Replacement transformer for Arcam Alpha 8 CD player?

I'm trying to identify a suitable replacement transformer for my Arcam Alpha 8 CD player, which was purchased back in 1996. Arcam's customer services has told me they can't assist, due to the product having been discontinued so long ago.

Is anyone able to advise on any of the following please?
  1. Is replaceing the transformer a relatively straightforward DIY job?
  2. What currently available transformer would be suitable and where can I buy it?
Thanks in advance! 🙂


Background:
My hi-fi is Arcam Alpha 8 integrated amp + Arcam Alpha 8 CD player + Acoustic Energy AE109 speakers.
The transformer in the CD player hums / buzzes when connected to mains power, even when the power switch on the front of the CD player is turned off (when powered on, the noise gets significantly louder). I would expect a quiet hum that's audible from 1-2 metres away, but this is a loud hum that disrupts quiet / silent parts of music when I'm sat 5 metres away, and was not present when the CD player was new. It is a mechanical noise from the unit, not noise coming through the speakers.
I'm keen to resolve this, as I'm otherwise very content with my hi-fi system and have no intention of upgrading it anytime soon. However, if it's not realistic to resolve this (without paying over the odds for an expensive repair), I would be more comfortable with buying a modern CD player than a 25+ year old Alpha 8/9, due to the risk of that old transformer developing the same problem and/or other issues down the line (e.g. leaky caps). I have no idea what I'd need to pay on the current market to get something of comparable quality that would blend in with the rest of my existing system.
 
Welcome to the forum!

It may not be the transformer that is at fault. It may be being put under strain by a faulty power supply electrolytic capacitor.

Have you opened the player up? A visual inspection of the power supply components is required.

Also, make sure the transformer mountings are tight.
 
Last edited:
It should be interesting to desolder the transformer for to see it below side. Though it seems to be covered by a plastic case, maybe it the cooper wires are visible so, the solution could be to cover it with a some kind of resine or other stuff to minimize magnetostriction vibration.
 
Hum that comes from the transformer itself could be due to the failure of one of the smoothing capacitors or one half of the bridge rectifier.

This puts an uneven load on the transformer that would eventually cause it to fail. I believe the alpha transformers are custom made for the company and replacements are not available.

Hum heard through the loudspeaker, but not yet from the transformer, may also be due to the same failure mechanism.

The solution is to replace the smoothing caps and rectifier before the transformer gives up the ghost. The assistance of a competent technician would be called for if the owner has no electronics experience.

Moving it slightly away from the amplifier ... reduces it.

It reads like your hum is coming through the loudspeakers.

If so, your CD player circuitry may be picking up electromagnetic radiation from the transformer in your amplifier.

In that case, the solution is simply to place the two items further apart.
 
Last edited:
@Neon_Knight_

I am interested to hear if you ever managed to solve this. My Arcam Alpha 8SE has the same issue.

Moving it slightly away from the amplifier (I have an Arcam Alpha 9) reduces it. I've stuck an IKEA chopping board between them as a temporary solution.
It sounds like you have a different problem to me. My CD player hums loudly even when only on standby and no other equipment is turned on (i.e. moving it away from the amp makes no difference).

I managed to idenftify the manufacturer of the original transformer (Amethyst). They were willing to make a bespoke transformer to match, but it was cheaper to buy a second-hand Alpha 8 CD player, so that's what I did.