Dear WS Gurus,
Obviously need help. I got a TD166 MkII using a Shure VSTIII cart (MM). When I got this baby from a an expat friend, I initially paired it w a solid state integ amp w/ built in phono stage. SS Amp did not have dedicated grounding screw so I got some humming. When I used an independent ground, humming was reduced. Major humming goes on and off when I tweak the left and right RCA jacks of the TT.
So I tried to isolate the humming/grounded sound by hooking the TT to a Yamaha AVR w/ a built in phono input. Humming/Grounded sound persists. Yamaha AVR has a designated grounding screw, humming disappears but comes back intermittently. I am not really that crazy into analog yet, so I have not been using my TT very often. Recently, I bought a tube phonostage from Levi who got this phonostage from JojoD who designed it.
Today, I hooked the TT to the phonoamp and then to an MT-35 integ tube amp. Phonostage has an independent ground screw/pin, so no problem.
However, humming still exists but not as loud as I hear it from my SS integ amp and my Yamaha AVR. Bearable, but it is still there especially when volume hits the 10 o'clock an up. When I play a vinyl, humming disappears at any volume level. When I pickup the magnetic pickup cartridge, soft humming comes back. Even by handling the metal tonearm LIFT, humming results. I know this tonearm metal lift is not even connected electrically to the cart. I checked the TT's manual. The color coded pins are right on w/the color coded wires (white, blue, red, and green for the ground).
What's strange is the humming disappears when TT isplaying a vinyl.
I am thinking that the cart has been magnetized, as such lifting the arm results to humming. Could this happen?
Has anyone got any experience like this? Appreciate your help.
Push comes to shove, where can I have this baby diagbosed completely?
note : no humming when a vinyl is on play...so bearable sya. Pero syempre, kainis kapag nagtataas ng karayom, nagha-hum ng konti.