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MrMark1977 wrote:I know Nord say 'all the units are like this',
Hello MrMark1977,
I'm pleased that you have gotten one with much less buzzing.
So far I've owned 4 different Nord instruments, and none of them had any detectable level of buzzing.
I know this is of limited help to someone that has a buzzy one, but not all of them buzz.
My Roland D70 has a high pitched whine "from the backlight inverter" that can be heard two rooms away
Cheers, Hanon
Last edited by Hanon_CTS on 31 Jul 2012, 12:23, edited 2 times in total.
Thanks very much for that - I think I would have indeed expected you to have heard the buzzing from those four Nords, if the problem had definitely been with every Nord, so from reading what you wrote, and what Cee said - and the fact mine seems to not be annoyingly buzzing like the Nord I sent back, it leads me to believe that it's not a problem on every single Nord.
It was hard for me to compare the three Nord pianos I've had, as I've not had them at the same time, and I went days without them in between returning them.
When I had the second Nord Piano, after being replaced for the OS error, I did have suspicions that the buzzing I could hear from it was louder than when I first received a Nord a couple of weeks before. But I obviously couldn't compare properly.
In fact I wished I'd recorded the buzzing, not that I could have done something with scientific accuracy...but I could have at least placed a mic right by the power at the back, and recorded it at the same gain, as I would then do later when I received my third Nord Piano. That probably wouldn't have been good enough for scientific proof, but if the difference had been noticeably substantial it would have least possibly pointed towards me just having a 'more buzzy' piano on the second time, than now, on my third Nord.
Even though I sent the second Nord back because of a slight defect on the top metal bit, I was secretly hoping that the replacement would come back less buzzy. And it did. And I still can recognize the buzzing sound when I listen to it, it's familiar, but it just doesn't seem as loud, it doesn't seem intrusive like it seemed before.
I certainly wouldn't have written about the buzzing of my last Nord if I hadn't been upset by how loud it was, and as soon as I realised my replacement Nord was not annoying me with the buzzing sound, and that I can barely hear it this time, I felt compelled to write here again and report that things are fine now.
And like I said, maybe the fact I'm in a different room is making it different, but apart from that, there's no differences, I have the same laptop with computer fan whirling away, and no other obvious noises here (or in my previous place) that would be drowning out the buzzing.
Maybe just some of them come with slightly noiser power units. This might explain why some people are moaning about the buzzing on the internet, and yet, others are saying it's fine and not too loud at all. And I'm saying both of these two things myself - for two different Nord Pianos! Clearly enough people were complaining to Nord about it, hence them having it on their FAQ page...but still that does not mean everyone was complaining to Nord about it, and that does not mean all Nords have the problem - and as you've said, you've been happy with your last four of them, regarding buzzing sounds (or lack of them rather!).
Either way, these are just my unscientific findings, should anyone else feel their Nord buzzing is too loud, and you've just bought it and have a chance to return or at least compare with the one in the shop somehow (would probably be difficult with the noises of other things turned on there I imagine), then maybe it's worth a shot. Because, a few weeks ago, I was convinced that every single Nord had very loud buzzing, and it doesn't seem to be the case now. You can definitely expect some buzz...especially if you put your ear closer to it, but from what Hanon and Cee say, and also, from what I can hear (or not hear) myself, it should not be too loud at all, to the point of it annoying you.
Last edited by MrMark1977 on 31 Jul 2012, 12:23, edited 2 times in total.
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My Nord Piano started buzzing after about 2/3 months.
I was a bit concerned at first, but I wouldn't say it is that annoying as you don't hear it when playing.
Certainly doesn't affect the performance of the piano.
Last edited by Geeza on 31 Jul 2012, 12:23, edited 2 times in total.
In my experience, this hum from the PSU is a general Clavia issue. I used to own both the NordLead 1 and 2, and I have just been reminded of this with my newly purchased NordPiano88.
So out of the 3 Nords I have owned, 3 have this PSU hum. The power connector doesn't have a ground pin, maybe that is somehow related? All my other gear has three-prong connectors. I actually sent my first NordLead in for repairs because of the hum, but Clavia returned it saying it was fine and entirely within spec.
The hum is not all that bad, but noticeable in a quiet studio environment. Not sure why Clavia hasn't addressed this until now. I got my NordLead1 in 1995 and my NordLead2 in 1998, so it's not like they haven't had time to sort this out.
However, none of this kills the joy I experience when playing them!
Last edited by zephonic on 31 Jul 2012, 12:23, edited 2 times in total.
There are several parts in a power supply that can make noise; the transformer and filtering capacitors are generally the culprits. The big filter capacitors are often stuck down using a special type of silicone to prevent this (mostly to increase reliability by preventing vibration, but it also lowers the noise). If a power supply is well designed, humming shouldn't hurt it (but is annoying none the less). The fact the Nords have no earthing pin on their power connectors has no direct relation to the humming.
I wonder if the metal casings are a factor here: the humming PSU might transfer some of the vibration to the case, which also vibrates a little and might give off that sound. If you put your hand against the bottom and the humming gets less, this is probably the case.
I've had a Nord Lead 2X, a Nord Wave and a Nord Stage 2 and on none of them I heard the power supply hum. Most likely I have more background noise (I live close to a busy road, for example) drowning out any humming.
Last edited by mjbrands on 31 Jul 2012, 12:23, edited 2 times in total.
I can hear a buzzing coming from the internal circuitry or power supply from the top of the unit. It isn't the ground loop usb issue I've seen around. This has nothing to do with the audio outputs of the board, and occurs with nothing plugged into the connections on the back, except power.
Transformers buzz when the wire windings are not wound properly or there are gaps in the winding plates. It has nothing to do with built-like a tank, thats a non-sense reply.
There are millions of switching power supplies in use that make no acoustic noise and there is absolutely no excuse to ship one that does. Generally transformers that buzz are either poorly constructed or out of spec and should be rejected as not meeting quality standards. If Behringer can build a decent switching supply in a $150 preamp that makes Zero noise, there isn't any reason Nord can't build or spec a power supply for a $2000+ keyboard.
Last edited by cgrafx on 05 Oct 2017, 06:05, edited 1 time in total.
Current Gear: NS3C, NP5-88, NP5-73, Alesis QS7.1 & QS8.2, Hammond B3 with Leslie 122, Yamaha CP70, Yamaha C3 6' Grand, Roland D-05, Roland AX-Edge
The device listed is a ground buzz eliminator which helps to reduce or remove 60hz hum induced in the electrical/audio path of keyboard (or other piece of equipment).
What this thread is talking about is actual physical/acoustic noise coming from the transformer because various parts of the transformer are vibrating (which they shouldn't do).
You would hear this noise even if the keyboard isn't plugged into anything except power (just the power plug and no audio out).
Current Gear: NS3C, NP5-88, NP5-73, Alesis QS7.1 & QS8.2, Hammond B3 with Leslie 122, Yamaha CP70, Yamaha C3 6' Grand, Roland D-05, Roland AX-Edge
