Polk LSI 25's

We discussed hooking up my LSI25's using ycables from my subwoofer out on my Onkyo TX-SR806 to both my towers and my sub.  Since I had many subwoofer cables available to me I connected two Y connectors from my sub out and ran 3 sub cables to the towers and the sub.  Two questions.  Every time I touch one of the cables to one tower I get a loud buzz from the sub (or tower I can't tell which as they are close to each other).  Why is this?  #2. Does connecting two Y connectors to the sub out on my receiver lose signal going to the towers and sub?

 

thanks.

 

Jeff

Jeff Buttikofer -
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5 Comments

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  • 0
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    Audyssey Labs

    Hi Jeff, the buzz indicates that there is a ground loop being caused when you touch the cable to the speaker.  Their power supplies are not at the same ground level.  This is a very common problem especially when mixing gear with 3-prong and 2-prong power cords.

    There is no signal lost when you connect y-cords.

  • 0
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    Jeff Buttikofer

    Is that a problem?  If so, is it correctable?

  • 0
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    Audyssey Labs

    It's only a problem if it's happening during playback as the buzzing would be come annoying.  Correcting ground loops is a huge pain.  It's like detective work where you need to go through every component in the chain to figure out what combination of wiring is causing the problem.

  • 0
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    Jeff Buttikofer

    I have several (3) surge protector strips in my system.  If I connect all the 2 prong plugs into one maybe that would solve the problem?

     

  • 0
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    Audyssey Labs

    It's really hard to diagnose this issue remotely.  I highly recommend reading through this in-depth paper by Bill Whitlock who is the world's expert on ground loops: http://www.jensen-transformers.com/an/generic%20seminar.pdf

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