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#1
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Reliability
What the heck is with reliability in high-end amps? I have
had three high power, solid state amps over the last 15 years or so. Brand "A" never required repair, but it did have an audible mechanical hum that I countered by putting the amp into an equipment cabinet, on a foam pad. Its replacement in my system, brand "C", had better sound but also had an audible hum. It took me a while to realize that it ran hot enough that it couldn't go into the cabinet. It went back to the manufacturer three times, twice (unsuccessfully) to have the hum reduced, and a third time when its power switch failed. Now I am using brand "B". This has NO mechanical or electrical noise that I can hear while it's running. However, it's had to go back to the manufacturer twice for unsettling turn-on or turn-off noises (clicks, hums, and so on). To take the cake, it weighs about 90 lb (41 kg), so it's expensive and unwieldy to ship, even though the repairs are under warranty. None of the above are garage firms. This phenomenon is not limited to amps. I have seen expensive CD players that mistracked many discs. Another CD player had a mechanical hum audible from the listening position. For some reason, I've never had trouble with a preamp. Even TURNTABLES have been more reliable for me than amplifiers. What amplifier manufacturers can folks recommend that are good sounding and RELIABLE? No tubes, please -- I live in heavy air-conditioning territory & I can't deal with the heat. Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
#2
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Mike Prager wrote:
What amplifier manufacturers can folks recommend that are good sounding and RELIABLE? No tubes, please -- I live in heavy air-conditioning territory & I can't deal with the heat. I run Hafler power amps. I have four of them because I multi-amp my speakers. They've been bullet-proof since the day I bought them. Hafler only makes pro-grade amps these days. I bought them for a number of reasons. 1. They rack mount and thus take up less space. I rack mount all my stuff and it takes up a fraction of the space my old setup did. 2. They're air-cooled. Most pro-grade amps have fans and that's a no-no for us audiphiles. 3. They're MOSFET amps and have that characteristic MOSFET sound which is rather tube-like. It's a sound characteristic that I personally like. 4. Pro-grade amps are built to take signal abuse. Not that I do that to amps, but there have been occaisions where I did something stupid accidentally and have fried an amp in the past. Pro-grade amps are engineered to survive such idiocy. I strongly recommend a Hafler amp if you're running electrostatic speakers for example. They can manage those weird loads. You asked about reliability. That's what distinguishes a pro-grade amp from a home use amp. The pro-grade stuff is engineered to withstand being hauled around and subjected to signal abuse. http://www.hafler.com/ Russ Button |
#3
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"Mike Prager" wrote in message
... What the heck is with reliability in high-end amps? I have had three high power, solid state amps over the last 15 years or so. Brand "A" never required repair, but it did have an audible mechanical hum that I countered by putting the amp into an equipment cabinet, on a foam pad. Its replacement in my system, brand "C", had better sound but also had an audible hum. It took me a while to realize that it ran hot enough that it couldn't go into the cabinet. It went back to the manufacturer three times, twice (unsuccessfully) to have the hum reduced, and a third time when its power switch failed. Now I am using brand "B". This has NO mechanical or electrical noise that I can hear while it's running. However, it's had to go back to the manufacturer twice for unsettling turn-on or turn-off noises (clicks, hums, and so on). To take the cake, it weighs about 90 lb (41 kg), so it's expensive and unwieldy to ship, even though the repairs are under warranty. None of the above are garage firms. This phenomenon is not limited to amps. I have seen expensive CD players that mistracked many discs. Another CD player had a mechanical hum audible from the listening position. For some reason, I've never had trouble with a preamp. Even TURNTABLES have been more reliable for me than amplifiers. What amplifier manufacturers can folks recommend that are good sounding and RELIABLE? No tubes, please -- I live in heavy air-conditioning territory & I can't deal with the heat. Ever checked your line voltage? A sagging line voltage due to a bad connection somewhere in your wiring will put a load on your amps power transformer possibly aggravating their tendency to make an mechanical hum. 2 amps and a CD player having mechanical hum would lead me to look for a common cause. ScottW |
#4
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Mike Prager wrote:
What amplifier manufacturers can folks recommend that are good sounding and RELIABLE? No tubes, please -- I live in heavy air-conditioning territory & I can't deal with the heat. Bryston. I've had the same 3B amp and .5B preamp for over 20 years, no problems. Although they initially came with a 5 year warranty, several years after purchase I was informed that my warranty had been extended to 20 years. What other manufacturer has that kind of confidence in their product? They all still come with 20 year warranties that are scrupulously honoured. Furthermore, they provide prompt answers to technical questions by email. Bryston products are built like tanks, backed to the hilt by the factory and they sound great, IMNSHO. Buy with confidence. Neil |
#5
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ScottW wrote:
Ever checked your line voltage? A sagging line voltage due to a bad connection somewhere in your wiring will put a load on your amps power transformer possibly aggravating their tendency to make an mechanical hum. 2 amps and a CD player having mechanical hum would lead me to look for a common cause. Thanks for the idea. The latest incident was indeed a line-voltage problem during bad weather. Brand "B" can be cleared of the charge of needing excessive repairs. I did check line voltage when I used the other gear, and it was normal. For part of that time I used a Tripplite line voltage regulator, which I got rid of because IT made a hum. Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
#6
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Neil Gendzwill wrote:
Bryston. I've had the same 3B amp and .5B preamp for over 20 years, no problems. Glad to hear you have had such good results. Thanks for the suggestion. Mike Prager North Carolina, USA |
#7
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Hi Mike,
"Mike Prager" wrote in message ... I did check line voltage when I used the other gear, and it was normal. For part of that time I used a Tripplite line voltage regulator, which I got rid of because IT made a hum. You may have a DC offset in your AC power. PS Audio makes a device called a "Hum Buster" that removes the DC from the AC, which may be causing the hum in the transformers. I tried one, and it did remove the hum from some transformers, but not others. It has a free trial period, so I was able to return it and get my money back. I have a MIT Z-Center power conditioner that had a hum on the transformers for the isolated outlets (isn't it ironic?). I ended up bypassing the transformers and giving up the isolation (which wasn't really needed) to get rid of the hum. Regards, Tip |
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