There’s a possibility that your ground wire is actually creating a ground loop. I’ve seen that a couple of times. If the hum is gone without the ground wire attached, there’s your solution.
Totally Tubular: The Tube Thread
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gafacaode
Well-Known Member
Swapped the cables from the Vincent to the Jolida.
Moved the Vicent power supply far from the amp.
Hum persisted.
Disconnection the ground wire made the hum worse.
I'll try swapping the Vincent with a Pro-ject phono box I have laying around.
gafacaode
Well-Known Member
Hum continues with the phono box, but now if I disconnect the turntable from it, the hum goes away, opposite of what happened with the Vincent, the hum would increase with the turntable disconnected.
Maybe it's the Grado Gold3 not playing nice with the new setup?
I have an Ortofon Red I could try.
I wonder if it's worth the hassle, I can't hear the freaking hum at my usual listening level, but knowing it's there is driving me nuts
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
Hum continues with the phono box, but now if I disconnect the turntable from it, the hum goes away, opposite of what happened with the Vincent, the hum would increase with the turntable disconnected.
Maybe it's the Grado Gold3 not playing nice with the new setup?
I have an Ortofon Red I could try.
I wonder if it's worth the hassle, I can't hear the freaking hum at my usual listening level, but knowing it's there is driving me nuts
Argh! Hum is a bastard and similar hum has driven me demented down the years!
The table shouldn’t be adding any him to the Grado because if it’s the same table and cart if it hums now it should have hummed before….
So just an idea. With the Grado being unsheilded and the likelihood being that if it didn’t hum before the table isn’t making it hum. Is the Grado relatively near to any of the big beastly transformers from the new tube amp? If so could it be moved farther away to see if that helps?
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
Or even @gafacaode, if it’s not already arranged like this, do a switch up so that the turntable is on the right and the amp on the left so that the arm with the Grado on it is as far away from the amp as possible.
gafacaode
Well-Known Member
Goddamnit, it was the freaking UPS!
The Jolida and the Vincent are hooked up to a line conditioner but the turntable and the CD player were hooked up to a UPS.
I removed the UPS and connected the turntable directly to the wall outlet: HUM is gone!
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
And sometimes it’s actually not even that. It’s that if you have a system plugged into different power outlets or strips or some into a strip and others into the wall it can create weird grounding issues.
Isn’t this hobby fun
gafacaode
Well-Known Member
I actually tried your suggestion, moved things around and nothing.And sometimes it’s actually not even that. It’s that if you have a system plugged into different power outlets or strips or some into a strip and others into the wall it can create weird grounding issues.
Isn’t this hobby fun
The I looked at the UPS and thought: It couldn't be that, could it?
IT FUCKING COULD
Anyway, problem solved, thanks @Joe Mac and @HiFi Guy !
kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
This was the same thing I ran into with a ground loop hum through my headphone amp. Turned out it was my subwoofer being plugged into the wall instead of the same power conditioner as the rest of the system. Glad you got it sorted!
I had that. Had to move the amp as far away from the turntable as cable length would allow. Hum is gone. Ground wire is connected.Hum continues with the phono box, but now if I disconnect the turntable from it, the hum goes away, opposite of what happened with the Vincent, the hum would increase with the turntable disconnected.
Maybe it's the Grado Gold3 not playing nice with the new setup?
I have an Ortofon Red I could try.
I wonder if it's worth the hassle, I can't hear the freaking hum at my usual listening level, but knowing it's there is driving me nuts
Slimwhit33
Well-Known Member
Switched in the quad of Brimar CV4003/12au7’s to replace the stock PL’s in my EVO300. Will run them in for a while before commenting. 
LiamGallaghersBucketHat
Go on, geezer.
I'm thinking about trying different tubes in my Sphinx. Looking at the Upscale Audio site and am eyeing the GE Military Stock 12AU7. Is it wise to get the Kevin's Stash with Cryo? Any other recommendations?
scorpio333
Member
If you’re thinking of cryo’d tubes take a look at Cryotone. I have one cryotone tube, a rectifier, that came with a pre I bought used. That’s my only experience with cryo’d tubes. It’s a 5ar4, I did try an RCA 5v4 in its place, listened for a night and went back to the 5ar4.
LiamGallaghersBucketHat
Go on, geezer.
What's the difference?
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
I’m not sure that I buy the whole cryo thing. If it was the only way to get that particular tube and wasn’t that much more, maybe. Getting the two tube matched is more important imo.
LiamGallaghersBucketHat
Go on, geezer.
There is an $8 difference between non and cryo. I am totally ok with non. I was just curious and this will be the first time experimenting with tubes.
Joe Mac
Well-Known Member
$8 isn’t massively egregious tbh, especially as you don’t need that many. I’ve seen a much bigger difference! I’m still not convinced you’re getting massive differences for that money.
Tubes is a big deep hole and there is a lot of disagreement over what people prefer so I just try to limit rolling to when i need new ones anyway every few years!
LiamGallaghersBucketHat
Go on, geezer.
Oh for sure. I'm just going to buy one set and see if there's a difference from the stock tubes.
I don't need to have a tiny collection of them.
scorpio333
Member
Some claim the cryo’d tubes sound better. Some have even sent an entire amp in to be frozen. It’s one of those things that get debated. I’ve never sought out a cryo’d tube, there’s enough choices to hamper my brain when shopping for tubes I don’t need the added choices. When you mentioned the choice a neuron popped in my brain to mention the Cryotones as an option if you really wanted to go that route.
Slimwhit33
Well-Known Member
I typically buy the Kevin’s Stash but no cryo. Have had great experiences and never gotten a bad tube. I have tried his cryod ones as well but not sure I ever heard any difference.