I’ve disconnected my KEF sub, as it’s going to be relocated in another set up, but my SN3 is humming/buzzing.
There’s no cable between sub and SN3, but the hum/buzz is very present.
What am I doing wrong?
Probably absolutely nothing. I have an sn3 with a hum that won’t go no matter what I do.
It even went back to Salisbury and the transformer was deemed to hum within acceptable limits but they replaced it anyway. Hum continues.
I have come to live with it - but it nearly provoked a bout of insanity in me!!
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@Endon wrote exactly what I was going to write. Same Naim service, same remaining hum in left channel. I’ve learned to live with it. I was thinking of changing speaker wires (currently using 9 year old Naca5) to see if that would solve the issue. Haven’t gotten around to it yet.
@Stag I changed my speaker cables as part of my attempt to resolve the hum- from WH N2 to new Naim NAC5 - very much liked the change in sound presentation. Hum in status quo!
In my case the hum is from the amplifier. Not audible at either of the speakers.
Mechanical hum from the Supernait box or a hum coming out of the speakers?
If you put your ear close to the speaker, do you get no hum at all?
No- if I really crank it up I get some hiss- both speakers equally- which is normal.
It’s the sn3 100%.
But as I say - acceptance and forgiveness is the way forward!!
Coming loud and clear from the speakers BUT only when the interconnect between sub and SN3 is removed. When the sub is attached, whether on or not, there’s zero hum or buzz.
So, it seems you have the usual Naim ground issue.
What other units are connected to SN3?
I think your subwoofer connects chassi ground with signal ground.
My other units are all sources into the SN3: LP12 via Vertere Phono, Marantz SACD, Cambridge Audio BDP and also a Bluesound streamer.
As Bassman has said, it appears that your sub is making a circuit to earth, which when disconnected means one or more of your sources is not earthed.
Try disconnecting, one by one, your SACD, BDP then streamer.
If the hum persists until you disconnect the last source, try reconnecting them in a different order to identify which (or if all) are the culprits.
A solution might be to run a seperate earth cable from one of your source’s metal chassis (such as a screw in the metal casing) to a known earth point.
In the UK, that could be the earth pin of a 3-pin plug or a screw holding a UK power socket to the wall plate for example.
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I had hum in my SN1, fixed it with an iFi DC Blocker - could be worth a try. This was a hum from the amp, not the speakers though.
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Thanks folks, that’s useful and I’ll give those a try before purchasing anything extra.
There’s an earthing screw on the rear of the SN3, should I attach an earth cable to that from the rogue source, if and when indentified?
My (albeit very ancient) LP12 has a grounding cable attached to the SN3. Might be worth giving yours a go if it has one. A quick and easy try so nothing to lose!
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Problem solved: there are three earthing options on my Vertere phono stage, I toggled through those and found one that eliminates the hum with the sub disconnected. Phew!
Thanks all for your suggestions.
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