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Linn LP 12 hum not coming from Bryton phono stage.

I’m getting a pretty significant hum with my Linn Sondek LP12 turntable sitting on top of my equipment stand. My new Bryston MM phono stage does not hum at all when the turntable RCA interconnects are disconnected.

Yes, I have the grounding wire attached to the grounding lug on the phono preamp. I plan to move the TT to the original Sound Organization wall shelf to get it away from the adjacent electronics.

Will moving it to the wall shelf do anything to eliminate hum? What about transitioning to the better "Radikal" power supply and DC motor (the original has the Valhalla board I believe and the AC motor).

Thanks, for any suggestion you might have for things I can check.


edit: I must be tired, I noted that I mis-spelled Bryston as "Bryton". Titles cannot be edited, arghh!

masi61
masi61 OP
97 posts
 

Update on my path to quieting my phono(Linn Sondek LP12 w/ Bryston BP-2 MM is overdue...

I returned from Ann Arbor Michigan where I had taken the turntable to Overture Audio and Thomas O'Keefe there did a fantastic job doing a whole bunch of upgrades on it. I lost the Valhalla power supply and now have the Radikal power supply. I went all in and have the new Karousel bearing installed on a Greenstreet Audio (Keel copy) CNC milled aluminum subchassis. I got the "Adikt" MM cartridge to replace my aging K9 cartridge.

When I hooked it up, it still hummed!

So I contacted Gary Dayton with Bryston and he said that I need a "Y" connector to go from my BP26 preamp to Bryston Power supply. When I first hooked it up it started making a police siren sound! I freaked and had to power the system down since the police siren noise was increasing in volume.

I had to take a time out and go out and do some yard work as I pondered what to do next....

Update to follow since I am at work right now and my laptop is about to die....

noromance's avatar
noromance
9,818 posts
 
Well, this is getting exciting!
I assume they tested the Sondek and gave it a clean bill of hum-less health. So something’s got to be up with your phono amp. You need to test this with a different phono. Buy a Schiit Mani on Amazon for $149. Or even a $30 cheapo unit. You can return it or use for another table.
daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,874 posts
 
@masi61 Sorry to hear of your continuing issues...this hobby can be more than frustrating at times!

Since Thomas OK set up your table ( which with the new upgrades should be stellar), I would not expect any issues with the table. OTOH, hum is usually caused by an improper grounding scheme. You should be sure that the Bryston and the tonearm phono cables are grounded through your preamp...( making sure that the connections are clean and good on the grounding wire!). If the problem persists, i would check and see if the phono stage is grounded and if the preamp is likewise.
If the hum is still an issue ( and it sounds like it might not be hum at this point), then i would be tempted to have the Bryston looked at by a Bryston rep. One other thing, if I remember correctly from the time i was listening to the Bryston, it has dip switches inside it to adjust the gain, you should make sure these are set for the value of your new cartridge!
masi61 OP
97 posts
 

Thanks for your interest @noromance  & @daveyf .

I had a hunch that the Maze Audio Krell cryo power cord that I had running to my Bryston BIT-15 power conditioner from the wall might in some way be contributing to the wild "siren" sound loop that went nuts when I turned on the phono input. So I put the stock cord back on. The wild shrieking sound mostly went away, then after a time it appeared to completely dissipate.

The "Y" connector taps into the umbilical power cord that runs from my Bryston outboard power supply and BP-26 preamp. It does appear to that everything is operating normally now. My tonearm cable has not one but two grounding wires which are both connected to the Bryston phono stage. Other than RCA interconnects from the phono stage to the BP-26 preamp I do no see any option for an extra ground wire to be run between the 2.

Yes Thomas tested my LP12 for hum and it actually had NO hum issues before or after the installation of the Radikal power supply and motor upgrade. Right now I'm just beginning the process of listening to a bunch of my old and new vinyl records. The sound quality is really, really wonderful so far. I am out of practice with my vinyl care and have lots of questions. I'll probably continue to write about my experiences with all of this. Strangely, with the Adikt cartridge twice now at the end of the record, the stylus just kept on going and skated right onto the paper disc in the middle. I did use the tonearm lift quickly both times so hopefully the stylus is not damaged by this.

daveyf's avatar
daveyf
2,874 posts
 
@masi61   Good, sounds like you have a handle on the hum issue. The skating issue may be caused by an incorrect anti-skating force...what tonearm are you using?
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