[QUOTE]
What is the cost of a Coaxial cable filter and a Monster Power 5000 power conditioner?

Others have reported that they have a noticable hiss even without cable connections and the hiss didn't go away when they put a power conditioner on the line. But most of us don't have a super duper Monster 5000 power conditioner.
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Response:
The power conditioner cost me about $350 online. Admittedly, many Monster products are just fluff and marketing snake oil, but this is not about Monster.

EM interference and ground issues make an impact on noise. In my case the poor "Quality" of the electrical service and the impact of neighbors motors, and appliances probably contributed some part of the noise/hiss. Better power conditioners provide separation (filters) of the A/V component outlets to further reduce their induced noise on each other. The noise I experienced was NOT the low hum often associated with simple ground faults, but much higher (in the 4-10KHz range). I do not know what frequency range is officially designated as "hiss", but it did sound like a snake. And now, hopefully it's dead, and not just asleep.

The bottom line... There seems to be the potential for an "Audi 5000 type" paranoia concerning this 950 noise/hiss issue. People (my clients included) don't like to read about noise. They begin to hear their heartbeat, and intensely search for problems beyond all reasonable limits. EM interference and grounding issues may not be the cause of the perceived hiss for many (or even most) 950 owners, but it probably is worth a serious look. I suspect many others may be looking to find 'fault' with the 950, when the snake is under another rock.


[This message has been edited by AGAssarsson (edited December 20, 2002).]