Tube Ampp Almarro low level hum


My Almarro 318B amp has recently developed a low level hum that comes and goes. I have swapped out all 4 tubes at one point or another and that does not change it. Once the hum stopped for a few days while I was breaking in a new paid (NOS) of 6C33C tubes. But it keeps coming and going. It gets a bit louder and then softer. If I tap the base of the amp, the hum stops. If I pick up the amp, it stops. If I knock the table where the amp sits, it stops.

I run the amp about 6-8 hours a day. Once a week I foget and leave it on all night.

Any ideas?

Thanks

Dan
mcmanus
It sounds like it could be some transformer hum since it goes away when you touch the amp on occasion. Not guaranteed to be the answer, but you might try tightening down the transformer bolts and or putting a dense heavy object on top of the transformers. You don't need any magic pebbles or crap like that, just a brick would do(doesn't have to be "magic" either), though not very pretty to look at. Place felt or rubber pads between the heavy object and transformer to keep from scratching it (beware that rubber may melt if those trannies get hot - use felt in that case). Use whatever you might have on hand and see if it improves and if it works you can look for something that floats your boat to put on there. Mapleshade makes brass "HeavyWeights" that they charge a bit for or you can go to a scrap yard and find some scrap brass or?

Good luck!
Jax2 - good thinking. If it is a transformer, is it humming because it is aging? Malfunctioning? Or is that just how transformers are? Can I address the source of the problem or just deal with the symptom? Thanks for your comment.
sometimes transformer hum can (as Jax2 said) just be the result of loose mounting bolts, sometimes not. Sometimes its just how that particular tranny is. Toroidal trannys are often less susceptible. One other cause sometimes is DC offset, IIRC.