For the record, i'm still "bootlegging" off of my Brother's puter. Hope to have mine up and running this weekend.
Let's look at this logically. Most problems can be tracked easily if you do them systematically.
1) You state that you now have the rack ( and compomponents ) back in its' "normal place". Nothing has changed there other than if you re-arranged the placement of some components. If that is the case, put them back to where you originally had them.
2) You mentioned no other changes to the system other than the coiling of power cords. With that in mind, I would first unplug the power cords on BOTH ends ( component & wall outlet ), uncoil them and then firmly reseat them into their appropriate jacks. Try to pay attention to how you have the cables routed. Kelly gave you "sound advice" in terms of proper ( "most correct" ) cable routing.
If that doesn't cure the problem, try doing this in the following order. If step "A" doesn't take care of the problem, then go down the line until you've found the source and take the appropriate steps.
A) Carefully remove each and every interconnect from their respective jacks one by one and re-seat them. This alone may do the trick. If not, then....
B) Turn off your system and remove all of your interconnects from the system. Be careful as to remember which cable goes where and in what direction it was facing. The only components tied together should be your amplifier and speakers courtesy of the speaker cables. Turn the system back on and listen. If the RF signal is still present, it is either coming in through the power cord to the amp or your speaker cables. You can try substituting a power cord or speaker cables ONE at a time to see which one it is. Replacing one or the other may solve your problem. It would be rare that it was coming in through both at the same time, but it is possible. Zip cord i.e. "Monster" type speaker cable designs are somewhat known to be RFI prone. If the problem is not there...
C) Connect one interconnect into the system at a time and then check the system to see if that specific interconnect is acting as an antenna. Make sure that the system is turned off when making connections, then fire it back up to see if the RF makes an appearance. Start with the cable going from the amp to preamp and work your way BACKWARDS through the chain ( amp to pre, then pre to a source, etc ). Connect your sources ONE AT A TIME. If you don't have seperates ( i.e. integrated or receiver ) connect one source component at a time.
D) If you find the RF problem has returned after installing one specific interconnect, first try substituting a different interconnect into that position. If that cures the problem, your interconnect has a poor connection or a broken wire and needs repair / replacement.
E) If that does not correct the problem, put the original interconnect back into that spot and try lifting the ground on that component. A good suggestion would also be to swap power cords on that component to see if the power cord itself is defective or acting as an antenna. If that does nothing, reinstall the original power cord and leave it grounded. Next up is...
F) I would then try plugging that source & cable combo into a different input on the preamp / integrated / receiver. Pay close attention so as not to hook up a line level source into a phono input, etc.. If the RF goes away after changing inputs on the source, you may have a problem with your control center i.e. preamp. If it does not go away, you may have a faulty source component that needs repair / replacement. The problem in the component may be as simple as a loose screw or ground connection. It could be as difficult as an intermittent solder connection, which are sometimes a pain to find and correct.
G) You may sometimes run into a situation where you are getting inter-action between components. In other words, having either component installed into the system by itself does not create the problem. Only when two specific components are hooked up at the same time does the problem rear its ugly head. This can be tough to solve, but you can give it your best.
I would first try lifting the ground on one component at a time, first starting with one offending component and leaving the other grounded. If that does not work, reconnect ground to the first piece and lift it from the second offender. If that does not work, lift both grounds at the same time. If that does not work, we are back to playing with interconnects and the power cords.
H) Since different interconnects present different impedances to the components that they are tying together, you can sometimes tune / detune a cable junction to act as a "trap". To some extent, this MAY be some of the differences that we exerience when hearing differences in cable / component interfaces.
I) By using different cable designs with various lengths and / or geometries, you can effectively "tune" or "detune" the situation that was occuring. We do this by altering the impedances that the components on each side of the cable sees. This can be tricky at the minimum and may require having several different makes / models of interconnects on hand. Using the same type of cable but with a different length can have the same effect, but probably less pronounced.
J) The same can be said of the power cords. By playing with the impedance of the power cord, you can either "tune" or "detune" a specific situation into or out of existance. By playing with coils i.e. "adding loops", you can create a small choke or impedance change near the component. In effect, this "chokes" the RF off of the cable by altering the impedance that it was seeing. Adding RF Stoppers i.e. "ferrite CHOKES" to the system, you do the same thing, but to a greater extent ( depending on the size and grade of the ferrite being used ). You can experiment with different amounts of turns / looping and their placement to see what works best. Most folks would be best served by doing small, relatively tight coils near the power cord entrance to the component. I do not recommend doing this UNLESS it is a last resort, so keep this in mind.
K) Most of the time, i've found that it is a defective cable, poor speaker cable design or component in need of repair. This is usually found at or after the preamp in most of my experiences. If the problem exists BEFORE the preamp i.e. at one of the sources or cables feeding into the preamp, changing the gain on the preamp may / may not effect the volume of interference that makes it out to the speakers. This will depend on whether or not it is coming in through the ground side of a component or through the signal chain.
L) This is already TOO long but gives you some idea as to how to hunt down what can be a very frustrating and time consuming problem. Hope this helps.... Sean
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Let's look at this logically. Most problems can be tracked easily if you do them systematically.
1) You state that you now have the rack ( and compomponents ) back in its' "normal place". Nothing has changed there other than if you re-arranged the placement of some components. If that is the case, put them back to where you originally had them.
2) You mentioned no other changes to the system other than the coiling of power cords. With that in mind, I would first unplug the power cords on BOTH ends ( component & wall outlet ), uncoil them and then firmly reseat them into their appropriate jacks. Try to pay attention to how you have the cables routed. Kelly gave you "sound advice" in terms of proper ( "most correct" ) cable routing.
If that doesn't cure the problem, try doing this in the following order. If step "A" doesn't take care of the problem, then go down the line until you've found the source and take the appropriate steps.
A) Carefully remove each and every interconnect from their respective jacks one by one and re-seat them. This alone may do the trick. If not, then....
B) Turn off your system and remove all of your interconnects from the system. Be careful as to remember which cable goes where and in what direction it was facing. The only components tied together should be your amplifier and speakers courtesy of the speaker cables. Turn the system back on and listen. If the RF signal is still present, it is either coming in through the power cord to the amp or your speaker cables. You can try substituting a power cord or speaker cables ONE at a time to see which one it is. Replacing one or the other may solve your problem. It would be rare that it was coming in through both at the same time, but it is possible. Zip cord i.e. "Monster" type speaker cable designs are somewhat known to be RFI prone. If the problem is not there...
C) Connect one interconnect into the system at a time and then check the system to see if that specific interconnect is acting as an antenna. Make sure that the system is turned off when making connections, then fire it back up to see if the RF makes an appearance. Start with the cable going from the amp to preamp and work your way BACKWARDS through the chain ( amp to pre, then pre to a source, etc ). Connect your sources ONE AT A TIME. If you don't have seperates ( i.e. integrated or receiver ) connect one source component at a time.
D) If you find the RF problem has returned after installing one specific interconnect, first try substituting a different interconnect into that position. If that cures the problem, your interconnect has a poor connection or a broken wire and needs repair / replacement.
E) If that does not correct the problem, put the original interconnect back into that spot and try lifting the ground on that component. A good suggestion would also be to swap power cords on that component to see if the power cord itself is defective or acting as an antenna. If that does nothing, reinstall the original power cord and leave it grounded. Next up is...
F) I would then try plugging that source & cable combo into a different input on the preamp / integrated / receiver. Pay close attention so as not to hook up a line level source into a phono input, etc.. If the RF goes away after changing inputs on the source, you may have a problem with your control center i.e. preamp. If it does not go away, you may have a faulty source component that needs repair / replacement. The problem in the component may be as simple as a loose screw or ground connection. It could be as difficult as an intermittent solder connection, which are sometimes a pain to find and correct.
G) You may sometimes run into a situation where you are getting inter-action between components. In other words, having either component installed into the system by itself does not create the problem. Only when two specific components are hooked up at the same time does the problem rear its ugly head. This can be tough to solve, but you can give it your best.
I would first try lifting the ground on one component at a time, first starting with one offending component and leaving the other grounded. If that does not work, reconnect ground to the first piece and lift it from the second offender. If that does not work, lift both grounds at the same time. If that does not work, we are back to playing with interconnects and the power cords.
H) Since different interconnects present different impedances to the components that they are tying together, you can sometimes tune / detune a cable junction to act as a "trap". To some extent, this MAY be some of the differences that we exerience when hearing differences in cable / component interfaces.
I) By using different cable designs with various lengths and / or geometries, you can effectively "tune" or "detune" the situation that was occuring. We do this by altering the impedances that the components on each side of the cable sees. This can be tricky at the minimum and may require having several different makes / models of interconnects on hand. Using the same type of cable but with a different length can have the same effect, but probably less pronounced.
J) The same can be said of the power cords. By playing with the impedance of the power cord, you can either "tune" or "detune" a specific situation into or out of existance. By playing with coils i.e. "adding loops", you can create a small choke or impedance change near the component. In effect, this "chokes" the RF off of the cable by altering the impedance that it was seeing. Adding RF Stoppers i.e. "ferrite CHOKES" to the system, you do the same thing, but to a greater extent ( depending on the size and grade of the ferrite being used ). You can experiment with different amounts of turns / looping and their placement to see what works best. Most folks would be best served by doing small, relatively tight coils near the power cord entrance to the component. I do not recommend doing this UNLESS it is a last resort, so keep this in mind.
K) Most of the time, i've found that it is a defective cable, poor speaker cable design or component in need of repair. This is usually found at or after the preamp in most of my experiences. If the problem exists BEFORE the preamp i.e. at one of the sources or cables feeding into the preamp, changing the gain on the preamp may / may not effect the volume of interference that makes it out to the speakers. This will depend on whether or not it is coming in through the ground side of a component or through the signal chain.
L) This is already TOO long but gives you some idea as to how to hunt down what can be a very frustrating and time consuming problem. Hope this helps.... Sean
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