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Folks,
I have a set of Zu Druid speakers,BAT Vk-3ix preamp and a Vk-55 amp. The BAT gear has been in my system since January and has just wowed me with the incredible sonic performance. Hands down this is the best point of my 22 years as an audiophile.
The issue is that the speakers with the electronics on have been dead silent. The speakers are 101 dB and the backdrop when there is no music is incredibly silent. However within the past two weeks, low level noise or what sounds like tube rush has broken the silence. I can hear this a few feet away and the sound seems to be getting worse. Mind you I've disconnected the source and the sound persists. When the volume is increased (no source connected), a louder scratchier sound projects out of the left speaker while a noticeable hiss comes from the right speaker. All of this can be heard from the listening position.
My question is if anyone has had an issue like this? Could this be a tube issue? Any recommendations?
Thanks
Follow Ups:
Thanks for all the input folks. Victor emailed me and said BAT will take a look at the issue.
Gentlemen,
Thank-you very much for your replies. I'm really taken back with the kind, helpful and informative responses.
Yes I have narrowed the issue around the preamp (or it seems). One of the early diagnostics was to switch the left and right channel to the amplifier. The noise switched speakers. The amp was turned off, the noise disappeared. With the amp on and the preamp either muted or turned-off, the noise disappeared.
What was surprising I don't drive the electronics very hard due to the sensitivity of the speakers. The BAT gear has been in the system for about 6 months. My thought would be the preamp tubes at least should have a little more life.
***Gentlemen,
***Thank-you very much for your replies. I'm really taken back with the kind, helpful and informative responses.
You might have added that since June 23rd I sent you 8 emails regarding this issue... but I guess they were not informative... sorry...
Victor,
I was just expressing my deep thanks to this community which seem tight and helpful with respect to other viewpoints. It is very special to have such a forum base to have such interactions. Just an expression of gratitude, that's all.
There were compliments for your help in our email exchange,but my underlining issue persisted. I just wanted wanted to get another set of viewpoints with folks who could have had a similar issue.
Yep sounds like a tube.
They just go sometimes. Not due to age, driving it hard, etc.
Ever had a light bulb go out after a few months? Who knows, the trick is to find out which tube then it's plug and play - less a few $'s.
If one does go, would considering a matched pair be beneficial? There are four 6922s (2 per channel) in the 3iX.
Matched pairs and matched sections are important in the BAT amps and pre's. Mostly on the 6922's and 6sn7's. Only one place + BAT I've found that matches the output tube pairs (6c33b) Each tube is running truly balanced-therefore the matched sections and then you want a matched tube/sections again for the other channel.
At least that's what BAT has told me over the years.
Does it only happen with the amp or preamp? Seems like you have ruled out the source.
Leave the pre amp off in in mute. Do you still hear the sound(s)?
If so it's in your amp. If not, your preamp.
If your amp...In your VK 55, are all the bias lights on? If not a bad power tube and blown fuse. Next, POWER OFF/COOL OFF the VK55. Flip the tubes from one channel to another. So take the the 2 6c33b tubes from right half and swap with the other half. Ditto the 6sn7s. It could also be a loose tube or bad contact. Just moving the tubes (plugging/unplugging) should help/solve. If the noises move or change change channels, it's definately a tube thing.
I am less familiar with your 3ix. But the procedure about should work just as well. (I have a 51se and 150se's).
Honestly, this sound easily like a tube issue and I bet it's one of the VK 55 tubes.
It's just part of ownership of tube equipment. NOTHING to do with BAT quality.
Good luck (I agree though, the person at BAT should have walked you through something like this)
It sounds like the tubes. Try replacing the four 6922's. If you are using NOS, then just put back in the Sovteks that come with it. If you don't have spares, then move the 6922's around among the four positions and see if the sound moves with them. I had some noisy Amperex 7308's in a 3iX at one point.
By the way, I didn't find BAT's customer service lived up to its stellar reputation here either. I had to have an amp repaired once, and, for one, I can tell you that the maximum time for repair quoted on their website is not accurate--by far. Ultimately, they did repair the amp properly, however. Email me if you want details.
LRC
***By the way, I didn't find BAT's customer service lived up to its stellar reputation here either. I had to have an amp repaired once, and, for one, I can tell you that the maximum time for repair quoted on their website is not accurate--by far.
Strictly speaking, there is no repair time quote on the site, there is slice of history at particular date. It should really be re-written. As your installed base grows to many thousands of units, you are facing all kinds of cases, some simple, some requiring a lot of attention and... a lot of communications with customer. So one can talk about trying to do his best, with some infrequent cases falling outside the norm.
Out of curiosity, I looked at our factory repair record for last three months, and here it is. Whether you consider it good, bad or ugly - not for me to decide. First date is arrival, second - shipping. Understand, that usually there is some time between the moment the repair is finished and customer notified, and when it is shipped, as sometimes people take time to pay their bills, they can't be reached, or other situations.
1-Apr 18-Apr
1-Apr 22-Apr
2-Apr 11-Apr
2-Apr 8-Apr
3-Apr 14-Apr
7-Apr 8-Apr
7-Apr 8-Apr
8-Apr 30-Apr
10-Apr 15-Apr
11-Apr 18-Apr
15-Apr 5-May
16-Apr 24-Apr
16-Apr 21-Apr
17-Apr 25-Apr
17-Apr 21-May
17-Apr 6-May
17-Apr 21-May
22-Apr 24-Apr
23-Apr 28-May
24-Apr 8-May
25-Apr 29-Apr
30-Apr 6-May
1-May 12-May
5-May 13-May
5-May 22-May
7-May 7-May
7-May 19-May
9-May 20-May
9-May 20-May
16-May 22-May
19-May 30-May
19-May 30-May
19-May 2-Jun
20-May 18-Jun
20-May 22-May
21-May 24-Jun
22-May 6-Jun
22-May 6-Jun
23-May 27-May
27-May 4-Jun
2-Jun 2-Jun
4-Jun 10-Jun
4-Jun 10-Jun
9-Jun 20-Jun
10-Jun 12-Jun
12-Jun 18-Jun
Victor,
A quote from your website:
"To date the average time for a component needing factory repair to be out of its purchaser's system is 7 days, and the longest has been 15 days."
Your site also says that it was updated on January 18, 2008. My amp was repaired in February of 2007, and it took 24 days from the day it left my house until it was returned.
Whether you call this a "repair quote" or not is a matter of semantics IMO. It is a claim about repair times that is inaccurate.
I don't doubt there are reasons for the glowing reviews of your service, but my point--in response to poster's surprise below--is that there are always exceptions.
Louis
Each reader will have to determine for himself/herself the answer to your question--"Is this really a point worth making?" I imagine that some would like to know whether one of the advertising claims on the BAT website is accurate. Perhaps I am wrong. Your question suggests you have an opinion, but I doubt yours is the only one. I clearly thought the point was worth making (else I wouldn't have mentioned it), and I received private feedback from other posters to the same effect. So, I guess at least some thought it was useful. Of course, you can disagree.
Louis
chosen to overlook in view of the vast preponderance of great service and highest quality products..
If i misunderstood the mention as too harsh of a criticism i stand corrected. If it was meant to be helpful, constructive illumination I guess I just didn't read it that way. Victor obviously goes the extra mile by coming out and responding to customers queries which is something in my experience very unusual. I think from my limited experience his Company merits every consideration and I'd feel it a shame if someone's remarks were misunderstood to infer something which is of the nature of a small oversight or out of the ordinary aberration as we live in anything but a perfect world.
You'll notice that the primary subject of my initial post was to help solve the poster's problem. I only mentioned my experience with BAT because he had been questioned about his experience in one of the responses. I thought it pertinent to point out that he was not alone and that there are always exceptions. As you say, Victor is human.
As for the nature of the website inaccuracy, I'll not elaborate on my opinion of it here, but it could be viewed as a simple oversight, or it could be viewed as something less benign. You are a BAT owner, and I had a disappointing experience with BAT customer service, so neither of us is likely to have an objective view.
By the way, based on my experience, I believe the BAT preamps to be among the best around, and can easily see myself owning one again.
Louis
Yes, this is common for my VK-5i when a tube is dying. Usually, I'd get it in one channel or the another and swapping tubes from one side to the other would enable me to find the faulty one.
-Rod
Rod,
I'm not sure what the tube complement is in the VK-5i, does it have more than one tube per channel. If so, are you concerned about matched pairs when switching?
The VK-3ix has two 6922s per side and one 6v6 GT per side.
If the tubes are rather old, several years or more, I'd probably replace them with a pair that matches the others. Otherwise, just replace one with one of the same type/brand.
-Rod
The Zu Druid speakers are quite sensitive, measured 97 dB at the NRC (see link below), so electronic noise will be more noticeable than with less sensitive speakers.
I assume that you have been using the BAT electronics and the Zu Druid speakers for some time and that the noise has only become noticeable recently. One prefers not be able to hear electronic noise at normal volume settings from the listening position--though up close to the tweeter, one would expect this. The likely explanation is that something has changed to increase the noise, with some differences between the left and right channels.
You have started trouble shooting by disconnecting your source component. What happens if you disconnect the preamp? That should tell you if the problem is in the preamp or amp.
Now I am not a tube guy, but it may be that one or more tubes has become defective. Or it might be a dirty volume control or something like that.
Another thing is to check *all* the connections, both interconnects and speaker cables.
-
"It pertains to all men to know themselves and to be temperate."
---Heraclitus of Ephesus (trans. Wheelwright)
> > My question is if anyone has had an issue like this?
No
Could this be a tube issue?
Yes, it could be a tube issue, possibly.
Any recommendations? < <
Yes, contact BAT directly, or your dealer.
Cheers,
Jim
Thanks,
I already had contacted BAT directly. However, they were not able to help.
Their customer support has an excellent reputation.
.
"Dammit..."
I have to chime in and say that I have nothing but superlatives for BAT customer service. Outstanding!
At least it's not a crayon up the nose!!
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