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Gear / Technical Help => Playback Forum => Topic started by: BC on August 09, 2004, 04:06:33 PM
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Hey all-
I have a really nasty ground loop problem when I hook up my desktop computer receiver to my receiver. I am using an M-audio audiophile 2496. When I take the analog RCA out to an analog RCA input on my receiver (Harman Kardon AVR20, low end pro-logic receiver), which then sends out a line level signal through unbalanced RCA cables to my powered speakers (Paradigm active 20's), I get a REALLY LOUD hum.
I have isolated the problem to my computer monitor, if I unplug the power cable to the monitor the hum goes away. Likewise, if I hook up the sound card directly to my powered speakers everything is all good. But I would really like to be able to have the computer monitor on at the same time I am playing back, and I don't want to have to swap cables to listen from the computer.
I think if I could get an external DAC that would take an optical signal, I could spit out a SPDIF out from the 2496 card and pass it through a format converter to optical, which would maybe eliminate the ground loop. However,I don't think this is in my budget for the near future, which rules out this possibility.
I have also tried powering the monitor from different outlets with no luck, all the outlets I have tried give the same result.
Anyone have any suggestions on what I could try?
Thanks,
Ben
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Are your RCA cables directional ? I had a similar issue when I finally noticed the signal path dirction arrows were going the wrong way. Also check all of the connections you have on your reciever to make sure you don't have a misconfig. so to speak
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is there another plug? that may solve the problem... or one of those 2prong to 3prong adapters.
just trying to think of simple fixes from my sound days...