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Tons of buzzing, need help!

post #1 of 14
6/26/07 at 11:31pm
Thread Starter 
So I unpacked all of my things into my room and got it all nice and set up. I plugged my RS-1 into my RA-1 and I got this weird buzzing noise whenever I handled the knob. Turns out, it goes up when the volume is increased too! I open it up and touch the capacitors... BUZZ! But something weird happened... when I put my hands on the RCA plugs in the back, there was zero noise... and same thing if I touch the RCAs while they are plugged in! Can anyone help me out as to how to make the buzzing go away?
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post #2 of 14
6/26/07 at 11:50pm
Sounds like a ground is loose. Probably from moving. Are the rca inputs or the headphone jack loose. If so, tighten it. If you have a spare pair of ic's, switch them. Past that, it's time to open it up and fiddle with any wiring while listening at a low level.
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post #3 of 14
6/27/07 at 12:06am
Sounds like a grounding problem.
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post #4 of 14
6/27/07 at 1:39am
Thread Starter 
Alright, I'll try those out. I'm not much of a DIYer, someone else made this for me, but I know that just simply touching the RCA INTERCONNECTS when plugged in fixed everything. I'll fiddle around and see what I can figure out~
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post #5 of 14
6/27/07 at 3:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by iPatcH View Post
Alright, I'll try those out. I'm not much of a DIYer, someone else made this for me, but I know that just simply touching the RCA INTERCONNECTS when plugged in fixed everything. I'll fiddle around and see what I can figure out~
I also have this problem on some of my headamps. I touched RCA jack and the buzzing was gone. BUT I found that the sound was clearer and brighter when not touch the jack. Have you tested this? kindly give me your result.
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post #6 of 14
6/27/07 at 4:55am
Hi, iPatcH. Looks like you made it to MO. Good luck with your pursuits!
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post #7 of 14
6/27/07 at 2:27pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by chat7 View Post
I also have this problem on some of my headamps. I touched RCA jack and the buzzing was gone. BUT I found that the sound was clearer and brighter when not touch the jack. Have you tested this? kindly give me your result.
I get minimal buzzing when I don't touch the amp or anything. It gets louder and more noticeable as I crank up the volume, touching the knob makes it go crazy. So when I get to my preferred volume, there is always a buzz going on. Touching the jacks, does not effect the sound at all, except how it removes the buzzing.
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post #8 of 14
6/27/07 at 2:45pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by iPatcH View Post
I get minimal buzzing when I don't touch the amp or anything. It gets louder and more noticeable as I crank up the volume, touching the knob makes it go crazy. So when I get to my preferred volume, there is always a buzz going on. Touching the jacks, does not effect the sound at all, except how it removes the buzzing.
Is there any play in the RCA jacks? Possible that they've twisted in the chassis? It sounds like an internal grounding problem to me but you can always try floating the ground on your AC cord (cheater plug) to check. These problems often require a process of elimination in order to figure out where the problem lies. You might want to start with the AC cord and then the jacks since they're accessible and seem central to the noise.

best,

o
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post #9 of 14
6/27/07 at 2:52pm
Thread Starter 
I should mention, it runs on two 9-volts. I did test to see if it was the batteries, so I switched them out, no success. I think it has to do with my living situation, because if I walk around 10-20 feet from my room the buzzing goes away.
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post #10 of 14
6/27/07 at 2:56pm
looks like you got ground loop problem. It is very common.

Here's the cause and solution

http://www.epanorama.net/documents/g...oop/index.html
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post #11 of 14
6/27/07 at 3:32pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by dvw View Post
looks like you got ground loop problem. It is very common.

Here's the cause and solution

http://www.epanorama.net/documents/g...oop/index.html
The odds of a ground loop problem on a battery powered amp are very small But if you try using your Zen on battery with the batter powered amp, and it buzzes, then you KNOW it's not a ground loop issue. There will be, in fact, no path to ground. It's possible though, that if you are using it with a plugged in CD player (or laptop), that YOU are the source of the ground loop, since the buzzing occurs when you touch the chassis. Try wearing rubber soled shoes and make sure you aren't touching anything else, and then touch the amp and see if it still buzzes.

It's more likely some sort of RFI problem, since you indicate if you move around the room it stops. I assume you have tried putting the amp somewhere else in the room, far away from any other electronic device? I have seen the insides of that Grado amp, and it certainly isn't shielded at all.
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post #12 of 14
6/27/07 at 3:50pm
Like most here, sounds like a grounding issue to me. If all of your connections are secure and in place, you may need a ground loop isolator. I don't know of any for the audiophile, but there are some generic ones available. Google will reveal some results.

~Zip

Edit: Missed one of your posts, as Skylab has suggested, it appears to be a RFI issue. What all do you have plugged into the outlets? What is below or above you? Is the mains circuit breaker or telephone lines near your room? How old is the house? You may want an electrician to investigate the wiring if it is an older home. The electrical code is a work in progress, what was fine 20 years ago is against the law now.
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post #13 of 14
6/27/07 at 4:06pm
Thread Starter 
I fixed it.



I discovered while getting buzz with the knob if I touched the RCA jacks the buzz would go away. Soooo, I made myself the new ground for my amp. I created a foil path from the jack, under the case lid, then to my POT's "core" under the knob, now I get zero buzz, and when I touch it, I figure I'm the new ground and no buzz!
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post #14 of 14
6/27/07 at 6:53pm
Good job.
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