steakster
I just tried hooking up a set of RCA along side my XLR from pre to amp and it made it noticably worse :( Thanks for the suggestion though
Thinking of a new preamp and looking for advice...
So, I am currently running a BAT VK30 into a Parasound A21 to Golden Ear Triton 2 speakers. Sources are a Sony Z1ES and a Linn LP12 to a Parasound JC3+ phono stage. Green Audioquest cables all around. Most of my listening is vinyl--lots of jazz and 70's-80's rock and female vocals. I love the sound of my system, but the BAT is very finicky about power, and I have a ground loop that I cannot find...It works fine at other locations, but has a hum in only the right channel in my listening room...It's driving me bananas!
I demoed a Sonic Frontiers LS1 and the ground loop was gone, but it didn't have the open airy sound that my BAT does. I am looking into an Audio Research LS-27, and also a McIntosh C47. My must haves for a new preamp are at least 2 balanced inputs and balanced outs, and a remote control. I may like to stay with tubes, but I'm not opposed to SS either. Price-wise my ceiling is around $4000. I would love to here from anyone who has either of these preamps as to what they like or don't like about them. I am also open to suggestions.
Thanks for your input.
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jptenberg1
Have you checked the electrical wiring in your house? You might want to verify that hot and neutral have not been reversed anywhere in the house, and that the safety grounds are connected to neutral only in your service panel. Check the integrity of all connections in the service panel to assure yourself that they are tight and clean. If you're not familiar with how to do this safely, call a good electrician. |
I have REF 3 for sale at this time. I'm the original owner and you would love it. look me up on AudioGon As far as the ground loop is concerned. Have you tried the tried and true procedure to find it? 1. Connecting the speakers to the amp only. removing all connections and interconnects, except speaker cables. Noise? yes, it is the amp. No, move on 2. Connect the pre-amp only to the amp to the speakers. noise? yes. it is the pre-amp or the cables from the pre-amp. and so on one element at a time till you find the source. |
1) I have unplugged all sources from the preamp and it goes away. I think this is all the proof you need to know that the BAT VK30 is not the problem, as well as VK’s assurances. I went through this 20 years ago with a Cary preamp (my 1st tube preamp). I sent it back to Cary twice, and both times they found nothing wrong with it. I eventually gave up and went back to a SS preamp (Classe?). SS preamps are less susceptible to ground loop hums, but IMHO, they are less susceptible to musical nuances. I cannot live without a tube preamp anymore, though occasionally I have to fight through a grounding issue. I’m rather surprised to hear that you tried Jensen ground loop isolators on RCA and XLR audio inputs, as I was thinking of the video device. http://www.jensen-transformers.com/videos/ Do you have no video cable in your home/apartment? If you do, try simply unplugging the cable input, and see if the hum goes away. It makes no difference if the video system is on a different circuit, or in a different room. |
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