New Rega Elex R

[tansriloi]

I have just noticed my new amp Rega Elex will make a popping sound when it is turn on. I did not experience this with other amplifiers. Is this normal ? And will the popping sound damage my speakers. Volume is turn down when turning on. Hopefully is there a way to minimise the popping sound?

 

[Al ears]

I have just noticed my new amp Rega Elex will make a popping sound when it is turn on. I did not experience this with other amplifiers. Is this normal ? And will the popping sound damage my speakers. Volume is turn down when turning on. Hopefully is there a way to minimise the popping sound?

The best way to minimise popping sound is to send it back to wherever you got it.

There should be no noise on power up. If there is it's faulty.

Sadly this appears to be happening all the more often with Rega kit.

Where did you buy it from?

 

[radiorog]

Mm, I would say it depends on how loud. My brio r's did make a little popping sound, but nothing that alarmed me (had about 5 of them). Also all my roksan kandys have popped a little too, but again, nothing too loud and I actually like the sound. (I've had about 7 of these amps).

If it is loud, yeah it must be a fault.

 

[Andrewjvt]

As its poppi g to the beat dont worry ha

Serious id take it back as no amp should pop.

My old roksan kandy also used to make sounds when i switched it off and on but nothing when playing. It used to really bug me a lot. My hegel is very quiet when switching on off so happy with that.

 

[newworld]

Thumping on power up is normal on this amplifier, I'm afraid. There are several other amplifiers that do the same. Just keep it on all the time if it doesn't bother you too much.

 

[tansriloi]

I called up Rega Factory. Spoke to one of the guys there about my concern, he said is perfectly fine. The amp is designed that way. The Brio and Elex is designed like these. Only the Ellicit will have some sort of capacitor to minimise the thump or pop sound.

 

[matthewpiano]

Both Brio-R amps I've had have made a small popping sound at switch-on. It is part of the design, and hardly worth worrying about. The Exposure 1010 amp I had was the same.

With either the Brio-R or the 1010 it is a small thing to put up with when they reproduce recordings so brilliantly. Rega make some of the most musically involving amps on the market and for that I'm quite happy to put up with the odd insignificant quirk.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Im sure they told the engineers to design an amp that makes popping noises

 

[radiorog]

Since moving to rega and roksan, I now associate the nice little pop/thud of power at ignition as the sign of a quality amp

 

[davedotco]

Im sure they told the engineers to design an amp that makes popping noises

So true, this is the usual response from such companies and the 'quirkiness' is much loved by enthusiasts. (Though to be fair a small thump on switch on is of no consequence.)

Reminds me of the Naim Armageddon power supply for the LP12. Connections apart, it looked exactly like a (olive series) Hi-cap, except that when switched on the Naim logo did not light up green in the usual manner.

The Naim rep informed us, with a perfectly straight face that this was a decision made on sound quality grounds. It was only later when I opened one up for some reason that I could see that the device was more or less an isolating transformer in a box. Unlike a Hi-cap, or any other Naim component the Armageddon was purely a/c, no rectification required so therefore no d/c available to drive the NADI board, which provides the illumonation.

This is perfectly logical and sensible but the pretence of audiophile 'integrity' had to be maintained, hence the classic 'it sounds better this way'.

To address the OPs issue, I suggest that the bass driver is observed during switch on. If there is substantial movement, you have transient d/c on the output, this could be an issue. As I said, a small thump and gentle wobble of the bass cone is not important.

 

[Al ears]

Im sure they told the engineers to design an amp that makes popping noises

So true, this is the usual response from such companies and the 'quirkiness' is much loved by enthusiasts. (Though to be fair a small thump on switch on is of no consequence.)

Reminds me of the Naim Armageddon power supply for the LP12. Connections apart, it looked exactly like a (olive series) Hi-cap, except that when switched on the Naim logo did not light up green in the usual manner.

The Naim rep informed us, with a perfectly straight face that this was a decision made on sound quality grounds. It was only later when I opened one up for some reason that I could see that the device was more or less an isolating transformer in a box. Unlike a Hi-cap, or any other Naim component the Armageddon was purely a/c, no rectification required so therefore no d/c available to drive the NADI board, which provides the illumonation.

This is perfectly logical and sensible but the pretence of audiophile 'integrity' had to be maintained, hence the classic 'it sounds better this way'.

To address the OPs issue, I suggest that the bass driver is observed during switch on. If there is substantial movement, you have transient d/c on the output, this could be an issue. As I said, a small thump and gentle wobble of the bass cone is not important.

A good reply. A power-on thump can be normal. From the OPs original post I thought he meant multiple pops.

 

[Andrewjvt]

Ia normal and acceptable but i also thought the op was refering to popping noises and that i would not put up with.

Not debating the sq from rega amps as im sure they are good sounding kit but would not be able to live with popping