2. amps-preamps
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Help Preamp Hum

I am an owner of a Golden Theater GTX 1 preamp/processor. I have owned this unit for approximately a year and have really enjoyed it. Recently, I noticed an annoying buzz/hum emitting directly from the unit. I can hear the buzz/hum from a few feet away. It isn't noticable when I am playing music or watching a movie and hasn't had a negative effect on the preamps performance; however, it is annoying the shit out of me (excuse my language). I diconnected all components from the preamp, took it out of my rack, and brought it to another room in my house to see if I could duplicate the hum/buzz. After plugging the unit in another outlet, I still noticed this annoying sound. Unfortunately for me, Solo electronice, the manufacturer, went belly up half a year ago and the warranty is useless. The noise appears to be mechanical in nature and may be the transformer. I am asking for your assistance. What are your thoughts and does anyone know of a reputable repair shop in Orlando, FL or one that would allow me to ship the amp to them in the mail? Thanks in advance for your assistance.
jstatuto
8 responses Add your response
dacostab
84 posts
 
Why don't you take off the cover and make sure that the screws holding the transformer down are tight. Of course, please make sure that you first unplug the unit. This is just a suggestion...I take no responsibility for any shocking experiences !!!
jstatuto OP
1 posts
 
I did take the cover off to see if that was the problem. Vibration does not appear to be the cause of this sound. There are no screws holding the transformer down. It is soldered to the board and held securely with a strap. It isn't the type of transformer you would find in an amp. I did put the amp on after taking the cover off and the hum/buzz does seem to be coming from the transformer. Any other suggestions?
bis188
6 posts
 
You could try to put a VPI brick on top of it. That's what they were made for but it's not going to be your long term solution for your particular case. It sounded like a faulty transfomer more then power circutry issue.
perfectimage
406 posts
 
I had this happen once and I couldnt get rid of it. Come to find out it was contaminated power from a neighboring apartment. Try plugging it in elsewhere and see if the problem continues. There are also several other threads on this problem. A search may get you the answer you need.
south43
386 posts
 
You might try some damping compound over the amp. My anthem has some of this on it's transformer. Also do you have the amp connected to a power conditioner? That might help clean up some of the ac trash that we all come in contact with unless you have a dedicated line at your house. Best of luck
bruce1483
72 posts
 
Torroidal transformers (round, like a donut) are infamous for humming when they don't get clean power. This is usually caused by dimmer switches. Plugging into a different outlet might not help since all of the outlets in your house/apartment are eventually tied together back at the breaker box. The light in my microwave has a dimmer on it and causes my power conditioner in the basement to hum even though they are on different breakers. I also have a lamp with a dimmer that causes the same problem. If you are in an apartment, the problem could be a dimmer in another apartment. Good luck.
pcc
150 posts
 
I had a hum like that with a bryston amp I used to own. A friend of my suggusted lifting the ground by pluging the amp cord into a 2 prung plug and then in to the outlet. Try it, it is a cheap fix for 99 cents. good luck
detlof
1,899 posts
 
Go to www.psaudio.com and inform yourself about their powerplants. The 300 model would probably do for you. It will build up your necessary AC from scratch, so that you have good clean power. You can then fiddle with the voltage from 100 to 120 and find a spot where the buzz just goes away. But then you can also vary the frequency of your power from 60 to 120 hz and also find the ideal position to silence your transformer, with the voltage as high as possible. You will probably also find, that picture and music quality has improved. Its an expensive tweak. I would try it only, if all else fails. There is lots of good advice above. Good luck!
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