TIC sound from xpa 2

[rod]

I have been experiecing some kind of irritating tic sound from my xpa 2 everytime it is on. It happens every 10,15 or 20 minutes. I put my ear close to this machine to see if the tic sound is present, then it does sound like tic as if a spring got loose inside. That's the sound I am hearing inside xpa 2, the sound of a spring that got disconnected from a hold and hit another metal. Do you have any idea what it is? I hope it is not a timebomb. Please reply.

[selkec]

I think what you are hearsing is ticking of the heat sinks. I had 2 xpa-1's and I think others have also that had the same tic. It annoyed me also and I thought it was my glass rack breaking since I had 2 xpa-1's and an xpa-3 on same shelf. So I sold the xpa1s and sure enough when i was packing the xpa1s to ship i heard one of them tick. Im pretty sure its the heat sinks. SOme amps do it from what I hear but not many. If I ever get another that ticks its going back. It drives me crazy.

[rod]

I am still observing this tic sound. If this is normal, then it's ok with me. But if it is something else, then I'll be honored to say bye bye to it for good.

[selkec]

I would say its not normal. even though some few do. I say its not acceptable. But thats just me.

[ske]

Apr 2, 2011 6:03:21 GMT -5 rod said:

I have been experiecing some kind of irritating tic sound from my xpa 2 everytime it is on. It happens every 10,15 or 20 minutes. I put my ear close to this machine to see if the tic sound is present, then it does sound like tic as if a spring got loose inside. That's the sound I am hearing inside xpa 2, the sound of a spring that got disconnected from a hold and hit another metal. Do you have any idea what it is? I hope it is not a timebomb. Please reply.

I've had my XPA-2 for a few weeks and noticed a sound as well. Sometimes every 15 minutes, or never. I did a little digging and found a discussion where the customer called Emotiva, and was told that if the household voltage spikes to 130 volts, the amp will switch to the 220 volt circuit and back again, making the click or snapping sound.
I checked my voltage, and it is a solid 126+ volts. So for me, it seems likely a spike is what is happening. You won't catch a spike with a meter though, I think it happens too fast. And don't use a line conditioner with these amps either.
If it's the occasional click that you only hear when things are quiet, I wouldn't sweat it. But don't hesitate to call Emotiva and ask about it (then let us know here!)

[selkec]

There is another thread about saying that emotiva said its the heat sinks making the noise which in my case it had to be because it ticked while i was packing it up to ship.

As for the line conditioner. It dont make any difference that you can hear unless you have super human ears. if its a good conditioner it will wont limit the current. But to each his own on this. I feel more safe with one hooked up because I have huge voltage spikes and drops all the time.
But i still think ticking is not normal. no excuse need made

[ske]

I wanted to give a follow-up on this issue. I spoke to Emotiva regarding the 5 screws per heat sink on the bottom of the unit. Those may be loosened and retightened (not as tight) as an option.
If I do this, I will tighten the mid-point screw very snug, and the rest not quite as much. In fact, I may add a nylon washer to the other four screws per heat sink to allow it to expand and contract more freely.
The reason I would tighten the center screw the most and without a nylon washer, is to create a fixed point from which the heat sink may expand and contract, dividing the movement into two smaller movements instead of one large one along the entire length of the heat sink. I'll post my results, should I give it a try.
In the meantime, I have stumbled upon a less difficult, possible "fix". I've been running the amp pretty hard when I'm home (5-8 hours at a time) and it gets really hot. It now "clicks" less often. It was making the noise every 10-15 minutes before. Now, mostly as it warms up and then after I turn it off, and it starts to cool down. That's not to say it still doesn't happen at all during playback, but it is much less frequent, and not as loud. I'm thinking that the amp needs to physically break in, acclimate to it's new home.
As to whether or not this sound should even happen, I can only say that for the quality of the sound vs the price, I'll live with it. Or flip it over and loosen some screws, if necessary.