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Isolating Digital Noise, need help.

I'm hearing noise from my ARC CDP thru my speakers presenting as a high frequency "whine" or "soft screeching." I need to isolate my digital from the AC line it shares with my analogue components. Running another dedicated line is not an option at this time.

I was wondering if a power strip with isolated receptacles, such as star-grounding, would be an alternative to a separate AC line.
As a test, I now have the CDP connected to a different outlet in my house and the noise thru my system is eliminated.

Would this type of power strip be an effective solution, and if so, I could use some recommendations. I have several layers of Blue Circle power conditioning, so I would need a strip with surge/EMF/RFI protection.
128x128lowrider57
xti16
1,525 posts
 
I'm not a big fan of power strips. Have you considered a small isolation transformer or a small battery regenerator?

Another thought. Do you have a Nordost or Ansuz dealer close by. I ask because you may be amazed how well products like the Nordost QV2/Qk1 and or Ansuz Sparkz TC work. Maybe borrow one for an in home demo if you have an open outlet. I'm not sure if it would cure your whine because I've never run across a 'whine' problem due to power. I have an Ansuz MainzD8 power distribution and it does isolate analog from digital.  
jea48
4,322 posts
 

I was wondering if a power strip with isolated receptacles, such as star-grounding, would be an alternative to a separate AC line.
As a test, I now have the CDP connected to a different outlet in my house and the noise thru my system is eliminated.

For a test did you try using a ground cheater plug on the ARC CDP? I would suggest you try that first.

It sounds to me from your post the power supply of the CDP is corrupting the power supply/s of the analog equipment. You might look into a power conditioner for the CDP to isolate the CDP power cord from the analog power cord/s.

Does the ARC CDP have a detachable power cord? If so are you using the stock power cord that came with the CDP or an aftermarket power cord?

If it is an aftermarket power cord you might want to make sure it is wired correctly. Make sure the Hot and Neutral conductors AC polarity are not flipped from the plug and the IEC connector.




 

 

xti16
1,525 posts
 
Lowrider is this a new problem that cropped up overnight? Is the whine present in both channels? Does your Arc have tubes? Tubes can make some very strange sounds especially when getting microphonic. If it does have tubes try tapping them lightly to hear if the noise changes.
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