How to fix hum extended

I clicked off the breaker and it improved but didn’t go away. I am ripping them off.

How do I calculate how large of a powerplant I need?

It could be a loose wire connection in the breaker box.

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Your equipment will have specs listing their consumption. When I bought mine, I called PS Audio and asked them. They were very helpful.

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and it wouldn’t be the first one. Already had that on the 220 for the car. I’m, getting in there tomorrow. THANKS

Dimmers ripped out of the wall. Still have a cycling noise (mids and lows) present with nothing else on and no RCA’s on the input to the amps.

ARGH What the heck is it.

I have not followed your travails so sorry if this has been asked and answered:

Do you have any appliances or HVAC system components on the same circuit(s) as your Hi-Fi system?

Good luck.

Might try turning other circuits off in circuit breaker box one by one not on same circuit as HiFi.

Hello Scotte and thanks for taking the time to help on this most frustrating journey. By design I have 4 separate breaker boxes on the new house to keep motorized equipment on different circuits.

I am tracing wiring into breaker boxes to make sure nothing escaped. Per the labels on the boxes EXCEPT FOR my computer networks, low voltage systems nothing else is on the same box (not circuit). The switches have cooling fans inside, those are the only motors on adjacent circuits.

I use 3 Pakedge network switches as they were reportedly the quietest ones. One of them sounds like a turbine (argh) and I’m thinking of opening it up, disconnecting its internal fan and install a remote ducted fan into it. The " server room" is adjacent to the music room but there is a double studded wall with blown insulation separating the rooms (wall is 12" thick). I am covering most every wall with foam padding to absorb noise.

Now this is audible noise and not noise on the power lines which is what I’m having problems with.

ALL lights on the house are LED, that might be adding to the problem. However, with the lighting breaker tripped I still have the hum.

VMAX THANKS for the suggestion,

Doing that later today. I have already disconnected the interconnects, all sources, all other amps, subwoofers etc. FYI, subwoofers are on a separate system for movies.

I do have various wine coolers, beverage centers, refrigerators and vent fans.

I’ll report later today

Once you find culprit. Consider one of these tto its power cable.

My mind is blown. I have switched off EVERY circuit in the house (6 panels) except for the music room receptacles.

Noise remains…

Must check to see if one of the air handlers is fed by the main panel by the power meter. I think that panel is 600 amps.

I have I not disconnected:

  • generator transfer switch (GENERAC 30k)
  • whole house surge suppressor (Siemens)
  • perhaps one a/c compressor that I think pulls from the main panel (mentioned above)

AC volts on outlets 125.2 to 125.5

What else?

FYI the only connected on the music room outlets are 2 tube amps. Noise is present on both (when both one, one on one off)

Also, interconnects to amps are removed

Bizarre. Surge suppressor?

FYI outlets are hospital grade. Power cables are Audioquest

Could it be the crossover on the Betas?

The amps just returned from Manley and have a clean bill of health

I have not read every post in this thread. Is it safe to assume you have eliminated the amplifiers and/or their tubes as a possible source of the hum?

Obviously yours,

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Are your AC lines dedicated to the stereo. It might be worth while run an extension cord to outlet on a different circuit

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Scotte. Yes based on them just returning from Manley for a checkup refurb (they replaced 2 tubes and tested everything; no issues and on spec).

They are. I’ll try that.

FYI the power meter is one of those “smart ones”. Read somewhere they are prone to noise ?

You might try switching some of the tubes up to make sure they are seated properly and to determine if you can get the hum to swap channels or otherwise sound different (e.g., increase or attenuate)…

Just grasping at straws on your behalf here…

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Thanks Scotte

I swapped tubes left to right with no change :unamused: (except for different bias).

One thing I note is my power at 125 which seems high.

I’m observing to see if the noise changes with time of day (power line usage).

Further attempts:

Even with nothing else connected to the power circuit in the room, interconnects removed and every other breaker in the house tripped, I have a rhythmic hum on the speakers (low frequency) which coincides with changes in brightness of the EL34 tubes (blue fluorescence changes). Also bias changes in rhythm with the noise.

There are no ground loop issues (no noise except for this noise and the noise remains with nothing else connected, no interconnects). Also, problem happens on each amp even when only one of them is powered up and connected.

I also swapped tubes, outlets, connected to a remote circuit on the house (100 foot extension cord). I changed the breaker to a CAFCI breaker and checked all ground connections and ground rod.

I’m left to think I have an issue with incoming power (which FYI ranges from 125.1 to 125.4 volts).

I have tried HumX and also iFi Ground defenders with no improvement. I’m thinking I must have DC coming in and have ordered a Decware Zen Line Conditioner (long lead time) and a couple of VanAlstine Humdingers.

FYI, the amps don’t have a mechanical noise (that I can tell).

Also, waiting for the power company to come over and check their transformer and my wiring.