USB wall outlets a source of noise in AC lines?


I've got a couple of these on the same mains circuit as my audio gear. I'm wondering if they generate any noise on the lines, since I guess they're just small switch-mode power supplies. If so, would they make the noise all the time, or only when something is plugged in?

Can't say as I'm hearing any noise or sound quality impact, but would appreciate any suggestions or thoughts.
john_g

Showing 1 response by john_g

A dedicated line just to my system would be great, but isn’t practical in this dwelling without tearing up a bunch of drywall. Fortunately the house was built in 2005 and has a 20-amp, 12 AWG dedicated circuit just for outlets in the listening room, and I can ensure that nothing else is plugged into them. And just yesterday I made sure that circuit was fed from the top breaker in the panel, which is supposed to have benefits as well.

So I just removed the USB outlets and things sound good, possibly better. Took one of them apart and found it contains, as you might expect, several capacitors, a small transformer, and a couple of PC boards. So far as I can tell the internal workings are not "switched on" by insertion of a USB plug. I'd post pictures but I don't know how to do it on this board.

So, who knows? A cheap tweak, anyway.