@frenchrooster did you check to make sure you aren’t using one XLR from output 1 and another from output 2 ?
First I tried the stock XLR cables. Big noise. I thought they were broken, the dealer sent them back.
I didn’t tried from output 1 and output 2 . Didn’t know it could work that way.
So you mean one XLR from output 1 on the pre then output 2 from the pre? Like red on output 1 and black on the 2? You think I can work?
I don’t know enough about the EAR Pre to know whether there might be an issue there.
1 Like
That’s Not what I meant!!
No no no
I tried it however. Same.
I reversed also at the amp and pre simultaneously. Same.
I will ask the Ear dealer. I am waiting for the Chord M6 powerblock, maybe it will solve the issue.
I decided to test the 250 at my dealer place, to be sure the problem doesn’t come from it.
Because it’s strange: 2 different XLR to XLR cables give the noises in one speaker, heard only when my ear is close, but today I could hear the noises from 10 cm distance, so not so close.
The stock Naim XLR gave a big noise on one speaker, same for an expensive XLR to RCA .
Only a cheap rega XLR to RCA gave quite no noise. But the drop in sound quality was not minor unfortunately.
If the 250 is ok at dealer place, the last possibility will be to see what the Chord M6 powerblock will do, as it’s on its way .
Then, if still the same problem, I will have to think if I have to sell it. As I got 20% discount, I should not loose money.
Aye this makes sense. The better cables have more “pass through” so the better the sound but also the more noise unfortunately. This has been my experience over many years swapping cables. Silver cables have beautiful presentation but are bitches for noises if yo have a bad ground or a noisy source.
1 Like
Yeah, that is most likely.
1 Like
Don’t you think that the 250 may be faulty? Just before I had the 250 dr and no problem at all.
If it’s not the case, can a much quieter powerblock solve the problem?
If it is a problem with the amp then your dealer should change it free of charge or send it for repair free of charge as it’s brand new and still under warranty.
But you need to find out for sure first what the problem is and which peice of equipment is at fault.
You said that when you switched cables around at that end, the noise went to the other speaker. Unless I’ve misunderstood that excludes the 250.
1 Like
When was the last time you replaced all the pre-amp tubes?? Almost sounds as if one or more tubes is going bad. Or microphonic
Maybe your dealer would loan you a pre-amp?? FYI:
A balanced cable, by contrast, has three conductors in the connector and three wires in the cable: two signals wires plus a separate ground wire. As in the unbalanced cable, the ground wire still surrounds the signal wires and is used as a shield against interference. But what makes a balanced cable special is the way the gear utilizes that extra signal wire.
Balanced cables use two signal wires; both carry a copy of the signal, but the two copies are sent with their polarity reversed. If you sum two signals that are identical but are reversed in polarity, the signals cancel out, leaving you with silence. (Just like adding positive and negative numbers: +15 added to -15 equals 0.)
So why would you want audio gear that flips the polarity of your signal? In this case, because the receiving gear will flip the inverted signal back into its original orientation. But because both copies of the signal picked up the same noise as they traveled along the cable—and that noise is identical on the two wires in the cable—flipping the polarity of what arrives at the receiving gear will produce the original signal intact and noise which now has reversed polarity. Summing that gives you a welcome result: signal that’s preserved and noise that’s canceled.
Also an interesting fact is a true balanced system will double the the output from single ended to Balanced. So if your pre-amp is 2v output single ended then Balanced it will put out 4v… If it doesn’t it might not be truly balanced
Sad to hear - hate this, when there is something.
Think it is not serious for listening - but once noticed, never unnoticed.
You don’t think about selling the new amp nc250?
Why? There can be a problem in one channel of the 250, not?
Of course it will be replaced, if it’s the case. But if I works properly at my dealer place, then I will have to think if I keep it or not.
1 Like
But I think you said that switching the cables around (at the amp side) made the noise switch speakers? Or did I misunderstand?
So you’ve heard the noise through both preamp channels, both power amp channels, but only one of the two cables.
1 Like
Maybe you are right, I didn’t know. What I know is that my pre was sounding perfectly with the Nap 250 dr. The tubes were changed also recently.
The first second I connected the new 250 with the stock XLR, there was a big hum in one speaker.
Then pop pops and stridency with two different XLR,
Then big hum with an XLR to RCA.
So 4 different cables.
Only the cheap Rega gives maybe a very very low hiss.
Anyway , I have to try all the possibilities. So I will test the amp.
The third and final possibility will be to see if the new coming powerblock will change the issue.