AudioQuest Niagara 3000 Owner's Manual - Page 15
Browse online or download pdf Owner's Manual for AC Power Distribution AudioQuest Niagara 3000. AudioQuest Niagara 3000 20 pages. Low-z power noise-dissipation system
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repair and you will be responsible for all shipping costs.
I hear a slight buzzing sound coming from the Niagara 3000. Is it damaged?
No, it's not damaged (or, at least, damage is very unlikely). If you're in an extraordinarily quiet room and you hear
this buzzing sound only when in relatively close proximity to the Niagara 3000, or only when you place your ear
next to the unit, the buzzing is normal and, unfortunately, cannot be entirely eliminated.
What you are experiencing is a variation on the effect called magnetostriction. When an extraordinarily high
quantity of harmonic distortion is present on an AC line, a portion of the Transient Power Correction circuit that
is hermetically sealed and damped can mechanically buzz as its internal electrical plates resonate at 60 Hertz
and many octaves above. In order to reduce or eliminate this harmonic distortion, the circuit is trying to turn
this distortion into heat. This has no effect on the performance or longevity of the Niagara 3000 or its connected
components.
Well over ninety-nine percent of installations will never exhibit this problem, but that's no comfort to the 1%
that do. Unfortunately, when this is very audible and present from across the listening room, it is typically due
to a poorly performing electrical transformer supplied from the power utility, or, sometimes, a chopped AC
waveform of an old or poorly functioning lighting dimmer system. The transformer may be saturating or in need
of replacement, and older dimmer systems may need updating (if this is at all possible).
Occasionally, this may also be triggered by other large electrical appliances whose power supplies are severely
asymmetrical. Try turning on the Niagara 3000 with an AC outlet that is on a different phase from the electrical
panel. This may require some experimentation and the help of an electrician. If this cannot be remedied, simply
place the rear-panel switch to the "0" position. Only a portion of the Transient Power Correction will be disabled,
and 90% of the unit's performance will remain intact (but the annoying buzz will be gone).
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