Yet another Hum problem


Okay, here goes. I have a Monster 2000 power center. The ground indicator light shows that the outlet into which it is plugged is grounded. Other surge protectors also show the same thing. I have a Rega Planar 25 with a Rega cartridge, I have a Musical Surroundings Phononome phono preamp, a Krell KAV300i, CAL Audio CL 20, a crappy VCR and a crappy TV with cable. Everything is plugged into the Monster. When I turn the volume up I have a steady hum when the phono is chosen as the source. When the volume is set at the typical level at which I listen to records, without music playing, the hum is not audible, or just barely audible, even with listening very close to the speakers. The hum is steady and audible as I turn up the volume towards the midway point. There is no hum with any other source selected. I unplugged everything from the power center except the Krell and the phono preamp and the hum was still present. I tried cheater plugs, a different turntable, a Creek integrated that I have and the hum is still present. I tried plugging the amp and the phono preamp directly into the wall socket and the hum is there. I also tried different cables but the hum persists. Should I ignore it since it isn't audible when I listen to music? Is something wrong with the preamp (the dealer told he would swap it) or is there something wrong with the wiring in the wall? (I live in an apartment building) Thanks for your input.
smwdrbf8f
There is the possibility the plugs on your interconnects are not terminated properly, and/or the cable connection inside the turntable. I had a similar problem once and re-terminating the connections solved it.
I had a similar problem, and the culprit turned out to be my crappy TV. The TV was of course connected to the VCR, which in turn was connected to my preamp. The problem occured after shipping my stuff to a new address. Once I unplugged the visual interconnect linking the TV and VCR, the hum disappeared. Your problem sounds like it may be different, but just thought I'd pass this on just in case. Good luck.
I had a similar problem, and I would check to see if when you have the hum in phono, that your CD is also powered on. If it is, try it with it off. Also, try moving some of the plug-ins if possible. Even if you have to use a power strip to extend something to a nearby outlet. It's a cheap and easy way to "isolate" your possible source of hum.
To add to this thread, I tried everything to get rid of hum. Power cord changes, ferrites, cable placement, filters, etc...Damned hum would diminish, but wouldn't go away completely. Drove me nuts listening to quiet passages, especially with my cherished vinyl. Took me six months to stumble across the source of the hum. The culprit? My DirectTV satellite dish. My audio system has nothing whatsoever to do with my video (the right way to go IMHO), BUT, my front end audio components share the same electrical circuit as my dish and television. Unplugged the dish, hum went away. The wife misses her movies, such is the price you pay, there's always the theatre nearby....Jeff