Legacy Whisper owners - Steridian problem

FINALLY, A HAPPY ENDING!!

!!!!!!! NEWSFLASH !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got some $50 2 meter SE ICs and connected from theMcCormack SE amp plugs into Steridian. Also ran true SE from VAC preamp into the Steridian.

GUESS WOT???? HUM IS GONE!! Also doesn't sound veiled, but its hard to tell without decent ICs.

SOOOOOooooooo, unless I start hearing a hum from THIS setup, I'm tempted to leave sleuthing alone for a while. Especially since both Kevin H. and Steve M. say I'll get the exact same performance out of their equipment in balanced or SE, and I KNOW the Steridian veils the sound in true balanced, which thankfully I won't be running. Is there a problem with the Steridian in balanced mode? Pretty obviously. Do I care at this point? Pretty obviously not, but I might if I start running into problems in true SE mode.

I'm afraid if I don't stop messing with this, I'll put the Steridian through a wall. I will NOT move it out of my system unless/until it starts screwing up again. In fact, I'm a little leary of touching ANYTHING at this point - time to just enjoy the music!!

Thanks you ALL very much for your help and assistance.

Harve

Harve, so your problem was because of your ICs?

I am still curious as to why there is an issue with running balanced into the Steridian and passing it out via balanced to your amp. Where does the problem (veiling and/or hum) originate, and is there anyone out there who can fix or mod this piece to optimize the performance?

I don't even own Whispers yet, but I'd really like to.

Dbld- The problem was because the balanced inputs and outputs of the Steridian were not functioning properly in my system.

Single-ended, as I have just discovered, works really well with no hum OR veiling!! I say really well because right now I am running a stock 16 gauge power cord to my power conditioner from the wall (instead of my Elrod Statement), Au24 ics from my VAC to the Steridian, and $50. Monster cable 2meter SE ics's from the Steridian into McCormack amp in SE (instead of Nirvana S-X ics). It sounds really good, better than in Balanced mode with the high-end Ic's and PC, which really surprises me. I guess when you've got good components, you'll get pretty good sound even with $50. interconnects! Obviously when I put the Statement back in and put SE Nirvanas back in, the system will just get that much better. Can hardly wait!!

The takeaway from this problem I guess is that if you are having veiling-type problems using your Steridian with Whispers in Balanced mode, try using SE mode. It definitely is working for me (so far)!

Thanks again everyone for your suggestions.

I thought I would post this update in case someone looks for help and finds this thread in the future.

I too had a "buzz" from the mid-range drivers of my Whispers when I inputted via single-ended and outputted from the balanced outputs of the Whisper Processor [My current amp does not have single ended inputs, and everything in my system has balanced connections, but I still tried the single-ended into the Whisper Processor].

All my A/V gear is on several dedicated circuits all grounded at the same point. Nevertheless, a ground loop is always a possibility somehow when you use multiple electrical circuits. :-( When I use all balanced connections, the system is dead quiet. So there appeared to be a problem slightly different from Fplanner2000’s because his was with the balanced only operation and mine with the single ended operation.

After a lot of time searching – of all things - I have discovered that my buzz [if/when I use the single-ended inputs and the balanced outputs] is due to a ground loop created by my cable connection [cable TV]! I disconnected the cable [which I use for HD viewing on my projector] and no more buzz. Now I can input single ended OR balanced to my Whisper Processor [WP] and output balanced or single ended with no appreciable noise.

My point here is that my WP is just fine. My problem was outside the Whisper system. To fix this I grounded my cable where it comes into the house to the same point all of the rest of my A/V circuits are grounded. Like I said, now my system is dead quiet with any input to the WP

Furthermore, I’d like to clarify that the WP is a different piece from the Steridian [even Stereophile got this wrong…I think]. As well as contouring the low end damping/response, the WP is also said to enhance the low frequency channel separation in a way that is particularly suited for the Whisper speaker. This is likely why everyone likes to keep the WP in the system.

Also, to clarify, if you input to the WP via the balanced inputs, the fixed single-ended outputs are rendered inoperative. But if you input via the single-ended inputs, all outputs will work, including the balanced. I learned all this after a lot of research, I am reasonably sure it is all correct.

And lastly, above I mention the “blend” on the LF Xtreme subwoofer. It is not centered at 60 Hz, it is centered somewhere below that. It seems to be a simple single band EQ, but it is still quite effective and handy. I have two LF Xtremes and although they seem to be a little different from each other [different vintages] I am able to use their adjustments very effectively to get a flat response in my room in this sub-bass region [to within about +/- 1 or 2 db]. I discovered this after buying a Velodyne SMS-1 bass EQ system which I quickly sold since I found I didn’t really need it thanks to the on-board controls of the LF Xtremes. Nevertheless, the SMS-1 helped me adjust the subs to blend in seamlessly to the Whispers once I got the subs’ phase, level, and EQ settings right using the SMS-1’s external mic and test tone sweeps.