Faint buzz in speakers

I recently had this issue with a new amp and it was my cabling picking up some noise. In my case the amp only accepts RCA connections, so this may not have been a problem with a balanced setup. Is it in one speaker or both, and if in both, is it the same level? Try turning off the amp, remove the interconnects, turn back on, is it still there?

Type and brand of amp?

Gold Note IS-1000MKII integrated amp. Does not fluctuate with volume. Ever so slightly louder (still very faint) in right speaker which is closer to amp. Have not tried removing all interconnects yet. Also, when all breakers in house except stereo circuit are off, same buzz still there.

I had the same insidious problem. It was caused by the ground plug. Even though it is NOT recommended to use, I simply installed a ground plug adapter and eliminated the ground prong. It worked. Buzz was finally gone!

It was the ground plug on my pre-amp that did it.

Be aware you are eliminating an important safety feature when you do this.

I had a buzz or ground hum years ago, and after trouble shooting with the dealer ended up installing some gadget between ac cord and wall outlet that fixed it.  It was called 'Magic' something.

A search found this:

https://ifi-audio.com/products/gnd-defender/

More than a 'cheater' but still retains safety of grounding.

Two things to try.  Turn off every other breaker in your home. if that makes the problem go away you may have some device introducing DC. This happens when a device/appliance sucks more on one side of the waveform than another.  Often in very cheap DC supplies.

If it's still buzzing, disconnect all inputs. 

@jmfinney I had exactly the same issue! After replacing US brand pre+amp with Accuphase C2420+AD2820 + P4500/A48, such noise disappeared! 

@OP Some amplifiers have small amounts of residual noise thought it should usually manifest itself as white noise, but there can be other noise as well. It is also possible that one or more of your noise reduction devices are causing the noise - including your balanced power unit. Take them all out of circuit and introduce them one by one. If the noise is still there after that, its most likely the amp itself. However, if you can't hear it from the listening position I wouldn't sweat about it.

Check the bug zapper in the garage 

Before tackling the audio interconnects, disconnect any video or ethernet devices. An RCA out to a TV that has a satellite cable in or an HDMI from another device plugged in elsewhere can be the problem. The additional shielding on “better” ethernet cables, like CAT-7 instead of CAT-6, can also be the problem. Ethernet is itself by design fine. But the shielding on a cable can be the problem...

Re: bug zapper comment above... yes, keep it off the house ethernet ;-)

Thanks to all who’ve chimed in about the buzz in both speakers. Perhaps it does sound more like white noise than a buzz. No, it is not audible from my listening position 8 ft away. In fact, it is so faint you have to place your ear right up against the cone to hear it. I don’t know which is more annoying, the noise itself or the fact that I’ve been unable to track it down. I’ll be sure to  try your suggestions this weekend when I have the time. 

I had the same problem with a krell amp I had. 
I just took care of the problem. I sold the amp. It wasn’t jiving with my ac current in my house. It was fine for the guy I sold it to. 

I have had this problem twice. Once, it turned out to be proximity to a router. When i removed it from the room, the problem went away. 

The bigger issue turned out to be a defective toroidal transformer in my amp. The manufacturer replaced the transformer, and the problem ended. As someone said, sometimes our power, or the system doesn't agree with one or more of the pieces. But sometimes, it really is a definable local problem.

Someone once said to me many decades ago: "The goal is not the absence of noise, but the presence of music." Since then, I don't sweat things I can't hear from my listening chair. 

David

I noticed that sometimes it's a light rheostat (sorry, dimmer switch) making noise in the circuit. However, it's usually a cheap charger that is the culprit in the circuit. 

I noticed that sometimes it's a light rheostat (sorry, dimmer switch) 

Any self respecting audiophile should get rid of all dimmer switches in the house.

Or, that self respecting audiophile could simply make sure all lights with dimmers are turned off while listening.

If this was my system, it would be rewired, use different outlets. If anything is 2 prong, instead of 3 prong, swap the cord around. On 2 prong power plug, swapping the plug around can have profound sound differences. 

Of course make sure there are no lights turned on, on that circuit, signal cables are away from power cables.

Might also be your amp needing some service, like bias adjusted, or a component going out of spec. 

"simply make sure all lights with dimmers are turned off while listening”

"I noticed that sometimes it's a light rheostat (sorry, dimmer switch) making noise in the circuit. However, it's usually a cheap charger that is the culprit in the circuit. "

- better amp designs are immune to AC power harmonics, introduced by fast switching currents. so far I found Accuphase is the best! 

"it turned out to be proximity to a router. "

- I had similar issues before changing pre/amp to Accuphase.. to identify RF noise immunity issues, just touch/move arm to diff components and cables, around amp/pre/turntable/CD etc at max loudness (TT/CD/etc idle).

OP. From your updated description, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the amp - its just regular residual noise. Forget about it and enjoy the music!

I'll throw my guess into the ring: Filter cap on it's way out. Oh, and don't neatly coil excess cable carrying signal.

PS- Modern dimmers, including smart dimmers are not noisy the way the old one's were, mechanically or electrically.  You certainly can have remote controlled mood lighting in your listening room. 

I had a similar problem a few years ago.  In my case I had a subwoofer and I had to ground the sub plate amp to the preamp.  It cleaned it up

Some amplifiers are noisier than others, efficient speakers will bring this out. However, if you can't hear anything from the listening position I would leave it alone and enjoy your music. 

Since "Can only be heard with ear right up to drivers" it is not a "problem."

The solution to the "problem" is simple, don't put your ear up to the driver.

Is it a tube amp? if it is check the bias of

your tubes I just had that problem with

the hissing and cracking out of one speaker

checked everything but the bias and that was it. Good luck

Level of regulation and filtering in power supplies matters, this in regard to resistance to possible external sources of noise as mentioned above. And the more efficient one's speakers are, the more they may expose noise. For instance, I have 104db efficient speakers, 845 amps noisier than 300B, 845 amps run near 1000V, inherently noisier, require more extensive filtering, regulation than 300B. Quality of power supplies in equipment within any particular tube family can also differ. OP could try another amp to try to determine relative quietness of ps in present amp.

Here you go:https://upscaleaudio.com/pages/idle-hiss

Russ69...I'm the OP. Thank you for the link to this article from Upscale. It's the best explanation I've read on the topic! I would urge anyone with a similar perceived problem to read this. Any frustration over chasing down a faint noise coming from my speakers has been happily replaced with many more worry-free hours of musical bliss. Thanks to everyone who've shown an interest in helping me solve this riddle. Happy Holidays!

+1 For having the router too close to the power amp.

In fact, it is so faint you have to place your ear right up against the cone to hear it.

@jmfinney As @yoyoyaya and @herman have pointed out, there's nothing wrong with the amp. With most speakers and most amps, if you put your ear against the driver you'll hear something and its not unusual that one channel might be quieter or have a different noise floor from the other.

I recently had a (new) noise suddenly appear in my system. Quite noticeable from the listening position, it did not get louder with the volume. I checked multiple outside and inside lights, as a while ago, my dethatched garage lights were the culprits. I found nothing and upon checking my power conditioner, I found my plug had come loose and was hanging out a bit. I secured it and no more noise. I guess RF was getting in through the exposed prongs.  

@giantsalami - loose connections of all kinds can be major culprits in buzzes and noises. That incudes the breaker box where vibration can loosen the connections. WARNING to all - do not go sticking screwdrivers into your breaker box - get an electrician!

@atmasphere @russ69 - You described my concern perfectly. I will simply enjoy listening to my kit & not worry about the faint hiss anymore. Yes, the router is in a less than desirable location, however, I'm stuck with that. Even tried a faraday bag. No change. When router is completely disconnected & all breakers, except for dedicated 20a feeding my gear, the very faint hiss is still there. No change. The link to Upscale's explanation of signal to noise ratio seems spot-on. As I mentioned before, it is not audible from listening position 8ft away. Thanks to everyone & have a peaceful & enjoyable holiday!