High pitch buzz in speakers after adding some LEDs


We recently added some RGB COB LED strip 24V lighting to the HT. These are wall panels. When it changes colour from the DMX we are getting a high pitched buzz coming from some of the surround speakers just for a few secs when the colours are changing. I dont hear it but my AV installer does and some friends also hear it. This has never happened from any of the older LED lighting in the HT.

Is this a faulty power supply even though its brand new?

Thanks in advance...

murray24

I added a separate circuit for my system as well. Solved several issues of hum that I had coming from lighting and appliances. I have used LED light fixtures for my turntables that caused hum in my phono-stage. I was able to alleviate this with a different placement but having the power cord close to the the phone pre wiring caused noticeable hum. 

Even the LED lights in the next room can cause problems. I was able to add a direct and separate circuit for most of my rig and it helped a lot.

Something I discovered tonight is the buzz only comes from the left surround speaker, the right one is silent. There are two power supplies, one set of LED wall lights are on the left wall the other is on the right wall. There are many other circuits of LED lighting in the room that have been there for 15 years and all have been silent. Its just the "new" left and right wall LED COB lights we made that are causing the buzz, but only on the left surround speaker and only when the colours change to blue and green, it doesnt happen on red.

 

Someone told me about how he tracked down a noise problem to a string of LED lights his daughter put up in her bedroom which was on a different circuit, on a different floor of the house, and his audio system on powerline conditioning.  He found hardly any noise using one of those noise sniffing meters.  That interference was RFI transmitted through the air.

I do not have direct experience since I do not use LED lighting in my home theater.  I will however confirm that, from a quality engineering perspective, LED lighting has a potential for causing audio feedback.  LED lighting uses a switching power supply that could generate electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio frequency interference (RFI) which, in turn, can cause audio feedback and distortion.  The noise happening on color change is consistent because one diode turns off and another turns on to effect the color change, potentially generating EMI and RFI.  As you state, a bad or cheap power supply in the lighting can exacerbate the problem.  Positioning lighting too close to the audio system, defective system cable shielding, unshielded cabling, or improper grounding are potential causes.  You can also try ferrites on your cables.  The only way to determine cause it to experiment.  There are two areas to explore.  The lighting as a generator of EMI and RFI.  A simple test is to turn the lighting on and off to see is the problem starts and stops as you play music.  The second thing to explore is that something in your system is acting as an “antenna”.  For example, is the shielding damaged or is one of your cables a lower quality and not shielded well.  However, I would guess the new lighting if the if the buzz was not there previously.  Good luck.  

My subwoofer flips out when the LED lights in our living room are turned on. I don't they're even on the same circuit. 

Those plug in air fresheners can cause all kinds of noise.  Pull those out while troubleshooting if you have any 

The power supplys were really cheap ones from China without any covers for the 230V AC, I want to buy a better qaulity power supply regardless. 

Don't do that. 

JK.  LEDs are known for that but only sometimes.  I have LEDs in my listening room no problem, but they are 10 ft from the equipment and on a different circuit.  I also have a PS audio power regenerator and 2 dedicated circuits.

"He then decided to change the power supplies and bingo the buzz went away.... Do you think thats a good starting point?"

Um...yes.

Ive had other LEDs in the HT for 15 years and naver had this issue, its just the new ones added has caused it. I was reading another forum where a guy had the same issue, he followed all the recommended test but nothing worked. He then decided to change the power supplies and bingo the buzz went away.... Do you think thats a good starting point?

High pitched buzzing is often a grounding issue.  I would start there.  

Do you have the ability to connect the leds to a different line, one other than where all your audio equipment is? Or run a long extension cord to an outlet on another line for testing purposes