Going crazy!!! How do you guys deal with power amp hum? Switching back to receiver!

[Alkeys]

Ok I'm going crazy you guys LOL. So let me just say that I love the sound of separates but how do you guys deal with the power amp hum? I'm NOT talking about a 60hz hum audible through speakers. I don't have that problem. I'm just talking about the actual hum that a power amp emits by itself in your listening room that you can hear even if you don't have any source playing and the volume turned all the way down.

I'm talking about power amp hum. I mean the hum that the physical amp generates that you can hear by itself with your components and preamp switched off.

What I love about the separates: the sound quality when playing something

What I hate about separates: the 60hz power hum sound you hear when NOTHING is playing.

The good thing about integrateds and receivers is that normally they don't just hum by themselves- probably because they are generally lower power.

I've sadly just about had it with all my power amp/preamp setups and am just going to go old school/cheap/simple and just use a receiver because at least there's no hum when the thing is turned on.

Has any one else had this problem or come to this conclusion?

 

[ryuuoh]

Sounds like a delaminating transformer, or something's about to go boom. I have no such hum in my separates.

 

[avionic]

Sounds like a delaminating transformer, or something's about to go boom. I have no such hum in my separates.

I've been using seperates for 30 some years.

I have no Power amp hum as well.And have never owned a reciever til very recently . What make and model are you using. Sounds like it needs some maintenance..

 

[donberry]

I have 3 power amps - nary a hum out of any of them.
You either have a grounding problem or probably a transformer problem.

 

[marantzfan]

Ground loop? :scratch2:

 

[larryderouin]

It could be something as simple as a screw loose! ON THE TRANSFORMER MOUNT, or the transformer itself! Not the OP!

Tighten up everything you see. Brackets, mounts, transformer bell housing thru bolts, shields, etc. You'd be surprised at how much looks tight and is actually loose.

Larry

 

[Alkeys]

Ok the power amp I'm using is a
Carver PM-600.

The hum I'm talking about is just the sound of the unit powered on. Just to isolate the problem, it does this when I don't have it hooked up to anything. It generates a faint 60hz hum-enough noise that it bugs the hell out of me.

I will tighten everything up and see if that helps. Thanks

 

[RichPA]

As others have said, this has nothing to do with it being a separate power amp. Mechanical noise can come from a loose or bad transformer, or because the two legs of your AC power are not balanced.

 

[bowtie427ss]

The infamous Carver "buzz", Bob Carver himself even addressed this many times back in the days of the CarverPro forum.

I'd recommend having the amp rehab'd by a Carver specialist before you experience the next most popular failure that occurs with them.

Just my .02..................

 

[jimfet]

Try bypassing the ground prong on your power cord. Get a cheater plug or take it off. Fixes the hum in alot of cases.

 

[avionic]

Ok the power amp I'm using is a
Carver PM-600.

The hum I'm talking about is just the sound of the unit powered on. Just to isolate the problem, it does this when I don't have it hooked up to anything. It generates a faint 60hz hum-enough noise that it bugs the hell out of me.

I will tighten everything up and see if that helps. Thanks

I've sadly just about had it with all my power amp/preamp setups

what other setups have you had " hum issues with"?

 

[Edriz]

I am using 2 Carver Amps and I have no hum from either. One is actually in Rehab and should be on it's way home today.

I just turned on the other by itself and put me ear to it, no hum I can hear.I do get a small "pop" when I turn them off though but nothing too bad. I'll see if my Rehabed one still has the same what other Carver owners call the "Carver Burp".

 

[Raynald]

Yup, that's a Carver issue, not a seperates issue. A lot of the Carvers the store I worked at sold made various strange noises right out of the box.

 

[240sx4u]

The autoformer can make some wierd noises if that is a magnetic field amp, and everything is not set up properly under the hood.

 

[donberry]

I have 2 Carver TFM-35 amps and they do not make a peep, drive a hard load and rarely even get warm to the touch -

 

[PacificStereo]

The triacs themselves can make audible noise in some Carver products.

 

[Alkeys]

Jesus Christ it was my piece of garbage Carver Amp that was the culprit.

So check this out. I go into a music store tonight and in the music store they have this huge Nikko rack system ( I always liked Nikko and had a soft spot for them but that's another story ). Anyway, I said to the girl behind the counter- "Hey let me come around the counter and put my ear down close to where the power amp is and see if I can hear anything" She looked at me like I was crazy but I didn't care much. And I swear it was dead nuts silent. It was on and playing music in the store but when I put my ear right up to it to my surprise I couldn't hear anything which is the way it's supposed to be. I couldn't hear a power transformer hum at all from that thing -it was cherry and it was a Nikko Alpha 230 which is a fairly decent sized amp with decent sized transformers in it.

I get home and there's my dopey Carver with it's eyes crossed, a goofy grin on it's face, and transformers humming so bad it sounds like I'm tryin to cook up a Frankenstein monster in my goddamn living room.
I had a gut feeling that piece would do me wrong the first time I laid eyes on it I knew it was up to no good and too ugly to be champ. Ever since I read "Magnetic Power Field Amplifier" on the tin I though oh jesus and rolled my eyes, crossed my fingers and knew the propensity for that amp to perform well was in the hands of the lord. I cracked open my can of C minus and thought long and hard about all the wrong I'd done in my life. I think it's time for a new amp fellas. LOL

 

[Alkeys]

"Magnetic Field Power Amplifier." I hope that's not the same type of magnetic field that makes your swimmers look like that thing in the book of revelations with 7 seven heads and 7 horns and all that jazz, or the same type of Magnetic Field that Jean Michelle Jarre used to record that horrible album of the same name, or the Magnetic Field that Art Bell and the Lemurians from the hollow earth use to triangulate my position from their battle station in outer space.

 

[titanstats]

I hope that's not the same type of magnetic field that makes your swimmers look like that thing in the book of revelations with 7 seven heads and 7 horns and all that jazz...

:lmao:

 

[bowtie427ss]

"Magnetic Field Power Amplifier." I hope that's not the same type of magnetic field that makes your swimmers look like that thing in the book of revelations with 7 seven heads and 7 horns and all that jazz, or the same type of Magnetic Field that Jean Michelle Jarre used to record that horrible album of the same name, or the Magnetic Field that Art Bell and the Lemurians from the hollow earth use to triangulate my position from their battle station in outer space.

You have an admirable sense of humor.:thmbsp:

Do you like the "sound" of the Carver beyond the humming?

It can be serviced, and rendered silent again.

However, skilled Carver techs are few and far between, and with the costs involved you might be further ahead to just replace the amp with something "better".

I have owned several Carver amps over the years, both "pro" and home versions, and eventually concluded that they're not my cup of tea. I find them to be slightly "colored" and with a characteristic "sound" among most of them. In terms of dynamic attack and transient response, they were my favorites for a long time. But, since most of my preferred speaker systems now are high efficiency, my priorities now revolve more around the "first watt" rather than rated power.

For my money and listening preferences there are many better amplifiers to choose from.

Just my .02.............................