Help, is it clipping? or cables? or...feedback.


Here is my problem....on loud transients the treble moves forward and becomes harsh. If I add negative feedback on amp, this seems to help. But, negative feedback sounds closed in. So, what is "choking system?

AMP is VAC 70/70 driving Diapason adamantes II. Cable Mapleshade double golden helix. Is it the cable? Amp / speaker match? Or, is it upstream...theta data II, VAC DAC tube DAC? preamp does not seem to be issue as I have tested several.

Or, is this just plain digital? I am using what I consider to be best recordings....

Any thoughts? I am considering a cable redo...I have a mish mash of them in system.

Thanks!
scotty333

Showing 1 response by marakanetz

It seems like a self-oscillation to me!
Oscillation may be from the following reasons:
1. RF interfearance(less-likely in tube amps)
2. Heavy speakers with wide swings of impedance up or down arn't a good match to the output transformer of tube amplifier.
3. Cables with high capacitance(be aware that very often high-end speaker cables have worse reactance parameters than a regular cheap speaker wire!). Check if the problem still percist with cheap RadioShack or Home Depot speaker wires
4. Deeper negative feedback helps to reduce or stop self-oscillations.