Gear you're running that you're not happy with.

Audionut · May 12, 2021

Limberpine said:
I think I might hate the wires in my wall. I have done everything I can think of to try and get rid of the hums and buzzes in my La Scalas and nothing has worked.

-Humx : Nope
-Powervar power conditioner/ isolation transformer: nope
-Changing RCA cables: nope
-Cheater plugs: nope
-Turn every breaker off in the house except the one that the stereo system is on and unplug all other electronics in using fridge: nope, no change

-Changing brand new power cables: could try that

-Installing isolated ground plug just for audio equipment: might be next.

-Take ever dimmer in the house out: gonna take some convincing........

But man, when those noises don't show through the music or annoy you during the quiet parts it does sound good....
😩 (roller coaster emoji) 🤠

Having fairly efficient Altecs (and cornwalls in the past), it’s usually something simple (cable/wire or component). As such, you may have already tried these fixes:

Isolate speaker wires from power cords (try the same with RCA cables).
Swap pieces of gear amp/pre/source component....to see if it follows a specific piece.

JohnVF · May 12, 2021

Limberpine said:
I think I might hate the wires in my wall. I have done everything I can think of to try and get rid of the hums and buzzes in my La Scalas and nothing has worked.

-Humx : Nope
-Powervar power conditioner/ isolation transformer: nope
-Changing RCA cables: nope
-Cheater plugs: nope
-Turn every breaker off in the house except the one that the stereo system is on and unplug all other electronics in using fridge: nope, no change

-Changing brand new power cables: could try that

-Installing isolated ground plug just for audio equipment: might be next.

-Take ever dimmer in the house out: gonna take some convincing........

But man, when those noises don't show through the music or annoy you during the quiet parts it does sound good....
😩 (roller coaster emoji) 🤠

I had a him/Interference problem for years that turned out to be from the lights in a neighbor’s pot growing operation. It stopped the day he moved.

Audionut · May 12, 2021

JohnVF said:
I had a him/Interference problem for years that turned out to be from the lights in a neighbor’s pot growing operation. It stopped the day he moved.

Not sure this is along the same lines but low quality LED lights can also give out/cause RF interference? (Coffee is almost kicking in)...

JohnVF · May 12, 2021

Audionut said:
Not sure this is along the same lines but low quality LED lights can also give out/cause RF interference? (Coffee is almost kicking in)...

Yeah they’re basically low quality super powerful lights that leak massive amounts of interference

Limberpine · May 12, 2021

Audionut said:
Isolate speaker wires from power cords (try the same with RCA cables).
Swap pieces of gear amp/pre/source component....to see if it follows a specific piece.

So try to bunch the respective wires together so they don't cross at all?

Limberpine · May 12, 2021

JohnVF said:
Yeah they’re basically low quality super powerful lights that leak massive amounts of interference

The LED can lights we put in were I would say good quality, but I don't really know how to qualify that.

adaug · May 12, 2021

crossing is better than running together. separation b/w signal and power is encouraged.

Audionut · May 12, 2021

Limberpine said:
So try to bunch the respective wires together so they don't cross at all?

Yes, unless they are heavily shielded. I would keep your speaker wires away from any power cords. I would try the same with RCA cables.
I would also keep speaker wires away from tubes and transformers to fair on the safe side.

JP · May 12, 2021

Assuming the hum is constant and doesn't change with volume, disconnect the amp from the source and short the inputs. Does it persist?

Limberpine · May 12, 2021

JP said:
Assuming the hum is constant and doesn't change with volume, disconnect the amp from the source and short the inputs. Does it persist?

Doesn't change with volume and persists when shorting the power amp with the just the speakers attached.

Wntrmute2 · May 12, 2021

What amp(s)?

Audionut · May 12, 2021

Limberpine said:
The LED can lights we put in were I would say good quality, but I don't really know how to qualify that.

It would be the bulbs, the package will actually say “low interference” if any, or “will cause interference”.

Limberpine · May 12, 2021

Audionut said:
It would be the bulbs, the package will actually say “low interference” if any, or “will cause interference”.

Oh, I will check the packages. We still have a few leftover. We didn't buy bulbs though they were can inserts.

Limberpine · May 12, 2021

Wntrmute2 said:
What amp(s)?

I have a Will Vincent ST-70, Oliver Sayes Korneff SET 45, James Burgess PP45 and Chris Keller ST-35.

Limberpine · May 12, 2021

Wntrmute2 said:
I suggest maybe sticking with one amp/preamp/phono and working with those rather than constantly swapping gear in and out.

Yes, I had been trying out different power amps to see how they sounded in an effort to find one that I liked given their different abilities and presentation of the sound. Pre/Phono/Sub and DAC have stayed consistent.

mhardy6647 · May 12, 2021

Limberpine said:
I know that the La Scalas ( Vintage 1978) are sensitive, but I didn't know that they might not pair well with tube amps because of their sensitivity. And what I mean by different noises is that it seems like some amps (SET 45) just make a 60hz hum coming from the woofer and other make the 60hz hum from the woofer and then a higher pitched more electric/staticky hum/noise coming from the mid horn and the tweeter ( PP ST-70, PP45, and St-35). And I will say, I have no real way of knowing if they are 60 and 120hz hum/buzzes, I've only listened to them on YouTube and they sound similar. There are other noises like tube rush that I hear when they first come on as well as little ticks that I have attributed to the tubes, but those are intermittent and if they were just the intermittent sounds at this point I would settle for that.

60 vs. 120 Hz is easy enough to discriminate.

Limberpine · May 12, 2021

mhardy6647 said:
60 vs. 120 Hz is easy enough to discriminate.

Yup, I def have a 60, the other noise is not a 120. I just had my GF listen with me as well to confirm.

So, I should be getting the tubes tested? To see where their might be potentially problematic tubes?

The other sound i get is more like a electrical type feedback sound. Much higher pitched

Shindogreen · May 13, 2021

Limberpine said:
I think I might hate the wires in my wall. I have done everything I can think of to try and get rid of the hums and buzzes in my La Scalas and nothing has worked.

-Humx : Nope
-Powervar power conditioner/ isolation transformer: nope
-Changing RCA cables: nope
-Cheater plugs: nope
-Turn every breaker off in the house except the one that the stereo system is on and unplug all other electronics in using fridge: nope, no change

-Changing brand new power cables: could try that

-Installing isolated ground plug just for audio equipment: might be next.

-Take ever dimmer in the house out: gonna take some convincing........

But man, when those noises don't show through the music or annoy you during the quiet parts it does sound good....
😩 (roller coaster emoji) 🤠

If you are using an isolation transformer can't we make the assumption that the noises are coming from amp and/or preamp?

Limberpine · May 14, 2021

Shindogreen said:
If you are using an isolation transformer can't we make the assumption that the noises are coming from amp and/or preamp?

This is the one I'm using: https://www.powervar.com/-/media/am...00c4c0c&hash=309FABA398B0257E041C812BE1C6EBB5

Powervar said that model has an isolation transformer in it.

When I short the power amps, they are noisy, and when I turn on the preamp it gets louder. If I just have the preamp on, there is no noise, even when hooked to the power amp. I may also have too high of expecations for how quiet it should be, but I can certainly hear all the amps in differnt ways at idle from my listening position 10feet away and then also hear some through the music during the quiet parts. I'm going to take one of the amps to a different place with a different set of speakers to see how that sounds. There is a local tube tech here who I have been conversing with as well.

Poultrygeist · May 14, 2021

I have a Node 2i streaming Amazon Music HD using external DAC's and find it enjoyable despite it's less than stellar apt. On occasions some selections won't play which is no deal breaker. I have found an easier and cheaper way to stream the highest res files from AMHD using a $39 Fire Stick 4K and a cheap monitor.

Gear you're running that you're not happy with.

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