Rega RP1 buzz/hum - isolation?

KCDD

New Member
Hi everyone,

I know the hum/buzz on a rp1 is well documented, but I can't really find an answer to my question.

I recently moved into an older house and the turntable has developed a on/off hum. I have tried everything from isolating the turntable and preamp, plugging it straight into the wall, trying different amps/preamps, trying different power strips, but nothing is solving this.

I have always noticed a hum when I crank my amp to 8 through 10 when nothing is playing, but at an average volume you can barely hear it. However, I did discover that a more pronounced hum happens when it the floor lamp is turned on in the living room. This occurs when the amp is sitting at 3 or 4.

My assumption is that this is because the line is taxed out and there is too much electrical noise on the line.

So my question is, has anyone experienced this and is it worth purchasing a line conditioner? Or, is there another way to isolate the turntable?

Thanks in advance!
 
Yes, I have the same issue and have had my RP-1 for three years now-I still love it, don't get me wrong. I have tried multiple vintage amps with their phono stage as well as using Rega's A2D phono stage to no avail. It is not loud enough to really bother me but like you, I know it is there at higher volumes and when I am right next to my speakers. Switching the polarity of the amp cord helps some and plugging the turntable into the power line on the amp helps also. I have tried attaching a wire to the ground on the amp or phono stage and then to the tonearm base (on the screw) which helped but is unsightly so I gave up. Not much help I know, so I will keep watching your post to see if others have recommended solutions...
 
There's another thread running at the same time as this one with another Rega RP1 owner experiencing the same hum/buzz/thump from the motor. If you don't count the many first time buyers that probably just write this off to "all turntables do this" my guess this is a fairly common issue with the RP1. If it was me I wouldn't sink any more money into it buying upgrades, cures etc, I'd be putting it up for adoption on Craigslist.
 
There's another thread running at the same time as this one with another Rega RP1 owner experiencing the same hum/buzz/thump from the motor. If you don't count the many first time buyers that probably just write this off to "all turntables do this" my guess this is a fairly common issue with the RP1. If it was me I wouldn't sink any more money into it buying upgrades, cures etc, I'd be putting it up for adoption on Craigslist.


^ +1
Yep,couldn't agree more and that's exactly what I'd do too!
 
There's another thread running at the same time as this one with another Rega RP1 owner experiencing the same hum/buzz/thump from the motor. If you don't count the many first time buyers that probably just write this off to "all turntables do this" my guess this is a fairly common issue with the RP1. If it was me I wouldn't sink any more money into it buying upgrades, cures etc, I'd be putting it up for adoption on Craigslist.
You are right, you are guessing. You have know way of knowing whether this fault zpplies to one out of ten thousand or two out of a million, so why leap to conclusions.

That's not meant to be harsh, butyou - like me- really don't know.
 
You are right, you are guessing. You have know way of knowing whether this fault applies to one out of ten thousand or two out of a million, so why leap to conclusions.

That's not meant to be harsh, but you - like me- really don't know.

+1 :thmbsp:


.
 
You are right, you are guessing. You have know way of knowing whether this fault zpplies to one out of ten thousand or two out of a million, so why leap to conclusions.

That's not meant to be harsh, butyou - like me- really don't know.

I agree - sounds like a new issue as a result of the change in environment - perhaps try different outlets to see if it changes - hopefully someone could chime in with a power conditioner recommendations.
 
I agree - sounds like a new issue as a result of the change in environment - perhaps try different outlets to see if it changes - hopefully someone could chime in with a power conditioner recommendations.

Correct. It actually looks like you read my post.

Like I said, I know there are issues with motor noise and buzz due to the way that Rega constructed this to be sans ground wire. I know there are hacks/fixes for the ground wire as well. (http://www.aqvox.de/REGA_250_300_Tonearm-mod-humm-free-remove-signal-groundrega_mod.html) And, sure I could hack it and maybe the mod would help with having a true ground.

But my question is regarding a way to help with line noise/isolation with the turntable. And like I said, this didn't happen in our last house. It also doesn't occur during the day with less electric running on the line. But, at night it is noticeable. So power conditioners provide some level of filtering. But, could this help? And has anyone found it helpful.
 
However, I did discover that a more pronounced hum happens when it the floor lamp is turned on in the living room. This occurs when the amp is sitting at 3 or 4.

My assumption is that this is because the line is taxed out and there is too much electrical noise on the line.

What kind of lamp is it? Does it have a dimmer control?
An ordinary tungsten filament lamp should be a very benign load to the mains and not overly tax it or cause any noise. However, tungsten filament lamps are becoming rarer.
Flourescent tubes are known to radiate a lot of RF noise, and I think low energy bulbs are similar to flourescent tubes (but I'm not sure about that).
Lighting dimmers are notorious for producing RF noise.

The point of asking about the lamp is because the noise might not be coming through the mains wiring - it might be radiated as RF noise and picked up by the cartridge and arm lead. Does the noise become worse if the lamp is closer to the turntable?
 
Indeed it does have a dimmer. I haven't tried to place the lamp near the table as it is in the living room and the TT is in the office. I could try and see, but when I switch it on in the living room, the table exhibits noise immediately.
 
^ I'm not sure if the noise is mains borne or not. It might be worth trying some kind of mains filter if you can get hold of one without paying a lot for it. Try it in the same mains outlet as the lamp rather than near the turntable.
I'm pretty sure the dimmer is cause of the problem, but whether or not the noise is on the mains or as RF, I can't say.
 
Good suggestion.

Any decent filter you could recommend? I am guessing that buying a conditioner would not be the same approach, correct?
 
You are right, you are guessing. You have know way of knowing whether this fault zpplies to one out of ten thousand or two out of a million, so why leap to conclusions.

That's not meant to be harsh, butyou - like me- really don't know.

Like I said, I know there are issues with motor noise and buzz due to the way that Rega constructed this to be sans ground wire. I know there are hacks/fixes for the ground wire as well.




It's a well known fault with this model,one only has to do a Google search using words in the lines of "humming on Rega RP1" and you'll see loads of problems similar to that found on the budget Project model. The point is that it shouldn't be like it. Also,not all folks who buy one know how to do modifications (and that's if they work).
 
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So again, the question is how to isolate or filter the noise from other electrical items in the line. The table itself shows very little noise, if at all.

I do not have motor noise.
 
It's a well known fault with this model,one only has to do a Google search using words in the lines of "humming on Rega RP1" and you'll see loads of problems similar to that found on the budget Project model. The point is that it shouldn't be like it. Also,not all folks who buy one know how to do modifications (and that's if they work).
You do love jumping to conclusions, don't you?
 
I suggest you sell your RP1 and go vintage and be rid of these problems once and for all
LUSU8yM.jpg


I want my music to be acoustic instead of just electrons flowing in a cable...

Seriously though I hope you're able to sort it out, but if it comes from the mains I'm not sure there's much you can do besides power filtering, which can get pretty expensive, or trying to get rid of the noisy stuff, or moving it on a different socket. I have a very noisy surge protector type of thing for my computer, I can only hear it if I really crank things up though, so I'm living with it... if I really want to be rid of it I can always unplug it for the listening.
 
You mentioned the ground wire mod - did you ever try it? For me hum issues have always been related to grounding.

Thanks
 
hummmm

Speaking of humming how 'bout "Boogie on Rega Woman",it needs some O-Rega-no. A-Rega Franklin."stop your Rega-n on me".Rega- tta da Blanc.add your Rega here-.
 
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