# Stereo: Unexplained static from peripherals **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 12, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208 "2005-03-12T17:59:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/1 "2005-03-12T17:59:16Z")
Ok, this one’s got everyone baffled. In short, my stereo becomes staticy when the tape deck, CD player, or turntable is playing. But the DVD player and AM/FM receiver do not create static. We’ve been through all the steps we can think of, and we’re stumped. Here’s the history: At our previous house, we started noticing some static from these peripherals. Started w/ the CD player. Static appeared when it had been playing awhile. (The system worked fine in that house for about 3 years prior, I reckon.) We checked the stereo wires, including grounds. All seemed well. Then we replaced the old speaker wire and RCA cables. Didn’t help. So we got a new tuner. Didn’t help. Then we assumed it was the outdated wiring in the house. (Several insurance companies wouldn’t even write us a policy on the place.) So we went with a UPS, which of course indicated a wiring fault but still operated. Didn’t help. By that time, the static was beginning earlier and also appeared when playing cassette tapes and LPs. We continued to blame the house’s wiring and just stopped using the stereo. Moved to a more modern house. Static problem was the same. We tried putting other speakers on the system. No change. WUWT? What could explain this problem persisting when we’ve changed the house, the cables, the tuner, and the speakers? In fact, it’s gotten worse. Now there’s no lag… you just get nothing but hiss and garble right off the bat. Help, Masked Man! ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/2 "2005-03-12T18:01:07Z")
We got a second CD player and put it on the system’s aux channel. It does the same thing. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/3 "2005-03-12T18:12:52Z")
I can’t offer much help without some idea of the setup. Is it an all-in-one unit with the CD, cassette and tuner built in, or what? Is the volume of the static affected by the volume control? Is it on both channels? What is the nature of the static? Crackling? Hissing? In any case, about all you can do is try to narrow down which device(s) is/are malfunctioning. Remove components from the system one by one until you narrow down which one is producing the noise; swap wires and see if the problem follows; etc. ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/4 "2005-03-12T18:44:10Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Is it an all-in-one unit with the CD, cassette and tuner built in, or what? Tape deck, CD players, turntable, and DVD player are peripherals. AM/FM receiver is built into tuner. No stand-alone amps. > [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Is the volume of the static affected by the volume control? Yes. > [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Is it on both channels? Yes. > [@Q.E.D.](#): > > What is the nature of the static? Crackling? Hissing? The signal becomes muddy and garbled, as a… hard to describe… hiss/whoosh (like someone shushing somebody) begins to replace the signal. (That’s in cases when it comes on slow.) The first thing you’ll notice is the bass signal breaking up, kindof like it’s being shredded, if that makes any sense. Then the higher ranges succumb til all you’re listening to is a somewhat rhythmic/pulsing staticy whoosh. > [@Q.E.D.](#): > > In any case, about all you can do is try to narrow down which device(s) is/are malfunctioning. Remove components from the system one by one until you narrow down which one is producing the noise; swap wires and see if the problem follows; etc. I thought I covered that in the OP. We don’t have a backup tape deck or turntable, but removing these components doesn’t seem to change things. We swapped out the CD player, put the old and new players on the CD and aux channels. Nothing. I believe by now we’ve replaced every cable in the system. I don’t see how a peripheral could be causing this anyway. Why would a malfunctioning tape deck, for instance, cause this to happen with the turntable and CD player – even with 2 different tuners and sets of speakers – but not the radio signal or DVD player? When this kept happening after we’d changed the cables, bought a new tuner, swapped the speakers, and put it in a new house, I was totally stumped. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/5 "2005-03-12T19:23:22Z")
If I’m reading you right, then what you call a “tuner” is what’s properly called a receiver, and you tried **two** different ones but the problem persists? That’s very strange, and I can’t immediately think of an explanation that fits the facts as you’ve given then. The fact that the noise does not occur with the external DVD player or the built-in AM/FM tuner throws a monkey wrench into every idea I’ve come up with. If you connect ONLY a set of two speakers to each of the receivers, do they both produce this noise? ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/6 "2005-03-12T20:07:07Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > If I’m reading you right, then what you call a “tuner” is what’s properly called a receiver, and you tried **two** different ones but the problem persists? That’s very strange, and I can’t immediately think of an explanation that fits the facts as you’ve given then. The fact that the noise does not occur with the external DVD player or the built-in AM/FM tuner throws a monkey wrench into every idea I’ve come up with. If you connect ONLY a set of two speakers to each of the receivers, do they both produce this noise? Yowza, I’ve transposed the terms “tuner” and “receiver” above. Wish I could go back and correct – hope it doesn’t cause too much confusion from here on out. I’m with you, it makes absolutely no sense. I don’t understand – and my family and friends are equally baffled – how it’s even physically possible for this to keep happening with 2 different receivers, in 2 houses, after changing wires, cables, and speakers. We don’t have the old receiver. It was a Technics from circa 1980 and we assumed it was shot, so we chucked it. When the new tuner made no difference, we assumed it had to be the outdated wiring in the house. When we moved here and it was still going on, we gave up, totally stymied. If we connect only a set of speakers to the receiver, it doesn’t make the noise because with no peripherals you can only play the radio which as I’ve said has never made this noise. The only theory we’ve been able to concoct is that something in that old wiring fried a component in the tape deck, turntable, and CD players, and that when any of these is hooked up to any tuner they will cause this problem, but we haven’t tested that theory because it seems pretty outrageous. The second CD player was hooked up after we had the UPS, and it does this. The DVD player wasn’t bought til we moved here, so it was never connected to the outdated electrical wiring (again, it is immune). ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/7 "2005-03-12T20:17:56Z")
Btw, how can I contact a mod to ask if s/he would be so kind as to replace the word “tuner” with “receiver” and vice versa in posts 1 and 4 of this thread? I’m worried that later readers will misunderstand the OP because the terms have been used incorrectly. ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2005, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/8 "2005-03-12T20:24:46Z")
> [@Sample\_the\_Dog](#): > > The only theory we’ve been able to concoct is that something in that old wiring fried a component in the tape deck, turntable, and CD players, and that when any of these is hooked up to any tuner they will cause this problem, but we haven’t tested that theory because it seems pretty outrageous. It’s not that outrageous. If one of the devices is putting signal on the ground somehow, then it could affect other things connected to the receiver. There’s no harm in testing this, at any rate. Of all the possibilities I can think of, this is the most likely, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/9 "2005-03-19T16:23:20Z")
Setup #1 House wiring…bad cables&wires 1…good (probably) Receiver 1…good except for CD player Tuner 1…good Turntable…good Tape Player…good CD Player 1…bad Setup #2 House wiring…bad cables&wires 2…good Receiver 1…good except for CD player Tuner 1…good Turntable…good Tape Player…good CD Player 1…bad Setup #3 House wiring…bad cables&wires 2…good Receiver 2…good except for CD player Tuner 2…good Turntable…good Tape Player…good CD Player 1…bad Setup #4, at first House wiring…bad UPS…good cables&wires 2…good Receiver 2…good except for CD player Tuner 2…good Turntable…good Tape Player…good CD Player 1…bad Setup #4, later House wiring…bad UPS…good cables&wires 2…good Receiver 2…good except for CD, LP, tape Tuner 2…good Turntable…bad Tape Player…bad CD Player 1…bad Setup #5 House wiring…good (new house) UPS…good cables&wires 2…good Receiver 2…good except for CD, LP, tape Tuner 2…good Turntable…bad Tape Player…bad CD Player 1…bad Setup #6 House wiring…good UPS…good cables&wires 2…good Receiver 2…good except for CD, LP, tape Tuner 2…good Turntable…bad Tape Player…bad CD Player 1…bad CD Player 2…bad DVD Player…good You say Receiver/Tuner #1 was circa 1980. How old are all the other components? Did the second CD player and DVD player get introduced in the old or the new house? It’s not impossible that stray surges and spikes in your old bad wiring shortened the life of some of the electrolytic capacitors in your components, in which case you’d need new ones (capacitors or componenets, your pick). ---
**Author:** ![Sample\_the\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8797f3/32.png) [@Sample\_the\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sample_the_Dog)\ **Post date:** [March 19, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stereo-unexplained-static-from-peripherals/294208/10 "2005-03-19T17:13:54Z")
Nice means of summarizing. Here’s a tweaked version which goes back one step to before we were in the firetrap house: Setup #0 – Hunky-dory house House wiring…good cables&wires 1…good (apparently) Receiver/Tuner 1…good condition/good sound Turntable…good sound Tape Player…good sound CD Player 1…good sound Setup #1 – Firetrap house House wiring…bad cables&wires 1…good (probably) Receiver/Tuner 1…unknown condition (may have been fried? or not?)/good sound Turntable…good sound Tape Player…good sound CD Player 1…good --\> bad sound Setup #2 – Try changing wires/cables House wiring…bad cables&wires 2…good Receiver/Tuner 1…unknown condition/good sound Turntable…good sound Tape Player…good sound CD Player 1…bad sound Setup #3 – Try new receiver/tuner House wiring…bad cables&wires 2…good Receiver/Tuner 2…unknown condition/good sound Turntable…good sound Tape Player…good sound CD Player 1…bad sound Setup #4 – Add UPS House wiring…bad UPS…“wiring fault” but ostensibly good (product paperwork claims it will still function properly, but warranty against damage to equipment voided) cables&wires 2…good Receiver/Tuner 2…unknown condition/good sound Turntable…good --\> bad sound Tape Player…good --\> bad sound CD Player 1…bad sound Setup #5 – Try 2nd CD player House wiring…bad UPS…“wiring fault” but ostensibly good cables&wires 2…good Receiver/Tuner 2…unknown condition/good sound Turntable…bad sound Tape Player…bad sound CD Player 1…bad sound CD Player 2…bad sound Setup #6 – New house House wiring…good UPS…good cables&wires 2…good Receiver/Tuner 2…unknown condition/good sound Turntable…bad sound Tape Player…bad sound CD Player 1…bad sound CD Player 2…bad sound Setup #7 (temporary) – Try different speakers House wiring…good UPS…good cables&wires 2…good Speakers 2… known to be in good condition on other systems Receiver/Tuner 2…unknown condition/good sound Turntable…bad sound Tape Player…bad sound CD Player 1…bad sound CD Player 2…bad sound Setup #8 – Add DVD House wiring…good UPS…good cables&wires 2…good Receiver/Tuner 2…unknown condition/good sound Turntable…bad sound Tape Player…bad sound CD Player 1…bad sound CD Player 2…bad sound DVD Player…good sound We added the 2nd CD player at the firetrap house, but since the UPS was upstream we doubted that it would be affected by the house’s wiring, even if that were to blame for the failure of the other components. Also, it took some time for the other components to fail in that house – CD Player 2 was bad off the bat (it worked fine w/ the system of the person I got it from). Components: Speakers – Avids from the 70s Turntable – BIC from the 70s CD 1 – Pioneer from the 90s CD 2 – Rotel from the 90s Tape deck – Technics from the 80s Receiver/Tuner 2 – Aiwa from the 90s DVD – AMW cheapie (new) Now that I think of it, we added that BIC turntable while in the firetrap house, and gave our old turntable to a friend. I can’t recall whether we did this before or after the CD player started garbling.