dead quiet

Actually, Eldarford..yes. When a tuba plays a 60 Hz. tone, it is resonated on the box and in the string of the violin...that's why playing "in tune" is so important when playing in an orchestra... a tone that "rubs" against the harmonic tones of the rest of the players makes people wince. That is also why most violin concertos are in D...because the other strings will resonate and strengthen the open strings...E, A, D, G,. In stereo system, you want NOTHING to detract from the original event...it's not like playing the violin since then you are constructing your own event...the event becomes truth. That's the meaning of high fidelity...truth to the original event. Hum and noise ain't an original event.

Stringreen,
While I agree with basically everything you have said on this issue, I have to inject something here. Unless, the performance is TOTALLY played acoustically, ie no amps, PA, etc., hum and noise are part of the original event. 100,000 watt PA systems aren't that quiet.

I used to run sound........

Stringreen...OK. OK...but if your hum is loud as a tuba your system needs repair :-)

Hello all, dead quiet is very possible, at least as it relates to the hardware side of the analog coin. Using a Sonic Euphoria PLC, my system is virtually silent. As Stringreen stated, cartridge set-up is at, or near, the top of the list in achieving quiet playback. I buy mostly used lps, which I steamclean. Even new pressings of ultra premium realeases (Blue Note 45's from Acoustic Sounds), have the occaisonal pop or click. That's vinyl. Gotta relax, and take the good with the bad. It's not a perfect medium, but it ain't digital, either.

Enjoy, Dan

..Eldarford...not if you're a Tibetan monk...