power up and shut down

Thanks for the suggestions..
I've tried switching off the preamp while the Aleph 3 is on. Power up = annoying little 'buzz' (about 5-10 seconds) while the tubes 'engage'..(Can DC current hurt the amp?). Power down = two (always two) tiny pops and done.
I've been searching desperately for the source of 'hum' in my system and this compounds my frustration... I've tried cheater plugs on the components, cheater plugs on the 'surge protector', tidying up the interconnects and power cords, sacrificing a goat...

Although I don't know why you seem to suspect that DC is being passed to your amp, if the amp hasn't blown a fuse or shut down and is still working OK, then it presumably isn't being harmed by anything. As for the hum, you'll have to go through an elimination process to determine where it originates. For instance, try removing the preamp from the circuit by plugging your sources directly to the amplifier (no need to actually play them); if the hum persists with all sources, try listening to the amp with its inputs disconnected, etc. until you identify the guitly party. (And speaking of parties, I would suggest a nice Jamaican jerk sauce preparation for that late goat of yours...)

Have you tried a different brand interconnect?

Good suggestion Jc. It may not even need to be a different brand, sometimes just a different cable can be enough to find the culprit.

I once bought a set of RCA based interconnects from a guy that was going crazy trying to find the source of noise in his system. He had bought various PLC's, purchased all new high dollar balanced cables, etc... As it turns out, the source of the noise was one of the cables that i had purchased. One of the factory soldered connections was poorly done and the result was noise. While he was upset that he had pulled his hair out and spent so much money trying to solve the problem without checking something as simple as this, he was glad to finally find out what the source of the noise was. Let's hope that is all that is wrong with your system, as it would be a quick and cheap fix. Sean
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PS... Have you tried plugging all of your gear into one comment outlet ?

I do have everything (sources and preamp) plugged into a single surge protector. I'm going to try pulling all the interconnects and re-installing...