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Help with a hum or buzz thru my speakers read ...

Help...
I have a pair of Aragon Palladiums and they are hooked to
Mirage OM 9 speakers with wireworld silver eclipse II cables..The amps have Transparent power cables on them and
the pre/processor is a B&K ref 20.. the amps are balanced inputs but the processor is rca.. I have purchased Transparent RCA to XLR ultra interconnects.. I have significant noise thru the speakers when there is no source playing.. but when I turn the power off to the preamp, there is no noise thru the speakers... also when the preamp is on and I disconnect the RCA to XLR cables from the amp.. the noise goes away... Coult the cables be causing the problem.... I am also using a Monster hts 3500 and a ps audio hospital grade outlet... Any suggestions...
Thanks for the help
Joe DiMonte
audioman4
7 responses Add your response
jameswei
883 posts
 
You say the noise goes away when you turn off the power to the preamp, even with the cables connected? If so, the cables would appear not to be generating any noise. Implicitly, the noise is coming from the preamp, or a source component that isn't playing but still selected by the preamp control, or some dysfunctional interaction between your preamp and the cable. Have you verified the correct wiring of the interconnect -- is the correct wire soldered to the correct contact/pin of each connector (RCA and XLR) as specified by the preamp and amp manufacturers? The connection conventions do vary in different regions of the world. If the cable is properly wired, I suggest you have your pre/processor checked out by a dealer or the manufacturer. Good luck.
j_k
234 posts
 
Try a "cheater plug" on the pre-amp power cord for troubleshooting purposes. If this doesn't work, try the "cheater plug" on each of the other components hoohed to your system. Listen for the noise with each swap. If the noise goes away, trouble shoot your grounding issue.
Do you have cable TV, antenna or phone lines connected to the HTS-3500?? If so, disconnect them one at a time and listen for the noise. Troubleshoot the line with issues if an offender is identified. If the noise persists after all of the troubleshooting, have someone check out your pre-amp. You may contact me by E-MAIL for further questions...
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
how far is your preamp located from power amps or from Monster Power?
soundlogic's avatar
soundlogic
51 posts
 
Along with the cheater plugs, you could try disconnecting your cable line from your tv or VCR, which is probably connected to your proccessor/pre-amp. If this cures the probblem, your cable line is not grounded properly. Also, try connecting your cable to your Monster 3500.
Good Luck
audioman4 OP
174 posts
 
The amps are about 1.5 feet away from the preamp..
as a matter of fact, I isolated the components today..
I hooked the preamp up with just the cables to the amps and the amps to the speakers away from all the other gear
and into a separate outlet on a different circuit..
buzz was worse.. I am beginning to think the cables are not matching well with the amps and the preamp.. I am returning the cables tomorrow to be checked for proper connection and if they are ok, then I will look into trying a different pair and or just having the amps converted to rca...who knows... thanks for the responses
marakanetz's avatar
marakanetz
5,473 posts
 
There are a bunch of variables that you must research and give an answer:
1. connect the same interconnects cables from amp directly to any source that you're using with no preamp.
2. connect any different interconnect cables from amp directly to any source.
3. make sure that cables hooked up strong and if not you should bend the inner clamps so they're stiff enough.
4. connect different cables from your preamp to the amplifier and if the problem percist with different cables, your preamp is loosing the ground isolation and needs a proper service by technician.
audioman4 OP
174 posts
 
problem solved...
The Transparent Ultra cables were not terminated correctly for the rca to xlr conversion..
The ground wire had to be jumped at the xlr end
it was creating a ground loop within the cable itself..
Was fixed today at Soundex.... Cant believe the difference..
Fell in love with the Aragon Palladiums...
I almost was going to buy a Mark levinson and an Audio Research preamp today and scrap the rest of my gear..
Thanks for all the help audiogon.
Joe
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