TKD Volume Pot - Great sound, but...

[Brian]

I now have a 'fizz' type sound from the treble and mid of one channel only. I've swapped the speakers and it follows. It's volume dependant and isn't loud, can't hear it unless you're close to the speakers. Anyone any ideas? I've had a very low level buzz from the bass of both channels that doesn't bother me, that is still there and hasn't changed, just the new 'fizz' sound from one channel.

I've checked and rechecked all connections in the amp and can't find a thing. Might this be a symptom of a defect in the volume pot itself, has anybody come across this before?

I have some Audioquest CD - amp interconnect that I'm prepared to cut up and use inside the amp if it's a good idea to change the older, standard cable that connected the old Alps Blue.

On a positive note, this is a hell of an upgrade over the Alps pot. There isn't any one particular thing I can put my finger on, everything just seems to flow better now and that's after using it for just an hour.

Thanks for any advice

Brian

[Tuberad]

"I've swapped the speakers and it follows."

That rules out the TKD. I would check all the screws holding the drive units in place of the offending speaker, this could cause the fizz noise at certain frequencies.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Tuberad

"I've swapped the speakers and it follows."

That rules out the TKD. I would check all the screws holding the drive units in place of the offending speaker, this could cause the fizz noise at certain frequencies.

I think I explained this wrong, sorry about that.

I swapped the cables at the back of the amp and the noise appeared in the other speaker, don't know what I was thinking of in the previous comment. That means that it's coming from the same speaker sockets, so it's the amp' ( pot )

Brian

[acorn]

Hi Brian

I doubt very much its the Volume control, have you tried swapping the input valves around and checking the anode feed resistor they can go noisy I recommend a two watt one in that posistion, by the way how much are these TKD pots and were did you purchase them from becuase I need to replace a noisy Alps one I have.

Regards Acorn

[Brian]

Originally Posted by acorn

Hi Brian

I doubt very much its the Volume control, have you tried swapping the input valves around and checking the anode feed resistor they can go noisy I recommend a two watt one in that posistion, by the way how much are these TKD pots and were did you purchase them from becuase I need to replace a noisy Alps one I have.

Regards Acorn

Hi

I've swapped all kinds of things now and have even changed the cable connecting it all up inside the amp.

If I swap the red/white wires that connect the output from the pot to the main PCB the fizz goes to the other speaker. I've tried swapping the input to the pot and it stays in the same channel. I can't see what it is other than the pot, but I'll change a resistor as you suggest though and see what happens.

The fizz isn't audible from where I sit, you have to be near to the speakers. Despite all of this, it sounds absolutely fantastic to me and is much, much better than the Alps Blue.

Here's the link to where I got it. The item is #64187. It's great value imo. Click on the 'potentiometer' tab at the bottom of the window
and scroll down the list. It arrived in about 3 or 4 days as well.

TKD Volume Pot

Brian

It does seem that one channel of the potentiometer is at fault.
How about contacting the sellers and getting a replacement?

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Lord.

It does seem that one channel of the potentiometer is at fault.
How about contacting the sellers and getting a replacement?

I've asked and they'll get back to me. They're in the middle of a move but have acknowledged my request. We'll see what happens next.

There is a comment on the webpage that these things can't be exchanged once soldered though, so if it comes to it I'll just have to buy another one from them. $61 isn't a lot of money for the improvement on offer with this pot, it's making me wonder what the supposed better ones are like, perhaps diminishing returns sets in.

Cheers

[david counter]

I think you'll find they won't exchange items if you fit them and change your mind, if the item is defective then it's a different matter,

[Brian]

I've put the Alps pot back in and the fizz sound has gone.

It'll be interesting to see the reply from the Parts Connexion, the service I've had from them so far has been excellent but this is the first duff product. I'm not sure how I could have tested for this before soldering it into the amp'.

Cheers

Brian

[Brian]

I need some help with this guys........

Parts Connexion has agreed to send me a new TKD pot for the normal charge, they will credit me when I return the faulty one, so no complaints, I'm happy with that. They're overlooking the caveat on their webpage concerning volume pots, which says they aren't returnable if soldered, so they must be tested before soldering. The problem is that I don't know how to test these things so if I solder the new one and it's also faulty I'm going to be stuck with it.

How do I test a volume pot for correct operation prior to using it in the amp'? Would the test actually show the kind of problem as I described, a fizzing noise from one channel?

Tks again

Brian