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Naim Superline - wind noise

dsg

dsg

Formerly bearded
Can anyone help with this? The left channel of my Superline has started making a sound like gently blowing on a microphone. It started several months ago so I took it to a Naim dealer. They plugged it into their system and it worked perfectly during an extended test so I took it home again. It started making the noise again when I got it home but then suddenly stopped while I was fiddling with the tonearm earthing cable and dropped the cable on the top of the Superline. It caused no more problems for several months and I thought it had been some sort of weird static build-up or earthing problem. Now it's come back.

Moving the Superline around and switching off other electrical equipment in the room doesn't make any difference.

Plugging the tonearm earthing cable into the pre-amp or the Superline makes no difference.

It's definitely the Superline because it doesn't happen on any other input of my pre-amp and continues to make the same noise when I unplug the arm cable from the Superline (i.e. when there is no input).

The Superline is powered from the Aux socket of a NAC52.

Annoyingly I forgot to fill in the extended warranty form when I bought the Superline so I'm in for a full Naim service charge (£400 plus) if I send it to Salisbury to be checked over.

Any suggestions how to fix this problem would be gratefully received.

Damian
 
Try a loading plug with a small film cap in it. 2n should do. If that doesn't fix it then file with earthing some more. Other than that it's a solder job.
 
Presumably you've switched the phono leads round to rule out problems before the Superline but you have said that it's def. a S'line fault. Sounds either like earthing on that channel or an intermittent dry joint (unlikely with Naim, I'd've thought)
 
Thanks for all your suggestions. I tried various loading caps: 1n, 4n7, 10n with no effect. I'm not sure what other changes I can make to the earthing - I've tried arm cable to Superline and arm cable to preamp with no effect.

I know I was convinced the Superline was faulty but could this be a problem with the Supercap or something strange going on in the 52 given the Naim dealer couldn't hear the wind noise? The Supercap was serviced by Naim a few years ago so I doubt there is a problem there. The 52 has never been serviced. Could a PSU or preamp problem on input 2 account for the noise?

BTW, it's a still day today (no wind) and I don't have tinnitus...

Damian
 
Does your arm lead terminate in BNC plugs? If so then the version Naim recommend does not use a soldered return but relies on compression of the fitting. If the return is loose it can make a rustling sound.
 
Bnc plugs that naim is comletelly idiotic.I had problem like this and my friend who is high end manufacturer can not believe how unreliable solution is this, on such important place.
 
Bnc plugs are better toleranced and have fixed electrical parameters as part of the design spec. Everything about them is superior to rca.
 
I got that sort of sound out of a naim phono stage once just by having two metal bodied connectors on the input side which were able to come into contact and rub against each other.

On that basis check the cartridge returns aren't shorting somewhere.

Another possibility is a failing reg in the supercap or it could even be some sort of electrical interference.

If the superline doesn't have the problem in other settings then it probably isn't the thing at fault.
 
How did it work out for You Damian?
All of a sudden my SL started go generate wind noise in my right hand speaker.
I have tried changing SuperCap, disconnecting LP12, changing cables etc without success.
No visible problems inside.

Any further suggestions?

//Mikael
 
MNn said:
How did it work out for You Damian?
All of a sudden my SL started go generate wind noise in my right hand speaker.
I have tried changing SuperCap, disconnecting LP12, changing cables etc without success.
No visible problems inside.

Any further suggestions?

//Mikael
Click to expand...
Damian hasn't been on PFM since 2018. You can click members' names to see that info. Don't hold your breath for an answer!
 
Sometimes it's radio frequency interference. Have you installed a new WiFi router or switching power supplies anywhere?
 
A bit of a long shot but is the stylus clean ? A bit of gently moving fluff could be the problem.
 
The Superline is very susceptible to electrical interference (as I found out; my Dais's motor was the instigator in this instance; took a couple of years to realise the S/l's ultra sensitivity to this and RFI).

The bit that is always difficult to divine is why it's happened if nothing else has changed. Move the S/l as far from the deck as poss., but if you've done the usual processes of elimination and earthing options, I'm also baffled. You haven't said if the channel stays static when you transpose phono lead RCAs but I guess it does, so it's not the arm. Do cap. plugs make any difference? They shouldn't, unless it's RFI. Also, is the noise amplified or constant wherever the vol. control is?

Jez's suggestion is a possibility (welcome back Jez!) but component failure is not common in Naim generally or Superlines specifically. If all else fails, there are cheaper yet equally good options for repair than Naim; either Naim 'agent' Class A (?) or Whichhat (Mark Tucker, ex Naim).
 
Mike Reed said:
The Superline is very susceptible to electrical interference (as I found out; my Dais's motor was the instigator in this instance; took a couple of years to realise the S/l's ultra sensitivity to this and RFI).

The bit that is always difficult to divine is why it's happened if nothing else has changed. Move the S/l as far from the deck as poss., but if you've done the usual processes of elimination and earthing options, I'm also baffled. You haven't said if the channel stays static when you transpose phono lead RCAs but I guess it does, so it's not the arm. Do cap. plugs make any difference? They shouldn't, unless it's RFI. Also, is the noise amplified or constant wherever the vol. control is?

Jez's suggestion is a possibility (welcome back Jez!) but component failure is not common in Naim generally or Superlines specifically. If all else fails, there are cheaper yet equally good options for repair than Naim; either Naim 'agent' Class A (?) or Whichhat (Mark Tucker, ex Naim).
Click to expand...

My suggestion is based on decades of experience of both repairing and designing hi fi equipment. Many (not all) of the other suggestions are not even a possibility.
Component failures are as likely in Naim as in any other brand.
 
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