2. amps-preamps
  3. 1098390944

Hum or buzz through speakers

I just turned over my system from all B&K to Audio research and McCormack. I was running the Audio Research through the B&K until Monday when I put the McCormack DNA-1 in place. I am hearing a hum or buzz through my Vandersteen's audible from three feet away. Preamp is ARC SP9MK2. Tubes are 6922 Golden Dragons which I am going to change over to some Amperex 7308 USN-CEP. Would this be tube noise that perhaps the McCormack is picking up where the B&K did not or is there something in the McCormack amp that would cause this.

Eagleman
eagleman6722
newbee
4,767 posts
 
Did you try putting a cheater plug on the amp PC. Only costs a couple of bucks at the local hardware store and is usually quite effective. That is what I meant by "floating the ground" as the cheater plug removes the ground from the circuit. This is not really a major safety issue if the pre amp has its ground intact, and even then...... Try it.
eagleman6722 OP
217 posts
 
Thanks Newbee, i will give that a shot....
eagleman6722 OP
217 posts
 
Well newbee, that didn't work. ny other ideas are welcome.
newbee
4,767 posts
 
If the input sensitivity of the McCormack is higher than the B&K it is quite possible that, as Steve Mc said, you are now hearing the noise floor of your pre-amp a bit more than before, although usually this is more hiss than buzz. See what happens when you change tubes, I suspect you will like the tone of the Amperex's much more (assuming that they are low noise tubes.) At least you can't hear it from more than 3ft away...........:-)
eagleman6722 OP
217 posts
 
Well guys, I tried everthing that i could think of and finally took the TAD-150 to a local hi-fi outlet to see if the buzz and hum was present on their systems. Turned out that the same noise was present there so i will be sending back to Bizzy-Bee to repair. Meanwhile i will run my ARC P9 MK2 with the Amperex tubes and wait for the TAD. The only noise I get with this combo is a slight hiss or buzz when i put my ear right next to the speaker. Seems minor. Anyway, thanks for the advice....
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