How am I frying all my amps? Oscillating? Help


Hi. So I'm on my third amp this year.

I had an Adcom GFA-7000 for many years which I gave to a buddy for his birthday so I could get a Krell. The Adcom used to "hum" or "buzz" for five minutes then stop, then start again a few hours later. It wasn't noticeable with the music playing. Also, when nothing was playing, it would pop and hiss when the volume was turned all the way up as if the volume control was directly connected to the speakers and was shorting them or something. It ran for nine years and is still going strong today. It did none of these things when I first got it.

Then I got a Krell KAV-500. There was always something wrong with this amp because it wouldn't turn on when I first got it. Then it did turn on and I used it and it would hum like the Adcom and its volume control noises were even worse. Then it exploded and got sent to Krell for repair (still not back). Also, the Krell would make a horrible buzzing sound when only RCAs or XLRs were plugged into it, no speaker wire (and I tried a dozen different cables as it took only one to reproduce the problem). And when you muted or turned off the pre-amp, the thing would send a horribly loud buzz through the speakers. It did not do this when I first got it.

So I got a Classe CA-200. This amp was dead quiet and had zero problems. Two nights ago I noticed the volume control was being noisy. Last night I noticed the amp hum. So I looked around, and of course, now the thing exhibits all the same traits of the Krell except quieter: volume control noise, buzz when the pre-amp is off or muted, buzz with only ICs connected. I expect it will get louder until it blows up as per the Krell.

My system has changed dramatically between the three amps. There are two commonalities for all of them: Goertz MI2 Veracity Cu speaker cable and Thiel CS1.5 speakers. The Zobels are on the speakers ends of the Goertz cable.

In addition to the speakers and wire, the Krell and Classe have two more in common items: Cary Cinema 11 preamp and PS Audio Ultimate Outlet.

The Adcom never really died. The Krell and Classe look like its going to take about two months each but I find it difficult to believe a Line Conditioner or Preamp can cause this kind of damage. That leaves me to think they are oscillating due to the Goertz cable but I don't know nearly enough about it for this to be anything but an uneducated guess.

I leave everything on all the time. What am I doing to my amps? :-(

Thanks!
leoturetsky
Hahahaha. Unsound, I wrote that about the Zobels at the same time you did. I was not responding to you.

Maybe the Zobels are loose inside the heat shrink?

I've had two or three other people tell me that older Classe's are not compatible with Goertz speaker cables in the last two weeks.
Now that might be possible. I had the leg of an external Alpha-Core RC network snap under pressure from a speaker binding post.
If the Anthem has a stepped volume control, some 'clicking' between steps is likely normal. A stepped control will have a 'make before break' contact scenario, but even with the best materials its normal to get some clicking as you adjust the volume. It should be very slight...
Class Audio amps of that vintage may already have a zobel network built in at the output connectors. I know my Classe Model 15 does. This may have caused an issue with the additional Goertz Zobel

About the Anthem Pre, are there any tubes inside of it? What type of potentiometer does it have, an Alps carbon plastic motorized pot by any chance? Classe Audio amps have a lowish input sensitivity and tend to amplify small noise issues upstream.

Glad switching to XLR got rid of the hum. I had a hunch it would. I also felt strongly that the Cary digital pre had an issue. I mean no disrespect, but I often question some of the "engineering" going on at Cary.
Atmasphere, thanks thats good to know. I wondered that about an old Rotel I had too.

The problem with the Classe was definitely the Goertz cables. It has not done a single strange thing in three days now and it has been on the whole time. So, lets vote:

a) broken Zobel
b) just incompatible
c) something else