Do all valve amps hum?

E

el spanner

tut
Joined
Oct 2, 2005
Messages
19
Reaction score
0
I have only ever heard one valve amp (mine).

It hums a little but it is not a problem, just wondering if they all do.
 
does it hum only if you have your ear right by the speaker drivers??
or can you hear it from the listening distance?
 
The hum comes mainly from the amp itself, there is a faint hum from the speakers (audible only by placing my ear right by the woofer) and I can't hear it when there is any music playing.
Like I said it's not a problem at all, just curious
 
they all hum, no exceptions but some hum loud, some hum moderate and some hum so quiet that you don't hear it much unless you really put your ear into speakers.

what is more confusing for me is that some of really loud ones plays fantastic music
 
This thread could easily put off those who might otherwise try a valve amp. Some designs seem to and some don't. I had a conversation recently about the lack of clicks and pops I get with vinyl. Don't forget that you use zero feedback amps was the advice and that means that the background noise is lower in relation to the music than some others and solid state so you don't hear it so much.

I don't understand the science behind it but perhaps issues such as mild hum when putting an ear to a speaker are off-set by other advantages of a good valve amp.
 
frankly i don't know anyone who sincerely enjoyed valve sounds and who gave up on valves just because of noise. it is usually other things, either sonics (and most often it is rolled off extremes, soft bass, lack of attack & dynamics) or just a usual maintainance hassle with less sophisticated designs. actually noise is never a single reason for leaving valves.
i had passed through that long time ago and now i am coming back to valves after 15 years again. as i said some great devices are pretty noisy (f.e. many david chessel designs for audio innovations or audion) but it doesn't really distract you from music.
 
Funny you should say that, I use pre-production Audio Innovation First Audio monoblocks designed by David and then breathed on a number of times by another in conjunction with David. Minor hum not noitceable other than up close to the speakers is a small price to pay for the extension, bass, dynamics and openness. 7.5W from a pair of 6B4G belies the way they fill the room too.
 
mine doesn`t hum either. :)
BUT, if it`s a valve integrated, some designs do hum ever so slightly, something to do with the pre stage next to the power output stage.
Nowt to worry about and totally normal.
 
Hi,

el spanner said:
just wondering if they all do.
Click to expand...

First of all, you need divide the term "hum" into two.

1) Mechanical Hum from the mains transformer, this is potentially present in any piece of mains powered gear, it depends on transformer construction and mains conditions, however competently designed gear should be mechanically quiet.

2) Electrical Hum from insufficient power supply filtering, this is potentially present in any piece of mains powered gear, however if present it is just plain bad design.

So, no, competently designed gear does not hum, be it Vlave or solid state.

Ciao T
 
anubisgrau said:
is it switched on?
Click to expand...

Yes, and with my ear pressed up to my speakers I can hear no hum. I get a little hiss if I turn the volume right up to what would be an absurd listening level. The amp is a Prima Luna Prologue 2 and the speakers are Harbeth C7s.

IME hum comes from systems with either poor mains, and earth loop or components sited too close to one another. I've never found it to be unfixable.

Tony.
 
I recently got two pretty beefy amps to play with. One was silent and the other hummed. Both the exact same model and everything. Solid state BTW. The hum was coming from the mains transformer and was pretty extreme when the power surge from power-on happened. I think it is usually just a loose winding or two in the transformer so I just sent it back for replacement.
 
penance said:
Tosh, not heard many valve amps have you:rolleyes:

I have a valve pre and phono, neither hum.
Click to expand...

we might have different criteria for hum i'm afraid. dead silent valve design i have yet to hear but yes, i was out of the valve game for quite some time
 
I have hum from mine. It has valves in the pre. Dont hear it until i get close. Maybe its the transformer. Jimbo
 
Hi,

Tenson said:
The hum was coming from the mains transformer and was pretty extreme when the power surge from power-on happened. I think it is usually just a loose winding or two in the transformer so I just sent it back for replacement.
Click to expand...

Yup, it was simply down to the fact that the manufacturer choose to select transformers which where not vaccuum impregnated (with lacquer or wax), which if done in effect makes the whole transformer into a monolithic block and reliably stops it from producing mechanical hum.

Ciao T
 
Interesting, the transformer in my old Arcam Alpha 9 was like that I think but it still made a hum! And I couldn't get to it to stop it with a dab of glue!

BTW, I looked up those different filters and it all makes sense now.
 
Would a DC Blocker help?

dct01r0schema_p1color.gif

From Per Anders site http://home.swipnet.se/~w-50719/hifi/dct01/startsida_dct01.html
 

Latest posts

Back
Top