Just got a new Einstein tonight...little late to call them but have some first questions (my first strobe light so don't have a reference):

1. if power is set above 1/64 each time I fire the light there is a pop sound...under 1/64 it is not there.
2. the modeling light makes humming noise like a cheap dimmer.... The humming noise isn't there when the modeling lights is off or when it is on full, but when dimmed - it makes the noise. Noise isn't loud but it is clearly audible.

Can anyone else confirm ?

Thanks

Basically the lower you set the power of a strobe the softer the sound of the flash tube firing will be.

Any time you dim an incandescent bulb it will hum, or ring, or buzz a little by vibrating the filament so this is normal. That's all it is, is a dimmer that reduces AC voltage to reduce output of the light bulb. But if it's significantly loud there may be an issue with the dimming circuit causing the noise.

thanks for the quick replay...
yes, it all makes sense.
The hum from the modeling light is a little more than what I expected.
I can hear it from 2-4 ft away....it's not like some really good dimmers that you would need to be 2inch from them to hear the hum.
It is not audible from about 6 ft away....

Actually I just got to thinking the Einstein may use quartz bulbs. This might account for a different noise but you should check with PCB. I heard somewhere they have excellent customer service.

Yes, those are both normal.

The humming noise is normal. Apparently the dimmer circuitry is not the highest quality and it hums at less than full power. At full power, the hum should go away. This annoyed me to no end but all in all, the strobe has its other pluses.