i've had a jrdg model 8 amp for the past nine years. it's been upgraded to the "ti" version but not to the "tihc." when i first bought my amp, i experienced the same sort of hum problem you describe. jeff fixed it by installing the sort of top plate that is now standard and performing some other magic whose particulars i can't now recall. thereafter the hum disappeared. when i did some remodeling of my sound room this past summer, i unplugged my amp for a couple of days to get it out of the way. ( it hasn't been unplugged for that long for maybe 5 or 6 years.) when i plugged it in again, i thought i'd returned to the bad ol' days; the hum was the worst i'd ever heard. it went away, though, in about 30-45 minutes. i beleive the most recently-experienced hum problem was caused by the caps being brought up to full charge, which adversely affected the transformer/chokes, from which the hum was quite obviously emanating. anyway, i've found that i have no hum at all if i leave the amp powered up all the time. the only negative aspect to this is that the bulbs on the power switch burn out; i've got plenty of extras, tho, and they're real easy to change once you learn how. i'd suggest leaving your amp in the fully-powered mode for a few days and see if your hum disappears. if it does, then you know the cause and can deal with it in the way that best meets your needs. if it doesn't, then something else is wrong. no amp at the price point of the jrdg 8 should hum audibally. if your problem persists, ask to speak to jeff personally. he's a very nice guy and truly cares about his customers. good hunting. _kelly
Call to Rowland owners.
Recent threads from owners (and those wannabe) of Rowland gear have prompted me to post seeking answers to assuage concerns surrounding my 8TiHC. The 8 is a relatively new (October, ‘00) addition to my system, and I have no other experience with the brand.
My amp exhibits a barely perceptible hum from the chassis, completely inaudible with any volume at all from the system. This hum is not consistent from a time of day or demand (power output) standpoint, and persists for a period when the amp is placed in standby following use. I truly ferreted out the issue to just the amp … a plethora of combinations were tried. The technical support folks at Rowland attribute the hum to the power supply chokes, an issue the designers fully understood, and one that it is not unexpected. Makes me a little happier, however, the inconsistent presence of the hum is baffling. I followed their recommendation to ensure that the amp top plate is snug and all washers are in place, even “looked” inside to see if anything stood out as being grossly amiss. Nada.
. I don’t wish to be wasting my time chasing non-problems, cutting into my already valuable time finding other imaginary faults in my system, so I wonder if other folks have similar experience with this issue? Even though I don’t wish to dissuade posts from those jocose inclined audiophile, I do know it could hum because it doesn’t know the words.
Thanks for the help.
My amp exhibits a barely perceptible hum from the chassis, completely inaudible with any volume at all from the system. This hum is not consistent from a time of day or demand (power output) standpoint, and persists for a period when the amp is placed in standby following use. I truly ferreted out the issue to just the amp … a plethora of combinations were tried. The technical support folks at Rowland attribute the hum to the power supply chokes, an issue the designers fully understood, and one that it is not unexpected. Makes me a little happier, however, the inconsistent presence of the hum is baffling. I followed their recommendation to ensure that the amp top plate is snug and all washers are in place, even “looked” inside to see if anything stood out as being grossly amiss. Nada.
. I don’t wish to be wasting my time chasing non-problems, cutting into my already valuable time finding other imaginary faults in my system, so I wonder if other folks have similar experience with this issue? Even though I don’t wish to dissuade posts from those jocose inclined audiophile, I do know it could hum because it doesn’t know the words.
Thanks for the help.