I got a sub for xmas and hooked it up to my home theater, sounds great when im playin music, i have the crossovers set properly with a couple DB roll off.. when im watching regular tv though with next to no signal going to the sub i can swear i hear a radio station playing from the subs speaker..its really quiet and you have to put your ear right up to the sub to hear it. some times i dont notice it but other times its all i can hear even though its extremely quiet.. anyone have any experience with this? i know its my receiver since its pretty old and a low modle harmon/ kardon.....anything i can do to get rid of this???

 

I used to have a problem with my neighbors ham radio. He came over and installed some sort of device that I guess blocks out the offensive frequency. It was just a little donut that you wrap the power cord around a couple of times. I never paid much attention to it, and since I went satelite TV, it hasn't been an issue.

 

You're decribing what is reffered to as "Crosstalk", the signal from a radio station may be bleeding into the sub RCA because it's not well shielded, and any excess wire is being coiled next to other wires, creating an antenna.
What you need is a Ferrite filter, or better RCA's.
Take a ferrite magnet, and wrap the RCA cable around it.
You can buy a clamp on style at your local Radio shack.

[ January 02, 2005, 09:57 PM: Message edited by: Eli47 ]

 

are there any other options? I explained my problem to the bald guy at radio shack, i might as well have been talking greek, the guy had no idea what i was talking about, i mentioned the ferrite magnet/filter and the kid was still in the dark...i looked around the store with out him and either they didnt have it or i passed over it. i have some extension cords lying around can i just do the coil thing pusnboob mentioned?

 

No, no. The thing I was refering to WAS a magnetic filter, like what Eli's talking about. I'm very surprised that Radio Shack didn't have one...

I think he referred to it as a "choke". Except the interference was from the power cord...not an RCA cable.

 

ferrites

 

Casino, if there's a bundle of wires that look like a plate of spaghetti behind the equipment, separate the wires, RCA's to one side, Power cords to the other side. (that should help)
Use a process of elimination to find where the noise is coming from, switch RCA cables, try shielded RCA's, If you have excess wire coiled up, loosen the coil(it's acts like an antenna)of wire.
The ferrite (magnet) filter can be put on most any wire. look here for a picture http://www.kcb.co.uk/shop/en-gb/dept_70.html , scroll down to Clamp-on ferrite filter.
I'm sure you can find one even on line .

 

aight good to know what to look for thanks Eli so im assuming one magnet per rca wire is whats needed...meaning i dont have to cover the whole cable with those clip on magnets cause thats just crazy talk............im gunna get behind there and clean up the spaghetti too.....i wish i could get rid of the noise my dvd player makes that would solve all my annoying little noise problems.....