B&W Speaker Hiss

[extracampine]

No problems with my setup or the sound, just something I have noticed when I put my ear to the speaker. I can hear a "hiss" coming from the tweeter, and a "shhh" coming from the midrange. It becomes noticeable when I move within about 1m of the speaker. I don't hear it when sitting down in the listening position, and music playback is with no problems.

 

The hiss disappears when I turn off the amp. However, it remains present when I mute the amp or change source selection. I have tried routing the amp power cord completely away from the other equipment, but this doesn't affect the hiss.

 

Is this normal? Can I reduce it?

 

Thanks!

 

Dan

 

[Christopher]

Hi Dan,

 

I recall that you recently had a question involving speaker wires running next to Sky cable for Satellite TV. You may be experiencing a ground loop caused by the Sky cable which is grounded.

 

Is your Classe CAP-2100 connected to a Satellite cable box, or to a TV that is connected to the Sky cable? Keep in mind, the connection can involve another device (such as a DVD player) that connects to your integrated amp and the Sky cable.

 

As a test, try disconnecting the Sky cable from your equipment. If the noise you are hearing disappears when you re-start your system, you know that the Sky cable is the culprit.

 

If this is the case, below is a link to a ground loop eliminator. Plug your satellite box into the Hum-X and it should be smooth sailing.

 

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/365781-REG/Ebtech_HUM_X_Hum_X_Ground_Loop.html

 

Let us know how things work out.

 

Chris

 

 

 

[The Computer Audiophile]

Try using balanced XLR cables as well. These have solved the same issue for me. I get a lot of different components in here that don't always play nice together. XLRs are wonderful for stopping noise.

 

[extracampine]

Thanks for the replies. But the hiss is there even when there is nothing connected to the amp. No Sky box, no XLR cables, nothing - just the speakers connected. Even when the amp is on mute I still hear the hiss from the speakers.

 

[babybear]

Hi Dan,

 

To answer your first question is this hiss normal? - Given that you have unplugged everything from your integrated and you still hear the hiss then I'd recommend that you contact your dealer or Classe as I don't think you should be able to hear a hiss from your tweeters and some noise from your other drivers with a solid state integrated amp at a distance from 1 meter. My experience when I used solid state amps is that in general they are either dead quiet with no music on regardless of the volume setting on the preamp or at worse, you can hear a slight hiss from the tweeters if you put your ear within a few inches of the tweeter. But to hear such a hiss that you are reporting from a distance of 1 meter, I would suggest that there is more than likely a problem somewhere in the amp section of your integrated. I suggest that's its in the amp section because you can still hear it when you hit the mute. I looked at the users manual and it appears that Classe implemented the mute function as setting the volume to 0, so it doesn't appear that the amp section of the integrated itself is muted. This is the same as if you had separates with the preamp in mute, but the amps are not muted. Just for reference, I now use tube amps and even with these, while I can hear a slight hiss from the tweeters with no music playing, my ear still needs to be within a few inches of the tweeter to hear it. The loudness of the hiss does not change regardless of the setting of the preamp and from a distance of 1 meter they are silent. If I mute the preamp, I still hear this slight hiss but if I mute the amps (my amps have a mute function), the hiss completely disappears. But again, I can only hear any of this with my ears within a few inches of the tweeters.

 

 

[Christopher]

Dan,

 

Provided that you are located in the Unites Sates (or have US-standard plugs), get a 3-prong to 2-prong adapter.

 

Turn off all of your equipment. Let the amp power-down.

 

If you are using a surge protector or powerstrip, disconnect the unit from the wall outlet.

 

Insert the adapter between the wall plate and your surge strip/conditioner.

 

Do not connect anything to your Classe CAP-2100 except for speaker wire going to your B&W speakers.

 

Power-up the Classe and listen. You should not hear hiss three feet away from your speakers.

 

Some extremely efficient speakers, such as Avantgarde and other horn-based speakers, will likely suffer from some amp noise. However, your equipment should be close to silent.

 

I use also have B&W speakers with a Rotel amp. I cannot hear any noise at all – nothing.

 

Chris

 

 

[wgb113]

I agree that it sounds like your Classe needs be looked at. I've got a Rotel/Paradigm setup in our main room and with the volume turned all the way up (with no source playing) I cannot hear a thing with my ear right up against the speaker grill. Same thing goes for my NAD/B&W setup.

 

Bill

 

[salwani]

I had a similar issue with my Krell Integrated - Krell suggested that if not using the tape in/outputs to just plug the tape in to tape out......it worked for me.