Tír Na HiFi

For some reason I can never quite get my head around buzzing and the sources thereof, so maybe somebody can enlighten me here.

Most of the time I listen to my CD player connected directly to my amps using XLR balanced connections. Over the weekend I decided to experiment with my other cables, cos the balanced I'm using are crap. Now, when I detach the balanced and attach the single-ended RCA cables, I'm getting a noticeable buzz through the speakers. There is always some degree of buzzing in any system I ever have in my place, but this is audible at the listening seat and annoying during quiet passages.

Any suggestions?

Si, I tried my system with Single Ended cables recently. My system is wired similar to yours [balanced from CD Player to amps]. The trick, I found, is to disconnect the balanced cables at the amplifier end. I tried disconnecting them at the CD player end (while they were connected at the amplifier end) and got a lot of buzzing. Perhaps the cable is acting as an aerial and picking up stray transformer magnetic fields????

Hi Rocker, thanks for that. I actually have the balanced cables completely disconnected, so the only things going to the amps are the power cables and the single-ended cables from the player. Annoying!

and you're sure its not pennys monitor switched to silent...

can confirm that you have an issue that would drive me batty...!!!

it's be like going to guilbauds and being given foie gras and ketchup...

beauty spoiled.... I'll swap you the primare, it's as silent as the grave.... ;-)