Much to my surprise, having bought the unit brand new, the volume pot has developed some personality lately. If I change the volume gently, it’s all fine but if I go slightly faster, I get these crackling screeching noises, mainly from the left speaker.
Is this normal? Thank you.
It is not normal. You should not hear anything from the speakers as the volume is adjusted other than a background signal hum or hiss (at high volume). It is normal to hear some motor/servo noise from the NAC when the volume is moved by the remote but not through the speakers.
There ar sprays that can help with volume control crackles but as this is a new unit I would not recommend any intervention by you. It is best you do not invalidate any warranty by attempting to fix yourself. Speak to the dealer and if necessary take it in so they can deal with it.
The recommendation for a noisy pot on a Naim amp it to exercise it back and forth several times rather than go for the sprays. If that doesn’t clear it or the unit is new it’s back to the dealer and maybe to Naim with it.
Same applies to any amp with a conventional pot (as opposed to resistor ladder. Usually a sozen or sp rapid wizzes of control from min to max and back does the trick. BUT best turn power amp off or disconnect speakers first.
If it’s new, then the pot is defective and should be replaced under warranty.
I’ve had a similar issue and was advised by my dealer to power down before working the volume pot from zero to max and back around 15 or 20 times. Might me as simple as a dust particle.
If this doesn’t work it’s a return to base. Wirth a go, it can save a whole lot of messing around.
That can work in older preamps, but the effect is often temporary. There should be no bits of dirt affecting the pot on a new unit. Get the dealer to sort it.
I’ve encountered the problem in various pots over decades. Pot can be young or old, and the simple rapid spin cure can last months or years. In general the older the pot and less used it is the more frequent it happens.
Out of interest, do you have a system automation cable between pre and streamer?
I do. Out of curiosity, I disconnected it to see if it changes anything. It does not.
Have you not yet tried the fix? It is so quick and easy, and with nothing whatsoever to lose.
Unfortunately, if this is a new pre-amp, it’s probably not just dirt, but some other issue with the track. Wiggling the knob may temporarily improve it but this sounds like a defective pot.
No luck fixing it. Went back to the dealer and will be probably exchanged with another brand new unit. It happens…
Ok, worth a try. I find my 552 volume crackles when connected to my ND555 via an automation cable but it goes away when disconnected.
Yours is obviously a different issue.
Hope it all works out.
Cheers,
Ian