My left speaker emits a slight soft static high pitched noise


Hi all, 

I started noticing these last several months (or perhaps it's been there forever I just never paid attention before until these last several months) that there's a slight soft static screeching high pitched noise coming out of my left speaker only when I put my ear right up against the tweeter and could sometimes be heard from less than a foot away if my ear was right up against the tweeter. But I can't hear it at all from my listening position (my seat).
The noise wasn't audible at all when music was playing even when I put my ear right up against the tweeter of my left speaker. It happens only on the left speaker. But it doesn't affect sound quality at all. And again the noise is very soft emitting, you would have to focus on that and you will have to put your ear right up against the tweeter in order to hear it. My listening room is very quiet and small. 

I have a cheap on loan Comcast Xfinity internet Wifi modem/router sitting right next to the left speaker since the internet portal is located right by the left speaker. I have a small listening room and very limited space. So, I gave no choice. So, is that maybe a cause of that slight soft static screeching high pitched noise coming out of my left speaker? And again it's only my left speaker which is literally right next to that cheap Xfinity Comcast internet WiFi modem/router. But again it doesn't affect sound quality at all. I think that slight soft high pitched noise might have been there since the beginning of time, I just never paid attention to it until several months ago. 

Or it could have been an AC related born noise caused by noisy AC line in my old multiplex house? I live in an old multiplex house in urban neighborhood of Seattle, WA and I believed the AC line is very noisy. I'm using a Shunyata Research PS8 AC power line distributor with the Shunyata Venom Defender plugged into one of the outlet on my PS8. My AC power cords consist of Shunyata Delta NR (2), Transparent Reference MM1, PS Audio PerfectWave AC-5, Audioquest NRG-4. 

I have pretty new speakers. I bought them new last year. They are Monitor Audio Gold 200 5g (the latest version of Gold series from MA). they just came out last year (2019). The rest of my associated components are : Classe Sigma Amp2 class D power amp, Classe SSP 800 preamp processor, Cary Audio CD306 SACD player/DAC, Oppo 105 universal bluray disc player. I'm using high quality interconnects (XLR balanced analog & some digital cables) and speaker cables. 

So, what would be most likely the cause? Again it's only on my left speaker and it isn't detracting from sound quite at all and it is not audible at all from my listening position. I will have to put my ear close to the tweeter in order to notice it. I haven't experimented swapping out the left & right speakers, just in case it wasn't the speaker. What do you guys think the most likely cause? Is it the power amp, preamp processor, bad speaker's crossover, AC related born noise or that cheap on loan Comcast Xfinity internet WiFi modem/router which is placed literally right next to the left speaker since the internet portal is located right next to the left speaker? 

I'd really appreciate the inputs, thoughts and suggestions. 
Thabk you in advance. 

dilatante
there’s a slight soft static screeching high pitched noise coming out of my left speaker only when I put my ear right up against the tweeter and could sometimes be heard from less than a foot away if my ear was right up against the tweeter. But I can’t hear it at all from my listening position (my seat).

Sshhhhhshshshsh! Listen! Closer. Closer..... hear that? Me neither. 

Its the world’s tiniest violin.

Oh....forgot something. But as soon as I turn the volume all the way down to where it says flat or when I heard click on my Classe SSP 800 preamp processor that slight soft emitting static screeching high pitched noise disappeared. But as soon as I bumped the volume up to 0 or 1 it would come back on. The volume on my Classe SSP 800 preamp is set from 0 to 100. 
And again it’s only slightly audible only when I put my ear close to the tweeter of my left speaker with no music playing. And it isn’t audible at all from my listening position and it doesn’t affect sound quality at all.

Is this something I should be worried about?

PS : my Monitor Audio Gold 200 5g (latest generation) speakers use MPD (micro pleated diaphram) high frequency transducer which is similar to ribbon tweeter.
I did unplug the power from the router the other day and I still could hear that subtle static screeching high pitched noise coming out of the tweeter of my left speaker when I put my ear close to the tweeter. But again it’s very very subtle and only audible when there’s no music playing from less than half a foot away from the tweeter. It does not affect sound quality at all. It’s probably been there since the beginning but I just never paid attention to it until several months ago.

Sometime this week I will try swapping out the left & right speakers to make sure it isn’t the speaker. I doubt it is the speaker since the sound quality isn’t affected at all and I bought the speakers brand new a little more than a year ago.

I suspect it’s probably the noisy AC line since I live in an old cramped multiplex house and the AC power line is very old and noisy since we have to share with our neighbors under the same roof.
I don’t have a dedicated AC line for my hifi audio gears.

Or could it be my power amp, preamp, etc? My Classe SSP 800 preamp processor is about 10 yrs old. It was manufactured in late 2009 and it went back to Classe for service and update in 2016 right before I purchased it from the previous owner in 2016. I confirmed it with Classe in Montreal right when I purchased it in 2016.
I have lots of ideas but if you can't hear it at your listening position, don't sweat it. You can drive yourself nuts with this stuff. A lot of systems are not dead quiet if you stick your ear next to the speaker.
If it is the AC , a power conditionner may help.
It may be one of the cables , related to the left side that causes the noise.

even if it is faint , to know that there is a noise is always unpleasant,
event if you do not hear it from the listening position.
It tells you that your whole systeme is not perfectly functioning.
Unplug means from the wall, AC power supply. That little PS from Comcast if left plugged in to the same circuit as the pre or amps.. LOL

The comcast BOX PS was a real problem, I went through 3 or 4 all bad... They "COMCAST" brought out a GL eliminator.. a hole 9.00 usd
That was their fix.. YES it did shut it up.. I already knew that though.. I just removed it before they came out to see what they did...
Just cheap....

Any other noise, rout correctly and the noise will usually go away.. nothing can touch... Bundle and drop is a bad idea... If you have to cross do it at a 90 and 1/2 to 1" between cables.. PS cables be very careful...
The old cable boxes pull over 200 watts, no reason just bad design... My class Ds pull less...

Regards
So, is that maybe a cause of that slight soft static screeching high pitched noise coming out of my left speaker?

Yes.  You could _try_ a conditioner, but that will only help if the issue is AC related.

Try this first. Disconnect your amp's inputs.  See if the problem persists.  If it's gone, it's likely to be picked up by the interconnect cables, and better shielded versions may be a better answer.
I’m using Shunyata Research PS8 AC power line distributor with the Shunyata Venom Defender plugged into it. The Venom Defender is an AC noise reduction/line conditioner/surge protector circuitry plug.
And I’m using all very good quality power cords that consist of Shunyata, Transparent Reference, PS Audio & Audioquest. 

I’m also using all good quality XLR balanced analog interconnects, speaker cables & digital cables and they are all well shielded. My XLR balanced analog interconnects are MIT Matrix 12. My speaker cables are Shunyata Venom. My digital cables are WireWorld Gold 7.1 Starlight & Transparent Premium. 
@ erik_squires

If I disconnect my power amp’s inputs and if the problem’s gone so it’s probably the preamp or the source component(s), right? Cause I’m using all high quality interconnects and all other cablings and they are all very well shielded. But I live in a very noisy environment as far as AC noise, EMI, RFI goes.

I even have all those unused inputs & outputs on all my hifi audio electronics plugged with those noise stopper caps.

@russ69  

You said earlier that you've had lots of ideas. I wonder what they are and if you don't mind sharing those with me. Greatly appreciated. 



@maxwave 

I'm currently using the Shunyata Research PS8 power line distributor with the Shunyata Venom Defender plugged into the 1st outlet on the PS8. The Venom Defender is basically a noise reduction/line conditioner/surge protector circuitry plug made by Shunyata and is meant to be used with the Shunyata PS8. 

And all my power cables consist of two Shunyata Delta NR, Transparent Reference MM1, PS Audio PerfectWave AC-5 & Audioquest NRG-4. 
My speaker cables are Shunyata Venom. My XLR balanced analog interconnects are MIT Matrix 12 (from preamp to power amp) and Cardas Audio Clear Cygnus (from CD/SACD player/DAC to preamp). My spdif coax digital audio cable is WireWorld Gold Starlight 7.2. My HDMI cables are 2x Transparent Premium (one from Oppo 105 to Classe SSP 800 preamp processor and the other one from Oppo to TV display). 


Swap the left and right inputs from the preamp to the amp and see if the noise moves to the right speaker. If the noise remains in the left speaker then you will know that the amp is the culprit!
You've a lot of stuff going on there. Go back to basics and disconnect everything and start from scratch with power amp and speakers, and listen for the noise as you reconnect each item, step by step. 
Thanks guys. I meant to do the same but been lazy and am still in holiday mood. Lol...I will definitely do that sometime this weekend. 

If the noise occurs on all inputs (program sources) it is your preamp. Send it for repair.
I wouldn’t call it noise per se since I would have to put my ear close to the tweeter in order to notice it in my quiet & small listening room.
And again it’s only faint subtle soft static screeching high pitched noise.
And it is not audible at all from a foot away.
In other word, my left speaker isn’t really quiet if you put your ear close to the tweeter. It might have been there since the very beginning of time, I just never noticed it until several months ago.

Not sure if this is something I should be worried about?
I did email and ask Paul McGowan who is a head of and one of the founder of PS Audio and happens to be an engineer himself cause I’ve been following his emails & newletters. He told me that this isn’t something I should be worried about since I can’t hear it from my listening position and I would have to put my ear close to the tweeter.

I will experiment by disconnecting the interconnects between my power amp & preamp tomorrow and see if that faint subtle noise still persists. If it does, the power amp is the culprit. If it’s gone, it’s gotta be either my Classe SSP 800 preamp processor or my Cary Audio CD 306 SACD player. Then I will disconnect the interconnects between the Classe preamp & the Cary SACD player to determine which one is the issue.

Or it might as well be something else such as the super noisy AC line transformer in my old multiplex house I live in. Or perhaps that cheap on loan Comcast Xfinity internet wifi modem/router that I have right next to the left speaker since the internet portal is located right next to the left speaker.