C2700 ordered. Now what?

[McMan]

The crackling! A couple of years ago, I purchased a new set of Gold Lions for my MC275. I have been running into an issue recently where a specific Piano note would cause a crackling sound in the right channel (a little louder than the left), and the left had a slight crackling sound.

So I ordered a new set, but I also ordered a new Innuos streamer, Qutest, and some iso feet.

Once I installed everything and started listening again, I noticed that the crackling was gone.

I have no idea what happened, but I wonder when I disconnected the speaker and reconnected it solved the issue.

I also ran the amp for about 16 hours and wondered if the tube needed good heating. Maybe consider giving this a try.

[PeterMusic]

Originally Posted by dkorbal

For the past several months I've been experiencing a crackling sound coming from one channel in my system. The sound is random, inconsistent (no pattern) like a Woodwick candle burning, the kind with three wood wicks in it. What can I say my wife likes to burn candles. It's quite noticeable during quieter passages and when watching TV. Volume does not affect the level of the crackling and it's there with nothing playing and on multiple inputs. Although, I have not confirmed MM & MC INPUTS since I don't play LP's all that much. When I switch the cables on the MAIN OUTPUTS the crackling follows the switch.

Is this a tube issue? When I first received the C2700 I had to take it back for a tube replacement because the two channels where not balanced when the balance knob was set at neutral.

PS. I find it disappointing/annoying that the total sum of tube information in the manual is this:

Tube Complement
6 Tubes, Five - 12AX7A and One - 12AT7
(viewed thru the Top Cover Window)

REALLY

Hopefully, someone can comment here before I go any further. I have new Gold Lion tubes ready and waiting but I'm not sure that should be my next step.

Hi Doug,

If I read this correctly--you have crackling in one channel, then you switch the cables and the crackling moves to the other channel. Yes? if that is the case, the crackling is coming from a bad cable and not the amp/tubes. I suggest borrowing a pair of cables from your local dealer to double check this. Good luck!

[McMan]

Originally Posted by McMan

The crackling! A couple of years ago, I purchased a new set of Gold Lions for my MC275. I have been running into an issue recently where a specific Piano note would cause a crackling sound in the right channel (a little louder than the left), and the left had a slight crackling sound.

So I ordered a new set, but I also ordered a new Innuos streamer, Qutest, and some iso feet.

Once I installed everything and started listening again, I noticed that the crackling was gone.

I have no idea what happened, but I wonder when I disconnected the speaker and reconnected it solved the issue.

I also ran the amp for about 16 hours and wondered if the tube needed good heating. Maybe consider giving this a try.

I forgot to mention that in the situation, I totally disconnected the entire system and moved it. So I wonder if what I was experienced was a grounding issue.

[dkorbal]

Originally Posted by McMan

I forgot to mention that in the situation, I totally disconnected the entire system and moved it. So I wonder if what I was experienced was a grounding issue.

I've had the system apart reconnected when installing a Denali/S V2 but yet the crackling persist. My crackling exist with and without music/TV playing. It comes and goes at times with no noticeable cause.

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by PeterMusic

Hi Doug,

If I read this correctly--you have crackling in one channel, then you switch the cables and the crackling moves to the other channel. Yes? if that is the case, the crackling is coming from a bad cable and not the amp/tubes. I suggest borrowing a pair of cables from your local dealer to double check this. Good luck!

Originally Posted by dkorbal

I've had the system apart reconnected when installing a Denali/S V2 but yet the crackling persist. My crackling exist with and without music/TV playing. It comes and goes at times with no noticeable cause.

I was all set to suggest a tube change until you posted about the cable switch. I would tend to agree with Peter and suggest you try a different pair of cables to see if that fixes the issue.

[dkorbal]

I should have explained this better. I switched the XLR cables coming out of the back of the C2700's MAIN OUTPUT. After the switch, the crackling moved from the right speaker to the left speaker. Critical thinking this through if the crackling is produced UPSTREAM from the XLR connection the crackling should move from one side to the other. If the crackling is produced DOWNSTREAM it would remain on the same side. NO?

[FreddieFerric]

Originally Posted by dkorbal

I should have explained this better. I switched the XLR cables coming out of the back of the C2700's MAIN OUTPUT. After the switch, the crackling moved from the right speaker to the left speaker. Critical thinking this through if the crackling is produced UPSTREAM from the XLR connection the crackling should move from one side to the other. If the crackling is produced DOWNSTREAM it would remain on the same side. NO?

IDK Doug. I'd suggest trying a pair of single ended cables from the RCA taps and see what that does. You could also take the C2700 back to your dealer to see if they can replicate the problem.

[McMan]

When I purchased my new C22, I remember some crackling and tube noise coming from the speaker out of the box. I only used the McIntosh Tubes for several days until the Gold Lions arrived.

[McMan]

FYI, even though the noise went away or was reduced significantly, I replaced the signal tubes in the MC275 with the New Gold Lions. As a result, the system appears quieter when listening to those piano notes.

I'll report back after a day or two when I can sit down and listen to it without interruption.

[dkorbal]

This crackling is driving me crazy. It has increased in intensity and frequency. I am going to change out tubes tonight with Gold Lion's I purchased awhile ago.

I'm a novice when it comes to tubes so I want to make sure I do this right. In other words, NOT destroy my equipment. Here are some questions that are floating around in my head.

1) Why does the C2700 use different tubes for the INPUT (12AX7A) and OUTPUT (12AT7)?
2) Am I better to just change one of the tubes out?
3) I don't use the MM or MC tubes so can I just switch those around?
4) Can I replace the 12AT7 (output) with another 12AX7? My research tells me the gain output is the major difference between the tubes. Do I need to worry about clipping? I seem to remember buying both Gold Lion 12AX7 and 12AT7 for this purpose. I'm currently at work not at home.
5) I've never opened up the C2700, is it straight forward? I am an engineer and have no problem tinkering with things.

Part of me is excited to hear the difference another part just wants to get rid of the crackling. Man I hope the tubes are the problem.

Any help would greatly be appreciated.

PS. I did remove the MEM220. We will talk later about that.