2. analog
  3. 1104841130

Please Help My TT is acting like a tuner

I have a Rega p9 turntable, Shelter 501 cart, Bat pk5 phono stage, Viva 300b amplifier and Galante Symphony loudspeakers. I never had any problems with my system until I moved.

Ever since I moved into my new home, I have been picking up radio stations through my TT. The oldies station comes through loud and clear every time I try to play a record!! I have tried everything: powerwraps, ferrite clamps, grounding, lifting the ground, aluminum foil, etc. The oldies station does not stop playing!!!

I am pretty sure it is the TT because the station does not play when the TT is not connected but the BAT phono is loud by itself and is making a crackling whurring sound.

Anyway I am beyond frustrated and am ready to sell my analog gear and just use digital. I have moved my system into every room in my house to no avail, I still hear the oldies station

Please help if you know what I can do. The Rega tonearm cable is hardwired. Is this my problem? Should I get a TT that has the ability to change out cables so that I can use a really powerfully shielded cable? Do the tubes need replaced in the BAT? Or will nothing work and should I either deal with the oldies station or focus on digital?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

rich62
s23chang
619 posts
 
Rich62,
Good choice on the Cartridge. I love my VDH black beauty.
rich62 OP
30 posts
 
I was able to get the noise down considerably, but it is still present, thanks for your contributions.

But I believe that the noise can be further reduced by acouple changes. I just purchased a Klyne System 6 phono stage. If the RF and noise still is present, I will get a Van Hur Hul high output cart.

I purchased the Klyne because it is extremely quiet and is better shielded then the BAT. I love the BAT though, great piece, really musical.

By the way, I was able to lower the noise floor by several experiments with location of the tt in my room as well as careful placement of the ferrite and magnet clamps on the phono cable. It is really weird that moving my TT just a couple of inches away from the corner of the room made all the difference.

-Rich
mstram
83 posts
 
Rich, do you happen to live in the Neenah, Wisconsin? I just replaced my old cartridge with a Shelter 901 and lo and behold "...WVBO, the Valley's best oldies..." Are all Shelter cartidges tuned to the same station?

My prior cartridge was a Sumiko Alchemist IIb with a metal body, 2 mV output, and no oldies! I am certain the problem lies within the cartridge itself and not the wires. I think I live near a transmission tower. I can even listen to the oldies through my telephone should I choose to do so. There is no problem when my Classe Six preamp is switched to other inputs, and as I said before when I had a different cartridge. Does one need to consider where they live when buying a cartridge? Somebody posted on my original thread http://forum.audiogon.com/cgi-bin/fr.pl?eanlg&1105476659 that you can have such problems if you live too close to a radio tower. Am I going to be forced to sell this great-sounding brand new cartridge and go back to a HOMC to avoid hearing "The House of The Rising Sun" during the quiet passages of my favorite classical music?
rich62 OP
30 posts
 
I purchased the Klyne and the Oldies station went away. I still have a whooshing sound at extremely high volumes but I may be able to take take of that by tweeking the loading of the cart.

I hate oldies. Made me crazy. I live in central Pennsylvania. Must be something about rural radio stations.
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