My Cary amp - the story of a hum and a bug
Sounds more like a ground loop issue.No, it's most likely a DC offset issue. Like this: https://sound-au.com/articles/xfmr-dc.htm |
Thank you all for responding. I would like to repeat there is no hum physically coming from the amp. It is coming through the speakers because of the amp. Please don't ask me to switch power source, preamps, etc. I've tried all this, even moved the amp to the dealer's store and other geographical locations. I can very confidently state that the source of the hum is the amp and nothing else. Now whether it is a ground loop or a DC offset issue - that I do not know. But i do know that it is a design issue with the amp, for which Cary has a fix and they have fixed it in their newer version. Cary is not asking me to ship the amp back to them. They want to ship the harness/cable to me and they want me to pay for the cable. Alternatively, they want me to trade in my unit for the newer version. Considering that it is a design issue, I believe it is unfair and unethical that I should be asked to pay for them to fix a design issue. What is your opinion on this??? As for the hum, I guess I can identify an electronics expert who can fix it. Cheers! |
if you have an amp with a powerful toroidal transformer attached to high sensitivity speakers, you can hear a very soft hum coming from the woofer and can only be heard with your ear very close to the speaker.Thanks jea48 and thecarpathian! The hum is audible from the listening position. But it cannot be heard when the music starts to play. |
@georgehifi Trust me, I've tried everything. It needs a fix and Cary Audio know about it. @stfoth Very very interesting indeed. You have been patient. In my unit too, the hum is mild and not audible when music plays. It's just annoying to know that the hum is there, and it's very annoying to find Cary behave like this for a small sum of $200. I suppose legacy companies like Cary Audio that come with a big reputation tend to disregard customer experience and innovation, until one day they find that they have been edged out by smaller and more dynamic players. I own products from Kinki Studio, Denafrips and Jays Audio, all Chinese, all Bluemoon award winners from 6moons.com, all much talked about in other threads on this forum. These guys will bend backwards to make sure the customer remains satisfied. Cheers! |
Thanks everyone. Before starting this thread, I had tried all the permutations and combinations to isolate the problem - powering up the amp without any other components connected, installing the amp in a different room, friend's house, dealer's listening room, different city, etc. The hum remains. There is no hum coming physically from the Cary or its transformer. The hum comes from the speakers connected to the Cary, with or without and preamp or source connected! But anyway, I now have a fresh response from Cary as detailed in my next post. Thanks for all your suggestions and offers to help :) |
To put things in perspective, let me elaborate on Cary Audio's response and position: When first contacted about the issue, Cary Audio responded with requests for pictures of the inside of the amp. After reviewing these, their initial advice was to make an incision in the trace at the rear of the input terminal. However, this did not resolve the issue, leading to further discussions and sharing of pictures. After a more detailed review of the issue, Cary informed me that the issue could be addressed by a cable harness which they could build for me at a cost. They also sent me a picture of the harness installed in another machine. As this appeared to be a known fix that had been implemented by Cary in other machines, my contention was that this was a known issue and, hence, a defect or bug in the design. Accordingly, I suggested that Cary should ship me the harness free of cost or, alternatively, send me the specs of the harness so that I could build it locally in India. Cary Audio was not willing to ship me the harness unless I paid for its cost plus shipping. As an option, they suggested that I could trade in my old unit and purchase the upgraded version on their website. They were also unwilling to mail me the schematics or the service manual. Cary Audio does not agree that it is a design fault. In their words, "Some countries have issues with grounding and some with hum. In order to help with these countries and our product we design in more filtering. It’s not always the case in every country, but we have come across some which need our help resolving issues with their power infrastructure." I had already tried the amp in different cities in India. Wanted to check if the issue was a result of the kind of power we get here. So I carried the unit with me on my trip to Singapore and tried it there. The same hum in that country too! I do grant that Cary Audio has responded to all my mails and have been reaching out to help resolve the issue. But on their terms, which are not acceptable to me. In their latest mail received yesterday, they have now agreed to build the harness at their cost provided I pay for the shipping. I suppose this is a fair proposal and will take it forward with them. I'll post an update after installing the fix. Thanks for reading. |
the hum was tolerable, but I felt unacceptable for an amp otherwise of this level of overall quality and associated costI thought so too. I also agree that the amp sounds good. I'm just very surprised on 2 counts.
Moderators- please close this thread. |
Thanks for the responses. I realize now that there are others like me who have not had too great an experience with Cary Audio. Some of you have had to deal with worse situations as compared to my hum issue. I realize that the dealer too is to be held accountable. But as a customer, I see the company and its dealer as a single entity. It is for them to communicate and sort it out with each other to resolve my issue. I've been able to find a technician who is confident of eliminating the hum. I don't know at this stage whether it will cost me more or less than what i would have to pay to Cary. But, like I said earlier, it was never a matter of money. Cheers! |
Why didn’t you take up Cary’s offer to send you a harness at their cost if you pay shipping?Because as soon as I softened my stand and agreed to their proposal they completely denied that there was any inherent problem with the amp, alleged possible misuse, denied having ever sold the amp to an Indian distributor (the distributor says he has now taken this up with the Cary CEO), wanted me to, in a way, reverse my position on this thread and generally accept on this AG thread how 'helpful' Cary had been! Interestingly, Cary's offer of replacement came only after I started this thread. So, thank you Audiogon :). All this without any guarantee that the issue would be resolved. I'd rather go to a technician who is confident of getting rid of the hum. I wish to repeat that Cary products are excellent, but history has shown how legacy companies slip into this kind of complacency on service and innovation fronts. Cheers! |
