Strange ground loop...?

Another update -

I just swapped out one of the BlueJeans ICs with an old Monster IC I had and the problem is completely gone... no whining or distortion at all.

Unfortunately, I don't want to use my old Monster cables... so I guess I will have to send all my BlueJeans cables back and get something else. Bummer.

"I don't get it... at all. What gives? If it's a shielding problem, then shouldn't configuration A-B-C-D also work just as well?"

Shield should be grounded on the receiving end (in my opinion) so your configuration D-C-B-A suggests that terminals C and A have shield grounded.

Ok... definitely frustrated now.

Even with configuration "D-C-B-A" when at volumes other than 'full' on my pre-amp, I get this really fuzzy, static interference when lower frequencies are strong (deep base).

This is the second passive pre-amp that has done this and it is a different make than the first... sooooo, I think it's safe to rule that out at the culprit...

It's these cables I bet... They are BlueJeans cables, though... I thought these were supposed to be pretty good???

Ok... I have to revive this thread. I just received my new replacement cable as well as a new passive pre-amp. I hooked everything up and **suprise!** the whining interference noise is back in full force!

So, I started to switch around the orientation of my interconnects. I have one from my DAC to my pre and the other from my pre to my amp. Pretty standard.

Now, I have found a configuration that works pretty well, but not perfect... there is still a very faint 'whining' noise when my volume on my pre-amp is set between 8 and 11 o'clock. Beyond that, it's dead silent.

Now, tell me how this makes any sense... at all:

Let's say interconnect 1 has terminals A and B. Interconnect 2 has terminals C and D.

Here here my results, running sequentially from DAC to pre-in to pre-out to amp:

A-B-C-D : loud whine
A-B-D-C : loud whine
B-A-C-D : loud whine
B-A-D-C : loud whine
C-D-A-B : loud whine
C-D-B-A : loud whine
D-C-A-B : loud whine
D-C-B-A : dead silent except for faint whine at low volume

I don't get it... at all. What gives? If it's a shielding problem, then shouldn't configuration A-B-C-D also work just as well?

What should I do?

"If the cable is coax, the shield connected at both ends of the cable."

Bob - I was talking about interconnects.

Hmm... interesting. Well, the cord is already going back... but that's good to know for the future.

Any chance the static distortion did speaker / amp damage? Everything sounds fine, but I would like to know if such distortion is the same as amplifier clipping...?

IC shield is grounded at one end only (if it's RCA). Try to reverse one that gives you trouble.

Hmm, no phono in... just a pair of RCA's. It's a Yamaha M-40 power amp.

The plug isn't polarized.

In the manual, it says to connect the ground to the pre-amp ground if there is a buzz. Unfortunately my pre-amp has no ground.

You were right about switching the ICs. Last night I started to think... 'wait, this doesn't make sense that it would only be coming though one channel.' I swapped the ICs with another pair, and the issue was solved.

I have no idea how this could happen - maybe something is wrong with the shielding on one of my ICs? They are brand new, so I didn't suspect that at all.

Incidentally, I had to turn my amp on and off many times while switching power configurations around. Also, some music was distorted in that right channel (crackly, fuzzy) at times... could any of this have damaged my amp / speakers?

I just hooked up a new amp and I'm having a strange noise issue. Only in my right channel, I get this high-pitched whine... maybe around 2khz. My left channel is dead silent.

The problem seems to be an interaction between my DAC and my amp. If the DAC is off, the amp is silent.

At some point in your trial and error testing did switch, cross, the ics at the amp? (Switch the right with the left at the Amp, one end only of the ics.) See if the buzz then goes to the other channel of the amp. This will kill two birds with one stone, so to speak, the Dac as well as the ics.

The amp is an 84' yamaha, so the cord has no ground. There is a ground screw, though, and I have connected that to my power conditioner, hoping this would solve it... nope.

The amp, I assume, has a built-in phono preamp. The ground screw is for the ground wire of a TT, not to connect the amp to earth ground.

Is the plug on the cord of the amp polarized? One blade wider than the other? Can you plug the plug into the wall receptacle in either direction?

I suspect I just need to find a proper place to run that ground wire...

I would not recommend connecting the chassis of the amp to earth ground.... It can cause more harm than good.