Hi all,
I recently purchased a gently used 7500 in my gradual process of moving from a receiver to separates. I have a pre/pro on order, but probably won't get it for a while, so I'm using my old Yamaha RX-V1 receiver as a preamp in the meantime. It has only unbalanced outputs, so that's what I'm using into the 7500. I currently have the buzzing/hum that so many others report, and have combed this and other forums for troubleshooting tips, some of which worked better than others. By the way, for others looking to try things to reduce or eliminate hum, check to see if you're using compact fluorescent bulbs in any of your light fixtures. My buzzing was dramatically reduced when I removed those bulbs from a ceiling light fixture and replaced them with incandescents -- and the fixture was in another room on another circuit!

Anyway, back to my issue. In one place on the hundreds of forum pages I've read I saw someone suggest that the unused amplifiers in a receiver being used as a pre/pro might be causing some of the hum, and I wondered what the Outlaws thought about that. Could this be contributing to my hum problem? I'd love for that to be it, since I'll eventually have a dedicated pre/pro with balanced outputs.

I'm also curious about popping noises coming through my speakers that were never there before. Some come when I power up, even if the 7500 is the last thing turned on. But the most noticeable (and annoying) is the pop I hear in my right surround speaker every time my preamp (receiver) switches from Dolby Digital to some other audio mode, or when switching inputs. This is almost unbearable when a DVD is loading, because of all the menus/previews/etc that jump around in audio modes. They're not random pops; I can predict when they'll happen and they never "disappoint" me if you know what I mean. Any help on what this might be coming from would be much appreciated. By the way, the 7500 is the only new piece in my system at the moment, which is a relevant point to make.

Many thanks,
-Brad