[jpelg]

Quote:

The first MPX3 that I bought had a hum, but it was in both channels. I got a replacement

Interesting that was never mentioned in any of the SinglePower threads thus far. I think that is the kind of info we (should) share around here. Even if there was a positive outcome, potential buyers should be made aware, I think.

 

[Hirsch]

Quote:

Originally posted by jpelg Interesting that was never mentioned in any of the SinglePower threads thus far. I think that is the kind of info we (should) share around here. Even if there was a positive outcome, potential buyers should be made aware, I think.

My unit doesn't hum. Very interesting that I didn't mention a hum issue. Something sinister is afoot

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

Something sinister is afoot

Since you used the 'rolleyes' emoticon, I'll take that as negative sarcasm. Of course I would not expect you to mention a non-existent issue. Even if you had such an issue Hirsch, your situation is/was quite different. Being the pioneer into Singlepower territory, we all knew your prototype was a work in progress. I dont expect you to document every little squeak or change.

On the other hand, those who have purchased new units, have had overwhelmingly positive comments, with little or no negatives. C'mon! A returned unit is not worth mentioning?!!

Nothing 'sinister'. Just a typical symptom of 'new toy syndrome' I guess. A cynic would read those perfectly glowing (no pun intended

) reviews as too good to be completely true. But most here want to believe in the holy grail. Now we are starting to get a reality check. A good lesson for everyone.

This is not a totally bad thing. If I had purchased one and it hummed, I'd be thinking I was the only one, and think that it was just my bad luck. It is great to hear how Mikhail stands behind his products so well, and maintains such great communication with his customers. These are things potential buyers should hear about as well. But if we are going to discuss quality control issues with other brands, these deserve the same scrutiny. They all cost $$, right?

BTW, has anyone tried any other tubes in these things, or is everyone just taking one person's word* and jumping on the NOS bandwagon?

* No disrespect to the esteemed Head-Fier who 'discovered' this nice combination at the NYC Grado meet. Not only is he very knowledgable with regard to hi-fi, he is a super-nice dude too. I'd take his advice without question too. Just curious if there were any other brave pioneers out there.

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by jpelg Interesting that was never mentioned in any of the SinglePower threads thus far. I think that is the kind of info we (should) share around here. Even if there was a positive outcome, potential buyers should be made aware, I think.

I would only agree if it were a widespread problem. If this was the only defect, though (or at least one of the few) than I wouldn't want to scare anyone away. I haven't heard of anyone else complaining, though.

And one more (very important) point--Mikhail resolved the issue (he sent me a new unit) within days. This speaks volumes of his committment to both his product and to what he feels customer service should be. I applaud him on both points, and it further confirms why I feel the MPX3 is a great amp and SinglePower is a manufacturer who stands behind their products.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

I would only agree if it were a widespread problem.

How would you know, unless you talked to every MPX3 customer in the country? Quote:

If this was the only defect, though (or at least one of the few) than I wouldn't want to scare anyone away.

This is exactly my point! Why not have full disclosure? Maybe yours was an isolated incident. Maybe not. You don't have a business responsibilty to Singlepower. Maybe meeting the designer/builder in person introduces too many personal factors.

I totally agree with your points about Mikhail's customer service, as I said in my previous post. It is another one of the things customers (and non-) should be aware of.

 

[arnett]

the hum isn't really as issue by itself. a little hum that can only be heard when there's no music playing does not make the amp a bad amp. i'm only concerned that a part used was defective and may fail over time -- possibly after the six month warranty period.

jpelg,

you are welcome to like or hate any product you choose. but you seem to have a particular beef with the MPX3. that's how it's coming across, anyway.

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by jpelg How would you know, unless you talked to every MPX3 customer in the country? This is exactly my point! Why not have full disclosure? Maybe yours was an isolated incident. Maybe not. You don't have a business responsibilty to Singlepower. Maybe meeting the designer/builder in person introduces too many personal factors. I totally agree with your points about Mikhail's customer service, as I said in my previous post. It is another one of the things customers (and non-) should be aware of.

If you're so concerned with the MPX3 and possible issues, shouldn't you contact SinglePower? Maybe it can put your irrational fears about the amp to rest.

I can only determine if others have had problems by what I've read here. So far, other than the one comment above, it does not appear that others have had problems.

If you're trying to imply that by meeting Mikhail I'm not objective, than you're both wrong and off-base. I really like the amp, and I'm a satisfied customer. If a criteria for buying anything was that I had to like the manufacturer, than I would own very little. . . .

 

[arnett]

FCJ,

how bad was the hum on this other MPX3 you had?

please note that when i say that i'm hearing hum i'm being REALLY nit-picky. the hum is not in itself bad enough to even worry about. it took me a while to even notice it -- so it's barely even audible. it's just that i don't seem to hear it at all in the right channel and that's the thing that has me worried.

edit: there was some hum in my moretto HAP-03 tube amp but it came out of both channels equally.

i really hate the thought of returning this to Mikhail. it just sounds too good to be without it.

 

[jpelg]

Quote:

but you seem to have a particular beef with the MPX3. that's how it's coming across, anyway

Not in the least. I heard the amp myself, and was not overwhelmed to the extent that some were. So what? There are lots iof perfectly good products that I have not interest in purchasing. I just hate when a bandwagon gets started, and no one is willing to be a bit more objective, that's all. Mikhail seems like a really, really nice guy, with a genuine interest in making the best product he can. From a business standpoint, I would trust him without question, and I wish him all the success in the world. And nothing I have said is contrary to that. Quote:

I can only determine if others have had problems by what I've read here. So far, other than the one comment above, it does not appear that others have had problems.

And yours makes two - at least. Nuff said.

I have no "real concerns", irrational or otherwise, that should warrant me contacting Singlepower. In fact, I may have Mikhail build a custom amp for me and my K1000's sometime in the near future (if he doesn't come out with one himself before then). So there

.

Anyway, I'm done. Peace, bro.

-j

 

[FCJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by jpelg Not in the least. I heard the amp myself, and was not overwhelmed to the extent that some were. So what? There are lots iof perfectly good products that I have not interest in purchasing. I just hate when a bandwagon gets started, and no one is willing to be a bit more objective, that's all. Mikhail seems like a really, really nice guy, with a genuine interest in making the best product he can. From a business standpoint, I would trust him without question, and I wish him all the success in the world. And nothing I have said is contrary to that.And yours makes two - at least. Nuff said. I have no "real concerns", irrational or otherwise, that should warrant me contacting Singlepower. In fact, I may have Mikhail build a custom amp for me and my K1000's sometime in the near future (if he doesn't come out with one himself before then). So there . Anyway, I'm done. Peace, bro. -j

If peace means getting the last word in, then it's my turn.

I didn't know that two instances of hum problems signified anything. I don't know what the number of people with MPX3 amps is, so I don't know if two is statistically significant or not. Maybe you can shed some light. . . .

Are you implying that because we all like the amp that we're not objective?

Get that K1000 amp when it's available. I bet it won't have hum.

The hum that was in my first unit was only noticeable when music wasn't playing and the volume was turned all the way up. More an annoyance than anything else. It did not impact performance at all.

 

[Hirsch]

jpelg,

I was indeed being sarcastic. There are a large number of factors that can influence hum in any amplifier. Got a ground loop anywhere? Got flourescent lights close by? Got other transformers in the same AC line? Any of these can produce hum, and the manufacturer can do nothing but sit there helplessly as people attribute it to his product. My EAR HP4 had a horrendous hum problem when I moved it from my bedroom to my den. Am I remiss in failing to post this immediately? I hope not, since building a JR power conditioner from diycable.com cured the hum completely. Is Tim de Paravicini responsible for cruddy power in my den?

Tube amps can hum. They shouldn't, but they do. We've had hum issues from MG Head and X-Can to Nik's Manley 300B. Once you've eliminated setup error, and these can sometimes be subtle, then the amp may need adjustment/replacement. The variety of differening voltages running around in a tube amp can create hum. Sometimes the only way to eliminate it is to reposition wires empirically, and even then hum might appear in a different room or setup. About the only thing a manufacturer can do is listen carefully, and not release an amplifier with audible hum. There's still no guarantee it won't hum at the other end.

If Arnett contacts Mikhail, I'm sure that the problem will be resolved quickly. I've talked to Mikhail often, and he's extremely committed to insuring that people like the amps that they've bought from him. If you've been waiting for a negative on the Singlepower amps, this is a pretty weak one, hence my sarcasm. The "interesting that nobody has mentioned this before" comment when only one person had posted experiencing it before (and had received top notch customer service) sounded like you've been waiting for a reason to jump on the product. You chose a poor reason.

Me? I want to hear Nik's Manley, even if it did hum

 

[jpelg]

Hirsch,

Please read all of my posts before making incorrect statements about my intentions. My 'beef', if i can be stated as such, is not with SinglePower at all. Or over the fact that it 'hummed'. It is with the fact that an amp was returned for some reason, and I think that it is worth mentioning, especially since it is from a new upstart company. That's all.

I was not waiting for a 'negative' per se. As I have already mentioned to FCJ via private PM, had he simply mentioned this fact, and that it is fairly common with quasi-custom products like these (especially with tubes), and how quickly & easily it was resolved, there would have been no issue at all. Maybe arnett would not have purchased his MPX3 if FCJ had posted his experiences. Or maybe he would have anyway. Either way, at least he would have had that much better knowledge of the product and the companies policies & practices - which are all good. Quote:

Me? I want to hear Nik's Manley, even if it did hum

At that price, it better give them

.

 

[FCJ]

O.k., in the interests of full problem disclosure, I have had these problems in the past with the following equipment:

1. The left channel on my K-1000s went bad (it buzzed), which required that I return it to AKG for repair. They repaired it for free because it was under warranty, and turned it around in less than a week.

2. The left connector on my Corda HA-1 went dead. I returned it to Jan, who fixed it (it was still under warranty) and returned it to me quickly.

3. I had to replace my Senn 600 cables twice. Both times, Sennheiser turned them around within two weeks.

Whew, now I feel better. . . .

Does this mean that anyone interested in the above equipment should run the other way because I had problems? Not in my book. All three manufacturers addressed the problems quickly and completely. Which, to me, means that they went the extra mile and helped build customer loyalty both to them and their products.

Quote:

Tube amps can hum. They shouldn't, but they do. We've had hum issues from MG Head and X-Can to Nik's Manley 300B. Once you've eliminated setup error, and these can sometimes be subtle, then the amp may need adjustment/replacement. The variety of differening voltages running around in a tube amp can create hum. Sometimes the only way to eliminate it is to reposition wires empirically, and even then hum might appear in a different room or setup. About the only thing a manufacturer can do is listen carefully, and not release an amplifier with audible hum. There's still no guarantee it won't hum at the other end.

Hirsch has a point here. The "hum" in my MPX3 could have been caused by enviornmental factors. When I wrote Mikhail about it, he could have blamed the hum on these factors, and told me to exhaust all possibilities before we conclude that the amp was at fault. Nope, not what happened--he told me to return it right away and he would send me a replacement. In the interests of full disclosure I should have reported this fact, not the hum.

If all manufacturers treated their customers this way, things would be much easier all the way around. . . .

 

[elrod-tom]

Quote:

Originally posted by jpelg It is with the fact that an amp was returned for some reason, and I think that it is worth mentioning, especially since it is from a new upstart company. That's all.

Uh...I'm thinking that you mean STARTUP???

 

[dd3mon]

Interesting (and very possibly useful) sidenote:

My MG Head has a hum that is caused by some unknown element in my power environment. Any power conditioning I've tried has only slightly alleviated this hum. The hum is very slight, in the left channel only (although it changes a bit as I change the volume level), and intermittent (goes on and off seemingly randomly, most likely cycling with some electronic device in the house).

The interesting note here, is I have found a solution. By reversing the polarity of the power (using a 2-prong only extention cord plugged in upside-down) - the hum disapeers for good. It's more a buzz than a hum really - but it's a sound that shouldn't be there anyways. This is probably some weird MG Head issue, as the new MG Heads have a polarity switch build into the outboard power supplies (very cool btw).

-dd3mon