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Help with buzz / hum that's making me insane r

I've recently realized that there's a very very subtle buzz or hum coming from the dome tweeters of BOTH of my Dali's that's audible if my ears are right next to them. Now before everyone says the tweeters are blown, let me take you through what I've done to analyze the situation (it could also be that I'm crazy):

Hooked up Dali's to a different amp using same front end, still hum
Hooked up different speakers to amp/front end, still hum
Swapped around ICs (I'm running balanced on DAC and Phono), still hum
Rewired system making sure PCs and ICs aren't touching, still hum
Hum is present with both vinyl and digital

The sound is still very, very good, but I can't help feel like on higher register vocals I can hear just a touch of distortion that I wasn't hearing before. Again, this is on both channels, and the sound is great, but vocals and highs have a small touch of rasp. I can't tell if this is me being crazy, because I can hear the hum from the dome tweeters when my ear is right next to them. Any ideas of ways to play around to see what the problem is.

I'm using shunyata PCs for the most part (one cardas) and a Hydra 6 into a Shunyata outlet. Help is greatly appreciated, as this is driving me nuts
mimberman
herman
2,215 posts
 
Which recordings are you hearing this on? If you could be specific about what you hearing on a particular point in the song I'm sure somebody hear has the same recording and could chime in on what they hear.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,853 posts
 
Now that the issue is sibilance, I'm wondering if it is associated mainly with the phono and if so also with certain records?

For reference, I detect a sibilance issue most easily by listening to recordings where vocalists, particularly female, pronounce the letter 's'. If the sound is raspy or edgy sounding and not perfectly smooth, then there is sibilance.

Sibilance with the phono is often a result of cartridge misalignment and/or dirt deposits on the stylus (which can be removed easily with a stylus brush) and/or stylus wear or damage.

If it happens with some records and not others, then it is mostly likely record wear or perhaps dirt on those specific records.

If its in the digital source as well, then perhaps there is a loose or poor connection between components or level mismatch issue between components (check component input/out put specs in manuals, if available) or a technical problem within one or more components.

The best way to find a subtle issue like this within a component if it exists is to switch that component in/out of the system with a spare replacement component in good working order, if possible, and see if the issue goes away. Trial and error is involved here.
mimberman OP
299 posts
 
Thanks mapman. It's on digital and vinyl. My theory, which I'll be testing this weekend, is that it's a cabling issue. I didn't have this issue prior to taking my system apart and reinstalling it in a different configuration. A number of people (grant from Shunyata included) said that this may dissipate over time as things settle back in, and could also be because I have my 3 meter purist Speaker cables coiled around eachother under my rack, which is stupid. I'm going to change that this weekend, clean all contacts and plug any unused inputs/outputs and then see what happens. If that doesn't do it, then I will start at the very beginning and do a methodical sweep of the system to isolate it, bringing in a different amp if necessary.
mapman's avatar
mapman
21,853 posts
 
Sounds like a plan.

Only thing else I can think of to be alert to is some recordings may have natural sibilance baked into them for various reasons relating to the production. Just be certain that the recordings you test with are not naturally sibilant. If its happening consistently from recording to recording, however, this is probably not the case.

Good luck!
timrhu
2,779 posts
 
If you have a copy of Holly Cole's "Blame It On My Youth," the first cut has an excellent song to test sibilance. She sings "slip into silent slumber, sail on a silver mist, slowly but surely your senses will cease to exist." What a line for sibilance. On my current system there is no sibilance issue with this cut. But I have noted problems with other pieces of gear.
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