Hi everyone.
I, like so many who own toroidal transformers, have suffered hum problems on and off for many years.
When I moved into my current home I was lucky enough to have a dedicated radial circuit installed solely for the use of the hifi. A double unswitched socket feeding an original MusicWorks 6 gang strip. Simple but well-engineered.
All the Naim boxes, including my Atom HE purchased last year, share this strip.
The usual suspects, the Supercap and the 250 are often heard humming away, sometimes to the detriment of the music. When all my boxes were serviced in 2021, I asked for the transformers to be checked specifically; all operating correctly. So we learn to live with the hum…
Then one week ago…
I moved the Atom HE onto a normal ring main plug for more convenient use. At the same time, I thought about moving the plug order around on the MusicWorks strip. I ended up (for no reason other than it suited the length of the power cords) with my NDX2, 282, Innuos Zen, Supercap and NAPSC on the powerstrip and, the 250 on the ring main.
Well slap me thrice and hand me to my mother. I have not had any hum that has disturbed the music. Yes, a small amount but not nearly as loud as before. And does it all sound better? I think so. Certainly, the Atom HE and Clear MGs have never sounded better.
Are there good mechanical and electrical reasons for having the boxes with big transformers and (relatively) large voltage swings kept separate from the ‘brains’? This forum has always spoken of that merit. Maybe there are further merits to having them, if possible, plugged into different areas of the house mains. But does this go against the concept of expensive power strips? And that elusive journey of the ground potential…
This accidental outcome has been a real benefit to my system. And like all the best upgrades, it was free.
But most importantly, please have a look at this website, amazing!
All the best,
Daz