[Thanatosid]

UPDATE: The external transformer hum is gone and the high z hum has reduced. Still more than my OG, but significantly less than yesterday. I have about 24 hours on it now.

Thank you so much for updating on this. It’s keeping me sane right now . I received an OG on Thursday and the hum has had me very concerned. I also have a bit of a crackling or “record needle” sound coming from the amp. I’ve got clean power coming from a Monster power box, so I’m hopeful this is just a burn-in thing. The amp sounds incredible otherwise. I’ll also keep the thread updated since so many new amps are going out right now.

Tidal/Roon -> Chord Hugo 2 -> ZMF Pendant OG -> Verite Open

 

[nwavesailor]

Could it be tube noise?

 

[AngryTank]

Thank you so much for updating on this. It’s keeping me sane right now . I received an OG on Thursday and the hum has had me very concerned. I also have a bit of a crackling or “record needle” sound coming from the amp. I’ve got clean power coming from a Monster power box, so I’m hopeful this is just a burn-in thing. The amp sounds incredible otherwise. I’ll also keep the thread updated since so many new amps are going out right now.

Tidal/Roon -> Chord Hugo 2 -> ZMF Pendant OG -> Verite Open

How much was the Monster box? Iirc didn’t Zach say somewhere that Monsters was the best and cheapest way to power the Pendant.

 

[4LoveOfSound]

Thank you so much for updating on this. It’s keeping me sane right now . I received an OG on Thursday and the hum has had me very concerned. I also have a bit of a crackling or “record needle” sound coming from the amp. I’ve got clean power coming from a Monster power box, so I’m hopeful this is just a burn-in thing. The amp sounds incredible otherwise. I’ll also keep the thread updated since so many new amps are going out right now.

Tidal/Roon -> Chord Hugo 2 -> ZMF Pendant OG -> Verite Open

Just like the Vérité’s, the Pendant has a break in period. Mine went through a couple different stages. The crackling seems like a tube issue though.

 

[4LoveOfSound]

On a different note, I was able to figure out who made my Hammond EL84 black plates. They are Sylvania. The Hammond grey plate rectifier is also a Sylvania. A little internet digging on the tube codes was all it took. The EL84s came in RCA boxes so I thought they were made by RCA, but it turns out that is not the case.

 

[Thanatosid]

How much was the Monster box? Iirc didn’t Zach say somewhere that Monsters was the best and cheapest way to power the Pendant.

Zach did bring up using Monster in this thread. I've had this box (Amazon Link) for years and was thrilled when I remembered that I had it hidden in a cabinet being under utilized. I immediately moved it up to my system.

The crackle sound could very well be the Vintage Baldwins sent with the Pendant. I'll do some testing there since it seems isolated to one side. I'll swap the tubes and see if the sounds shifts to the other cup.

The hum DOES seem to be getting less apparent. I'll keep burning and update again soon.

 

[AngryTank]

How are you guys burning in your amps? Do you constantly have music playing or do you just leave it on?

 

[Wes S]

How are you guys burning in your amps? Do you constantly have music playing or do you just leave it on?

Don't have my Pendant yet, but I always burn in my tube amps, with music playing.

 

[AngryTank]

Well it’s Tuesday, and it doesn’t look like my Amp will arrive today, it’s still early but I’ve never had a FedEx package not be “Out For delivery” past 9am and after having the Original Arrival day be Yesterday, but then it getting here in state by Saturday, said it would be out for delivery same day but later changed to next “business day”, but it didn’t go out Monday and now not even today. I truly despise FedEx shipping, Doesn’t matter if it’s 2 day shipping, Overnite, or Standard Ground, FedEx knows how to make sure my packages never arrive on time and then change dates.

 

[4LoveOfSound]

Sorry to hear that. I haven’t had any issues with FedEx, but the USPS has been messing with me a lot. One of my last packages arrived in CT, the state I live in. I thought great right on time. Then on delivery day, no package. Instead it went to Massachusetts, then New Hampshire, then Rhode Island, back to Massachusetts and finally to Connecticut again 3 days late.

 

[AngryTank]

Sorry to hear that. I haven’t had any issues with FedEx, but the USPS has been messing with me a lot. One of my last packages arrived in CT, the state I live in. I thought great right on time. Then on delivery day, no package. Instead it went to Massachusetts, then New Hampshire, then Rhode Island, back to Massachusetts and finally to Connecticut again 3 days late.

I think it really depends on where you live, USPS has given me a bit trouble when it comes to International packages, UPS has been pretty good around here, 1 day delivery for ground packages within the North east, but FedEx is consistently making the same mistake, giving a date, then saying it will arrive sooner, and then say it’s arriving later than the original date.

 

[hikaru12]

Thank you so much for updating on this. It’s keeping me sane right now . I received an OG on Thursday and the hum has had me very concerned. I also have a bit of a crackling or “record needle” sound coming from the amp. I’ve got clean power coming from a Monster power box, so I’m hopeful this is just a burn-in thing. The amp sounds incredible otherwise. I’ll also keep the thread updated since so many new amps are going out right now.

Tidal/Roon -> Chord Hugo 2 -> ZMF Pendant OG -> Verite Open

This hum issue has kept me from getting a Pendant whether OG or SE. I want to see if more people experience this kind of issue. My Crack has me fully satisfied so I guess other than more detail/holography I don't see really much of a reason to upgrade but I'm still curious.

 

[AngryTank]

This hum issue has kept me from getting a Pendant whether OG or SE. I want to see if more people experience this kind of issue. My Crack has me fully satisfied so I guess other than more detail/holography I don't see really much of a reason to upgrade but I'm still curious.

I’ve used quite a few Tube amps, they all have it to an extent, surprisingly the cheaper ones like Little Dots, Xduo, and Feliks Echo had less of a hum than my Little Dot mk8 SE, and the Elise that I’ve tried, but With my Mk8 it wasn’t always there so it leads me to think something nearby was causing it. However the difference in sound is noticeable, so I think it’s completely up to what you are willing to sacrifice, some hum for better sound or no hum for not as satisfying sound.

 

[Wes S]

This hum issue has kept me from getting a Pendant whether OG or SE. I want to see if more people experience this kind of issue. My Crack has me fully satisfied so I guess other than more detail/holography I don't see really much of a reason to upgrade but I'm still curious.

These hum issues, sure seem like it could just be tubes. And specifically the power tubes. I should have mine soon, and have a bunch of different tubes that I know are dead silent, so I should be able to verify this on my unit.

 

[AngryTank]

It arrived earlier today and how it feels so good not having to wait anxiously. I’ve been running it all day, and through my 820s I heard no audible hum, thought that maybe I got the gold sample, but once I plugged in my Auteurs low and behold the Hum was there. Been running the amp all day and I’ve been enjoying the stock tubes a lot Hum is no longer present on them. Maybe I need to let them warm up for good while but the rfts and bugle boy have the hum and don’t sound as good to me yet (hopefully).