How do I stop the speaker hum?

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GJSNeptune

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I noticed this first with my Klipsch ProMedia sub. It would start humming at a low frequency after a couple minutes of being on. I've read it's a grounding issue or something.

I sold my ProMedia set last month or so and got some Audioengine A5 speakers. They have a subtle hum as well. I'm using onboard audio right now, but plan on getting an audio interface early next year. I also need to get a UPS and/or VR for all my computer and audio equipment.

Is there a special device or cable I need? My computer stuff is connected to an APC surge protector, and my router, modem, and speakers are connected to a surge protector whose brand name I can't recall right now.
 
are the speakers close to each other?

it's definitely a grounding problem of some sort or it could be interference with another electronic device.

Move the speakers away from the computer a bit and see if that helps.

What kind of surge protector are you using to power everything.... get a nice Belkin or drop some cash on a Monster.... clean up the power coming in! :)
 
If I got the Tripp Lite IS250, I would then run two power strips (or would I still use surge protectors) from it? Or, whenever I get a UPS, would I connect the UPS to the IS250 and then run power strips/SPs from the UPS?

What does the 250W mean exactly? Does that affect how much equipment I can connect?
 
GJSNeptune said:
If I got the Tripp Lite IS250, I would then run two power strips (or would I still use surge protectors) from it? Or, whenever I get a UPS, would I connect the UPS to the IS250 and then run power strips/SPs from the UPS?

What does the 250W mean exactly? Does that affect how much equipment I can connect?
Click to expand...

Yeah it is a hum buster. I do not know if you could run a pc off of it though. The speakers for sure. It is the least expensive, "real" hum buster available imo. Metal and heavy. It comes recommended for digital gear like I said. I do not have hum issues though. Just got some crackling with my dac when it was plugged into my apc voltage regulator. My speaker amp is plugged straight into the wall with no problems.
 
Ah, I see.

What if I were to get this or a similar UPS? The product desc. states that it has AVR, so it would bust the hum while giving my computer and audio equipment clean power and backup power, right?

While 865W would be a bit more than I need currently, there's always room to grow.
 
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I used to get a hum with my onboard audio aswell with my Swan M200MKII's. Switched to a good audiophile grade soundcard fixed that right up. Its not always a power issue, onboard audio is just really that bad.
 
I had hum problems with all of my audio gear in my house, I bought a Monster power center, even though I'm not a big fan of the brand (I think they are overpriced), thier power products are well made and they work. Anyways, after I added the power center my hum was cut to the point I can only hear it with no music playing and the volume maxed with my ear about 6" from the speakers, made a huge difference for me. I guess they didn't wire my house for good sound quality back in 1958, hehe.
 
Hang on for a bit. I will ask my more talented friend about this. Admittedly, this is not something that I have a ton of experience with but he does.
 
If you haven't already, try plugging your speakers into the same surge protector as your computer.
 
I can try it, but I have them plugged into the SP that my router and modem are connected to because I turn it off every night, whereas my other SP is always on.
 
It seems unusual that the hum starts after the speakers have been on for a couple minutes. I'm far from an expert, but that doesn't seem like a ground loop issue.
 
The fact that the hum only starts after a couple of minutes pretty much eliminates onboard audio as the culprit as well, from my experience. When using onboard audio with higher end amps / speakers I generally keep the volume on the PC down very low and use the amp or the speaker's integrated amp to raise it to the level I want to listen at, to reduce distortion of the original signal. It's true that the pre-amps included on most motherboards are mediocre at best -- hence using digital output whenever possible, as that bypasses the pre--amps on the board.
 
It could start right away and not become audible for a couple minutes. I'm not sure. It was a lot louder with the ProMedia sub. With the A5s it's hard to hear it because I always have my computer running at the same time. Speaking of which, I know the ProMedia sub would hum with my computer off. Would that mean it isn't the onboard audio?

I do something similar with my volume. I turn down my computer's volume so it's just above mute, and then I adjust my speaker volume until it's barely audible. Then I know I can go low enough not to disturb any neighbors or my girlfriend, but it can also get pretty loud. The reason I do this is because I like to use my keyboard's volume dial to adjust volume. I've never really liked having to adjust volume using the speakers. I'm really lazy.

I'll mess around with it though.
 
Before trying any of the more costly possible solutions, try using another cable. It could simply be shielding issues.
 
Standard cheap house receptacles tend to wear down after 10 years and since mine were about 16 years old, they cause problems.

PS audio sells good ones, I've had one for one year now (all of my equip is hooked up to a great sp that's plugged into the ps audio receptacle, but we haven't replaced any others, so all of the other tv's are screwing up, but my parents don't really care, and neither do i since i don't use them) and it did take care of the issues i was having. Just make sure your house has all copper wiring, which it should, if it was built in the 80s or later.

Ground loop, aluminum wiring, or pigtailed wiring (i.e. aluminum mixed with copper) may be the cause, if your issue isn't due to a worn receptacle. Unfortunately, you'd have to tear the walls down your house over and buy a lot of copper wiring to replace the pigtailed or pure aluminum wiring. and then install that, then of course have to redo the walls. If that's the case, the better alternative would be buying a much newer house.

i know this sounds weird, but when i move out of my parents' house, the only 2 things that i'll require my next home to have is pure copper wiring and lightning rods. Couldn't be sane living in a house w/o 1 or both.

If your speakers are analog, then it's the onboard audio.

brownouts and surges (i.e. voltage fluctuations) may not be the issue.

BTW, the apc lc1200 (or is it LE1200?) may regulate voltage, but it actually caused more harm than damage to the tv that was plugged into it, so I thru it away about 1.5 years ago after using it for 6 months. They're inexpensive/cheap for a reason.

Line conditioners can also make things worse, if they don't use a true sine wave.
 
I moved from a 16-year-old house to a 19-year-old apartment complex. :D

The speakers are analog, but I'm pretty sure they hum when my computer is off.
 
Ori says to go look at ebay for used Tripplite IS250, LS604 or LC1200. I bought a new IS250 b/c my dac is my precious but used runs around $40 + shipping. I would get the beefiest one of these which you can afford. He also says not to bother with anything else in this price range.

APC is a no no. They stink.
 
What if I got one of these for all my computer and audio equipment?
1800W: http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-LC1800-Conditioner-Protection/dp/B0000514G8
1200W: http://www.amazon.com/Tripp-Lite-LC...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1229117543&sr=1-1

Not only do I have my speakers humming, but my new computer buzzes when I fire up a game. I'm still trying to figure out if it's the GTX 260, Corsair HX620, or even something on the motherboard. I'm almost positive it's the video card, so I'm going to power it with my HX520 from my other computer to see if it still buzzes. If it does, my only other option to try cleaning the power.
 
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Oh yeah. Sometimes my speakers emit an abrupt popping/buzzing/ sound. I've heard it a few times just before the heat kicks on, and a few times after the heat kicks off.

I also want a good UPS for my office. I don't need one with an LCD or one that'll keep my stuff running for half an hour. Just a few minutes so I can shut down manually.
 
Well one of the first things you can try in humming cases is to lift the ground pin. You can buy adapters for this sort of thing or, if it uses a normal ICE cord (like a computer cord) that's easy to get more of, just bust the ground pin off.

This often fixes it. You'd not think so, since the ground is ONLY supposed to be fore safety and tied to the case, but it happens all the time. Happens in my setup. My main power amp doesn't have a ground pin (many high end ones don't), my other two I've removed them.

Give that a try. If not, well all sorts of other things to look at, but start there.

As for an isolation transformer, sure you can give it a try. But try lifting the ground first. You may find it to be a much cheaper fix. Yes, it is technically a safety issue so you do need to consider that, however I wouldn't rate it as a major one.
 
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