[SteveRB]

Hello,

I'm looking for a few people more experienced than me to help diagnose some issues. My system sounds great, but it's noisy. I've looked through several posts and any solutions seem system based and need specific solutions.

My components:

vintage Eico HF81 integrated amp - professional rebuild from the ground up - can be very quiet
VPI HW19 with outboard motor
mac mini with Fubar DAC and power supply
GR Research V1 speakers - w/ 2x 350 watt sub amps
Rotem RLC-900 line conditioner

I currently rent an old house. How old? There is one grounded circuit in the living room; the ground wire runs along the outside of the house and pokes into the outlets from behind. I am assured that it is properly buried to a ground spike outside.

The problems I hear:
sub amps buzz when switched off,
record motor noise through speakers,
excess amp noise through speakers,
low frequency hum through subs,

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I'm willing to go through any trouble shooting you guys think appropriate.

[Big Red Machine]

I was going to recommend a regenerator unit but until you solve what seems to be a ground problem it won't help much.  Have you temporarily tried lifting the grounds at the devices just to see if the noise subsides?

[jtwrace]

Steve,

The best approach is in a methodical way otherwise you will drive yourself bonkers.

So, start with the speakers wired to the integrated and everything else unplugged from AC power (including servo subs).  Is it quiet? Plug in servo subs now.  Still good?   If so, go one piece at a time upstream until you find what's making noise.  You might find that's it's not being caused by the stereo as it could be something else in the house which is fairly common.

Report back.

[SteveRB]

I have not lifted any of the grounds. Is that safe?

The methodical way sounds like a plan.

I forgot to mention that all these issue fluctuate intensity and time of day. It will take a couple days to fully flush out the methodical approach.

Thanks for the help.

Any further suggestions are welcome too.

[Speedskater]

If the house has a US style AC power system,  then all the receptacle Safety Ground wires(EGC) must go back to the main breaker panel!. Only the ground wire from the main breaker panel (GEC) should go to the ground rod.

If the wire does go directly from receptacle to ground rod, I would remove it from the receptacle and replace the receptacle with a GFCI receptacle.  Smaller GFCI's are now available to fit in old outlet boxes. It will also need the safety sticker.

[rollo]

Check ground from cable TV. Check outlet and see if all connections are clean and tight. As Jason suggested star with amp first. Is your Refrig , Microwave, washer, dryer on dedicated circuits ?
   If all fails then use cheater plugs to ascertain if a particular component is the culprit. It is safe to try. Goog luck it can drive ya nuts as some of us know.



charles

[SteveRB]

Ok, I've gone through a few scenarios. Cheater plugs had no effect. And the noise just continues to get a little worse as components are added to the circuit: LCD tv and Mac mini added more noise than the rest.

As a side note I removed the Rotel power conditioner from my set up and the sounds stage expanded with more forward midrange. I currently have no surge protection or line conditioning... Sounds good, but noisy when no music.

Thanks again

[SoCalWJS]

Sounds like you have a true mess.

Have you had an electrician look at the situation?

Short of a true regenerator ($$$$ and not a guaranteed fix), you may not be able to do anything short of rewiring and/or new panel. 

[SteveRB]

Yup.

This is a rental house, so no perminant fixes.

Don't get me wrong though. It sounds pretty good. I'm just hoping to fix the smaller issues.

[satfrat]

You may want to get a Radio Shack AC Analyzer and see exactly where you stand at the AC outlet. I'm wondering if you have a functional ground, this tester will tell you. That's where I started in my rental home. I was able to get a functional ground for my home's lone 3 prong outlet from the water pipes myself, needed for my BPT balanced power conditioner to work properly. It's a start,,,, 



Cheers,
Robin

[Speedskater]

Unfortunately this is just another item on the long list of disconnected Radio Shack products. The days of going to Radio Shack to get a product, tool or part to solve a right now problem are over.

But this is a very standard tester and available in every electrical parts department.  The GFCI tester function is obsolete, it's now built into every GFCI receptacle and breaker.  The "analyzer" label is a great over-statement, it's just a simple tester.  This type of tester can not do one important test. It can't do the Neutral & Safety Ground swap test.  It takes a good meter to do that test and this swap is sometimes the noise source.

[SteveRB]

Well, tracking down some more information shows that the circuit in the living room is tapped on to in several other locations through the house: garage, basement, lighting, exterior...

I feel like I need a full new service or a re-generator.

[SteveRB]

Problem solved...

... I moved.