Schiit Vidar Impression Thread - UPDATED WITH REVIEW (CHECK FIRST POST)

Discussion in 'Power Amps' started by Rotijon, Jul 17, 2017.

  1. Josh358

    Josh358 Facebook Friend

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    Hey, I'm afraid I can't compete with those who haven't actually listened to the Vidar, but I do have a negative to report, mine developed mechanical hum about one week in. I decided to keep it because I assume the problem can be solved -- it goes away if I press down on the cover. Waiting to hear back from tech support . . .
     
  2. Thomas Crown

    Thomas Crown New

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    Are you keeping it constantly on?
     
  3. jexby

    jexby Posole Prince

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    my (on loan) Vidar has been on for 5 days in a row, no hum.
    (Saga gets turned on and off to save tube life)
     
  4. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    Have your electrician check for DC offset on your AC mains. Try Emotiva CVX-2.
     
  5. Thomas Crown

    Thomas Crown New

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    With the use I noticed that my Vidar starts with a mechanical humming noise (more a vibration than a hum) if turned on when already warm, like after a recent use. If started cold it's quiet. Both units I had did show the same behavior.
     
  6. Josh358

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    I've done both -- constantly on when I first got it, more recently on throughout the day but off at night.
     
  7. Josh358

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    Interesting. I turned it on this morning -- don't remember what it was doing then -- but I just turned it off for the night and it was humming when I did so.
     
  8. purr1n

    purr1n Desire for betterer is endless.

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    DC offset on the AC lines can actually change throughout the day. The frequency also changes slightly.
     
  9. Josh358

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    Thanks, good advice.

    Here's the thing -- I have two other amps up here now. I can't hear any hum from the Benchmark AHB2, and transformer hum on the Parasound A-21 is audible only if I put my ear right to the cover. I've had four other amps up here as well, and didn't have transformer hum with all of them. None of those amps were more expensive than the Vidar -- an old Hafler, an Emotiva XPA-2, Crown and Yamaha pro amps.

    If I have to put a $150 or $300 DC blocker on the Vidar, it kind of damages the value proposition. I'm hoping there's something wrong/fixable with my unit, such as the transformer contacting the case rather than the rubber bumpers, a possibility that tech support mentioned.
     
  10. Priidik

    Priidik MOT: Estelon

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    Care to tell more about how Vidar vs A-21 vs AHB2 sound with your speakers?
    As for hum, it's likely a loosened part in the chassis.
    Note that A-21 uses potted toroid power trafo and AHB2 uses SMPS power supply
    with mech vibrations out of hearing range.
     
  11. Josh358

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    I'll be delighted to, but I need some more time to finish the comparison. Initial impression is that Vidar sounds like a reasonable class A/B amp -- a bit coarse and Class Bish, but not unpleasantly grainy -- I'd describe it as a great value for $700, better than the Emotiva XPA-2, and a very dynamic, lively amp. AHB2 is far and away the most refined of the three, but seems to lack dynamic impact and gets transients wrong. A21 has class A smoothness most of the time (since high bias A/B) but is a bit gritty on the highs and less refined than the AHB2, but great on piano.

    But as I say, all very preliminary and I've been having some issues with interaction between the AHB2 and my DAC, so I'll report back in a week or two when I have a better handle on things.
     
  12. StefanAC

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    Sorry if this is a bit off topic but:

    Is it possible or even usual to have transformer hum due to different frequencies of the mains supply? Like 50 Hz in Europe vs. 60 in the US? Are transformers tuned to these frequencies?

    I had two EAD DSP-1000 Series III with two El core transformers and have an EAD DSP-9000 Series III with two potted toroid transformers and all exhibit(ed) some hum when connected to the mains. None of my other components shows an equal behavior.

    Would the Vidar as an US product hum if connected to the European grid?
     
  13. schiit

    schiit SchiitHead

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    Some small amount of mechanical hum is normal from Vidar, the same for any product using a large EI-core transformer. It should not be audible from more than 3-5 feet away (in other words, not audible from the listening position.) As Marv said, it may vary with DC on the AC line, as well.

    Alternately, as Pridik suggested, the “throwers” at the shipping company may have jostled it around a bit. Vidar’s transformer is securely mounted on two large brackets and floated on two sorbothane blocks. Have you tried loosening and re-tightening the transformer mounting screws on the bottom, or the top chassis screws?
     
  14. Magnetostatic_Tubephile

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    I would be interested in answers to these questions as well... in general, not just in relation to Vidar or Schiit. Are some products with transformers possibly optimized in a way that mechanical hum may or may not be an issue depending on what version you get (110V 60Hz vs 220V 50Hz)?
     
  15. Josh358

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    Thanks, I was waiting to hear back from tech support before trying anything myself, but I'll try it. The hum goes away when I press on the top with my hands, and it didn't have hum when I first installed it, so I'm hoping that will do the trick. (I'm not concerned with hum that I can only hear by the amplifier, but it's easily audible at the listening position.)
     
  16. hifiandrun

    hifiandrun Almost "Made"

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    Hi Jason, I will try to tighten the mounting screws up. Thanks.
    The mechanical vibration had not bothered me that much. E-I core trans hum is more common when AC-ground drift. But E-I core trans are better at rejecting radio frequency interference (RFI) than those toroidal trans. Thus I don't bother. But I do hear a little hum from the speaker woofers (B&W Nautilus 803, rated 90db) when using a Gungnir Multibit and a Freya - direct pass. Hard to hear from 2 feet away, but it was there.
     
  17. dirt

    dirt New

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    One of my sub amps had a transformer that resonated. I loosened the bottom two mounting bolts and used some rubber strips cut from an old tire tube to decouple the transformer from the plate it was mounted to. Left the bolts fairly loose and the hum was gone.
     
  18. Telstar

    Telstar Bottom 1% of posters on SBAF

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    It's very hard to find the perfect amp (for your own setup, that is) :)
     
  19. Josh358

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    Heh, you're not kidding. Though at least most of the amps I've tried sounded good, something I can't say for the DACs!
     
  20. Josh358

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    OK, so I tried loosening and tightening the screws, and removing the cover as well. Even with the screws firmly in place, the cover is clearly resonating -- mild pressure with my hand stops it, or even piling some things on top of it. But even with the latter, I can hear the hum at my listening seat 8' from the amp.

    The one email I got from tech support said "Try picking up the Vidar and gently rocking it side to side. Mechanical noise like that is often noise from the transformer vibrating on the bolts rather than resting on the isolation bumpers." I'm wondering if I should try pulling the transformer out entirely? Rocking it side to side didn't seem to do anything.
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2018

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