Tube Phonostage Causing Rumble and Noises

One issue with LP records is the need for the RIAA equalization curve. Due to the technical requirements of vinyl record recording, for playback, the RIAA curve boosts bass +20 dB and cuts high treble -20 dB to compensate for the polar opposite frequency adjustments made when the master was cut.  This means that rumble and any imperfections in the record will be magnified.

Over at the Propeller Head Plaza section at Audio Asylum (where geeky stuff is often discussed) a fellow posted some screen shots of spectrum analysis he did on various phono cartridges.  On one set of images, the 20 Hz background noise was about -70 to -80 dB, but when you dropped down to 10 Hz, the background noise increased to -39 to -48 dB.   Therefore, if you are running a subwoofer with a turntable and have a phone preamp & amp system that is linear in the sub-bass, it is very easy to end up with playback problems.

One more idle thought -- turntables are mechanical devices and subject to wear over time -- just like your car tires and anything else mechanical. Might be worth trying a different turntable or two (preferably relatively new) in your setup and see how that affects things. It could be you have a worn bearing or some other issue, such as a suspension problem, as others have mentioned.

@agharion "I get the rumble when the turntable is not in use."

You've got me confused. Until now I thought the thread was completely about rumble while playing LPs.  Here's a line from your original post: "As soon as a signal was passed from the phono, the sub went crazy, it produced some subsonic noise that made the room shake. I then connected the phono to a tube integrated amp and I heard a loud distorted noise through my LS 3/5A."

So, I'm not sure where you go from here. You've got a ton of suggestions so guess you just keep experimenting. Have you brought in a different phono preamp to find if the issue is still present?