Has anybody never been able to solve a hum static problem with a phono pre amp?


I have had for years now a hum/static problem with my phono pre amp. I have not been able to listen to analog for too long a time. Let us just say for years. I have localized it to the phono pre amp when it is just attached to the pre amp and amps. Nothing to do with the head amp and turntable. I have tried 3 different models and it is the same problem. I have tried every single piece of info I have found on  audiogon and the internet. Cheater plugs, giving it its own socket, grounding it to every piece of equipment, moving it away from system, moving router, making sure connectors are shielded... I have even had two turntable experts from the NY tri state metro area come over and they cannot figure it out. This was not the case when I got it initially. It was dead quiet. But I changed my setup from a Toshiba black box to a flat screen TV and that’s when the problem started. That’s how long it has been. But to be honest I had that black box long after people had switched to flat screens. TV wasn’t that important to me. I sometimes think at the same time somebody in my apartment building or surrounding dense city area put up an antenna and it is causing interference about which I can do nothing. As I said I live in a large apartment building so I cannot rewire.

Has anybody else not been able to resolve this problem and had to give up on analog? Digital is perfect. It is so unfortunate because vinyl has an intoxicating compelling sound like nothing else.

roxy1927

It might have nothing to do with the new tv.  From what you have explained so far, my guess is that one of the cartridge clips is loose and that could be the answer, since this happens with both RCA and  XLR and with several different phono stages.  The other possibility, and this is unlkely, BUT - if this is a VPI turntable, some times the ground wire that runs to the ground lug on the phono stage may not be tightly connected to whatever VPI is using to attach that wire - I have had that happen and that can cause the problem as well.  If you can provide more info about the table/arm/cartridge, that would be helpful, but check the above conditions.  Good Luck and let us know.

All I have to do is turn on the phono stage then the pre amp and then my mono blocks and I get a clear hum and occasionally old fashioned radio static sounds. You know like the opening of an old RKO movie which come through my speakers. I can leave the turn table and head amp off and I get that sound from just the phono stage through the pre and amps to the speakers. 

Yes the only connection I can make is when I went from a very old Toshiba black box to a flat screen TV. I did have to get rid of one of those large almost bookcase like wooden units in which I had the Toshiba and got a table like stand for the new TV. I’m wondering what is picking up the noise. Could it be the plug wire? And yes it was with three separate units. Maybe I need to go to a dump and find an old Toshiba that works. I’ll watch TV on my computer. :)

I was using an Allnic H3000 which was working perfectly while I made the change then it went to hell when I changed things around. I stupidly sold it off when I figured I could never listen to vinyl again because I needed the money. Dumb. I then used a simple Pro-ject and now I tried again with a Schiit Mano 2. As I said my greatest fear is some signal coming from outside my apartment that for some reason the phono pre is picking up. It just happened to coincide with the changing of the TV. I have my components on two VTI racks but I have tried moving the phono stage away from them and even completely disengaging the router. Nothing changes the hum and static. 

I did order through Amazon a device which claims to eliminate hum which was suggested in an article but it only gets 4 stars out of 5. I have a tiny bit of hope but at least it will be easy to return if it doesn't help.

@roxy1927 Again, you need to list the equipment you're using and also how its connected and located. 

As I said I believe it has nothing to do with the turntable because I have isolated it to just the phono stage the pre amp and amp.

Now the turntable worked fine with the old TV.

 

VPI Superscoutmaster

3D tone arm

Koetsu Blue Lace Platinum

Phono stage? And when you tried balanced mode, was the preamp truly balanced circuit wise? Or did you just use XLR connectors? Anyway, picking up broadcasts is classic for RFI. Could be coming through the wiring in your apartment or over the air from the next apartment. As Atmasphere implied twice, the more details you provide, the more helpful will be the response you get. Think about whether something else changed around the time you changed TVs. Does this happen if you completely unplug the TV? Not just off but unplugged?