Getting rid of the hum/buzz?

[Mike Anderson]

Any tips on getting rid of the hum/buzz that I get when I hook up the sound from my TV to my stereo rig?

I'm 99% sure this is due to a ground loop from my cable hookup. I tried one of these isolation transformers from Parts Express:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=180-075

And sure enough, that eliminated the hum -- but now I can't get half the channels! (It's digital cable, BTW.)

Other ideas?

thanks

[PeruvianSkies]

Well, is it an older model cable box? Often times (Comcast especially) will give you a older model unless you ask for a newer one, like an HD box. They figure that most people don't care, but some of us do. So check to see if you can get a newer box. If that doesn't work than another solution will have to be worked out.

[Mike Anderson]

It's Comca$t alright, and I guess the box is about a year and a half old. Not HD.

I suspect I'd have to pay extra for a HD box, right? Will that definitely take care of the ground loop problem?

[Woochifer]

If you have outlets in your room that are hooked into a different electrical circuit, you could also try plugging the rig into a different outlet and see if that works. I had a similar issue with ground loops forming with the subwoofer whenever I plugged my printer into my laptop (my sub is plugged into a different circuit from the rest of the system). I temporarily worked around this issue by running the laptop off the battery for printing, and later on I moved the printer to a different outlet that does not create these ground loops. You might want to experiment with different outlets first, and if that doesn't work, call the cable company and see if they have any solutions.

[Robert-The-Rambler]

Any tips on getting rid of the hum/buzz that I get when I hook up the sound from my TV to my stereo rig?

I'm 99% sure this is due to a ground loop from my cable hookup. I tried one of these isolation transformers from Parts Express:

http://www.partsexpress.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?&Partnumber=180-075

And sure enough, that eliminated the hum -- but now I can't get half the channels! (It's digital cable, BTW.)

Other ideas?

thanks

This one handles the hum from your cable wire. It connects before the input into the box. It should help a lot. It has a high frequency capability so HDTV works without any problems. I think you lost some channels because it does not support a high enough frequency.

http://axiomaudio.com/groundisolator.html

[Mike Anderson]

If you have outlets in your room that are hooked into a different electrical circuit, you could also try plugging the rig into a different outlet and see if that works. I had a similar issue with ground loops forming with the subwoofer whenever I plugged my printer into my laptop (my sub is plugged into a different circuit from the rest of the system). I temporarily worked around this issue by running the laptop off the battery for printing, and later on I moved the printer to a different outlet that does not create these ground loops. You might want to experiment with different outlets first, and if that doesn't work, call the cable company and see if they have any solutions.

Yes, I tried different outlets, wasn't any help.

I'm going to try a cheaper isolation transformer I found at P.E. If that doesn't work, I'll call the cable company, and if that doesn't work, I'll try the slightly more expensive transformer linked in the post above.

Thanks for the help.

[Rock789]

from your link...
this product is completely passive and will not affect your cable tv signal strength.
perhaps a call to parts express or to your cable company may solve this...

[Mike Anderson]

^^^ I saw that too, but clearly it's affecting the cable signal. Maybe it isn't affecting the strength of the signal, but it's screwing up something else!

Also, that doesn't say whether it applies to digital cable.

[Woochifer]

Yes, I tried different outlets, wasn't any help.

I'm going to try a cheaper isolation transformer I found at P.E. If that doesn't work, I'll call the cable company, and if that doesn't work, I'll try the slightly more expensive transformer linked in the post above.

Thanks for the help.

And if all fails, there's always satellite! :D

[westcott]

And if all fails, there's always satellite! :D

Amen to that!!

I have used them all, and right now, I have to give Dish Network the nod. The new MPEG4 decoders blow Directv and cable away! The domination of programming is also why I switched to Dish from Directv.

I have even heard rumors that cable may drop video support altogether because of bandwidth limitations of the technology.

P.S. I will make somebody a great deal on two HD receivers and triple LNB dishes from Directv. One set is still in the box. Both sets have the cards.