Hum Problem with Grado

Grado's are unshielded cartridges and hum is common. I also use a Grado. My amp has separate gain controls on the back which I adjust down. The hum is still there but only from very close to the speaker not from the listening position. I've also read about some people gently moving the wires behind the cart a bit to reduce hum. Another aspect might be in the interconnects you are using, if they are unshielded, it could cause some hum. Go to the archives here and at Audio Asylum and search "Grado hum" for more info.

Grado does make a special version of their cartridges that are sheilded for hum problems with Rega's. I'm sure they would work well with the VPI.

This is odd. The only thing on the Aries that might cause hum is the motor but it is on the other side far away from the arm. It shouldn't cause the Grado to hum. Does the hum get louder as you move the arm towards the spindle? If not, I don't think the motor is the cause.

If it hums only during play, it is highly likely that you are hearing the mechanical hum caused by the vibration of the motor. This is a well-known problem of the Aries. To test that theory, you need to take the rubber belt off, lower the cart on the platter, turn on the motor, and turn up the volume. Now while the motor is running, carefully lift the motor up slightly and see if the hum goes away. If it does, you have vibration problem. An easy way to reduce it is to put a thick mouse pad under the motor. You can reduce it even further by replacing the stocked rubber feet with Tender Feet from Herbie’s Lab or run the motor through a SDS at reduced voltage.

How far is Grado from speakers? Are the speakers shielded?