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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

Showing 3 responses by mwilson

mwilson
430 posts
 
A couple of questions I can start you with might help folks zero in on the problem.

First: what is the brand name and model # of the speakers you are using, and what is their sensitivity rating?

Second: is the sound you hear out of the speakers (without program material) influenced by the volume setting of the DK?

Third: is the sound a "hissing/static" sound (like AM radio static), or a "buzzing/humming" sound?

Fourth: clarify for us again whether the sound is coming from the unit itself (chassis noise) or directly from the speakers - for example, when there is nothing playing, but the equipment is turned on, describe what you hear with your ear 3 inches, 1 foot and 2 feet away from the speaker.

Regards,
Mike
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!
mwilson
430 posts
 
Might this be a bad volume control (potentiometer)? That can produce a scraping sound, and depending on where the bad spots are in the pot, it can be quite loud. It would be a coincidence to have two of these with the same problem, but anything is possible.
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