tubes R/L and the hiss followed it, so it appears it is a tube going bad. Everyone talks about how hard the M3A is on tubes, and Kevin @ Upscale Audio claims that my preamp would destroy a pair of Siemens or Bugle Boys inside of a week. Anyone have experience with this? If so, are there good sounding options other than Sovteks? Thanks again.
trailrunner1 OP
10 posts
 
Bigtee - what kind of source componentry are you using?
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