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Need help in trying to trace cause of distortion

I’m trying to track down the cause of distortion which occurs in the range of about two octaves above middle C (around 1000 hz-1500 hz).  I hear it it the flute most  distinctly but it must also be there in other instruments in that range.  I’d like to determine which component is the culprit.
The equipment is fairly new except for a vintage Conrad-Johnson PV-11 preamp recently examined and Teflon recapped by the manufacturer.  I suspect it is in the GoldenEar Triton 1 speakers.
The amplifier is a Benchmark AHB2. I don’t think the other components would cause this phenomenon, so I won’t list them unless requested.  It occurs no matter what source is playing.
Otherwise the system sounds fine. Does anyone have any suspicion as to what component is causing this so I can take it for repair?
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dekay's avatar
dekay
5,649 posts
 
First thought...

-make certain that the distortion is actually coming from the speaker/speakers and not something vibrating in the room

Second thought - if it's coming from the speaker/speakers... 

-gently check the exposed screws on all the drivers for loose ones

Third thought...

-your preamp has a rapid/measured (Stereophile) increase in distortion in the 1000-2000Hz region that quickly spikes down afterwards.

The 3rd is highly unlikely, and I assume that the spike may be dependent on the tubes used when measuring the unit, but it's STILL there in the review.

I once has an intermittent "distortion" with Castle speakers, and it was emitting from the speakers.

Think I described it @ the time as a sound "accompanying" the music, but not a part of such.

The remedy ended up being the placement of small felt circles over the mounting screws of the woofer as they were dome headed screws in the sound path of the tweeter.

DeKay



boomerbillone
357 posts
 
Hello rvpiano. Let's start at the beginning. Be sure all the connections are tight and solid. Swap the speaker wires at the amp. The right channel is now connected to the left speaker and visa versa, right? Did the problem switch to the other speaker? If yes, it's NOT the speaker. If the problem is still in the speaker in which you first noticed it, it IS the speaker. If the problem moved, swap the wires from the preamp to the power amp. Did the problem move? If it moved, the power amp is OK. If not the power amp has the problem. You didn't say where the music is coming from. CD player? Phono cartridge? Where ever it's coming from, and the problem has moved every time you swapped wires, swap those wires that carry the signal to the preamp. Did the problem move? If it did, the problem is in the signal source. It could be as simple as the phono cartridge is not trackng the groove. Clean the record. Give it an extra quarter gram and see if that changes things. If it's a CD player, you know it's acting up. If the problem did not move, the bug is in the preamp. Happy testing.
acman3
4,273 posts
 
Rvpiano, I have heard some corrupted files while streaming, so don’t rule that out.
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