Tripp Lite LCR2400 Audibly LOUD

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sir hills
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Tripp Lite LCR2400 Audibly LOUD

Post by sir hills » Thu Apr 04, 2013 11:34 am

I just finished a studio/home update which included new power upgrades (new lines from the main, new earth ground, new meter & breaker boxes & all new lines to the room I use for the studio). Santa Fe doesn't have the most consistent power so after discussing it with my electrician, I decided to also buy an LCR2400 for my outboard as they get great reviews. As a side note, I have owned an APC RS800 UPS for several years & keep my computer & hard drives connected to it & plugged straight to the dedicated circuit for the studio. Anyhow, I received a LCR2400 a week ago, plugged it in & was astonished at how physically loud it was humming. So loud that here's no way I could track vocals or acoustic instruments in the same room as this thing. I tried it on a few different circuits, all with the same result. I called Tripp Lite & they said it was likely a faulty transformer & suggested I return/exchange it through Amazon (where I purchased the unit). I filed for an exchange, sent off the old & the new arrived yesterday & it's just as loud! Needless to say, I'll be sending it back for a refund.

Has anyone here who owns or has used a LCR2400 experienced this? Anyone have alternate recommendations in a similar price range - $250-$300? Or, with the new (so far seemingly more stable/reliable power) just move forward continuing to use the Furman PL8 that's acting as a power strip for my rack?

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calaverasgrandes
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Post by calaverasgrandes » Thu Apr 04, 2013 2:26 pm

I've owned one for about 18 years.
It is an autoformer that only has about half a dozen taps.
So it will make audible sounds when it is "riding" the input voltage, in an attempt to reach its target 117 VAC.
I have heard mine make a persistent low freq hum when there was a ground issue or other wiring issue.
DO you have a "christmas tree" outlet tester?
The kind with the LEDs that light up to indicate wiring faults?
I woudl check your outlets.
Mine has worked well for years and the AC line noise reduction is a definite plus.
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."

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Post by sir hills » Fri Apr 05, 2013 6:41 am

Thanks for the reply calaverasgrandes. When the electrician finished we went through all the new receptacles & tested but I went at it again last night with my analog meter, a basic digital meter & one of those little three pronged led wiring testers. Wiring is correct & I'm getting a fairly consistent 118. I should probably get a more accurate digital meter so I can see a more exact reading & any fluctuation. I'm friendly with the electrician who did the work so I put a call in to have him stop by & check out the dedicated studio circuit as well as the LCR2400 in person & get his opinion. Could it be that the LCR2400 is working to lower the to 117? Could this be bad if that's the case?

I've got a quick mixing session today but am going to be at a friend's studio tomorrow morning so plan to try it in a completely different building that has proper wiring/grounding.

My other thought is that I am being hypersensitive. But I don't know, the hum just seems too loud to me. Should this thing be completely dead quite?

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Marc Alan Goodman
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Post by Marc Alan Goodman » Fri Apr 05, 2013 7:45 am

Power transformers hum, the more so the more power they're drawing and the closer they're running to their limits. If it's too loud, put it in another room!

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Post by calaverasgrandes » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:18 am

118 is nominal. It probably droops a little under load but not enough to cause flapping. I have seen my tripplite switch back and forth between two taps every couple seconds when the voltage was right on the edge. Switching to the lower tap would draw more current, then the voltage would change because the current changed, and it's back at the first tap!
Kind of amusing in a way, except you are plugged into it!

There is always a bit of hum with those units. Like the other poster said, power transformers hum. I never found mine too objectionable to be in the same room as the recording, but then I mostly do loud stuff.
If you put it far enough away I can't imagine it would show up on your "tape".
Mics are directional!
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."

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Post by sir hills » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:29 am

Thanks guys. I understand that power transformers hum, this just seems a bit excessive to me. Moving it to another room isn't an option as the nearest room I use for tracking when folks come to my place & neither room has a closet. Suppose I might need to build a small iso cabinet...

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Nick Sevilla
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Post by Nick Sevilla » Fri Apr 05, 2013 8:40 am

On thing no one has pointed out yet :

Do you NEED this unit?

You bought it because, in your own words,

"I decided to also buy an LCR2400 for my outboard as they get great reviews"

This is not why you buy these kinds of equipment. You buy it because you need it.

If you do not need it, then you do ot buy it.

Cheers
Howling at the neighbors. Hoping they have more mic cables.

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Post by sir hills » Fri Apr 05, 2013 9:31 am

Hey Nick - I appreciate your attention to detail but you might also consider the first part of my sentence you neglected to include in your quote:

"

Santa Fe doesn't have the most consistent power so after discussing it with my electrician, I decided to also buy an LCR2400 for my outboard as they get great reviews."

To further that - the electrician does new builds & also does a lot of purposed home theaters/listening room wiring installations. He recommended getting a regulator based on his experience with power in our city & my neighborhood. I did the research & based on my budget & other folks experiences (reviews, message boards etc.) I chose this unit. I did also consult my electrician on the LCR2400 specs & though he never used one, felt that it would be sufficient.

I apologize for leaving those details out & that it left you assuming I'm buying stuff solely based on reviews or other folks experiences. I'm just trying to protect my investments & see if it benefits my setup. Hope that clears up any misconception on your part.

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Post by calaverasgrandes » Wed Apr 10, 2013 11:51 am

I wonder if the rack may be acoustically amplifying the hum it does generate?
I know those middle atlantic and panduit metal sided racks can sympathetically vibrate with the equipment mounted in them.
We had that issue with the power transformer for our fiber connection. So we took it off the shelf and put it on the floor.
??????? wrote: "everything sounds best right before it blows up."

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Post by sir hills » Wed Apr 10, 2013 12:35 pm

Yeah, it was least obtrusive when put directly on the floor but still too much added noise to the room. I tried it in a standard molded skb case (which resonated quite a bit) & then one with some foam padding which yielded slightly better results. I'm sending it back as I think it's just the nature of this unit & will try some other options down the road. Thanks for all the thoughts & considerations!

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Post by Gregg Juke » Thu Apr 11, 2013 11:54 am

We used to keep our UPS in a cabinet with the door almost all the way closed (just ajar enough to let the cords/cables out); it used to cycle through every once in awhile pretty loudly, then it would quite down and was fine.

The new model we have in the new studio (sorry, I don't know which one it is) is very quite, and it's right under the main table neext to the outboard rack-- not a whimper.

If you can't find the right (quiet) kind of UPS for you, I'll bet there is some way to build an "amp box" type of enclosure that would solve your problem.

GJ

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Post by sir hills » Thu Apr 11, 2013 4:19 pm

Thanks Gregg. I do have a UPS (APC RS 800) for my computer & hard drives which is silent but thought a larger dedicated regulator with line conditioning might be better for the outboard. The RS 800 is rated at 540 Watts continuous. I don't actually have that much outboard pulling at one time...2 converters, 6 external pres, a couple comps & eqs, spring verb, small powered monitors & a Bryston 3BST for the passives...probably pulling in the 300-400 watt range total. I spoke with my electrician friend yesterday & he suggested looking for a regulator that has an electronic ballast vs. a mechanical ballast...that that might've lent to the audible hum...I'm not sure which the LCR2400 has though as it's gone back & I can't find anything definite online. Anyhow, I might end up getting a higher wattage ups & perhaps one with some sort of line conditioning/filtering. I would be interested to know what you're using though, Gregg. I'm not sure at this point & have some projects mounting up so I need to finish setting up the room & get back to work. I figure I'm ok for the time being as everything's been running ok as is for the last few years...just worried about the long term effect of having irregular power. I'm limited with floor space but am willing to build an iso-cabinet if need be...cross that bridge when I get there.

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Post by Nate Dort » Sat Apr 13, 2013 10:31 am

My LCR2400 is mounted right below my preamps in my studio and I can't hear it sitting at my desk. Just for fun, I put my SPL meter 1ft away right in front of it, and it wouldn't register at all, so less than 50dB @ 1ft. The case fans in my DAW are louder, about 5 ft away, and I have those expensive "silent" fans and an insulated computer case.

It would be worth putting an oscilloscope on your incoming AC and see how it looks. My LCR hums only when my wife is running her hair dryer on the low-speed setting in the other room (it's on the same circuit). The hair dryer is simply half-wave rectifying the incoming AC with a single large diode, so it throws a whole bunch of interference back on the circuit.

Then again, I average about 124VAC from the outlet, with occasional sags here and there. When I lived in Nashville, however, I averaged about 119VAC at the wall and never heard it then either.

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Re: Tripp Lite LCR2400 Audibly LOUD

Post by aavguitar » Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:15 am

I made the unfortunate mistake of not looking at the reviews before I bought a TrippLite LCR2400. Then, I got very sick and was not able to use it till the warranty was up, so I could not return it or get a replacement. In my studio room, there aren’t any ground faults of loops. The LCR 2400 is noisy with nothing plugged in. My $49 Musician’s gear power conditioner from Musicians Friend is dead quiet, as are my Monster units from Sweetwater. I have plugged them in separately to verify.

The company says that a small amount of noise is to be expected. This is not a SMALL amount of hum. It is loud as @#$&! I can hear it over a portable space heater. And it gives me a headache from ear fatigue. It is bad for home studio or home theater. It will show up on a recording if it is in the same room with the microphone.

I bought three more LCR 2400s to see if I could find a diamond in the rough, but I had to return them all. As it turns our my piece of junk was the diamond in the rough. Tripp Lite is designing and manufacturing oversized paper weights that are earmarked to go straight to a landfill. I suggest you avoid this company like the plague, unless you plan to replace their power transformer before you use them.


Tags: Tripp Lite, LCR 2400, Triplite, LCR2400, Tripp-Lite, TrippLite, noisy, Transformer Noise, Power Conditioner, studio, theater

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Re: Tripp Lite LCR2400 Audibly LOUD

Post by aavguitar » Tue Feb 09, 2021 11:19 am

Do your self a favor. Don’t buy anything from Tripp Lite until they make this right for the people that are stuck with their poor manufacturing choices and poor quality control. Save yourself the headache and money. Buy yourself the cheap $49.00 musicians gear units from musicians friend. It is dead quiet. If you want a great unit, buy monster, or any other namebrand like Furman from Sweetwater. I like Sweetwater. If you get a piece of junk, they will make it right, sometimes even after the warranty is up.

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