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DK Design VS-1 Reference MK3 Noise Issue

Dear DK owners, followers,
I have been a very satisfied DK owner and love the music it produces. I have never doubted their built quality, seeing their massive look and presence. However, I have run into a very odd, annoying issue lately and wanted to know if anyone out there had similar problem. No one from LSA group has gotten back so I am counting on the actual owners' insights here. The issue is, "without the music feed, when I turn to volume up on DK past 11'oclock mark, I hear pretty loud static type(zzz..) of noise from my speakers. It always happens when the volume passes by that area. I have had my unit replaced once and the new unit did not display this issue until after about 20 hours of break-in..Same noise, in same manner, it all came back. And the white noise on the speakers has gotten louder as well.

The dealer says it may be tube, but we aligned on that false assumption, because I own several pairs of new 6922's. Given that two units have dispayed same problem, I am assuming this is not an isolated case.

Has anyone out there experienced this as well and do you know what the solution is ? and what is the quickest way to get a rock solid response from LSA ?I am getting really bothered by it. Last thing I want is to spend over $3000 to learn that the good will run into QA issues down the road, especially this early in the game.

thanks
pkoh70
pkoh70 OP
34 posts
 
Hi Mike, here are the responses to your questions...hope my answers are clearly enough to pinpoint to where the problem may be. Your questions are very helpful...

1. I am using Hyperion Sound 938s, and sensitivity is at 90dB
2. Yes, the noise I am hearing is coming from the speakers (without program material) influenced by volume setting of DK
3. The sound is more like hissing/static sound like AM radio static..you are correct.
4. The static sound is coming from the speakers, not from the DK unit itself. The chassis is silent so far. with the equipment turned on and nothing playing, at about 3in., I hear pretty audible hissing/white noise from both speakers. At about a foot away, you can still here the white noise, at about 3ft away, you can not hear the white noise. Now, if you turn the volume control up without music playing, there is that additional nasty static noise mentioned above coming from the speakers and you can here this noise even 8-10ft away..(from listening position)..The static noise is heard usually when the volume nob passes about 11'oclock to 13'0clock mark...extremely strange, yeh ? two DK units both displaying exactly same problem...

thanks Mike.
eldartford
4,262 posts
 
Tubes hiss. Fact of life. Not a problem. But with the volume set up that high wouldn't any music playing completely mask the hiss?
spiritualized
138 posts
 
I have to agree with Eldartford. When I turn my DK's volume up to to 11 o clock, I can clearly hear tube rush through my Gallo Ref 3's without program material playing. As your speakers are more sensitive, I think this would be exacerbated. You must be listening in an extremely large room to be using the DK with the volume set at 11 o clock and above? I can't use mine much above 9 o clock.
mwilson
430 posts
 
I concur with the previous posters. Tubes do hiss with or without program material, and the more sensitive the speakers, the more you'll hear it. Normally, you'd not hear the hissing more than a foot or two away from the speakers. If you're hearing more than that, the tubes you have might just be noisy. Tubes vary individually in the amount of noise they will produce, even between samples of the same brand/type/year etc.

I would call a reputable tube dealer like Upscale Audio or "The Tube Store" and ask them if they have any low-noise 6922s you could buy - describe what you're hearing and see what they recommend. You'll pay more for tested, trusted tubes, but you should get very high quality and reliable product. Even brand-new production tubes these days aren't always noise-free - noisy ones are common in my experience.

Good luck!
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drubin
3,277 posts
 
I don't think the tube hiss is what pkoh70 is concerned about. He acknowledges that hiss but says he can't hear it at 3 feet away. As I read his posts, the complaint is aboout a separate noice -- a buzz -- that kicks in at the 11 o'clock position but stops at 1:00 o'clock and is audible from any distance.
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