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HELP: How to get rid of AC hums and video noise

Hello Audiogoners,

I need help from members of Audiogon more experienced than I am with AC HUMMMMMMMS!!!

My video system is pretty standard: a SACD/CD/DVD player, an audio/video processor, a 5-channel amplifier, 5 speakers and a self-powered subwoofer. Plus of course the various power conditioners & transformers. Oh, I forgot. there are also the VCR, cable box, S-video enhancers and all kinds of wall warts associated with them. Well, maybe the darn thing is not that simple but I still think it is a pretty typical video system.

Anyway, each time I made anything that amounts to more than a minor change in this video system, I have to spend a lot of time chasing down those AC gremlins such as hums in the speakers and/or dark bars moving across the TV screen. Floating and reversing polarity of various AC plugs in even such a standard video system can be very time-consuming and frustrating--i.e. not always successful.

Is there a systematic method to chase down or prevent those AC gremlins?

Or is there perhaps a hum eliminator(like the Ebtech for music equipment) made for RCA connectors?

Any help to alleviate this frustrating experience would be greatly appreciated. THANKS.
justin_time

Showing 2 responses by justin_time

justin_time OP
100 posts
 
the TV Cable coax. First, the hum/lines disappear if I play the TV without the processor/amp. Second, the hum/lines are there when I play a DVD with the cable completely disconnected. So, it's got to be in the processor or multi-channel amp. But I tried everything with these pieces to no avail (Sigh!).

I guess I may have to disconnect everything and reconnect the system piece by piece, not something that I look forward to.
justin_time OP
100 posts
 
The cable box was the first thing I disconnected but, as I said before, that wasn't the problem as Rex and Swampmaker suggested.

Unfortunately, with all the high-power components in the system (amps, powered subwoofer, TV and several transformers/conditioners), it is not possible to hook everything to the same AC outlet as Riffer recommended without overloading it.

I guess I will have to find this gremlin the hard way: float everything except one common ground (processor) and check every single AC polarity for the lowest noise.

Any other options?

THANKS.
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