Try shorter audio cables or cables with heavier shield (ground) wiring. I guess the orange extension cord connecting the amplifier to a kitchen outlet looked tacky, but it seemed important to have all 1160 Watts available in a one-bedroom apartment. I once used this method to get rid of a nasty hum from a giant Marantz receiver used with a Soundcraftsmen amplifier. Paradoxically, ground loops can sometimes be improved by plugging individual components into different outlets in different parts of the house. Reversed hot and neutral wires can allow all your equipment to function but still cause hum and safety problems. All you need is a cheapy with 3 lights on it to indicate good connections of the hot, neutral, and ground wires. AC receptacle testers are available for $5.00 and up from Radio Shack, hardware stores, and so on, and so on, and so on. If you don't have enough wall outlets for all your components, plug them into a single outlet strip and plug the strip into a wall outlet. Make sure that the problem component is plugged into the same wall outlet as the amplifier or receiver.Digital optical, digital coax, HDMI, and DVI cables all carry signals in a digital form, which is immune to common-mode noise: They either work perfectly or not at all. If possible, use a digital connection to the receiver or amplifier.Reconnect the problem component and confirm that the hum is still there. Now that you've found the source of the problem, it's time to try some things to make it go away. Alternatively, you can start with only your speakers connected to the amplifier or receiver and add cables one at a time until one of them brings the problem back. Continue this procedure until you have found the offending component.I know it seems counterintuitive, but the ground currents from some other component can add hum to your system, even if it's turned off! Keep in mind that the problem can be caused by cables from components other than the one you are listening to. If not, turn the amplifier or receiver back off and disconnect the cables from another component to see if it's the problem.If so, that component is the one at fault. Turn the amplifier or receiver back on and see if the hum is gone. Turn off your amplifier or receiver (the component where the speaker wires connect) and disconnect the cables coming into it from whatever source component you are listening to.If possible, don't change this setting, so you can better evaluate any improvements you make. This allows you to concentrate on the hum, alone. On a TV set-top box, pause the DVR playback or tune to some channel you don't get or to a menu that has no sound.For FM, turn on the MUTING function and tune off of the station.For a cassette deck or CD player, you can press pause. Then, stop the music on whatever source component you are listening to. Start by turning on your system and turning the volume up to the point where you can hear the hum.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |