How deadly is transformer hummm...


Hello Folks,

I recently collected a lightly used (less than 50 hours) Dennis Had - Inspire - "Fire-Bottle." Within some few days, I noticed a humm emerging from somewhere within the chassis of the unit. As the unit was sold in "perfect" condition, I found the humm startling. Mind you, I've discovered absolutely no evidence confirming the sound is compromised; I mostly hear the sound within a couple feet of the amp, when the surrounding environment is silent.

This amp truly is a work of art. Nevertheless, I am now dealing with this 'humm' sound. I bought an Emotiva CMX-2 as a way to deal with DC offset, and this has not impacted the situation to any detectable improvement. Perhaps there is a slight improvement, but negligible. What to do?? Should I just relax, shake it off, and assume the amp will live well, or a down-the-road transformer replacement will simply become part of my experience with this amp? Should I put pressure on the seller to "right" the situation? He claimed, as I asked him, that it was the quietest amp he's ever owned. His add boasted that the fire-bottle exceeded amps from Pass Labs, a Cherry Amp, and one other that escapes memory. The seller has presented all of his communication in the manner of friendly professional etiquette. 

Your thoughts are appreciated. 
listening99
I have a very quiet Firebottle amp as my main workhorse...I mean really quiet, and although it's plugged into a Humbuster III (2 amps are plugged in to the thing...one SS used only rarely for outdoor stuff that had some transformer hum, hence buying the Humbuster) it's quiet without it. I'm seriously sensitive to amp hum and say NO NO NO. Note also that the output transformers do also get hot. I wouldn't put any rubbery thing anywhere near those transformers. If all else fails send Dennis an email via Ebay...he has another guy who works on his amps who is on AudioAficianado.org although his name escapes me.
You should consider tightening its bolts to the chassis and maybe also adding a rubber bushing to damp the vibration. It is like the engine mounts in a car.....

In a Tesla :)
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@jea48 A rectifier tube will not cause a power transformer to rattle (humm).


@mrdecibel  If you look at the way this transformer is mounted, using isomerics to secure it is unlikely! Its mounted through a cutout that barely accommodates the transformer core. This type of mounting leaves very little room for using grommets to isolate the chassis from vibration.


IMO/IME tightening the transformer bolts is the best option. If it does not work, replacing the transformer is the next option after that.