Need help in trying to trace cause of distortion


I’m trying to track down the cause of distortion which occurs in the range of about two octaves above middle C (around 1000 hz-1500 hz).  I hear it it the flute most  distinctly but it must also be there in other instruments in that range.  I’d like to determine which component is the culprit.
The equipment is fairly new except for a vintage Conrad-Johnson PV-11 preamp recently examined and Teflon recapped by the manufacturer.  I suspect it is in the GoldenEar Triton 1 speakers.
The amplifier is a Benchmark AHB2. I don’t think the other components would cause this phenomenon, so I won’t list them unless requested.  It occurs no matter what source is playing.
Otherwise the system sounds fine. Does anyone have any suspicion as to what component is causing this so I can take it for repair?
128x128rvpiano

Showing 1 response by boomerbillone

Hello rvpiano. Let's start at the beginning. Be sure all the connections are tight and solid. Swap the speaker wires at the amp. The right channel is now connected to the left speaker and visa versa, right? Did the problem switch to the other speaker? If yes, it's NOT the speaker. If the problem is still in the speaker in which you first noticed it, it IS the speaker. If the problem moved, swap the wires from the preamp to the power amp. Did the problem move? If it moved, the power amp is OK. If not the power amp has the problem. You didn't say where the music is coming from. CD player? Phono cartridge? Where ever it's coming from, and the problem has moved every time you swapped wires, swap those wires that carry the signal to the preamp. Did the problem move? If it did, the problem is in the signal source. It could be as simple as the phono cartridge is not trackng the groove. Clean the record. Give it an extra quarter gram and see if that changes things. If it's a CD player, you know it's acting up. If the problem did not move, the bug is in the preamp. Happy testing.