Weirdly Specific HUM issue


I have a pair of KEF LS50 Meta's driven by (2) Schiit Audio Lidar amps configured as monoblocks, coming through a Schiit Freya+ preamp. I use an Ompower EM1100 conditioner and Audioquest shielded power and interconnect cables.

I get a slight but noticeable hum in the Left speaker only (farthest from the preamp), but ONLY under these conditions:

Plugged into (powered on) power amp only (no source connection) - NO HUM
Preamp connected (balanced XLR) and powered ON - HUM
Preamp connected (balanced XLR) and powered OFF - HUM persists
Hum only stops when I physically disconnect the input from the preamp (same with both preamp output channels)
Thoughts? Why would the hum persist even with the preamp powered down?

Thanks in advance.

Ag insider logo xs@2xgwilmot

Showing 4 responses by fuzztone

@arcticdeth

News flash, it’s not the HDMI, it’s the cable.

Ground Loop Hum TV/Noise Eliminator https://a.co/d/dcVbGZg.

I doubt that any cables will affect ground hum.

@mijostyn

He did that and traced it to the Freya.

Now what say you?