Can anyone help me troubleshoot this Vidar issue?

Discussion in 'Advice Threads' started by deathbyaudio, Jan 11, 2021.

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  1. deathbyaudio

    deathbyaudio New

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    Hi all, I've had my Schiit Vidar for 2+ years and it's been great, without any of the noise/hum issues I've read about-- until now, when it's developed a particular issue I haven't been able to figure out on my own and can't seem to find specific trouble-shooting advice for when I search this or other forums.

    To wit, every two minutes or so, whenever the vidar is on (connected to a preamp source or not, playing or not), it emits about 10 seconds of something in between a rattle and hum. If I place my hand on top of the vidar towards the front side of the unit, I can feel a vibration from whatever is producing this noise.

    This problem started yesterday, and it's worth noting that I had left the vidar on for about 72 hours just previously, which I don't typically do, but my understanding is that lots of other people do with theirs without incident. But maybe that triggered this.

    I've tried switching out power cord and interconnect, to no avail. I guess the next step is to figure out if it is a ground loop issue? But from what I've read, this doesn't seem like how a ground loop manifests- though I have zero electrical or engineering experience, so I'm learning this stuff on the fly.

    In any case, I am pretty stumped, so any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated. Many thanks.
     
  2. Alcophone

    Alcophone Acquaintance

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    Wild guess: You might just have to tighten down the transformer a bit. No idea how safe it is to attempt doing that yourself, though.
     
  3. m17xr2b

    m17xr2b Friend

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    Any new equipment in the house, dimmer lights, neons, anything that would inject DC in the mains causing the transformer to hum? Your descriptions implies something that runs on a timer. Hope it's not from a neighbour if this is the case.
    Had a similar issue with a SimAudio product, a DC blocker before the amp killed the buzz/hum.

    Any small amount of DC will saturate the trafo core causing the laminations to move and make the buzzing sound. Shut off everything else in your house apart from the amp and see if it still misbehaves.
     
  4. Nbees

    Nbees Acquaintance

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    It is probably either of the 2 things mentioned above. I know my Vidar did it until I tightened the transformer up a bit. I think they were actually shipping them with those screws loosened (to prevent chassis damage?) not sure if they still do, as my Aegir was firmly bolted. All you need is a phillips head and a Hex driver to hold the nut inside as you turn it from underneath chassis. Worked on mine. I'd start with that.
     
  5. deathbyaudio

    deathbyaudio New

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    thanks for the responses. There hasn't been anything new electronics-wise in the house around the time this started. So, I'm going to try to tighten the transformer...
    Nbees, just to make sure I undestand this, since I'm really not experienced with electonics and have never opened up the vidar-- so, I unscrew the Vidar case top via the screws on the casework, then apply the hex to the nuts that I will find on the bottom of the inside of the case while I tighten the screws from the outside?
    Thanks again!
     
  6. Gazny

    Gazny MOT: ETA Audio

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    Please remove all power cables before opening the Vidar
     
  7. dasman66

    dasman66 Self proclaimed lazy ass - friend

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    FWIW, I had a similar problem at my office... all of a sudden I started getting humming noises in a tube amp.

    Not so coincidently, they had just made some equipment changes at the other end of the building. At Marv's suggestion, I got an Emotiva CMX-2 and that cleared the hum right up.
     
  8. deathbyaudio

    deathbyaudio New

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    So whatever the problem is/was, it seems to have dissipated, for now at least, after having the amp disconnected all day. Same power cable, same interconnect. We’ll see if it comes back, in which case, I wonder what the intermittency suggests about the cause.
     
  9. bobboxbody

    bobboxbody Friend

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    I recently noticed a slight mechanical hum in my Ragnarok 2, just barely audible from a few feet away. The noise wasn't present in the signal to the speaker or headphone outs, but I could hear it in the preamp outs. This thread pointed me to a DC blocker. I found a Van Alstine Humdinger on Reverb for $85, it arrived today and has eliminated the hum and my worries about damage to other transformers. Thanks for the suggestions.
     
  10. Armaegis

    Armaegis Friend

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    Also give it some time for the caps to discharge. There's oftentimes a lot of residual energy in a power supply.
     

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