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Ferrite beads/clamps as a tweak?

I've been reading that ferrite clamps can reduce RFI/noise on just about any cable - power cord, video RF cable, IC, etc.
Can they also hurt the sound? Why wouldn't you want these things on every IC, power cord, video cable, and so on - even household appliance cords like the fridge etc? Do they reduce RFI leaving the appliance or just entering the device?

It seems like putting these things all over the house would do a great deal to reduce noise. I don't have any specific interference problem except with cable and FM reception. Seems like an obvious idea for cheap system tweak.
gdoodle
bob_bundus
1,834 posts
 
on AC cords no perceived problems here...
on unbalanced interconnects; HF attenuation was an issue using Audioquest RF Stoppers
wepratt
29 posts
 
Over the years, I have used a varity of ferrite blockers/stoppers on power cords as well as interconnects. In my applications, they absolutely provided positive changes in that the noise floor was reduced. In using them however I had to "tune" the blocker/stopper to the best location on the cord/interconnect - to close to the source or to far away from the source resulted in too much or bloated bass or the sound suffered from compression. Once in the right spot on the cord/interconnect, they proved to be a most beneficial and economical tweak.
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
FWIW, on my Threshold FET nine/e preamp, circa 1992, the phono inputs use ferrite chokes. They are on the wires inside of the case, between the RCA jacks and the circuit board.
elizabeth
6,726 posts
 
Use them all over the place.
Too much and the high frequencies dip. (on interconnects)
On poweramps, too much and the bass gets "thin"
geoffkait's avatar
geoffkait
14,147 posts
 
don't like 'em around audio, but like 'em on power cords of appliances like fridge, 'puter, etc.
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