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Berning ZH 270 and Power conditioning

Question to ZH270 owners: Do you find your amp sensitive to the quality of AC? I get a little bit of buzz from the amp(and not from the speakers) from time to time. The noise's level and pitch change with (i) different Power Cords connected and (ii) as the other electronics and lights in the listening room turn on or off.

How do you suppose I address this issue? I am anticipating the first answer to be the dedicated circuit, which I'll look into, but what else have you found to improve the Zh270's sound? I am primarily interested in the effect of power conditioning (Hydra, PS Audio, Equitech, etc.) and power cords. Any input will be appreciated. Thanks. BTW, my VERY simple and humbe system consists of:

Reference Audio Mods (RAM) modded SACD1000 w/ 3.0V+ output
RAM silver interconnects
Berning 270
FMS Zero speaker cables
Kharma Ceramique 2.0s

Henry
henry_la
danamc
57 posts
 
Can't say I've had a problem with buzzing with my 270. I use a Silent Source PC on my Berning plugged into the analog section of a Sound Application XE-12s power conditioner. I've tried plugging the Berning directly into a dedicated 20A AC line, but feel my system comes together better when all components are plugged into the Conditioner, which is then plugged into the dedicated line with an Elrod Sig 3 PC.

In fact I have Silent Source PCs on all the components in the system: Ayre CX-7 CDP, Joule LA 100 MK3, Berning ZH-270, all connected with Cardas GR ICs.

Good luck!
james1969's avatar
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james1969
347 posts
 
Has anyone tried the Shunyata Hydra?
allanbhaganinfo
121 posts
 
A ZH-270 is an extremely sophisticated piece of equipment, it does not look it from the outside but it is, proper AC power and grounding is suggested.

Power conditioning is sometimes a hit and miss proposition with any system, however it seems that the BPT is working out for most who try it, so certainly try it.

I believe Henry has a 96 model with the larger transformer for the Switching power supply, only about half a dozen amps were built with these in 96, they may emit a little buzz while working if the AC is not just right.
If my guess is right you maybe able to twist the wires around the trasnfromer with your fingers gently and reduce the buzz, do not do this with the amp pluged in or recently had on, or you'd be the one buzzing :)

Allan
swampwalker's avatar
swampwalker
5,138 posts
 
I am happy with a BPT w/my ZH-270.
henry_la OP
13 posts
 
Just checking back on this thread. James1969, I have tried the original Hydra (w/ Python) for a couple of months, but sold it as I didn't hear any improvement on Berning.

Allan, thanks for the advice. I'll try it. Also I will call you in a month or two to discuss the upgrade options you've e-mailed me. I have the latest Merlin VSM-MX on order and will get it in ~2 weeks. Once I get used to the sound of the new speakers, I'll explore the Berning upgrades. Thanks.
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