noisy Gain knob

[dosilegecko]

So I was playing on my Diamond Nitrox and I noticed that on channel 2A the gain knob was a little noisy. What causes noisy pots? I don't think an amplifier of this caliber should be having this kind of issue to be honest. It sounds great all the time, but when I turn the knob it crackles a little.

Also, when I turn the volume and gain way up, is it normal for there to be a little bit of noise coming out of the cab? I feel like this is rather unavoidable with such high gains.

Thanks

[Ty_Bower]

[stratus46]

Originally Posted by dosilegecko

So I was playing on my Diamond Nitrox and I noticed that on channel 2A the gain knob was a little noisy. What causes noisy pots? I don't think an amplifier of this caliber should be having this kind of issue to be honest. It sounds great all the time, but when I turn the knob it crackles a little.

Also, when I turn the volume and gain way up, is it normal for there to be a little bit of noise coming out of the cab? I feel like this is rather unavoidable with such high gains.

Thanks

What aggravates the heck out of a noisy pot is DC on the control mostly caused by leaky capacitors - usually electrolytics. In some solid state amps I have seen the DC return path through the pot itself. This is EXTREMELY poor practice and almost guarantees noise as the pot is turned. If your amp requires input current, capacitively couple the pot to the amp an provide a dedicated DC return path for the amp.

G²

[Pano]

Ditto both of the above. Deoxit is great stuff. And DC going thru the pot will certainly sound scratchy. Clean and check.

[dosilegecko]

I just got this thing a month ago, I should not have to deal with this kind of stuff to be honest. I don't think its the DC thing and for the life of me I cannot reproduce the effect anymore (its getting late at night here also). It happened when I wiggled the knob as well.

Maybe I'll give Diamond a call and see what they say, I don't feel like putting any money into this thing until the tubes go! Its brand new!

Thanks for the diagnoses, I'll see what Diamond says.

[rknize]

If it's new then it may just be a defective pot.

[dosilegecko]

Yeah I'm waiting to hear back from them about it. I hope I don't have to **** it back to Texas from New Hampshire, it weighs 45 pounds and cost me about two paychecks.

[Enzo]

Or what if there is a little fleck of dust got in there from the packaging? 99% of the time a little squirt of cleaner will cure the noise. I certainly agree that any DC on a pot will result in noises as it is turned, but I would doubt that is the issue on this new amp.

yeah, we all would like a new thing out of the box to make music the instant we connect it, but even the Rolls Royce dealer will wipe down the upholstery before presenting you the car. If you are going to have audio equipment around you, you really ought to have a can of Deoxit nearby. SOmething will be need it now and then.


And you report that it has stopped doing it now? DO I understand? Well many times just turning a control a few times will clear the wiper path of any dirt or debris that has found its way into the pot. Here in pro audio land, that is the first line of defense. Hey, this control is noisy. Well turn it back and forth a few times to push the dirt out of the way.

[dosilegecko]

Yeah I will give it a little spray of deoxit. Do I need to hit it from the back of the pot or can I spray the front, and is deoxit conductive? Should I spray it then let it dry for a while before I turn it on?

Does Home Depot carry deoxit?

[llwhtt]

Radio Shack do.

Craig