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I’ve had my AvantGrand N1 for about half a year now. Recently I noticed a humming noise coming from it.

It is not the typical ground loop, which you get when connecting a PC, i.e. the noise does not come from the speakers or headphones and does not change when the volume of the piano is changed.

It rather comes from the inside of the piano. Now, that I’ve noticed it, I can hear it clearly even when standing in front of the piano. There is a clear difference, when the piano is switched on or off. The sound is most notably when I put my ear against the top board of the piano.

I never noticed the noise before until recently. When I asked my wife, whether she ever had the impression that the piano is humming shed said yes, but only recently. Thus I guess it is something that was not there initially, but really has appeared recently. Though, the noise is so subtle, that I’m not entirely certain. Maybe it was always there, but I just never noticed it?

My guess is that it is caused by the AC adapter, which must be somewhere inside the cabinet. I think these devices can hum and/or vibrate and some do so more than others. I think this can also appear over time, when they get “loose” inside from the vibration.

What “concerns” me a bit is whether I am oversensitive or whether I should get a technician to have a look. The noise is so subtle, that I’m not sure whether it’s worth getting one. I fear they will say, “that’s just the way it is…”.

I’m also thinking about opening up the piano myself to have a closer look where the noise comes from. Though, I don’t want to void the guarantee.

I’d be curious to know, whether other AvantGrand owners can also hear a humming noise from their instruments (e.g. when putting their ear against the top board).

BennyG, have you contacted the dealer and/or Yamaha distributor in your region?

If not, I would strongly recommend doing so.

Kind regards,
James
x

Tinnitus?

It likes what you're playing.

I'm guessing it's the power supply ... and since the piano is six months old it is most certainly covered under the warranty. Give the dealer a call and report back on what happens. Be sure to take some photos of the opening process of the piano for others to see.

That could be it !

Hi Benny,

Did you resolve this issue? I'd be interested to learn.

I have a new Yamaha NU1, which also hums quietly when the power is on. Nothing that interrupts playing or hearing the piano properly, but a slight annoyance (the much cheaper digital piano it replaced was silent).

Like you I wondered if the humming noise is standard on these Yamaha's or whether something is amiss.

Apart from this quite minor niggle, it's really a wonderful piano, hum or no hum.

Mike / UK

Hello
I have a NU1, and I can tell you that I have no humming noise on mine, so it is not a standard...
And indeed, it is a wonderful instrument

It could be the Glenn Gould sample...

Sorry.

Only if it was completely tuneless, loud and incredibly annoying. The OP's hum is "subtle" so that rules out the Glenn Gould sample!

I would not say there is no noise at all
the piano is not completely quiet
but the noise is extremely faint, so faint that I can hardly hear it, and pay no attention at all to it.
For me this noise is completely normal (as it is so faint..)
What kind of noise your unit produce ? is it loud enough to disturb you ?

Thanks for replying - I'm probably making something out of nothing. The noise on mine is discernable but faint and can't be heard over the playing.

Any noise would be unacceptable to me. I would call your dealer, that is why Yamaha has a warranty. How do you like the Avant Grand and or the Nu1. I have played both and they seem like good instruments. The action on the Avant was very good for a digital piano and the samples were good as well.

Hi,

Yes I may contact Yamaha and ask them what to expect in terms of background noise.

Apart form that minor issue it's rather magnificent.

I am not a high level pianist, so my evaluation is not robust; but the action is great (very like that on the Schimmel upright piano I have lessons on), and they've done a very nice job in lots of ways: sampling the Yamaha grand and simulating resonance across open strings; putting vibration into the pedal and positioning the speakers so that the frame vibrates as you play. It's also very nice that it looks like a piano, not like a control desk on the starship Enterprise as with so many ePianos.

And of course I can put headphones on and stop annoying the family.

My Clavinova makes a slight hum when powered on. I can't hear it when seated in a normal position. If I put my head near the back, I can hear it, just barely.

Wouldn't worry about this. Probably a main transformer that needs a little extra isolation. Had it happen on a Clavinova years ago. Engineer will fix it in 2 seconds.
Regards,
Richard

This thread was started on Jan 28 and the original poster never followed up on this.

Thanks for the advice Richard (and everyone else). You think then I might want to call Yamaha and see if they can send an engineer round? Unlike the previous respondent, I can hear the hum quite easily while I am sat at the machine. THANKS again. MS

Sorry to bring this old thread back, but for anyone who has the same humming noise, I just had mine fixed on my AvantGrand N2. It never bothered me that much, but since my piano is soon going to be out of warranty, I figured I'd have it fixed.

According to the technician, the hum was from some type of interaction between the two transformers (located right above the pedals) and the board beneath them. The technician added some padding beneath the transformers and the humming is gone, as far as I can hear.

My piano is still under warranty, but I still had to pay for the service call.