Them friggin toasters.
Classic Over-reaction!
So today I was listening to a new vintage LP that had just arrived. And when I switched cables from my phono stage to my Hegel 160 integrated - just to note sonic differences between cables -- I noticed that all of a sudden - for the first time - a noticeable hum was emanating from the Hegel’s transformer.
Crap. What now?
I switched back to the original cables. Nothing. The hum was still there.
I tried different tubes in the phono stage. Nothing. The hum was still there.
I unplugged the Hegel from the wall outlet and plugged it into the power strip. Nothing. The hum was still there. I switched everything off in despair and moped upstairs for dinner.
Where I noticed the toaster oven was on. Hmmm. A few minutes later the toaster oven dinged and turned off and I went downstairs, turned the Hegel on, and the hum was gone.
Sigh....
Crap. What now?
I switched back to the original cables. Nothing. The hum was still there.
I tried different tubes in the phono stage. Nothing. The hum was still there.
I unplugged the Hegel from the wall outlet and plugged it into the power strip. Nothing. The hum was still there. I switched everything off in despair and moped upstairs for dinner.
Where I noticed the toaster oven was on. Hmmm. A few minutes later the toaster oven dinged and turned off and I went downstairs, turned the Hegel on, and the hum was gone.
Sigh....
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Hey I was rearranging things on one of the shelves of my rack today knocked my Aries Mini off the shelf where it dangled by the digital cable. Rescued the Mini it's fine but my digital cable wont pass a signal. Let me tell you how many hours and reconnections of equipment it took before that finally dawned on me. Sigh. |
@simao TBD I opened the barrel of the connector and inside there was epoxy or glue or something. I took it to my local hifi shop confirmed it wasn't passing a signal but their tech wasn't there so I left it with them. Also fired off an email to the US importer it's from Jorma Design pretty sure they're in Belgium. I bought it used not at the shop i took it. |
Good points all. I have a dedicated "home-run" line from the breaker box to my dedicated listening room. I still have some issues with hum depending on which culprit (dishwasher, timer, washing machine, dryer, hair-dryer, toaster, microwave oven, fluorescent lights) are being used by the normal members of my household. Sigh... Tom |
If you can plug this in to the same outlet as the toaster you may find it will not be a problem any longer. The... Audio Prism Quietline. http://www.audioprism.com/quietline.html |
+1 for Bill Peloquin. I have 4 dedicated circuits and had a constant hum. I tried the switching of cables, turning everything in the house off, one switch at a time...I finally started looking into power re generators and conditioners. I bought a PS Audio Dectect and the problem is solved. No toasters were involved. |
@tomic601 , wish I could, no space available. An excellent suggestion, thank you. My "problem" really isn't much of one. Just my wife and I, (kids are grown and gone), my listening is typically on Saturday mornings for an hour or two, the AC is super clean at that time, no hum at all 99% of the time. @atmasphere , best comment on this thread, as usual. Thank you. Tom |
