Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Stereo help me kill the buzz!!!

Hello all,

I recently notice a really annoying buzz from my system that is especially annoying when using my headphones.

I currently have a AIWA XR-H66MD (CD/MD changer) hooked up to my NAD C 320BEE using a pair of Monster THX Ultra 600 cable (1m).

Here are some troubleshooting I've done:

The buzz is there even when the AIWA's turned off.

The buzz is only on the channel the AIWA's connected to. (None of the other open channels produces this buzz).

The buzz disappears if I have the connectors at the AIWA end touch each other. So this would seem to suggest that maybe the AIWA connection's not properly grounded?

The only other thing I can think of is if the cables are bad...?

The amp's brand new (less than 1 month old). The cables are supposedly new (I bought it used from someone who claimed to have used it for only 10 hours or less). The AIWA's pretty old, but I like the 3CDs and 5MDs capability.

Please help!

Does the AIWA have a polarized plug (one prong bigger than the other?) If not, try reversing the AIWA's power plug. Does the AIWA have a ground terminal? If so, try grounding it. Good luck!

If the Aiwa has a three-prong plug, try using a two-prong "cheater" adapter.

The Aiwa has polarized plug (one side bigger), but no third prong.

What should I do?

Did you try connecting the Aiwa using a different cable?

DId you try connecting the Aiwa to a different input (tape or whatever) on the amp?

I assume we are talking about RCA-type cable here, right?

I've tried a different port (Yes, RCA) no luck

No other cable to try... I guess I'll buy something from Radioshack tomorrow... hopefully they're good with their return policy

Didja try plugging the Aiwa power cable into a different "cell" on your outlet strip?

Did you try another cable?

With a "cheater plug", it doesn't matter about the third prong.

Problem solved!

I went to RadioShack today and picked up their FusionAV cables (it was on sale). Swapped out the Monster with these and... voila, problem solved!

Just to confirm the findings, I plugged the Monster to a set of unused inputs on my NAD without connecting them to the Aiwa... this time, the buzz was even a bit louder than before. Actually, aside from solving my buzz problem, I am very impressed with these cables. The connectors actually felt much more solid and well built than the Monster. Monster has nice woven covering exterior, but the FusionAV just feels much more solid. The specs look pretty good too.

Anyway, it's clear that the Monster cables that I have are defective! Anyone think I'll be able to get a refund from the guy I bought this from through PriceGrabber? Any bets?

Thank you all who tried to help.