Nord Stage 4 - Audible buzz from power supply area

[JMacDotCo]

Hello, I recent acquired a Nord Stage 4 Compact two weeks ago. Very happy with it, but I noticed in the last couple of days that there’s a noticeable buzzing sound coming from the area near where the power lead connects to the back of the keyboard.

Does anyone else get the same? It’s not particularly loud, but it’s noticeable. I really can’t remember hearing it before the last couple of days. Should I be worried?

[cphollis]

The power supplies aren't supposed to be audible. That being said, it might last a week or twenty years -- hard to tell. If it's a new unit, I'd suggest a return for a unit that doesn't make noise.

[cgrafx]

It's most likely not the power supply, but the power inverter circuit on the OLED display, and its a known noise for all of the Nord keyboards with OLED displays.

[dremellover420]

I also have a nord stage 4 and have never noticed this, I don't think this is normal

[Heatha05]

I've noticed a buzz from the mains transformer area, at the mains frequency, on the S4 compact also. I tried using a Mains DC blocker to remove any DC offset which can apparently saturate a transformer and sometimes cause this. That didn't work. At some point I might open it up and check that the transformer is tightly screwed down. Whilst ever so slightly annoying, it is not a critical problem.

[cgrafx]

the transformer isn't screwed down its soldered to the board. All of the Nord Power supplies follow the same basic design.

Even though this says NS3, its the same Power Board Nord IEC - 12p (NE6/NG/NP4/NP5/NS3/NS4/NW2)
https://instrumentalparts.com/power-sup ... ams-60300/

[MartinJ2EX]

viewtopic.php?t=9069

This has been present for years, in possibly all Nord keyboards.
My Stage 2 EX has it, and my Stage 4 being 1+ year old now has this hum, too.
Not that big a deal.

[Spider]

viewtopic.php?t=9069

This has been present for years, in possibly all Nord keyboards.
My Stage 2 EX has it, and my Stage 4 being 1+ year old now has this hum, too.
Not that big a deal.

This.
I have owned 10 Nords over the years, and in all of them the power supply was more or less noisy. I suspect the different levels of noise may depend more on the chassis size and shape (larger chassis amplify the sound more, in fact my Nord Leads tended to be quieter than the Stages), than on any major differences in components.
And no need to worry, I never had any issue or failure even with my 20 years-old Lead 2X

[JMacDotCo]

Thanks for sharing your own experiences, you've confirmed what I suspected, ie that it's normal for the transformer to buzz/humm somewhat.

It's not a massive problem, but it's just a bit... disappointing... for such an expensive keyboard to have this annoyance. My only other high-end keyboard (Novation Summit) doesn't have the slightest hint of a buzz from the power supply, even if I put my ear right next to it. The buzz from the NS4 is loud enough that it's noticeable from the playing position while wearing headphones.

The actual sound output from the NS4 is completely pristine though, compared to the Summit's slight hint of analogue-y noise, so I guess that's preferable!

[pterm]

It's not a massive problem, but it's just a bit... disappointing... for such an expensive keyboard to have this annoyance. My only other high-end keyboard (Novation Summit) doesn't have the slightest hint of a buzz from the power supply, even if I put my ear right next to it. The buzz from the NS4 is loud enough that it's noticeable from the playing position while wearing headphones.

While it's normal for transformers to hum a bit, it sounds like yours is exceptionally loud. This could be because you have a resonance in your keyboard, stand, or mount that's amplifying it or perhaps the power supply board is not properly screwed down.

Try adding some foam or cloth between the keyboard and stand to see if it dampens the noise. Also try pressing on different surfaces of the keyboard to see if that reduces the noise. This might indicate some loose screws - you might want to check for this yourself.
If these fail to reduce the noise it suggest an issue inside - since this is a new board, getting a replacement might be the best option.

I hope you find it is something minor. Let us know what you find.