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Just got my new ASL Hurricanes....and.......

.....I am still taking time for them to break in. I have been told that they take 10-15 hours before they start to begin to sound good. Right now I'd like to hold off on my initial comments till that time, however I have some questions to you all (especially the tech folks-I am NOT a TECH person AT ALL).
First let me say that the Hurricanes are replacing an ARC VT 100 MKll 100 watt tube amp (a sweetheart). My speakers are Infinity RS 1-B's. They are a 4 column system with an active crossover (servo) for the woofer columns. The woofers are being powered by (for now) a Perreaux 2150B @ 400 watt into 4 ohms.
OK...got it?

First question. ...(and I think I know the answer)...I am getting a 60 htz hum from my mid/tweeter columns that are being powered by the Hurricanes. The power cords are plugged into a Richard Grey 400 power unit. The power cord looks cheep but do you think I will need cheater adaptor??
I am picking two up tomorrow ..... COMMENTS

Second question....(and again I think I know the answer)..I need to boost the bass output on the crossover now...I guess 100 watts vs 200 watts makes a big difference? However, I am upgrading my bass amp from 400 watts to (I think-help Sean) 600 watts soon when i pick up the Perreaux 3150pbm. Will that make a difference....I assume it will??
COMMENTS.

Again, thanks for your time and help!

Rick
rwd
7 responses Add your response
kr4's avatar
kr4
3,678 posts
 
It's only partly the power; it's primarily the gain. You need to match the gain of the bass and treble amps by using amps with the same gain or introducing a control to do it.
Ag insider logo xs@2x
ncarv
983 posts
 
Try the cheaters for the tweeter hum. I just had a similar problem with my VTL's -- more like a buzz from my tweeters than a hum. Cheaters on both power cords stopped it dead.
--Neil
herman
2,253 posts
 
I believe Kr4 is right. You have a problem with mismatched gains. I believe the sensitivity of the ARC was 1.9 volts in to get 100 watts out, and the ASL is 1.7 volts in to get 200 watts out. So for the same input you are getting more than twice as much power from the ASL, this makes the system sound bass shy since you are used to the lower sensitivity. The new, more powerful bass amp will likely have the same gain as the older one since they come from the same family so this will not help. As Kr4 said, you will need to pad the input to the ASL to lower it's sensitivity or adjust the crossover, if it can be.
rwd OP
695 posts
 
Herman/Kr4...what does pad the input mean?? How do I do this? Thanks for your help!
rwd OP
695 posts
 
An UPDATE......The cheater plugs worked. The hum is gone. Now I have to work on the second situation above.
Thanks all!!
herman
2,253 posts
 
Pad means to reduce the level of the input signal, just like you would turn it down with a volume control, only the term is used when you want to reduce the level by a fixed amount. This is usually accomplished with a voltage divider and any competent technician should be able to do this for you. It can be done internally or built into an external device that plugs into the amp and then the interconnect into the device.
rwd OP
695 posts
 
Thanks Herman.....!!

P.S. To all....I have about 10 hours on them already.....starting to "cook"!!!!
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