SCHIIT VIDAR

[Raymond]

Hello everyone.
I'm new here.

I'm in need of guidance. please.

I have scanned the forums and noticed there has not been much talk about SCHIIT VIDAR.

Last week I have purchased the SCHIIT VIDAR (display unit) from addicted to audio in Sydney. I did have a listening session in the store. everything sounded good.

After the first listening session at home, with the Vidar still powered with no music playing, my partner and I noticed a humming sound coming from the unit itself, not the speakers. I removed speaker cables and RCA inputs, so I was only powering the unit. And it still sounded like a small fridge from the couch.

I just measured the sound coming from the Vidar with my google pixel just so you guys can have an idea of loudness. I measured about 10cm away from the Vidar the DB jumps up from 26db to around 38-40db with the Vidar on.

I spoke with SCHIIT audio last week. And they said that:

"it is normal for the VIDAR to hum because of the large Transformer. The larger the transformer the louder they get".

problem is none of my class a/b amplifiers make any hum at all.

The booklet says to keep it on at all times. I have turned it on/off a few times since last week.
But every now then I walk past the lounge room and I hear it. humming away. It's annoying.

I believe I have 3 options.
- keep it. put up with the hum.
- get it replaced and hope that I had a faulty unit.
- or return it. and try to get a refund.

What would you guys do?

 

[ChrisPa]

Toroidal transformers run close to their magnetic saturation and so can hum if there's a DC offset on the mains. If it doesn't hum in the shop and does hum in your home then this is a most likely cause. A mains DC filter can stop this. There's a thread somewhere on here about mains filtering.

However, if you don't want to go to that expense/experimentation/effort/delay (it may not be fixed by a DC mains filtering) then conclude that It's too noisy for your and your partner's life/home environment, and take it back.

If it doesn't hum in the shop, then there's a likelihood that other amps will also have a humming transformer when in your home.

I'd do whatever gave me the least overall hassle - so work out your balance of time returning, finding an alternative, experimenting with mains DC filters etc.

 

[Tom C]

I can tell you what I actually did. I have had the same experience with my Schiit Vidar, which I purchased about a year ago. I got mine straight from the manufacturer, so I didn't have a chance to hear it prior to purchase. I have never tried a mains DC filter. I'll look into it.
Since you and I are reporting the same problem, I would guess you don't have a faulty unit. It's probably a shortcoming of the design.
The hum is distinctly noticeable and annoying, but for myself, I just decided to live with it for now, since the unit was not all that expensive, and is for me otherwise satisfactory.
By the way, I have several other solid state and tube amps, and the Vidar is the only one with that type of problem, where you can hear the hum with the speakers disconnected. It doesn't seem to come through the speakers at all. So I would think that on a test bench, the hum would not contribute to noise or distortion measurements.
Next time, I plan to try Hypex 400 DIY kit, and get way more power for similar cost. If it works out, maybe I'll replace the Vidar with a couple of those.

 

[bigbag34]

My Jolida FX10 hums like beehive but it’s tube based so I’m not shocked. But I’ve yet to hear solid state gear with a hum so I too would be concerned. I’ve always been interested in Schitt gear but I’m leary of the small boutique manufacturers and their ability to make good reliable gear. There’s no doubt that economies of scale are not in their favor, granted an amplifier isn’t super complex or rocket science but still larger companies give me the warm and fuzzy of the ability to scale testing and engineering.

For sure Jolida is a small company and i’ve always been leery that my FX10 won’t last long but it’s been going strong for 6 years so I’m comfortable that it’s a good design. I’m running Outlaw 2200 mono amps now and while Outlaw is a small company the design of the 2200 mono amps is almost 20 years old so it’s a good proven design.

Good luck with the schiit Vidar!

 

[JohnYang1997]

The hum should indeed coming from the transformer. But the larger it is more hum there is? What a joke.... Get something from Yamaha like s801 which is also reasonably priced.

 

[Matias]

I'd get a Purifi amp from Nord or Audiophonics and be happier with absolute silence, more power and less distortion.

https://www.nordacoustics.co.uk/product-page/nord-three-1et400a-stereo-amplifier

https://www.audiophonics.fr/en/powe...ass-d-stereo-purifi-2x400w-4-ohm-p-14393.html

 

[JohnYang1997]

Toroidal transformers run close to their magnetic saturation and so can hum if there's a DC offset on the mains. If it doesn't hum in the shop and does hum in your home then this is a most likely cause. A mains DC filter can stop this. There's a thread somewhere on here about mains filtering.

However, if you don't want to go to that expense/experimentation/effort/delay (it may not be fixed by a DC mains filtering) then conclude that It's too noisy for your and your partner's life/home environment, and take it back.

If it doesn't hum in the shop, then there's a likelihood that other amps will also have a humming transformer when in your home.

I'd do whatever gave me the least overall hassle - so work out your balance of time returning, finding an alternative, experimenting with mains DC filters etc.

But it's not even a Toroidal Transformer...

 

[garbulky]

Sounds like you have some electric issues. Emotiva has the CMX-2 which has DC-offset filtering which may or may not help.
But as for large transformers hum....
I have two XPA-1 gen 2 amps which weigh 70 pounds a piece with a 1200 VA torroidal transformer each. No hum. Also nearly all the amps I've tried except two in my system have all featured substantial torroidal transformers with zero hum. The outlets are shared with multipel devices including a computer.

 

[DuxServit]

But every now then I walk past the lounge room and I hear it. humming away. It's annoying.

What would you guys do?

I’d rename it Schiit Vader

 

[ChrisPa]

But it's not even a Toroidal Transformer...

That's not a good start

I think my comments still apply (with some futher interpretation )
- if a transformer is near to saturation then it can hum if there's a DC offset on the mains
- if it doesn't hum elsewhere (at the dealer) but does at home then it's likely the problem is DC offset
- if it does hum at the dealer then it's probably a badly specified/designed/implemented transformer

There's no inherent reason why a transformer should physically hum on any domestic (or audio) equipment

 

[JohnYang1997]

That's not a good start

I think my comments still apply (with some futher interpretation )
- if a transformer is near to saturation then it can hum if there's a DC offset on the mains
- if it doesn't hum elsewhere (at the dealer) but does at home then it's likely the problem is DC offset
- if it does hum at the dealer then it's probably a badly specified/designed/implemented transformer

There's no inherent reason why a transformer should physically hum on any domestic (or audio) equipment

yeah of course.

 

[Xulonn]

Back in 1976, I bought a McIntosh Mac1900 receiver and a pair of 16 cu.ft. bass-reflex loudspeakers using the JBL S8 3-way system. Although the speakers were quiet with no signal, the power transformer of the Mac1900 hummed noticeably.

So I took it back to the store where I bought it when the traveling Mac clinic with Dave O'Brien was there to provide free checkups for McIntosh customers. Here is a pic of Dave O'Brien at a typical dealer clinic:

Everything met spec, and in the very noisy atmosphere of the clinic in the store, Dave said to me "I don't hear any hum."

Later, I noticed that McInstosh had "improved" the Mac1900 power transformer by going from four bolts holding the laminated core together, to six in later versions - I wonder why? /snark That caused a drop in my admiration of McIntosh's quality control and honesty with customers.

 

[David Harper]

I've had a schiit vidar amp (bought new from the factory) for 3 months and it's dead quiet. No hum at all. So I'm guessing yours either has some defect or there's something going on in your electric connection(?). Mine is driving magnepan LRS speakers. Only thing I've noticed is it gets pretty hot if I turn the volume up but this may have more to do with the speakers than the amp. I think they draw a lot of current. The sound quality is the best I've ever heard. The detail and transparency of the maggie LRS must be heard to be appreciated. Only thing is they won't play really loud so if that's what you're into they may not be the speaker for you. Also they require a good sub. Their frequency response falls off at about 50 hz. In particular the highs are awesome from these speakers. I've always heard a certain distortion in the highs from conventional dynamic tweeters, a kind of metallic sizzling sound. This is the only speaker in my experience with undistorted high frequencies. They have ribbon tweeters. And also there's no crossover in them. Full-range ribbon drivers. And no box. The elimination of a wooden box gives these speakers a sound I can't believe. And they're dipole, so sound comes out the front and the back equally. So instead of beaming sound at you like a flashlight (like conventional drivers) they're more like an open window.

 

[Dana reed]

I can also comment that I have a pair of Vidars, and am using them to drive magnepan 1.7i speakers. I can only hear hum from the unit itself if I put my ear very near the amplifier, and they both have a similar level. I can't hear anything if I'm sitting at normal listening position, and also can't hear any noise or hum through the speakers.
The 1.7i do a pretty good job without a sub, being larger than the LRS, but I do have a sub which I have set the crossover at 35 Hz and a 6dB/octave slope. I mostly use the sub for movies though, and keep the level lower for music (it's an SVS PC12-plus, set at -8 dB for movies, and -16 dB for music)

 

[birkbott]

I recently swapped out a Vidar for two PA-1s from Emotiva. I never noticed hum with my Vidar. There is minor hiss from the Emotivas but not at all audible from more than a foot away.

I actually sent my unit to Amir for testing so we’ll see how it measures in the next few weeks.

 

[Dana reed]

I recently swapped out a Vidar for two PA-1s from Emotiva. I never noticed him with my Vidar. There is minor hiss from the Emotivas but not at all audible from more than a foot away.

I actually sent my unit to Amir for testing so we’ll see how it measures in the next few weeks.

You sent the Vidar, or the Emotiva?

 

[birkbott]

You sent the Vidar, or the Emotiva?

The Vidar, sorry that wasn’t clear

 

[Dana reed]

The Vidar, sorry that wasn’t clear

Cool, thanks! I’ve been looking forward to seeing a review but was too much enjoying mine to go without them. Plus they posted measurement on the mfr site now, so it will be good to see if they match.

 

[garbulky]

I recently swapped out a Vidar for two PA-1s from Emotiva. I never noticed him with my Vidar. There is minor hiss from the Emotivas but not at all audible from more than a foot away.

I actually sent my unit to Amir for testing so we’ll see how it measures in the next few weeks.

What do you think of the PA-1's vs the Vidar?

 

[birkbott]

What do you think of the PA-1's vs the Vidar?

I wasn’t set up to do a real A/B comparison and in the switch forgot that I had repositioned my speakers so initially I was disappointed. However, having moved my speakers back to the original position I believe the performance is more or less identical. I’d be curious to see the PA-1 measured but I don’t think I can spare mine for a while.

The performance being comparable to my ears the PA-1s are much more efficient. I don’t have to worry as much about leaving them powered on. They are also compact, I have each one sitting directly on top of each of my X-LS Encores. I use monoprice adapter cables for the RCA out on my preamp to the XLR in with no issues.