Line/Monitor Noise?

[chasemac]

I am hoping someone can help me so here it is. I have a set of Event Tuned Reference 8 monitors running through a Digi002 rack. There is a light staticky noise from them that is irritating me like ah get out. I think that it is picking up the clock cycle from my mac or something. Is there a line conditioner or something that can eleminate this noise? It's driving me nuts!

 

[zimv20]

have you done any experimenting to find the source? for example, you could turn off the mac and see if that changes the noise signature.

 

[chasemac]

have you done any experimenting to find the source? for example, you could turn off the mac and see if that changes the noise signature.

Yes, if I have it turned off then the noise is a lot less. Also, I have plugged the monitors up to different power strips and have had a little less noise on one then the other but it is still there.

 

[zimv20]

what about the cabling? good quality? separated from power and data cables? is everything running off the same circuit?

i'm not trying to talk you out of power conditioning, just eliminating some variables.

 

[chasemac]

what about the cabling? good quality? separated from power and data cables? is everything running off the same circuit?

i'm not trying to talk you out of power conditioning, just eliminating some variables.

I'm using, I think good qualtiy balanced 1/4 cabling for the monitors I picked up from Guitar Center a few years ago. I do have the montiors plugged into a fully occupied strip (Display,HD,PC etc.) that is separate from the mac & 002 rack. I have an array of electrical devices in a fairly small room and it leads me to think I need something to reduce this interference.

 

[zimv20]

these separate power strips, are they running off the same circuit? if not, that could lead to issues.

organize your cables such that like run in parallel, but any crossing occurs perpendicularly. also try switching out power strips, as i've found that some with the supposedly fancy filtering / surge protection / etc., which is just cheap electronics, actually interfere with the signal.

you could also try switching out those analog cables. perhaps they're not well shielded. GC carries mogami now, that's what i've got going to my monitors.

 

[chasemac]

these separate power strips, are they running off the same circuit? if not, that could lead to issues.

organize your cables such that like run in parallel, but any crossing occurs perpendicularly. also try switching out power strips, as i've found that some with the supposedly fancy filtering / surge protection / etc., which is just cheap electronics, actually interfere with the signal.

you could also try switching out those analog cables. perhaps they're not well shielded. GC carries mogami now, that's what i've got going to my monitors.

The strips are plugged into the same outlet set if that is what you mean by circuit. I will look into your suggestions. I may try to borrow another set of monitor cables to see if there is a difference. I'll post the outcome as I figure it out. Thank you for your help

 

[zimv20]

The strips are plugged into the same outlet set if that is what you mean by circuit.

yes, that'll be the same circuit. somewhere in your house/apartment is the circuit breaker box (or fuse box), which will have a number of circuits. it's typical that a number of outlets will be served from each circuit.

i don't understand all the issues that can arise from having connected pieces of gear on different circuits, but i believe a ground differential is one of them. everything in my studio is on one circuit.

a few years ago, i had new electrical service installed, which included going from 100 amp to 200, some new internal wiring, and a new feed from the pole. though i do plan on installing some line conditioning at some point, up to now it's not been a noticeable issue for me (knock on wood).