Naim (Mains) Humm

[admin_exported]

Listening last night to my nait 5i-2 and cd5i-2, when the music stopped i heard a humm coming from the system.

I've already spoken to Naim regarding the very very slight hiss coming from the speakers and apparently this is normal and something to do with the gain of the amp. I can't however believe that a cd player (loudest humm of the two) should be making humming/buzzing noises.

Could this be mains humm? I would have throught that if so it would be heard through the speakers and not from the equipment?

Also if it is then shouldn't it have started when i got the system and plugged it in? The g/f has complained about the noise before but i'd not heard it, making me think it could be getting worse...

Could the use of timer/remote on/off switches at the socket be affecting it?

 

[Anonymous]

Seems like transformer noise.

 

[chebby]

 

[fatboyslimfast]

fast eddie:Could the use of timer/remote on/off switches at the socket be affecting it?

Possibly. Can you plug them directly into the wall to see?

 

[Anonymous]

I can plug it in, but again i would have thought that it would have appeared when i added the remote switch, and not a week or so after. Will see though.

Separate mains circuit sounds expensive!

 

[Anonymous]

sadly i'm limited to having the kit distanced by the shelves of my rack, which is a lot more distance than the rack my dealer was sugesting.

seems odd though, it never happened with my nad kit. chebby:This is a potential problem acknowledged by Naim in their own instructions....

http://www.naim-audio.com/download/man_amps_2007_English.pdf

(do a find for hum)

Naim suggest a seperate mains circuit.

They also suggest siting hifi components as far away from each other as possible.

Quote....

"In order to reduce the risk of hum audible from the loudspeakers, power supplies and power amplifiers should be located a reasonable distance away from other equipment. The maximum separation distance for connected equipment is that allowed by the standard interconnect lead."

 

[fatboyslimfast]

I've got my Naims in a standard Revolver hifi rack - there's no more than 3" between the pre and the power, and I don't get any humming issue.

Does it only do it with the CD on?

 

[Anonymous]

Probably not to be of any help at all but I got lots of hum with the 5i connected to my receivers pre-outs. I thought it was the amp because I had heard of the issue mentioned above. However the problem was fully solved by moving power supplies, a PC and rerouting the interconnects.

 

[Anonymous]

Clean up the mains supply should sort it out.

A Tacima block and some decent mains leads. I have found the better the equipment the more revealing it is to bad feeds.

 

[roger06]

Having recently moved house my CD5i and Nait 5i both hum.

House was rewired and the sparky put in a dedicated circuit for the hi fi and filtered mains sockets so I'm disappointed and a little p*ss*d off with the hum as I didn't get it in the last 2 houses and was hoping the Naim would be at its best in my new place.

The voltage to the house is a little low but OK and the earth on the circuit is fine. Naim tell me it's 'dirty' mains, but then they don't recommend mains conditioners or chaning the mains cable so I'm at a loss...

 

[roger06]

Octopo:Probably not to be of any help at all but I got lots of hum with the 5i connected to my receivers pre-outs. I thought it was the amp because I had heard of the issue mentioned above. However the problem was fully solved by moving power supplies, a PC and rerouting the interconnects.

Would you mind expanding on this - the problem and solution as I'm very interested...

 

[chebby]

 

[Anonymous]

Currently got then both plugged into the wall and it still hums.

It does it both with the amp and cd, but the amp is hardly noticeable, the cd player is the biggest culprit. I'm off on study leave next Monaday and Tuesday so I'll take the cd player back to the dealer and get them to have a look.

I'm slightly relieved its not just me having the problem, but at the same time you shouldn't have to buy more kit the make the system work properly, sound better maybe, but actually work.

fatboyslimfast:fast eddie:Could the use of timer/remote on/off switches at the socket be affecting it?

Possibly. Can you plug them directly into the wall to see?

 

[Anonymous]

roger06:
Octopo:Probably not to be of any help at all but I got lots of hum with the 5i connected to my receivers pre-outs. I thought it was the amp because I had heard of the issue mentioned above. However the problem was fully solved by moving power supplies, a PC and rerouting the interconnects.

ÿWould you mind expanding on this - the problem and solution as I'm very interested...ÿ

Sure.

I have a very long and low cabinet with four shelves sitting adjacent to each other. Shelf 1 houses PC media centre and Xbox 360, 2 houses stereo amp and DAC, 3 houses receiver and 4 houses Sky HD. On the top are a cordless phone and a wireless router. Down the back are 2 Tacima CS929 blocks. In other words, interference heaven.

I was getting interference on the Naim on AV setting using the Unity Gain feature which was fed by the pre-outs on my receiver. Very noticeable during quiet scenes on TV and film. I use a VDH The Bay cable to connect the receiver to the amp which I always considered to be well shielded for such an application.

For a long time I put the interference down to Naim engineering after I had read about problems consisting of the symptoms explained above. However one day - because I am strange, I decided the problem was with the cables. I got a drill and pierced a hole in my cabinet between the second and third shelves allowing me to feed the VDH through.

Problem solved, no interference at all now the cable is not routed close to anything else.