Would a surge suppressor/filter like the TrippLite solve my ground loop problem or do I need something else? Every time I connect my digital cable box to my receiver I get a hum from my subwoofer.

What you should try is an isolation transformer to put in-line with your cable drop. I don't know of a specific source for these, but I'm sure somebody here does. Might try that old standby, RadioShack. A power conditioner like the TrippLite won't effect this particular problem,

Hyenna, you might try this

Soundhound :
quick question I thought you might have the answer too.

I bought the Tripplite isobar 8 - and plugged it into a 3 prong outlet (grounded), and the diagnostic lights indicate a fault in my wiring - which could be possible, this is an older home - BUT when I plug in any equipment to the isobar, the diagnostic lights - "say" that I am protected , and the line is fine -

which is correct ? any suggestions ?

Thx. Bryan

Bryan:

THAT IS WEIRD!!!!

I would trust what the IsoBar says with nothing plugged into it. What might be happening is that it might be "finding" an earth ground through some other piece of equipment that is also plugged in to the strip. You can purchase small plug-in devices at the hardware store that have three lights that tell the condition of the earth ground, and wiring of the socket. I would suggest you get one of these (they're cheap, and can amuse your friends) and verify your wiring. If you do not have a good earth ground at your outlet, the Isobar will give you little filtering benefit, since there's no ground to shunt the filtered-out crud to.

Your outlets may not have an earth ground: my 1926 house's original outlets don't. My HT room has all new electrical wiring, thank goodness.

A house doesn't have to be that ancient to have grounding issues. An alert from my power conditioner alerted me to a grounding issue (builder had miswired an entire circuit from the box). Radio Shack has a cheap circuit tester that's well worth the investment. It's critically important. Without a connection to ground, there's a risk that a short won't draw enough current to blow a circuit breaker...bad news for anything on that circuit. Also, many surge supressors and power conditioners *will not work* unless properly grounded. You'll also find that the equipment warranties will mysteriously disappear if you've got a wiring fault.

That said, I don't run any of my systems without power conditioning. You can get a relatively cheap kit at diycable.com (or a list of parts that will let you build one even cheaper). Short story: they work, but you need to be able to separate the good ones from the crap.

BTW, I do own interconnects that retail at $1400/meter, and power cords that retail at $1500 (OK, so I got a good deal). They work too. An upgraded power cord in particular is critical for the 950. It doesn't have to be an expensive one (the one I use for the 950 cost me $50) but the right cord can greatly enhance the musical ability of the unit.

I think that's the whole point. Is protection. If it enhances your system too, that would be great, but protecting it is a primary objective in my opinion.

For the past 6 years I have had my system running through a Newpoint surge protector, and have never had it trip or had a problem with my system, (no video or audio problems). However, I have not had much trouble with the weather until this summer. The past week has been terrible with thunder storms, brown and black outs. So I am rethinking about my system's protection since I cannot be home to unplug my set-up every day. Any thoughts about the Panamax 5300 vs the MonsterPower HTS 5000 MKII? Panamax apparently shuts the system down if voltage goes outside parameters but I don't see this with MonsterPower, but then the MonsterPower has a higher joule rating than the Paramax. Oh what to do with my money?

Brownouts, blackouts and slight overvoltage are not the problems you need to be concerned with. Where a surge protector will save a system is with really high overvoltge situations like from lightening striking a nearby power pole. However, if you have a direct lightning strike on your house, almost nothing will help except homeowner's insurance. Any good surge protector will do the job with an indirect lightning hit. I use the TrippLite "Isobar" surge protectors/filters and they do the job (they're for professional/industrial use) and they don't have the cost penalty of being a "boutique" product.

[This message has been edited by soundhound (edited August 11, 2003).]

Right. There are miles and miles of generic power cabling leading from the power source to your house, but by changing 1.5 feet of it, you can suddenly "greatly enhance the musical ability of the unit."

Uh huh. You just go on and keep telling yourself that.

And as for interconnects that cost $1,400 a meter, my only response to that is that for every meter you've got of that brand, you could have gotten about a hundred DVDs instead. Guess where I'd rather spend my money ....

Jeff