Aesthetix Calypso and Berning ZH270 combo noise.

If I adjust the volume to "16", the preamp is much quieter than "17". There are more similar steps up. I have not heard this before when I used it balanced.

"17" could be a higher gain step than the other preceding ones.

If you turn the volume control on the ZH-270 up to full, you may encounter the noise at a lower level setting, and if you reduce the volume control on the ZH-270 you may encounter the noise at a higher level on the pre-amp, but it's there in the pre.

The ZH-270 because of it's unique design is able to have very high sensitivity and low noise, I know of no other power amp with this capability, the volume control is there so that you can adjust the input sensitivity to allow the use of varying pre-amps.

Are you using a power conditioner?

I have a Hydra 8, but the use of it doesn’t affect the noise at all.
The strange thing is that the noise is rising and dropping a lot when only a slightly change in volume setting is done. (+/- 1db). Example: The noise is high when the volume setting showing “40”, but it is low when showing “41”. This is happening between more steps. I have tried to change the tubes to different brands, but the noise problem is still there. I have just bought me a new Joule Electra LA 150 MKII. Hope this will solve the problem.

Ah, you may want to try the Berning without the Hydra, plugged directly into the Wall, the ZH-270 does have a conditioner built in, the Hydra maybe just too much, this will not help with the noise from the pre but for dynamics from the amp.

Is the Calypso is remote control, if so, is it a digital processor switching discrete resistors into the signal path?? Then if yes, then it's a issue of that function, we pioneered this designed 24 years ago in the TF-12.

I just took a quick look at the website, I don't think the unit is a switching power supply, plus it has two power supplies, something you would not want to do in a single unit if it were switching power supplies.

Nr9: You have EXACTLY the same issue as my friend with the Calypso and Plinius 102 amp. When he adjusted the volume on the Calypso, everytime the volume display value was a multiple of 8, the noise was much higher. There must be some kind of stairstepping/multiplying going on here with a bank of 8 resistors being switched with the 8th one causing some side-effect (impedance issue?). He said that after he rearranged his cabling, the problem was gone. He has felt that the Plinius may be the problem of his system being so susceptible to cable routing and such noise issues. But if you have this with the Berning, the commonality here is the Calypso. He does not used balanced cabling in his system. But he does use a Hydra 8.

So verify this for yourself: Notice the increased noise level at the various multiples of 8 and then notice how quiet it becomes as you decrease or increase the volume by one setting from these positions. This sounds like a design problem with the Calypso and a call to Aesthetix may be of value to you.

John