unknown ANNOYING noise coming through my turntable set-up
callktulu
Member Posts: 3,451 ✭✭✭
And no, it's not just my choice in music! 😛😅
Before getting into the details, this is my set-up: TURNTABLE --> PRE-AMP --> BLUTOOTH XMITTER --> BT RECEIVER/HEADPHONES.
When I originally got the whole system set up, it was in a TV cabinet, the turntable on one shelf, with the pre-amp & xmittter on the shelf above. As far as I can remember, I wasn't hearing the noise... then we moved the set-up to our bedroom, with everything on our dresser.
I'm pretty sure that's when I started hearing the noise, which is a very high-pitched "warble." It may seem weird, but the best way I can describe it is to compare it to an old, OLD Buck Rogers or Flash Gordon ray-gun sound effect. When the turntable is ON, I can barely tap the needle arm assembly - or even just the TT itself - and the noise will appear, but just for a few seconds, then fade out. It's coming from some sort of vibration, right?
And then I actually set the needle down on a record, it's a constant warble. Again, something coming through vibration, right? For the most part it's drowned out by the sound of the actual music, but my audiophile ears still hear it, especially between songs or during quiet songs.
Now here's where it gets a little interesting... If I bypass the the BT xmitter and plug my headphones directly into the pre-amp, the sound is virtually gone, if not completely. I had to turn the pre-amp's gain all the way to 11 to hear anything (without actually touching the needle to the record).
Am I picking up overflow noise from the RCA and signal wires? And (as you'll see in pics shortly) the TT is grounded to the pre-amp (I think I did it right, anyway). Here's all the pics...
The turntable and it's "out" side:
Here's the pre-amp (sorry, I rotated them several times, but the GB uploader keeps displaying them sideways):
And here's the BT Transmitter:
Any ideas or suggestions? If it's interference, why didn't I hear the noise before? Do I need to re-adjust/balance the TT arm? HELP PLEASE!!
Comments
Near any fluorescent lights with a ballast?
Negative. That's along mine line of thinking, too: electrical/signal interference leaking thru...
Do I need to get insulated RCA cables?
Could it be something bleeding through from your neighbors? How close are they?
Any Bluetooth enabled phones or computers near the set up?
No, we live in a house, and our closest neighbor is at least 25 yards away.
As far as other BT devices around, yes there are some. I always turn off my phone's BT when I enable the TT's BT xmitter, otherwise the headphones connect to my phone instead.
However, and again.... I wasn't hearing this noise before when I first set up the system after Christmas. It's only since I moved the entire set-up to my bedroom. But I moved it back out from the bedroom to the original set-up position, and it's still making the noise. 😒😔
LCD lighting is also different from old standard bulb applications. My downstairs bathroom in the basement has a setting for the lighting system to activate with motion. When I replaced the standard 5 bulb over the mirror with LCD bulbs, the lighting went into "strobe" mode instead of just turning on when motion is detected.
I wonder if they could also be causing some kind of interference with your turn table??
Yes perhaps. But again... I'm 99.999% sure I wasn't hearing it before I moved the whole system to a second location. Now I'm back in the original position, and I still hear the noise.
got a lot of wires or plumbing in the wall??? that wasn't on the living room wall
Is this ground wire connected to the other device as a ground? Or, are both devices connected to an actual ground?
Try removing the cartridge assembly from the arm, reseat the tiny wires on back of the cartridge and reassemble.
So the grounding wire goes from the turntable directly to the grounding connection on the pre-amp. Is that wrong? Should it be going to something else? And if so, what?
But again... this is how it was set up originally, without the noise being present....
Thanks, I'll try that!
These are the limit of my troubleshooting ideas. You might also try a line filter.
How to Ground a Stereo Receiver (techwalla.com)
Thanks for this FDC! Please allow me to clarify my original statement on my set-up...
I am using wired headphones, they're just plugged into a little BT receiver. It's how I listen to music on my phone, as well. And I have by-passed the Hosa BT xmitter and plugged my wired headphones directly into the pre-amp. The noise almost completely goes away when I do that. Problem solved, right? Except I lose any tone control that I gained from my little BT receiver (it has 4 different sound settings). Otherwise, I'm getting just the "flat" signal directly from the record/turntable.
As far as your points to the USB cable, that's just the power line for the pre-amp. I could have also ordered an actual power line, but Sweetwater didn't think it was necessary since you can just use a standard USB. I'm not saying your theory is correct, just clarifying my set-up.
And to answer your line-out RCA question... The RCA cables OUT from the pre-amp are the signal going to the Hosa BT xmitter. In fact, those "out" RCAs actually go into a 3.5mm line first, then into the Hosa (it's the wiring the Hosa came with). I'm all for buying some insulated RCA cables for both the TT out and pre-amp out/Hosa in, but I don't know if they make that kind for the Hosa in.
Regardless, THANK YOU again, FDC, and I'll try these things.
Like @iceracerx and @Flying Clay Disk , I think it's a grounding problem. Most likely the fact you have a floating ground, I think if you were to keep those two devices connected together as you have them (assuming there is good continuity in the connection) it's still possible for them to be floating relative to actual ground. There is a lot of static electricity in a vinyl disc. It leaves me wondering if the cord for your turntable is three prong and if the new outlet is properly grounded, if it is. If it is not, that's likely your problem, and you will want to run a second line from one of those connection points to ground in your home's electrical wiring. As FCD said bluetooth is a noisy signal, so it's just boosting/contributing to what's already there. It's very likely the noise goes away when you plug in head phones because you're creating an earth ground path when you do.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
Ah, gotcha! Yes, that all makes sense, thanks!
***I FIGURED IT OUT!!!***
First of all, thanks for all the responses and advice! I truly appreciate all the ideas, and I learned from it, so that's always a plus.
Anyway, I finally figured out what was different from my initial set-up (before I heard the noise) and what's different now. It was the USB power cable for the Hosa BT xmitter. Fortunately, it doesn't need to be plugged in all the time, so I can charge it between listenings, and just unplug it when it's music time.
Again, thank you!
Oh, side note... the ground is working properly as I had originally set it up. As soon as I removed the ground cable from its termination into the pre-amp, I got all sorts of ungodly noises coming thru the system. So grounding from the TT to the pre-amp is a functioning ground...
I am disappointed a gun was not involved in the solution.
And fiery auto crashes
Some will die in hot pursuit
While sifting through my ashes
Some will fall in love with life
And drink it from a fountain
That is pouring like an avalanche
Coming down the mountain
You may need to go from analogue to digital signal of course they say playing records have better sound quality but if it's humming all the time then the only other thing to do fine a better converter and check your 120 volt electrical wires as a culprit also transformers feeding the signal.
serf
Look, just because I didn't post about it doesn't mean it didn't happen! 😉
I feel like you replied after reading reading only the first post and not the whole thread...🤔
😁😁😁