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.

gwilmot

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?