Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Advice from Axiom Owners funny amp thing

Hi All,

I've been having my M3s for almost 15 months now and they are one fantastic set of speakers. I'm running them off a 50Wx2 custom built high current amp which really drives so well that I can never increase my volume beyond 20%. We got this amp just a week ago as a replacement for my panasonic amp.

However, ever since we bought it, my wife and I have noticed something odd. Whenever we switch on the amp, there is a tiny, tiny charge that flows on the amp's body. It cannot be felt by hand but we feel it if we touch our cheeks to the amp. Its so small that we're wondering if it is anything wrong at all. The amp has a 7 inch toroidal transformer. I'm not sure if it is the ionization from the transformer that seems to cause this charge.

Would any of you know what to do about this? I’ve opened the amp and found the connections to be firm and no leakage anywhere.

Many thanks,

Maybe try reversing the plug into the wall outlet. May be induction leakage.

I must admit, I've never tested any of my electronics to see if they make my cheeks tingle.

I'm curious. What made you decide to touch your face to the amp?

Hi mikebaby,
I put my face to the amp because I thought my fingers felt a very small tingle. Our faces and especially our tongues are even more sensitive than our hands. So I put my cheek to the amp after getting a doubt. :-)

Careful, or you'll end up like Emilio Lazardo, who got his kicks with alligator clips attached to his tongue and ear lobes - the other end plugged into the wall outlet. He loves that tingle.

"History isa made in da dark ..." Dr. Emilio Lazardo

Hi aquashankar,

What? A 7-inch troidal in a 50W x 2 amp??? What kind of beast is that? Is it a pure Class A or something? Did you have it custom built by whom? Or is it Do-It-Yourself?

Anyway, a troidal transformer should emit much less leakage magnetic flux than a conventional EI transformer of similar wattage.

Cheers!

I got my amp built by a good audio engineer who's been doing this for the last 18 years. He specializes in stereo amps only. and he's a strong believer in toroidals. And no, it is not a Class A amp. Its a Class AB amp.

Incidentally, I've solved the problem of leakage by putting a thick grounding wire to the body of the amp and the PCB itself. Apparently, the house wiring is not so good. So no more tingling cheeks!!