Is a dimmer noisy when it's turned OFF?


Friends, my wife wants to add a rheostat to the dining room ceiling lamp. I know that dimmers are big sources of electrical noise, could will it have any effect on my listening room power when it's turned completely off? Just want to be sure.
cymbop
I have halogens on dimmers, and yes they caused hell with my system when i had them "on". The level of buzz and hum introduced into the sound varied with the amount of dimming used. It was VERY audible. Lutron, and Leviton both make a nifty gadget called a "de-buzzing" coil. I believe it's called a coloital coil or something like that. Mounts anywhere, wires inline between the dimmer and the power source. My problem was solved! They run about $100 and are worth their weight in gold. Absolutely NO noise whatsoever no matter how high (or low) the lights are dimmed. (I have 800 watts of halogen bulbs on track lites to illuminate my art work, and not a peep out of lites or stereo.) Lamps Plus sells these "de-buzzing" coils. And NO, you should not get any noise in your sound system if the dimmers/bulbs are completely turned off. Only when they're on do the seem to cause problems. Good luck.
no need for dimmers if you use corner lighting. Ikea has paper column style standing lamps. they have switches that sit on the floor and just a step turns them on. place in the corners the shed low diffused light. they can also act as sound treatments in the corners as well. nice trick.
=> http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/30232225

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No , dimmers do not add noise when off . For that matter I haven't experienced any noise when they are on . I think it would take very sensitive equipment and a bats ear to hear any noise .
I agree with Tmsorosk, I have dimmers and hear nothing audible through the system.
Some dimmers do in fact make noise that's clearly audible in some systems. We went through 3 or 4 dimmers before stumbling on one that didn't make noise in ours.

Same with transformers (as for 12V lighting systems).

To assert that the phenomenon doesn't exist based on a single experience is no more valid than if I asserted that the phenomenon must always exist based on my single experience (which of course I don't). The varying experiences posted on this thread evidence the reality, which is YMMV.