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Parasound Halo Integrated Buzz/Hum

Hi all. I bought a Parasound Halo Integrated last week and discovered there is a faint low frequency buzz coming from my speakers from all inputs except the home theater bypass (more on that below). In a completely silent room I can hear it from my listening position about 8ft away from the speakers, but it's not very loud at all. After a quick Google search and some reading, the most likely cause seems to be a ground loop issue.

Unfortunately, I am not sure if it is as simple as that. I disconnected all inputs and plugged it in an outlet with no other devices connected. I also moved it to a different outlet in my apartment, again with only speakers connected, and it still buzzes. Different model speakers have been tested as well.

The buzz only comes from the speakers, not from the amp itself or if headphones are plugged in. This integrated amp has home theater bypass inputs and there is no buzz when this input is selected. However, if I connect my AVR to these inputs, there is a buzz. This buzz can also be heard through headphones connected to the Parasound. Unlike the buzz from other inputs, this buzz does not increase when I increase the volume.

My apartment is in an old building, which in all likelihood had its wiring redone over the past decade or so. I used a 3 wire receptacle tester on some of the outlets. It indicates there is an open ground in my living room (something I should probably bring to my landlord's attention!), but other outlets appear to be wired correctly. The buzz is there regardless of what outlet I use, however.

The amp was bought from an authorized dealer and I am still under warranty, so I can certainly get it replaced or repaired. Before I do that, however, I would like to make sure I have exhausted all of my options. Do any of you knowledgeable folks have any idea if I am missing something? 
tod_
helomech
1,670 posts
 
^ Did they fix the problem?
tod_ OP
6 posts
 
Not yet. I returned the unit on Sunday, 1/28 and it was delivered at Audio Advisor the afternoon of Tuesday, 1/30. I was hoping I would be contacted a day or two after but that did not happen. 

I decided to call them on Monday, 2/5, and ultimately spoke with their technician. He is the person responsible for checking returned units. He said they received the unit without a note stating what was wrong with it. I was never instructed to provide such a note. The only instructions I received were to pack all contents and ship it with the provided shipping label. 

Regardless, he asked me to describe the problem. He said he'd look into it and give me a call back - and he did. He returned the call and told me it performed normally, in his opinion. He said he could hear a hum if he places his ear right next to a speaker but otherwise it was inaudible. He did say he was in a somewhat noisy environment, however. I told him that it sounds about right. I can't hear it if it is noisy in my room either and would have to put my ear next to a driver as well. However, in a dead silent room I can hear it from 9ft away. My speakers may also be more sensitive than the ones he used. I also told him I would expect the unit to be silent, especially if my relatively cheap Denon AVRs are. He agreed and said he would talk to the manager about a potential replacement.

The good thing is that he was able to hear the hum if close enough to a speaker. So I asked him, before sending any replacement back to me, to listen and make sure it is silent. He told me he has some units over there (including some on the repair bench) and would take a listen and call me "tomorrow" after speaking with his manager. 

Several days have passed and I have not received his return call yet. I think I will give them a call sometime today or tomorrow if I don't hear back. I am little disappointed I have to be the one following up on this, and I am also disappointed they think that kind of hum is acceptable. I realize in the audiophile world the Parasound Halo Integrated is an affordable product, but I would still expect it to be silent. Am I being too picky?

Thankfully, I am well within my 30-day satisfaction period. They will refund me if they can't provide a unit performing to my expectations.
helomech
1,670 posts
 
If your Denon AVR has a two prong cord, that’s likely why it’s silent compared to the Halo.

I think there’s a few manufacturers that expect customers to accept hum since of it’s not audible during playback. I’m not surprised by the tech’s initial response. That was basically his way of saying it’s acceptable within their normal QC parameters. Some claimed to have gotten similar responses from Rogue. I’ve had 3 of their integrateds in my system, and all hummed to some extent.
This was one of the factors that led me back to Yamaha.

Good luck. I hope they can sort it out.
tiago729
18 posts
 
Even if you were not within the return period, Parasound’s warranty is one of the best I have ever seen. They are extremely pleasant to deal with and will go out of their way to make things right. I would just ask AudioAdvisor for a new unit. I’m really a fan of the Halo Integrated.
tod_ OP
6 posts
 
I had some more contact with the folks at Audio Advisor. I had to follow up, but they are actually really nice folks to work with. They were willing to get a new unit and listen to it themselves before shipping anything out. They claimed the unit they listened to still had some noise, but was (according to their technician) slightly less bad. I ended up agreeing to having the new unit sent over, figuring it was within spec.

It turns out this new unit is much better than the one I returned. In a quiet room, if I literally put my ear within an inch or two of the driver I can still pick up a very faint hum but much less than it was before. If I remove my ear more than a few inches, however, it becomes inaudible. 

So it appears this hum does vary from unit to unit and what I have picked up on is probably within spec. That said, I would never have heard it on this new unit and I am happy with what I got.

It was nice of Audio Advisor to send me a new unit to replace my refurbished unit. Customer service from Parasound and Audio Advisor has been outstanding.
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