Will Changing my 100 Watt Tube Amp to a 200 Watt SS Amp Solve My Problem?

Hi Mark,

I have no experience with the Whest phono stage, but based on all that I’ve read about it I too would expect it to be very quiet with a Lyra Delos, which is rated at 0.6 mv output under the standard test conditions. And since the phono stage is solid state, noisy tubes are not an issue with it.

Also, the circuitry in the front end of your ARC LS25 preamp, up to and including both the gain select circuitry and the volume control circuitry, is all solid state (as can be seen in the schematic at arcdb.ws). So noisy tubes are not an issue there as well.

And you’ve already done significant re-shuffling of how your components and cables are physically positioned, to minimize any noise coupling that may be occurring as a result of how everything is positioned.

So regarding the noise issue I’m pretty much out of ideas at this point. Other than to suggest that if you already haven’t you try unplugging all of the digital stuff from AC power, to verify that digital noise is not radiating or otherwise coupling into the analog front end.

Regards,
-- Al

Al,

Indeed I evaluated the system with digital components off completely.  Just curious as this may not be the way I will go, but how would you expect a high end integrated unit to work in this regard?  Something like a $13k Jadis tube integrated with phono stage or a similarly priced Deviate with phono stage?  Would the lack of cabling and assumed synergy between the internal components in such a unit provide a quieter, higher performing system? 

I don't know the answer to that question, Mark.  In part because I have no experience with integrateds in recent times, and never in that kind of price range.  And in part because we haven't been able to arrive at an understanding of what is presently causing the noise issue.

Best regards,
-- Al
 

Mark, Maybe a dumb question, but exactly where are you when you can first hear the noise? When you are in your listening chair? 6' from your speakers? 6" from your speakers? I know some folks, of the anal sort, like me perhaps, who put their ear right up to the tweeter and judge by this. Does this noise really intrude on the allusion of a black background when music is playing? Is the background noise a hiss or a hum?

Sorry, another question.Have you disconnected all of your sources from your pre-amp, in fact unplugging them is best, and then rotate your volume control to its 3 o'clockposition and see if you still have the noise? Rotate to max, any noise then? If the answer happens to be 'no noise' then add your sources back, one at a time until you find the one which starts the noise as previously described.

 If the answer is there was no change from your fully connected system then you have either found the noise floor of you pre-amp or that you have something in the circuitry in the pre-amp prior to the amplification stage which is causing it. You might then contact ARC and ask their service department techie.