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Post by skydiver on Jan 13, 2013 12:01:26 GMT -5
First I would like to say that Nick Hetzler at Emotiva Support has been wonderful. He took the time to try and help me troubleshoot my issue patiently, methodically and did not push me to buy any product. However, I have come to a point where I need to see if other Airmotiv 5 owners can help me.
The issue I am having is a low level hum/buzz. It is not a hiss... a definite very quiet buzz. I am using them as my near fields for a studio and have to listen very critically. During the song they sound amazing but in quiet parts and at the fade out I can hear the buzz and it drives me crazy. In a normal home theater environment this may not be an issue because it is very low level. To be certain I am not just 'hearing things' I went to my local music store (national chain with huge selection of monitors to test) and there was none of this buzz/hum from any of their powered monitors.
First thing I want to know is if other Airmotiv 5 owners hear the same thing. You may need to put your ear against the tweeter/woofer to hear it. Do AM4 owners hear the same thing too?
Here is a list of things I have tried to troubleshoot the issue:
1. Remove all other electronics from the outlet.
2. Used balanced and unbalanced sound sources and cables.
3. No audio cable attached.
4. Used a long extension cord and plugged into different circuits.
5. Moved them to different locations to see if it was positional.
6. Used a 3prong to 2prong plug to lift the ground.
7. Tried different power strips. (different ones at home including Monster Cable Blackout series HDP 650)
8. Panamax M5100-EX which has AC line filter.
9. Isolation Transformer (I borrowed from my work, a power supply manufacturer)
10. Disconnected the Cable TV even though it's on a different circuit...
11. Lower the volume on the Airmotiv down all the way.
12. Every possible combination above...
There are no improvements with any of these things I did. I am coming to the conclusion that they are coming from within the electronics in these powered speakers.
I love the sound of the Airmotiv 5s but this buzz/hum really drives me nuts. Before I return these I want to reach out to other Airmotiv owners to see if they are hearing the same thing. Can it be possible that I have such bad power in my house that even a lab grade isolation transformer with a Panamax line conditioner can't improve?
Are AM4 owners hearing the same thing?
Thank you for reading through my post and your input is greatly appreciated.
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Post by skydiver on Jan 13, 2013 13:44:27 GMT -5
I don't think the Panamax is doing it's job...
This morning my wife turned on a switch in another room and I got a pop...
Isn't this supposed to suppress the pops?
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Post by AudioHTIT on Jan 13, 2013 13:48:58 GMT -5
Sounds like very thorough troubleshooting. I have a pair of AM5's plugged into a Furman power conditioner with the rest of my studio system and hooked via balanced cables to my mixer. I do not hear any hum or buzz at the levels I keep them at (I'll check what that is later). You didn't mention fluorescent lights or dimmers, but I assume none of those, and is the noise equal in both units? The only other thing I can think of trying is a friends house or another location, but with what you've done I have to think it's the AM5s.
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Post by oppman99 on Jan 13, 2013 13:49:59 GMT -5
I also notice a hum from my 5's but it is very faint. I have to have my ear right up to the woofers to hear it. It hasn't been enough to bother me. I think it is the 60 Hz AC signal.
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Post by garbulky on Jan 13, 2013 15:41:22 GMT -5
Try:
With nothing else attached to it. Connect to completely separate outlet with all other household electronics turned off and dimmer switches turned off. During all your testing make sure the power conditioner is not connected.
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Post by skydiver on Jan 13, 2013 18:27:23 GMT -5
Sounds like very thorough troubleshooting. I have a pair of AM5's plugged into a Furman power conditioner with the rest of my studio system and hooked via balanced cables to my mixer. I do not hear any hum or buzz at the levels I keep them at (I'll check what that is later). You didn't mention fluorescent lights or dimmers, but I assume none of those, and is the noise equal in both units? The only other thing I can think of trying is a friends house or another location, but with what you've done I have to think it's the AM5s. Hi AudioHTIT. I did test with all the stuff off in the house. My wife thinks I am crazy... I don't have any dimmers or fluorescents... Thanks for the suggestions but I think it's the AM5s...  |
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Post by skydiver on Jan 13, 2013 18:31:31 GMT -5
I also notice a hum from my 5's but it is very faint. I have to have my ear right up to the woofers to hear it. It hasn't been enough to bother me. I think it is the 60 Hz AC signal. Oppman99, Thanks for checking. I think it's the same thing I am hearing. It's very faint. My set up has them about 4 feet apart on my desk and raised to have the tweeters at ear level. I think if I had them another foot or so separated and sit a little further I would be okay but I have to work with the space I have... I was able to listen to some AM4s a few weeks ago in my house and I don't remember having this issue. I was going to get the 4s but Emotiva was out of them... so I just went to the 5s... Maybe I will exchange for the 4s and see how they work. I really did like the 4s... |
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Post by skydiver on Jan 13, 2013 18:33:06 GMT -5
Try: With nothing else attached to it. Connect to completely separate outlet with all other household electronics turned off and dimmer switches turned off. During all your testing make sure the power conditioner is not connected. Hi Garbulky, Thanks for the suggestion. I did try that and no change...  I am thinking to send them back and get the 4s if they have them back in stock... |
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Post by skydiver on Jan 13, 2013 18:43:08 GMT -5
I'm wondering is AM4 owners hear the same thing?
If not I may exchange the 5s for 4s but the website says they are out of the 4s...
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Post by jevans64 on Jan 14, 2013 1:59:40 GMT -5
I'm getting absolutely nothing out of my Airmotiv 5's when idle. I didn't even bother disconnecting them from the computer. I did have to turn the computer off so I could check. I even made a funnel out of construction board and stuck it right up to the speaker cones / ribbons. The wiring in my house is about 12 years old and is relatively clean and stable at 118 VAC. I have the speakers connected to a CyberPower PR2200 UPS with sine wave conditioning using the non-UPS outlets at the bottom of the unit.
I did take them off the $1000 UPS and plugged then up directly to the outlet and they are still absolutely silent. I'm sure there is probably a bit of noise coming out of them when the computer is on but my computer makes so much fan noise that I wouldn't be able to hear anything at idle anyway.
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Post by skydiver on Jan 14, 2013 10:17:04 GMT -5
I'm getting absolutely nothing out of my Airmotiv 5's when idle. I didn't even bother disconnecting them from the computer. I did have to turn the computer off so I could check. I even made a funnel out of construction board and stuck it right up to the speaker cones / ribbons. The wiring in my house is about 12 years old and is relatively clean and stable at 118 VAC. I have the speakers connected to a CyberPower PR2200 UPS with sine wave conditioning using the non-UPS outlets at the bottom of the unit. I did take them off the $1000 UPS and plugged then up directly to the outlet and they are still absolutely silent. I'm sure there is probably a bit of noise coming out of them when the computer is on but my computer makes so much fan noise that I wouldn't be able to hear anything at idle anyway. Hi jevans64, Thanks for the info. I am really mixed to what to do with these... Maybe I will try a UPS system with line conditioning. Is there a system you recommend that doesn't cost $1000? I think the most I want to spend is $100... I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be looking through craigslist. Is it bad to buy used UPS or power conditioners? |
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Post by jevans64 on Jan 14, 2013 18:10:41 GMT -5
Hi jevans64, Thanks for the info. I am really mixed to what to do with these... Maybe I will try a UPS system with line conditioning. Is there a system you recommend that doesn't cost $1000? I think the most I want to spend is $100... I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and will be looking through craigslist. Is it bad to buy used UPS or power conditioners? A UPS really isn't necessary. I just have one for my computers and is where I put the Airmotiv 5's. That and having too much stuff with angled plugs. The UPS is perfect for angled plugs. An ordinary power strip with sine wave conditioning will do. I have a Monster HTS 5100 MkII and an HTS 1000 MkIII for my living room setup. The Monster HTS 1000 MkIII is about $114 on Amazon. If you want to put your computer, monitor, and speakers on a UPS, then I only recommend APC SmartUPS line or CyberPower Professional line. Those are the only ones that have REAL sine wave. Those can cost $400 an up but won't fail when they go into UPS mode. Sine wave only matters when drawing power from the battery. Most important thing in selecting a UPS is to figure out how much capacity you will need. I generally add up the wattage of everything that will be connected it and multiply by 1.5. This allows headroom for power supply efficiency and a little extra headroom so the UPS won't get overloaded. I'm currently on a PC running an Intel E8500 and GTX 560ti with 27" monitor. I'm only drawing 170 watts total. That is 10% of my UPS's capacity. It jumps to about 320 watts when I'm playing games. I have another PC ( Q9550 with dual GTX 580 ) connected to it that draws almost 800 watts while gaming. |
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Post by garbulky on Jan 14, 2013 18:21:02 GMT -5
If the humm bugs you enough and can't be fixed, the answer isn't to buy a product that performs worse in overall sound quality. Airmotiv 4's have smaller cones. The answer is to buy something else.
Like a mini x + a set of nice bookshelf speakers or small towers if you have the space for them.
But having said that, is it possible to switch out the power cable for a different one? What do you use as your source?
And last, try it at your friends house with nothing else plugged into it. If there is still a hum it's more likely that it's the house electronics.
Also emotiva may have solutions for you if you contact them.
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Post by skydiver on Jan 15, 2013 0:20:02 GMT -5
My Next step is to take one of the speakers to other buildings and outlets to see what happens.
If there is no difference then it's the AM5s.
We will see...
I am learning a lot about power.
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Post by skydiver on Jan 16, 2013 10:10:19 GMT -5
So I took one of my Airmotiv 5s to my work and plugged it in and it's the same thing...
Now I need to decide to return for refund or exchange. Is it a problem with these or will I keep having the same problem?
Is the same problem in the 4s? I know I like the 4s too...
Hmmm.... what to do....
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Post by bishamon on Feb 5, 2015 22:53:34 GMT -5
Sorry to dig up an old thread, but I just purchased some 5's (not 5s'  ), and I have the same issue with them... Well, one of them, and the volume knob makes no difference. It's barely there in the other speaker, being just detectable with my ear almost against the woofer. It's audible in the more affected speaker from within less than a foot. Not a major issue, though it bothers me that they aren't equally 'buzzy', and I'd prefer they be completely silent. They do sound great, otherwise. Actually, they sound great, period, unless I'm within a foot or so.  |
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), and I have the same issue with them... Well, one of them, and the volume knob makes no difference. It's barely there in the other speaker, being just detectable with my ear almost against the woofer. It's audible in the more affected speaker from within less than a foot. Not a major issue, though it bothers me that they aren't equally 'buzzy', and I'd prefer they be completely silent. They do sound great, otherwise. Actually, they sound great, period, unless I'm within a foot or so. 
