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  #21  
Old 12-01-2022, 06:34 PM
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FreddieFerric FreddieFerric is offline
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Originally Posted by prepress View Post
I realized that, since having made the most recent changes in the setup I'd been paying attention to the right channel only. This evening, I re-positioned the TT power cord again slightly, and connected the tonearm cable to the MC input. The hum is in both channels, but I turned the volume dial up to 43 before any hum was clearly audible. With no connection you get the standard noise you might expect, too low to be bothersome unless you put your ear next to the speaker. I repeated this with the MM input, and got up to about 48 before hum was audible, again from both channels and almost too low to be audible unless the ear is right up to the speaker; I'd not likely hear it at my listening position (about 9.5 ft. away) at normal listening volumes. In both scenarios, with no music playing and me positioned between the speakers, the hum was barely audible.

Still connected to the MM, I put a record on and could not hear noise or hum at a volume of 44; the music drowns it out if it's still there. By contrast, before I re-positioned the power supply the hum was loud enough to compete with the music (and in the right channel only). I may just reroute the tonearm cable, which does run near a power cord or two, or the power supply's power cord, which is longer and surrounded by other power cords, and call it a day. For all I know this was a problem that existed before, but wasn't noticed because it wasn't loud enough.

Problem not solved, but mitigated significantly when considering where it started.
From what you're describing it sounds like your TT cables (IC's and/or power) is picking up some stray magnetic field or other static likely being produced from some of the other cables. This exact type of noise has happened to me on my TT setup multiple times.

I've worked tirelessly to get all cables and ground wire completely isolated from every other cable and power cord in the system. When those efforts pay off (as they are now) the TT setup is extremely quiet considering the phono pickup is basically a live transmitter, similar to a guitar pickup.

Keep at it, you'll get it sorted.
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  #22  
Old 12-02-2022, 04:23 PM
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Quote:
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Cool that you've figured it out. For what it's worth, if you find you can't get all cables separated from power cables, try Shunyata's Dark Field Minis. They're relatively inexpensive (about $150 for a 12 pack) and can be very effective at creating separation between cables (but not as elevators). Attachment 68442
Agreed. They work great for that. And, even separating the cables "a little bit" can make a notable difference. Here the inverse-square law helps us out.
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  #23  
Old 12-02-2022, 06:39 PM
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There is another piece to the puzzle which I just realized (literally). Could the main issue be the power supply itself, not the power cords? I didn't have this problem with either of my previous tables, a VPI HW-19 Mk IV and a Dual CS-5000 before that. What those tables have in common is internal power supplies. The hum was the worst with the SOTA's power supply next to my cable box; having put it back where it was before seems the major factor in the improvement. The differences after re-orienting the TT's cord weren't as substantial by comparison.

I'd like to see if I can get rid of the hum completely, even if I won't hear it (most likely) when I play records. I know it's there now, and that's going to annoy me. I hope to find a spot for the power supply that's as far away as possible from other equipment chassis and yet practical; that may not be easy due to the system setup, but I'll give it a shot. And I'll still re-orient the tonearm cable, and take a look at those Shunyatas maybe, if nothing works. They look like they can do a decent job of separating cables. Do they do a good job with interconnects too?
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Last edited by prepress; 12-02-2022 at 06:41 PM.
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  #24  
Old 12-02-2022, 07:55 PM
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It could absolutely be the power supply. Can your dealer swap on out for you?
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  #25  
Old 12-02-2022, 08:13 PM
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They look like they can do a decent job of separating cables. Do they do a good job with interconnects too?
Yes, any cable.
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  #26  
Old 12-02-2022, 09:48 PM
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Do you have a dimmer switch in that room and LED lights?
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  #27  
Old 12-03-2022, 12:29 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prepress View Post
There is another piece to the puzzle which I just realized (literally). Could the main issue be the power supply itself, not the power cords?
Yes.
Quote:
Originally Posted by prepress View Post
I'd like to see if I can get rid of the hum completely, even if I won't hear it (most likely) when I play records. I know it's there now, and that's going to annoy me. I hope to find a spot for the power supply that's as far away as possible from other equipment chassis and yet practical; that may not be easy due to the system setup, but I'll give it a shot. And I'll still re-orient the tonearm cable, and take a look at those Shunyatas maybe, if nothing works. They look like they can do a decent job of separating cables. Do they do a good job with interconnects too?
Yes.
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  #28  
Old 12-03-2022, 10:17 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by prepress View Post
I'd like to see if I can get rid of the hum completely, even if I won't hear it (most likely) when I play records.
Again, there are tubes in the signal path. Have not read where you've swapped them out. Talk to Jon at the Tube Store and ask him what he recommends for your preamp for quiet tubes. You may be listening to the latent hum from the heaters in your tubes.
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  #29  
Old 12-03-2022, 01:50 PM
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If it is the external power supply, are you using balanced cables? Balanced detection should reject most external hums (its purpose in life). You can get single ended to balanced if needed(for cheap try monoprice, then upgrade if they help). I used this (RCA to balanced) to eliminate a ground hum in the media room that I could not get rid of otherwise.
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  #30  
Old 12-04-2022, 08:56 AM
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Problem solved.

While the power supply was the initial culprit, and re-positioning it got rid of the worst hum, it didn't get rid of all the hum. Re-positioning the tonearm cable did; that last, low-level hum I was experiencing is gone.

I re-positioned the tonearm cable so it has no contact with any PC except a 90° crossing of the preamp's PC. I turned on the TT, preamp, and my amps, again using the MM input. NO HUM, even with the volume up to 81; just the usual noise one might expect, barely audible at the listening position, and inaudible at normal listening level (mid-40s). I didn't try a record, as I didn't think it necessary based upon my previous test results. I did move the power supply backward a few inches but doubt that had anything to do with my latest results.

We'll see what occurs when I actually play a record, but based on these new results I don't expect an issue.
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