Is it wise to use a buzzing amp?

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After years of loyal service my quad 77 amp has started to buzz.... I know that I can just send it back to quad and have it fixed and refurbished but I don't really have the funds to do so at the moment. Can I still use the amp in it's buzzy state or am I gonna have to forego the joys of listening to music until I can get it fixed?
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="megahippy"]
After years of loyal service my quad 77 amp has started to buzz.... I know that I can just send it back to quad and have it fixed and refurbished but I don't really have the funds to do so at the moment. Can I still use the amp in it's buzzy state or am I gonna have to forego the joys of listening to music until I can get it fixed?

[/quote]
Funny that. My mum's 405 power amp has buzzed for a few years. About 30 years old though! Still works fine years after the buzz has started although clearly it wants a refurb.
 

jase fox

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[quote user="megahippy"]
After years of loyal service my quad 77 amp has started to buzz.... I know that I can just send it back to quad and have it fixed and refurbished but I don't really have the funds to do so at the moment. Can I still use the amp in it's buzzy state or am I gonna have to forego the joys of listening to music until I can get it fixed?

[/quote]Good question? if my amp was buzzing to the point were its bugging me i wouldnt want to risk it! as id know it wasnt normal to do that so id get it seen to.
 
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Anonymous

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If it's buzz through the speakers then it wont hurt them, but your amp's power supply going home, probably one of the smoothing capacitors is failing.

If it's a physical noise eminating from the unit then that's almost certainly your transformer. The chances are the mounting for it has worked itself loose, see if there is an external bolt for it you can tighten...
 
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Anonymous

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It's a physical noise from the amp itself, nothing coming through the speakers (although now I've added a power amp I do notice a faint hiss if I get really close could this be related?) I'll have a look inside and see if I can find the transformer to tighten tomorrow
 
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Anonymous

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yeah it'll definately be the PSU are buzzing. It only draws current from the mains (through the xformer) half the time, alternating 100x a second. This means the magnetic field created by the transformer is constantly fluctuating and can cause vibration given it's surrounded by a ferrous metal box.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="megahippy"]

It's a physical noise from the amp itself, nothing coming through the speakers (although now I've added a power amp I do notice a faint hiss if I get really close could this be related?) I'll have a look inside and see if I can find the transformer to tighten tomorrow

[/quote]

It's perfectly OK to continue using it.
 
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Anonymous

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right, opened up the amp today and tightened up the transformer, but I'm still getting a hum, does anyone have anything else to suggest?
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="megahippy"]
right, opened up the amp today and tightened up the transformer, but I'm still getting a hum, does anyone have anything else to suggest?
[/quote]

I think you should go to a local electronics specialist and get it fixed , dont think it will cost as much as what you think, my neighbour blew something like a power transister in his pioneer a400 about 2 months ago, he took it to a little back street electronics shop and it was fixed for £40 inc parts and labour lol , i would look into it.
 
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Anonymous

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I'm still fairly sure it's a vibration thing. I don't know how brave you are (perhaps do it with a thick glove on) but try powering on the unit with the lid open and hold still individual PSU components. In particular the capacitors and inductors. For example, the high pitched ringing you hear from the back of some old CRT televisions is caused by vibrating inductors involved in the picture scanning circuitry. The fix for that is a glue gun. Might be a similar thing here.

DON'T go electrocuting yourself though!
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Mr_Poletski"]I'm still fairly sure it's a vibration thing. I don't know how brave you are (perhaps do it with a thick glove on) but try powering on the unit with the lid open and hold still individual PSU components. In particular the capacitors and inductors. For example, the high pitched ringing you hear from the back of some old CRT televisions is caused by vibrating inductors involved in the picture scanning circuitry. The fix for that is a glue gun. Might be a similar thing here.

DON'T go electrocuting yourself though![/quote]

Jesus! And if you have a TV making such a noise, don't even think of opening that up and holding bits of it!
 

fatboyslimfast

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Excercise Extreme caution here - the likely item causing the buzzing is the transformer, and two of the connectors will be connected directly to the 240v mains. If not completely sure about what you are doing, take it to a qualified repair person. I'd hate to think that we had given someone a 240v shock...
 
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Anonymous

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No wait, scratch all of this. If you have a meter, measure the AC voltage at the transformer output. It's possible the transformer windings have degraded and lost their isolation - that would be very bad for the health of your amplifier. If you find 240v of AC on both windings you need to get that replaced... and not use your amp until you have done so. Anyway, if you still fancy trying to sort this all out yourself, investigate this first.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="fatboyslimfast"]Excercise Extreme caution here - the likely item causing the buzzing is the transformer, and two of the connectors will be connected directly to the 240v mains. If not completely sure about what you are doing, take it to a qualified repair person. I'd hate to think that we had given someone a 240v shock...[/quote]

heh, you beat me to my own correction ;) I sometimes forget that not everyone has the electronics experience that I do. I'm worried the transformer windings have shorted due to age. A good smoothing circuitry would hide that from the amplifier supply and hence speaker output, but not for long.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="jbadman"][quote user="Mr_Poletski"]I'm still fairly sure it's a vibration thing. I don't know how brave you are (perhaps do it with a thick glove on) but try powering on the unit with the lid open and hold still individual PSU components. In particular the capacitors and inductors. For example, the high pitched ringing you hear from the back of some old CRT televisions is caused by vibrating inductors involved in the picture scanning circuitry. The fix for that is a glue gun. Might be a similar thing here.

DON'T go electrocuting yourself though![/quote]

Jesus! And if you have a TV making such a noise, don't even think of opening that up and holding bits of it!
[/quote]

well that part of your television/monitor is low voltage. It's at the back end of the tube you get the 25,000 volts for the CRT. Still, holding it with your bare hands if it's clearly conductive isn't exactly a smart idea when you don't know the voltages involved.
 
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Anonymous

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[quote user="Mr_Poletski"]I sometimes forget that not everyone has the electronics experience that I do. I'm worried the transformer windings have shorted due to age[/quote]

If the transformer had only one shorted turn it would instantly overheat and blow the mains fuse. I'm surprised that you don't know that given your "experience of electronics".
 
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Anonymous

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I didn't mean short like that, I meant short together, so winding 1 has an electrical connection to winding 2. As the transformers age the insulation can break down between the windings. It would be unlikely to be presented as a 'direct short' either more a capacitative coupling. So the end result being the power supply output not fully isolated from the mains.
 
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Anonymous

Guest
[quote user="Mr_Poletski"]I didn't mean short like that, I meant short together, so winding 1 has an electrical connection to winding 2. As the transformers age the insulation can break down between the windings. It would be unlikely to be presented as a 'direct short' either more a capacitative coupling. So the end result being the power supply output not fully isolated from the mains.[/quote]

Any hint of a connection between primary and secondary will result in an internal arc and a very black fuse providing the amplifier is earthed, and capacitive coupling between windings is completely normal.

A short that isn't a short really? Give me strength.
emotion-40.gif


If the amp works and the transformer doesn't overheat his buzzing is plainly just the core vibrating and therefore completely harmless.

Now stop waffling.
 

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