Newbie to Club Rotel

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  • RoMan
    Senior Member
    • Jan 2007
    • 212

    Newbie to Club Rotel

    Hi all Rotel club members...I just joined the club as I recently am the owner of Rotel RMB 1095 power amp as of this past Friday. What a fabulous sounding amp I must say as I have it mated with a Denon 3803 as a pre/pro and using Def Tech all around for 2 channel and HT. The added clarity, depth in soundstage, very tight and controlled bass along with a soft and beautifully warm sounding treble(not too overly harsh) make this a gem of an amp. It was easy to hook up and HEAVY at that to lift for one person. So glad my back held out..haha. I have it on the floor right now about 4 feet away from the amp, I was considering placing it in my audio rack on the bottom but am not sure of how strong the bottom of the rack is to hold 75lbs.
    My Denon is 36lbs and seems to be okay sitting on the 2nd shelf with no problem. Any suggestions for placing the amp in the rack or better to be safe than sorry and just leave well enough alone and leave it until I can get a different audio rack?

    Thanks in advance for you suggestions and comments. Glad to be a part of Club Rotel.

    RoMan
  • cfrizz
    Member
    • Apr 2006
    • 51

    #2
    When in doubt be safe rather than sorry! I'm using my Denon 3802 as a prepro. The benefits of separate amplification is just astonishing! Welcome RoMan.
    Cathy
    ---------
    Sunfire TGP III, Sunfire Cinema Grande 405wpc 5 channel Amplifier, :B Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Onkyo TA2600 Tape Deck, Pioneer Elite 47-A DVD, Sony 32" XBR TV, Sony PS-454 Turntable, Polk RTA-8T Main Speakers, Boston 920 Center Channel, Boston PV600 Sub Woofer, Polk FXi-3 Surround Speakers

    Comment

    • MrNic
      Junior Member
      • Jan 2007
      • 6

      #3
      Hey RoMan,
      Welcome to the club! I'm a new owner of Rotel gear as well, and I'm really starting to warm up to it.

      My first experiences (before I got everything set up right) weren't quite what I was expecting. But after a few days with it... (getting the setups right & breaking it in?) I can't pull myself away. I'm rediscovering my CD collection again in more detail with more dynamic range than I ever remember.

      I am a bit jealous, tho... I sprung for the 1075 only. Someday, when I want to add more channels to get to 7.1, I'm dreaming of adding a RB-1080 or 1092 into the mix to power my front channels.

      Enjoy!

      -m

      Comment

      • RoMan
        Senior Member
        • Jan 2007
        • 212

        #4
        Thanks for the welcome Mr.Nic and crfrizz. It's good to be with a group that loves Rotel. There is much to learn here and I look forward to gaining more and more knowledge in the club.

        Update. I did manage to get my RMB1095 amp in the audio rack after all and the casters in the rear make such a blessing to just lift it up and slide it back there. Smart thinking on Rotel's part to add casters to this monster amp. It looks awesome in the rack and now am looking at the StudioTech line to purchase a component rack from them.

        Another question. In regards to power surges. We had a minute power surge this past tuesday in the voltage dipped in my city I live in. It was'nt much but I was somewhat concerned it may have caused damage to my amp. I have it plugged in to a Monster hts 5100 power conditioner. So i hope it was protected by my pc. It seems to play fine but I noticed a bit of humming in my left surround speaker. Could be cause I ran out of Audioquest rca cables and used a cheapy cable to hook it up. Dont know/

        Any thoughts or comments by the forum is appreciated. thanks in advance.

        RoMan.

        Comment

        • Kevin D
          Ultra Senior Member
          • Oct 2002
          • 4601

          #5
          I don't believe the 5100 levels the power like some other conditioners. I doubt the temp brown-out damaged the amp though. Change the cheap RCA and let us know how it goes.

          Kevin D.

          Comment

          • RoMan
            Senior Member
            • Jan 2007
            • 212

            #6
            Update fellow club members...well its just not relagated to the left surround speaker but it is in ALL my speakers now. I sit approx. 6-7 feet away from the mains and centre channel and I can hear the hum/buzz when its quiet. Fairly audible I'd say. I noticed it last night after I watched a movie. I'd say its probably been there but it probably wasnt that loud then as opposed to now.

            Any hints or suggestions to isolate the problem would be appreciated. I think it probably is a ground loop problem. This is my first time dealing with this problem so I could use the clubs suggestions. Thanks everybody.

            RoMan

            Comment

            • Alex999
              Senior Member
              • Jun 2006
              • 115

              #7
              [QUOTE=RoMan]Update fellow club members...well its just not relagated to the left surround speaker but it is in ALL my speakers now. I sit approx. 6-7 feet away from the mains and centre channel and I can hear the hum/buzz when its quiet. Fairly audible I'd say. I noticed it last night after I watched a movie. I'd say its probably been there but it probably wasnt that loud then as opposed to now.

              Any hints or suggestions to isolate the problem would be appreciated. I think it probably is a ground loop problem. This is my first time dealing with this problem so I could use the clubs suggestions. Thanks everybody.

              RoMan[/QUOTE
              I posted this before. It will help you out :-)
              Here is the link

              Comment

              • Ferres
                Senior Member
                • Jan 2007
                • 158

                #8
                I think avrecievers are more susceptible to 'hum' compared to newer dedicated preamps. Just my opinion. :roll:

                Comment

                • cfrizz
                  Member
                  • Apr 2006
                  • 51

                  #9
                  I had a hum out of all of my speakers as well with my amp. I went to Radio Shack and got a 3 to 2 plug. I plugged the amp into the plug & put the plug into my surge protector & the hum is now gone.

                  People say it's a cheat rather than tracking down exactly which piece of equipment is causing the ground loop. I don't care so long as I get back to my music as quickly as possible without spending an arm & leg or several hours to accomplish it!
                  Cathy
                  ---------
                  Sunfire TGP III, Sunfire Cinema Grande 405wpc 5 channel Amplifier, :B Rotel RCD-1072 CDP, Onkyo TA2600 Tape Deck, Pioneer Elite 47-A DVD, Sony 32" XBR TV, Sony PS-454 Turntable, Polk RTA-8T Main Speakers, Boston 920 Center Channel, Boston PV600 Sub Woofer, Polk FXi-3 Surround Speakers

                  Comment

                  • RoMan
                    Senior Member
                    • Jan 2007
                    • 212

                    #10
                    Thanks for the link Alex999. cfrizz. I would rather first see if I can isolate this problem and maybe just maybe use your method if all else fails. Is it true that Rotel RMB1095 amps are known to have a buzzing or internal noise issue? I have read it before by some consumers. Any chance that may be the cause?

                    Anyhow, I will try and see if can isolate the problem using the link provided by Alex999.
                    Any other suggestions out there are always welcome. Thanks.

                    RoMan.

                    Comment

                    • RoMan
                      Senior Member
                      • Jan 2007
                      • 212

                      #11
                      Update.

                      I checked all inputs(Dvd, cd, tape, aux, etc) and the hum, buzz or hiss whatever you want to call it is present in each of those inputs. Tried disconnecting my cable line from the wall and still it was present.

                      When the amp is on for awhile, the buzz is somewhat noticeably louder of course, once you know its there, its there. Anyways, will keep posted.

                      One question. Will the hum or buzzing do any type of either short or long term damage to my speakers and, or other components in my system....

                      Thanks all.

                      RoMan.

                      Comment

                      • Kevin D
                        Ultra Senior Member
                        • Oct 2002
                        • 4601

                        #12
                        The hum won't damage the speakers while you track it down. The hum is coming from the speakers, not the amp itself right?

                        Kevin D.

                        Comment

                        • Hakka69
                          Junior Member
                          • Dec 2006
                          • 24

                          #13
                          I have a 3803, a 1075 and a 1070. I had the same hum you describe. Try disconnecting your cable/antenna feed from your equipment.

                          Harry.

                          Comment

                          • RoMan
                            Senior Member
                            • Jan 2007
                            • 212

                            #14
                            Originally posted by Kevin D
                            The hum won't damage the speakers while you track it down. The hum is coming from the speakers, not the amp itself right?

                            Kevin D.
                            At this point, it appears the hum, buzzing, very static sounding bug is coming from the speakers.

                            My cable line is fed into a splitter which serves as a atenna for radio reception as the 3803 has a 75 ohm feed for the tuner in which I have a cable line feeding into it. I tried disconnecting it today and to no avail.

                            I am getting the feeling that it is the addition of the RMB1095 as it is a three prong plug. The other plugs plugged into my power conditioner are two prong.

                            Dont get me wrong, I love the sound of the amp very much, I just wish I could find where the buzz, hiss, hum is coming from, hard to isolate right now.

                            Thanks for all the feedback received so far.

                            RoMan.

                            Comment

                            • Kevin D
                              Ultra Senior Member
                              • Oct 2002
                              • 4601

                              #15
                              Originally posted by RoMan
                              My cable line is fed into a splitter which serves as a atenna for radio reception as the 3803 has a 75 ohm feed for the tuner in which I have a cable line feeding into it. I tried disconnecting it today and to no avail.
                              RoMan.
                              Did you also disconnect the cable line from the cable box (both at the same time)? Anything that connects to the system with a potentialy different ground needs to be inspected.

                              So while the cable isn't connected to the 3803, the hum will feed through the audio/video cables coming from the cable box. Other things to check; is the TV and/or subwoofer plugged into a different outlet then the rest of the system?

                              Testing out a 3-2 prong adapter can also tell you if your theory is right. Definitely rule out any sources for other grounds first (all cable lines, devices plugged into different outlets, things with a phone/internet connection, etc)

                              Kevin D.

                              Comment

                              • chinets
                                Senior Member
                                • Jun 2005
                                • 855

                                #16
                                Welcome aboard RoMan !!

                                Comment

                                • RoMan
                                  Senior Member
                                  • Jan 2007
                                  • 212

                                  #17
                                  Thanks Kevin D for your suggestions with this....get this, last night I decided to unplug the RMB1095 from my power conditioner and plug it into an adjacent Monster PowerCentre SW-200 wall type surge protector in which I had one of my Def Tech speakers plugged into.. I turn off the amp shut down the whole system prior to plugging it in there and when I turned on the system it made a very audible hum/buzzing sound. I immediately shut the system down again and plugged the amp back into my power conditioner. I hope I didnt do any damage to my speakers and/or my system. The hum was quite louder than when plugged into my power conditioner. It was downright scary the sound it was making.

                                  This thing is starting to be a little frustrating and stressful at the same time as I dont want to start unplugging things only to do potential damage to my system which is worth a lot of hard earned dollars. I'll keep on trying to isolate the problem however it is starting to gett a little annoying and frustrating...If there is an Audio God please step forward... ;x(

                                  Comment

                                  • Kevin D
                                    Ultra Senior Member
                                    • Oct 2002
                                    • 4601

                                    #18
                                    Originally posted by RoMan
                                    plug it into an adjacent Monster PowerCentre SW-200 wall type surge protector in which I had one of my Def Tech speakers plugged into..

                                    Whoa! So your Def Tech have powered subs? And those are plugged into different outlets then your main powercenter? Unplug those power cords (all of them) and see if the 1095 still hums. I could be traveling from the speaker's outlets up the sub and/or speaker wire, then back out the 1095.

                                    Like I said, unplug power to anything that's not connected to the same outlet as the powercenter but is connected to the system. With the way it hummed plugged into the other outlet, I'm started to suspect it injecting the noise through the Def-Tech amp.

                                    Kevin D.

                                    Comment

                                    • RoMan
                                      Senior Member
                                      • Jan 2007
                                      • 212

                                      #19
                                      Kevin D.

                                      Unplugged all components and anything that was plugged into the power conditioner.
                                      Tried an experiment. I plugged my cable line feed directly into my tv last night and vooom, audible huml like you wouldnt believe coming through my speakers. I disconnected the cable line where at the outlet and the noise stopped except for some minute hiss. I plugged the cable back into the power conditioner and voila, it was right where I left off with the noise. So it looks like the cable line is truly the culprit. Placed a call into my cable service provider to have a look at the cable outlet and hopefully they can reduce the noise on the line.

                                      I accidentally shut off the power amp first, and just had my left front speaker hooked up via rca cable, my def tech was not plugged in either and it made a pop. I needed to shut the preamp off first as I have the trigger on to the amp. I hope I did not damage the speaker.

                                      Anyways, just a quick update. Keep you posted.

                                      RoMan.

                                      Comment

                                      • Kevin D
                                        Ultra Senior Member
                                        • Oct 2002
                                        • 4601

                                        #20
                                        Good deal! It's usually a bad ground (or no ground) where the cable comes into the house. If they can't (or won't) fix it, there's several cable isolation filters available that will elliminate the hum without effecting the signal.

                                        Let us know!

                                        Kevin D.

                                        Comment

                                        • RoMan
                                          Senior Member
                                          • Jan 2007
                                          • 212

                                          #21
                                          Thanks Kevin D. Any brand name suggestions for the cable isolation filters?

                                          Just venting here. Its been a challenging week I must say learning about ground loops and how they affect your system. The other night while replacing the shelf where the power conditioner sits on(2 inches above my Rotel) I was sliding it in to sit on the back metal rods which stick out from the inside of the stand about an inch and half and I missed them completely and it came crashing down on top of my Rotel. Now, with that said I dont think it was hard enough to do any damage to the inside of the amp. At least I hope not. Anyone have any thoughts on this one? It was only a part of the shelf that dropped as I had a hold of the other end. On the second try I got it with no problem. This is just the kind of week I've been having with this ground loop stuff. I get concerned when stuff(dropping shelves on my amp) like this happens. I think all Rotel members here can appreciate this kind of stuff.

                                          Thanks everyone for all your input into assessing and offering me your suggestions. I emailed Rotel but I didnt hear back from them at all. I'm surprised at that.

                                          I will post once I have been in contact with my cable provider. Do I really need to show him the issue all over again??? I really dont want to I think he may be able to check it regardless as it is considered a service call afterall....

                                          Cheers everyone.

                                          RoMan

                                          Comment

                                          • Kevin D
                                            Ultra Senior Member
                                            • Oct 2002
                                            • 4601

                                            #22
                                            Jensen Transformers makes one that I know works, but it's pricey. On of our sponsers Parts-Express above has one that's cheap enough to try out. Search for "cable isolation filter".

                                            In the mean time you can take two 75ohm to 300ohm adapters and connect the two 300ohm pigtails together. This will give you a female to female coaxial piece that you can put in-line with your cable. Should cure the hum, but might degrade the cable signal. The 75 to 300 adapters are those little antenna adapters every one seems to have 2-3 of (or you can get them at Radio Shack)

                                            As far as banging your amp around, I'm pretty sure it goes through more in shipping just getting to your house! As far as the week you're having, I install this stuff for a living and seem to have that kind of week once a month.

                                            Kevin D.

                                            Comment

                                            • Club1820
                                              Senior Member
                                              • Jan 2006
                                              • 269

                                              #23
                                              Jensen Transformer that Kevin is referring to.



                                              I had the same cable line ground loop. terrible, terrible hum! Took me days to figure it out. Then Kevin and others suggested the Jensen Transformer. I also looked at the one at Parts-Express and others that were alot cheaper. Reviews were not all in favor of the PE one and others on the net. Nothing but positive reviews on the Jensen. So I figured why take a chance.

                                              Well, it eliminated the hum and improved the picture also! The picture looks flawless! This site is the cheapest for the Jensen I found. Definitely worth it!
                                              Rotel 1068, Rotel 1060, Rotel 1055, Rotel 1095, Rotel 956, Rotel RLC-1040, M&K VX-860 Sub, Whatmough M30s, Squeezebox 3

                                              Comment

                                              • RoMan
                                                Senior Member
                                                • Jan 2007
                                                • 212

                                                #24
                                                Thanks Kevin D for all your help. Can you explain using the 75ohm - 300ohm adaptors a bit more in detail. How would you pigtail them etc? I spoke with a fella at a local HiFi store this weekend and he suggested a cable isolator from Channel Plus for around 20 dollars CAD. In the meantime, my cable service provider hopefully will have this hum eliminated once and for all. Does anyone know what exactly they will do? Take measurements or what?

                                                Club1820- thanks for your website link. I will see what the cable company does this week. I may try the Channel plus isolator just for cost savings but if that doesnt seem to work then Jensons transformers here I come.

                                                Again my appreciation and thanks to the Rotel members who have provided insight into this most common problem.

                                                RoMan

                                                Comment

                                                • Kevin D
                                                  Ultra Senior Member
                                                  • Oct 2002
                                                  • 4601

                                                  #25
                                                  This thread explains the home-made adapters pretty well:



                                                  You don't have to make it as fancy just to test out.

                                                  Kevin D.

                                                  Comment

                                                  • RoMan
                                                    Senior Member
                                                    • Jan 2007
                                                    • 212

                                                    #26
                                                    Well, cable guy came and grounded the cable outlet with a piece of wire grounded to an adjacent wall outlet. Not sure if it did anything though as I can still hear a hum when the system is on for long periods of time. He said I have great hearing. He said the building is old and still under the old codes. He thinks it may have to do more with the hydro. Says you are probably sharing the same lines and grounding points as other tenants in this apt building. He had a point though. Well, I think I may invest in a cable isolator and see if that will improve the situation. Stay tuned folks....

                                                    Comment

                                                    • RoMan
                                                      Senior Member
                                                      • Jan 2007
                                                      • 212

                                                      #27
                                                      I ordered a Jensen VRD-1FF cable isolator. I'm wondering how do I how hook it up when I receive it? Do I need to buy another 75 ohm coaxial cable say around 2 feet? It looks like it has 2 female ends on it. Any suggestions for proper hookup will be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

                                                      Comment

                                                      • Kevin D
                                                        Ultra Senior Member
                                                        • Oct 2002
                                                        • 4601

                                                        #28
                                                        Yup, even a 3" cable will work fine. Unscrew the cable from your system and screw it into one end of the adapter. Take the other short piece and go from the adapter back into the system.

                                                        Kevin D.

                                                        Comment

                                                        • RoMan
                                                          Senior Member
                                                          • Jan 2007
                                                          • 212

                                                          #29
                                                          Thanks Kevin D. for the setup advice. Correction in my last thread I meant to say 2 inches and not feet. I will go and buy a 3 inch this week. Would it be okay to hook this up right where my cable outlet is or does it matter? thanks again.

                                                          Comment

                                                          • Kevin D
                                                            Ultra Senior Member
                                                            • Oct 2002
                                                            • 4601

                                                            #30
                                                            You can really put it anywhere you want. If the cable splits to multiple components in your system, you would want it before the splitter.


                                                            Kevin D.

                                                            Comment

                                                            • RoMan
                                                              Senior Member
                                                              • Jan 2007
                                                              • 212

                                                              #31
                                                              Kevin D.

                                                              Received my Jensen VRD 1FF cable isolator today. I hooked it up where the comes in to my splitter. I've noticed diagonal lines on some of my cable stations that werent there before and some of the channels look a little grainy and not as smooth. Also the tv still makes a noise but I attribute that to the tv's internal mechanism.

                                                              Any thoughts on the above mentioned? Do I need to change the location of the cable isolator?

                                                              thanks in advance.

                                                              RoMan

                                                              Comment

                                                              • Kevin D
                                                                Ultra Senior Member
                                                                • Oct 2002
                                                                • 4601

                                                                #32
                                                                Re-reading my post, it might be a little confusing. Which splitter did you put the isolator in front of? If there's only one device in your surround system with a hookup (say just a cable box) put it before that.

                                                                When I said splitter, there's some systems that might have multiple hook ups, IE cable box & vcr or vcr & tv. If that's the case, put it behind that splitter. I wouldn't put it on the feed coming to the house in front of the main splitter.

                                                                Kevin D.

                                                                Comment

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