KLH Burwen TNE 7000A Transient Noise Eliminator

Thanks for the information, Theo. I just spoke with Vince who loves to talk about this and he pointed up a few things that I could do in addition to improve the sound quality of my system.

So here's the issue. Most of the records I am buying today I'm getting from flea markets and thrift stores. I do my best to only by the ones that are clean and scratch-free (or at least scratch free as I can clean them up with my VPI HW16 RCM). I will buy records that may have some scratches especially if they are records that I'm looking for. This is why I bought both the Burwen and the SAE units. So I need to evaluate if I want to spend more money now to repair the Burwen unit to make those few records that I have sound better.

I have one of these for a few years now, they work. Audio Proz in Boston will upgrade yours for about $250. VInce, the owner, worked with the designer and is an expert on these. I have spoken with him, if you have any questions call him, he loves to talk audio electronics

.https://www.audioproz.com/AP.php?About_Us

If I had $2000 I would buy a Sugar Cube, digital pop and click remover.

... whenever the transient noise eliminator LED lit, I heard a tick (although it could have been a hole in the music from the removal of a noise impulse). If this is the case, should I hear this hole in the music?

No, you should not hear a "hole in the music." The TNE uses a "bucket-brigade" type delay to replace the click so that there’s no audible effect from removing the click. If you hear a click every time the LED is lit, either the clicks exceed the ability of the TNE to remove them, or the TNE needs service. In proper use, it’s very difficult to detect that the TNE is in the circuit.

Ok. I played with it more last night and realized that whenever the transient noise eliminator LED lit, I heard a tick (although it could have been a hole in the music from the removal of a noise impulse). If this is the case, should I hear this hole in the music?  I did have my ear next to the speaker listening for this so I guess I should probably try the same passage but sit in my normal listening spot.

I do remember that my SAE unit has the same audible artifact but since the pops it removes are much louder, the artifact is more acceptable than the original pops.

I just did a test and engaged the unit with a CD. It was only in the very extreme sensitivity and threshold settings where I was hearing the same noise (crackle) that I noticed on records. This crackle that I'm hearing is music being removed. When I back off on those settings, that crackle goes away. So I guess the unit is working properly.

I guess I still have to learn to properly fine-tune the unit to balance the noise it's removing without impacting the music.

I have been playing with this with a few of my records.  I believe I am using this properly (at least according to the Jay Rose blog reprinting some of the instructions from the manual).  I do notice the high-frequency filter doing its job properly, but I think the unit is introducing more crackle, not removing it. 

I still have one of these stashed away in a closet! I’m pretty sure you don’t want to daisy-chain the KLH to another transient noise eliminator.

I consider these items obsolete, because it’s easier to digitally fix the problems they address. But the KLH TNE does work. What makes you think it’s not working? It should reduce the pops and clicks on your records. But these units are old, so if it’s not working, it’s also possible that it’s just past its useful life.