Does everyone have a hiss when no music is playing?

[Fido]

On 4/29/2023 at 3:00 PM, Don A said:

My Yamaha receiver is quiet, but the more systems I hear, the more I realize a hiss is pretty common. What’s your amp/speaker pairing and how loud are your speakers when nothing is playing?

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Edited May 4, 2023 by Fido
boring post

[LTusler]

I have  a bit, but you have to stick your hear right inside the 402 to hear it.  Yes, you can put your head into a 402.

[babadono]

And that is active digital crossover? An XP4080? Ever listen to it with the ISO off? Mine makes a slight hiss noise..This is gaussian noise the leftover vibrations of the atoms from the Big Bang. It cannot be eliminated entirely. If there is absolutely no noise of this type from your speakers they are not sensitive enough IME.

[LTusler]

Yes a 4080 and QSC amps.  Haven't tried to determine the exact source its so small.

[Islander]

On 4/30/2023 at 6:33 PM, Quad Khorns said:

I hope any future pictures also include the Hi-Fi Fairy

 

We hi-fi enthusiasts are blessed.  How, you ask?  That would be because there's more than one HI-Fi Fairy.  That lovely one (they're all lovely!) is now based in Berlin, but my system is so happy that other Hi-Fi Fairies come to visit it from time to time.  If I ever get bored of that avatar picture, maybe another Hi-Fi Fairy will take her place.

[Quad Khorns]

34 minutes ago, Islander said:

 

We hi-fi enthusiasts are blessed.  How, you ask?  That would be because there's more than one HI-Fi Fairy.  That lovely one (they're all lovely!) is now based in Berlin, but my system is so happy that other Hi-Fi Fairies come to visit it from time to time.  If I ever get bored of that avatar picture, maybe another Hi-Fi Fairy will take her place.

Well all I can say is, bravo

[parlophone1]

I can not hear any hiss in Onkyo-Klipsch RF 42II combo.

When Infinity or Opera speakers are connected, then a hiss from HF drivers can be heard, especially from ribbon tweeter in Infinity. And no matter what amplifier is connected. In listening position this usually does not bother me/can not hear the hiss.

[babadono]

18 hours ago, LTusler said:

Yes a 4080 and QSC amps.  Haven't tried to determine the exact source its so small.

I told you the source...the big bang

[babadono]

BTW...if your speakers can't reproduce 10-20kHz and your hearing is shot...you will not hear hiss.

[Bubo]

If hiss is constant and steady

then it may be DC

could be induced harmonic frequency

at say 2x 60hz from power cable crossing speaker cable ?

Could be DC leakage from a capacitor

if cap coupled, maybe replace the caps with lower leakage caps

nichicon fg ?

[Bananas and Blow]

Sadly I do have a 60hz ground loop hum I cannot seem to get rid of with either tube amp I own. But I can't hear it from the listening position or when the music is playing so I just live with it. The same amps with less efficient speakers the buzz is nearly inaudible but the efficient Fortes reveal the buzz. Sometimes it bothers me. But the music sounds so damn good I just let it go and enjoy. 

[ODS123]

Thankfully, my McIntosh MA6600 produces absolutely no hum or hiss.  

 

The only hum/hiss I can provoke with my system is with my turntable.  Because of their cartridge, all TT's  will produce hum/hiss if you turn it up loud enough.  To hear this his I have to turn the amp up to 70% and put my ears right up against the speaker.  If I listened to music at this volume I would probably damage my hearing as be visited by the cops.  As turntables go, it is incredibly quiet.  

[hugot]

I'm dead silent.MC240 and Conrad Johnson PV2 pre.

[Dale Stevens]

K Horns driven by a Latino VTA ST120 ; Dynaco PAT 5 with Akitika boards.  Total silent, even @ phono.  Dale 

[carewser]

No but if I did it would drive me nuts

[LTusler]

So I did some some testing.

Turned the Pre/DAC up to max, had the hiss.

Muted the 4080 inputs, still present.

Muted the 4080 outputs, still present.

Turned off the QSC PLX 1104 amp that drive the AXI 2050's, hiss went away.

So its in the amp, no big deal, even at full volume still have to stick my head into the horn to hear it.

YMMV

[RickD]

I have Klipschorns and a McIntosh 352, no audible hiss. Even up close to the speaker. Then again I am in my mid 60s.

[the real Duke Spinner]

On 5/5/2023 at 2:20 PM, Bubo said:

If hiss is constant and steady

then it may be DC

could be induced harmonic frequency

at say 2x 60hz from power cable crossing speaker cable ?

Could be DC leakage from a capacitor

if cap coupled, maybe replace the caps with lower leakage caps

nichicon fg ?

Power Cable

No freaking way. 🙄

[Bubo]

1 hour ago, the real Duke Spinner said:

Power Cable

No freaking way. 🙄

highly unlikely, but eliminate as cause

[babadono]

Comparing a KHorn to a Jube is apples/oranges comparison. I could not hear hiss with the K77 in my KHorns either. But there is a little with the 402 with TADs and all the assoc. electronics. It is the residual motion of the atoms from the left over energy from the big bang. It has a name:Gaussian noise. As I said before if there isn't any in your system(electronics/speakers/hearing) then the system is not efficient at producing high frequency energy.

@LTusler very glad to hear that when your amp is turned off there is no noise. What a relief. It is not your imagination.