Buckeye Amps: New US based Hypex multichannel amplifier builder, line-up announcement!

[DonH56]

You can buy ground isolators for RCA connections to break a ground loop. E.g. https://www.amazon.com/Ground-Loop-Isolator/s?k=Ground+Loop+Isolator

 

[tecnogadget]

As you can see below is the master audio tracks for the movie Tenet. Any and all RED indicates the source master audio signal is hard clipping. No matter what you do with volume/gain in the reproduction process will eliminate this clipping and resulting distortion. It’s Baked into the master. Same goes for the movie Dunkirk. Another totally clipped audio track by Nolan.
View attachment 145589

Does this means I can send the Nolan brothers the invoice of my fried speakers and subwoofer ??

 

[beren777]

If you're experiencing a ground loop hum it's useful to troubleshoot to find root cause. In my case it was solved with a CATV ground loop isolator on the coax. Until I figured out it was looping from the AVR over HDMI to the STB, and from STB to ONT via coax, I was perplexed why some amps would hum and others wouldn't when connected to the AVR. In my case I have fiber Internet and TV service, but the STB and ONT were on separate power circuits and there was enough difference to form a loop over the coax.

I don't think there's anything unique to the Hypex modules that would encourage hum.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

My experience so far is the Hypex modules seem to "expose" issues that are already there. They don't amplify an issue or make it worse, just merely allow it to be heard finally.

Agreed that if you have a ground loop hum pop up when switching out any equipment (for instance I never noticed mine til I upgraded to a Funk Subwoofer and traced it back to my DirecTV cable) it's worth pursuing. Especially if you're ocd like me.

 

[AdamG]

My experience so far is the Hypex modules seem to "expose" issues that are already there. They don't amplify an issue or make it worse, just merely allow it to be heard finally.

Agreed that if you have a ground loop hum pop up when switching out any equipment (for instance I never noticed mine til I upgraded to a Funk Subwoofer and traced it back to my DirecTV cable) it's worth pursuing. Especially if you're ocd like me.

It’s almost always the Cable Box! Because of how they use, Improperly, the HDMI ground pin assignment. Anytime someone says they have a ground loop hum problem. Tell them to completely disconnect the Cable/Satellite box from their AVR or equivalent. This is my learned knowledge of helping people solve ground loop issues over the last 15+ years.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

It’s almost always the Cable Box! Because of how they use, Improperly, the HDMI ground pin assignment. Anytime someone says they have a ground loop hum problem. Tell them to completely disconnect the Cable/Satellite box from their AVR or equivalent. This is my learned knowledge of helping people solve ground loop issues over the last 15+ years.

Yup!

Mine was so bad you could actually feel a little bit of a static charge (like licking a 9v) touching the coax input on my receiver with the coax cable attached.

I chased the ground loop to hell and back. It's a unique setup in that I live in a secondary structure so I have power coming off the main fuse box where the utility line comes in and is grounded. And I also have my own satellite dish. And another ground rod at the secondary fuse panel in my structure.

A combination of grounding my coax cable to the AC unit outside AND using a coax isolator solved it.

 

[Jdunk54nl]

Ya...I have a ground loop coming from the cable company through coax cable too. We don't even have a cable box. But travels to avr via hdmi, then out to amp. Luckily that amp is on the subwoofer, so can't hear it. But I thought about using that amp on the Left and Right speakers...that was a instant no go with the ground loop until solved.

 

[AdamG]

This will normally remove the ground passing through the HDMI chain:

Lindy HDMI CEC Less Adapter

Long story short. For unknown reasons many cable box manufacturers use the CEC pin of the HDMI connector for a chassis ground. So this adapter lifts that CEC ground pin and breaks the ground loop and subsequent hum.

 

[Buckeye Amps]

Posting this announcement here along with reaching out to customers as their initial ETA approaches:

All pending orders will be one week later than the anticipated ETA for the time being.
Apparently the chaos of the world just now affected UPS. My entire restock of both 502s and 252s set in their export warehouse in Germany for over 10 days due to "a severe backlog of packages". They literally told me they were out of room on planes and had a queue basically formed.

Even at the height of the initial pandemic UPS was always on time (about 7 days total transport from Hypex).

I'll obviously be working as fast as I can to catch up. Luckily one week of orders coming up is all 2ch so that should help put a dent in any delay.

 

[Shanman]

Thanks for the update, breath of fresh air actually having someone communicate. With words.

 

[timetogo]

No hum here using RCA to XLR. I am using both Monoprice https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VLW398/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and TISINO https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08599HVDB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
from Marantz SR5012 to 6 channel Buckeye Amp. I do not have a cable tv box.

 

[Lawyrup843]

No hum here using RCA to XLR. I am using both Monoprice https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001VLW398/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
and TISINO https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08599HVDB/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
from Marantz SR5012 to 6 channel Buckeye Amp. I do not have a cable tv box.

Thanks man. Appreciate the input from someone.

 

[JonfromCB]

Yup!

Mine was so bad you could actually feel a little bit of a static charge (like licking a 9v) touching the coax input on my receiver with the coax cable attached.

I chased the ground loop to hell and back. It's a unique setup in that I live in a secondary structure so I have power coming off the main fuse box where the utility line comes in and is grounded. And I also have my own satellite dish. And another ground rod at the secondary fuse panel in my structure.

A combination of grounding my coax cable to the AC unit outside AND using a coax isolator solved it.

Thanks Dylan, Where did you place the coax isolator in the coax path? Should I connect it between the coax lead at the set-top cable box or should I connect it between the coax lead and it's wall outlet connection? Thanks

 

[Buckeye Amps]

Thanks Dylan, Where did you place the coax isolator in the coax path? Should I connect it between the coax lead at the set-top cable box or should I connect it between the coax lead and it's wall outlet connection? Thanks

I put mine right before the cable connects to the set top box

 

[JonfromCB]

Hopefully this will help others with a ground-loop buzz caused by cable service. Mine was easy to isolate....as soon as I disconnected the HDMI cable from my cable tv box to my AVR the buzz disappeared. I called my cable provider and told them I had a ground-loop that appeared to be caused by their equipment. The cable company sent a technician. He placed a "grounding block" on the cable run to that specific cable box, grounding it to the conduit into a nearby breaker box and he also found that the cable grounds were loose at both the junction box in the yard and where the main lead comes into my house. Problem solved plus I now feel less susceptable to lightening surge from the cable system throughout my house.

 

[Bachemar]

Hi @Buckeye Amps do these amps now have a mute delay circuit? Would hate to have a pop every time my processor goes in/out of standby

 

[Buckeye Amps]

Hi @Buckeye Amps do these amps now have a mute delay circuit? Would hate to have a pop every time my processor goes in/out of standby

They do not. But "popping" is pretty much non existent. Turning on I never got any noise or pop. Turning off there is sometimes a very faint pop but only audible if I put my ear up to the speaker

 

[JEarle]

Perhaps are stupid question, but would these amps work well at driving tactile transducers like a Buttkicker LFE?

 

[Lawyrup843]

So when using these amps WITHOUT a trigger, is it ok to just leave it on all the time? The reason I’m asking is because I left it on all day and when I got home from work it was pretty warm to the touch. Not hot just warm.

 

[Rottmannash]

Mine never gets warm, either at idle or at high loads.