HELP! Burson HA-160DS hum/noise problem

[fabio-fi]

Quote:

Guys,
 
It's possible it's what you're plugging the mp into. My X-CANV8P it's really noisy with a constant static hiss id I plug it right in to the wall, but from my Monster surge protector/conditioner the noise is gone. It could always be the power itself and not the amp. 

 
You got a point there. 
I want to add a couple of articles i have used before, i have dealt with humming on my power amp. Used a cheater plug and it was gone 

 
http://www.technicaladvice.co.uk/sound_system_advice/how_to_get_rid_of_hum
http://www.clarkeaudio.com/article_humloops.htm

 

[reeltime]

Quote:

No hiss/hum/noise here. I do hear slight static when I turn the volume knob. Not sure if this is normal or not.
 
Otherwise, fairly quiet when nothing is playing through it.

Normal.  Everyone I know has that.

 

[johnwmclean]

Quote:

Normal.  Everyone I know has that.

 
Incorrect. Everybody has the same problem.

 

[underhysteria]

I happened to stumble upon this thread just when i was considering to pair the 160DS with the LCDs. Now you guys are giving me second doubts 

 

[telecaster]

They should take it under their waranty or it's not good...

 

[twizzleraddict]

Quote:

Normal.  Everyone I know has that.

 
Thanks for confirming! 
 
Is this just because of the ALPS POT they used or something else?

 

[reeltime]

Incorrect. Everybody has the same problem.

That's what I said...

 

[reeltime]

Thanks for confirming! 

Is this just because of the ALPS POT they used or something else?

It's the pot. On the detent it's solid and quiet. Just a little noisy when turning. It's a nice piece of gear, and I like its flexibility. I have HD 800s -- which sound much better when married to a Woo WA6, so I think I'll be pursuing a higher end Woo amp in the future.

 

[bcollier]

If it helps at all, I have zero noise issue through the 160DS and my LCD-2s. I purchased the Burson about a month ago new through Amazon, and have been enjoying it immensely with both my flac collection and spotify premium. Even though I don't have a speaker setup outside of my home theater stuff, part of me is already wishing I got the 160D for those pre-amp outputs

 

[blakjava2011]

I use my Burson HA-160DS with Audeze LCD-2 and Grado RS1 and it is dead silent with the volume control turned all the way up using the USB output from my Macbook Pro as the input. I do not leave the Burson on 24/7 as Burson says this is unnecessary. I usually let it warm up for 30 minutes before use. I would check the AC input as you might have a ground loop somewhere. Try a different outlet in another area.

 

[blakjava2011]

My Audeze LCD-2 headphones sound marvelous with the Burson HA-160DS using the USB output from my Macbook Pro. No noise at all, just great sound.

 

[Duncan]

I notice everyone here is referring to the DS... I have the D, and I cannot hear anything - then again, as one of the posters said up above, it could be a grounding isssue - one of the advantages we have here in the UK is that we have the ground pin...
 
Either way, great little amp compared to what I've been used to :}

 

[appletree]

My ha-160 (not D, not DS, just amp without dac) has arived today. Immediately after plugging in HD 595 into the left socket I have noticed static buzzing of quite high intensity. It was less noticable with Q701 and least noticable with HD 650 but still there. (interestingly the right socket appeared to be silent) I have fixed it by connecting my dac to pc with optical / toslink cable instead of usb (luckily my onboard had  an optical out)
 
After that the the amp is basically dead silent with Q701 (no matter of the volume), while slight hiss becomes audible with HD 595 when I turn volume at about half intensity (this however makes the 595s so loud I would never use settings this high) So for any practical conditions the hiss is gone. But still left me puzzled: shouldn't this problem be fixed already by Burson ?

 

[dukeskd]

I am surprised that it isn't or maybe you have old stock, appletree?

 

[appletree]

Well, my understanding was that Burson has addressed these problems already, but I am not exactly sure if it means they've made new revisions of HA 160 and HA-160D or they have addressed it only in the new HA-160DS, or what exactly (if anything) have they done.
 
Can someone explain to me please if the HA 160 (without DAC) is supposed to be fixed by now and if so since when that should be ? I bought the amp brand new but I have no idea how long it could have been in the stock.
 
But today I tried it with my old EMU-0404 USB (connected in the same way as guy in this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J472yagokz0 ) and it led to the exact same static hiss problem. Since I was unable to make the optical-in work on EMU (probably it's broken) I can't use it as a DAC. Basically I am afraid the HA-160 unit is unusable with any DAC connected via USB. Tomorrow I'll try with different power outlets and different PC and also notebook to see if it will make any difference.  Definitely not happy about it.