Rotel 1068 wierd hum problem (1 Viewer)

[Andrew Pezzo]

Finally got my 1068 last night and hooked it up, unfortunately there was a pronounced hum coming from all the speakers.

Here is where it gets strange. The outlet I was using was the same outlet I was using with previous equipment and there was no hum then. In fact, the outlet itself and the surge protector I am using has less connections now than the prior setup. Just out of curiosity I hooked up the surge protector up to another outlet on the same wall and the hum was essentially gone. I could hear something that was extremely faint coming from the speakers but it was so inaudible I don’t know if that could be considered a "hum". I couldn’t hear it unless my ear was hard pressed against the woofer.

I am not sure what to do at this point. Based on what I have read it seems like its the 1068 but wouldn’t the hum have been there when I tried the other outlet? And if its not the 1068 why didn’t my previous setup have this problem?

Here are some details of my system to help figure out this problem:

Prior Setup:
Denon AVR-3803 (hooked up to surge protector)
Earthquake Cinenova 3 channel amp (hooked up to surge protector)
Sharp 36" TV (hooked up to surge protector)
Sony DVD and VCR (hooked up to surge protector)
Cable Box (hooked up to surge protector)
Def Tech CLR3000 (hooked up to surge protector)
Def Tech BP7001sc (one plugged into same outlet as surge protector)

New Setup:
Rotel 1068 (hooked up to surge protector)
Rotel 1075 (hooked up to surge protector)
Sharp 36" TV (hooked up to surge protector)
Sony DVD and VCR (hooked up to surge protector)
Cable Box (hooked up to surge protector)

The surge protector is a Monster Power HT800. As you can see there are several less things that need to be plugged in on the new setup since I don’t have powered speakers anymore. Should I return the 1068 and get a new one? Could it be the amp? Why is this happening now and not before? I would greatly appreciate any help.

BTW, in case anyone is wondering what brought about the change thats a different story for another day (a long stort at that dealing with small living space and WAF).

 

[Kevin. W]

Unhook everything from the surge protector and plug only the Rotels into initial socket and see what happens. If no hum occurs try it with only plugging the two pieces into the surge protector. If no hum occurs start adding back on piece at a time until the hum occurs. Make sure you disconnect the cable box from the surge as well as the tv cable from the set before you begin. I have a hunch this is the problem. If it removes the hum then its the cable box. You may want to check the connection in the wall socket. You may have a loose wire. If that isn't the problem then try useing the 12v trigger feature of the amp and pre/pro. Running the cable from the triggers may ground everything and remove the hum. If that doesn't work its time to have the Rotel checked at the dealer. Once you solve the problem I would suggest investing in a bigger surge protector for a setup like yours. If you want to stay in the Monster line, look at either the Monster PowerBars or Monster Powercenters.

Kevin

 

[Andrew Pezzo]

I will get a better surge protector at some point. After the recent purchases my bank account needs to recover a little. Thanks for the advice, I will try that.

Here is something else to further the confusion. I live in a condo and have a circuit breaker panel in my apartment. Sometime the power in the building will go out but not every outlet in my apartment. In fact, the outlet I want to use,the one with the hum, stays on during these power losses. The other oulet that doesnt hum will not work when the power goes out. I REALLY dont understand this since if some of the place loses power why doesnt my whole apartment. VERY stange.

 

[John Garcia]

Do a search, I believe there was a thread about humming plaguing some recent Rotels (I don't remember if it was Rotel or another manufacutrer, but I believe it was Rotel).

Next question - The FIRST thing you need to disconnect is the cable box. If the hum goes away, you could have a ground loop issue. I have a Panamax 5100 and it is not able to remove the ground-loop hum in my sub, which goes away when I disconnect my CATV connection from the wall. I have Comcast working on it today, finally.

Sounds like you have poor wiring in this apartment too...

 

[JasonBrandon]

1) Unplug everything

2) Plug in amp (with speakers connected) and see if it hums, if no

3) plug in 1068 and connect it to the amp and see if it then hums, if no

4) keep adding components until you find the source of the hum.

Then post the source of the hum and you will get some helpful suggestions

 

[Andrew Pezzo]

Wouldnt there be no hum since the amp isnt even connected, which would inlcude the speakers?

 

[John Garcia]

I'd plug in the amp, with no sources connected to it (with speakers, of course) to see if there is hum, then connect one source at a time, as noted, until you find where it is coming from. If it hums with no sources, your issue may be with the amp itself, or the outlet in question is not properly grounded, since you say the hum is not present on a different outlet.

 

[Kevin C Brown]

Go to www.htguide.com and look up the Rotel forum. I remember something about a hum problem with the 1068 if you run video through it. There is a fix too, if I remember.