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The NEW Grado Hum Database

I know this is the hum thread but my Grado Mono MC+ is buzzing in both channels on a stock SL1200 MK2 into a zerozone EAR 834p clone and my AT VM C and ML carts don't.
I can't figure out what is going on! Tried two different headshells and now going slightly bonkers.
 
Paul K said:
I know this is the hum thread but my Grado Mono MC+ is buzzing in both channels on a stock SL1200 MK2 into a zerozone EAR 834p clone and my AT VM C and ML carts don't.
I can't figure out what is going on! Tried two different headshells and now going slightly bonkers.
Click to expand...

Grado cartridges aren't very well shielded so they hum on some turntables, mostly ones with an AC motor.
 
i am super pleased to report that i tested out both grado prestige blue 1 as well as green 1 and both do not hum at all on my technics sl1200gr :jump:

also in comparison to nagaoka mp110, at3600, at95e, ortofon red and 5e and denon dl103, both grados have more low end than those mentioned carts. wow.
 
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Paul K said:
I know this is the hum thread but my Grado Mono MC+ is buzzing in both channels on a stock SL1200 MK2 into a zerozone EAR 834p clone and my AT VM C and ML carts don't.
I can't figure out what is going on! Tried two different headshells and now going slightly bonkers.
Click to expand...
Grado will hum only on the last production sl1200mk2, earlier ones it wont. The transformer on the last production mk2's was not well shielded. Two solutions are either to relocate the transformer to a box outsude the turntable or to fit a Kab psu which is a big upgrade anyway.
If you mk2 is not last production then the issue is something else.
Chris
 
cafe latte said:
Grado will hum only on the last production sl1200mk2, earlier ones it wont. The transformer on the last production mk2's was not well shielded. Two solutions are either to relocate the transformer to a box outsude the turntable or to fit a Kab psu which is a big upgrade anyway.
If you mk2 is not last production then the issue is something else.
Chris
Click to expand...
It probably is Chris, as it's from 1997. It happens in every mono cart with the 834P. With all stereo carts it is tomb quiet.
 
Paul K said:
It probably is Chris, as it's from 1997. It happens in every mono cart with the 834P. With all stereo carts it is tomb quiet.
Click to expand...
Something wrong for sure as the 1997 sl1200mk2 had no Grado hum issues.
Wonder what is causing it..
How are the mono carts wired to the arm?
Chris
 
cafe latte said:
Something wrong for sure as the 1997 sl1200mk2 had no Grado hum issues.
Wonder what is causing it..
How are the mono carts wired to the arm?
Chris
Click to expand...
No idea...but I can tell you it's not the arm. It doesn't happen with a genuine 834P and also is good with my MX-110Z....
 
Looks like the database is no longer active, so will add my findings here:

Turntable - Technics SL-20 (Belt Drive FG Servo/DC motor)
Cartridge - Grado Prestige Black 3
Hum - Yes.
 
Tetrack said:
Looks like the database is no longer active
Click to expand...
I think it is actively maintained, but it is read only. It says, "to add a cartridge/turntable combo to the database: Please send Hakaplan (Howard) a PM"

did you try that? I have an addition to share as well.
 
dylan_k said:
I think it is actively maintained, but it is read only. It says, "to add a cartridge/turntable combo to the database: Please send Hakaplan (Howard) a PM"

did you try that? I have an addition to share as well.
Click to expand...
It looks like the members that were maintaining it haven't been active for some time.
 
Old thread, but I would like to say that my Grado Gold 3 hums on my Sansui SR-525. It sounds great, but I moved it over from my TD 160 hoping to hear the Grado sound without the hum. It seems that most of the Sansui TTs of this design don't hum with Grados, according to the chart, so I'm wondering if there's just a problem with my cartridge.
 
I can report that my attempt to mount a Grado TImbre series Opus 3 on an HK T65C resulted in the dreaded hum. And that was with a Musical Surroundings Phenomena III Phono stage with the LPS upgrade, which is dead quiet.

It's too bad. I had high hopes for this combo. Moved the Opus over to a newly resurrected Goldmund ST4 and it's nearly (90% there?) dead quiet.
 
I wonder what makes the Opus different?
I've successfully run on my T65C:
Grado Signature 8,
Reference Sonata 1,
Statement Sonata 1,
Statement Sonata 2 and
Statement Sonata 3.
All without hum.
 
heyraz said:
I wonder what makes the Opus different?
I've successfully run on my T65C:
Grado Signature 8,
Reference Sonata 1,
Statement Sonata 1,
Statement Sonata 2 and
Statement Sonata 3.
All without hum.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, maybe it's my environment the Grado doesn't like? I have a horrible RFI environment where you can literally see a cell tower from my listening room window about a 1/2 block away. And, on a 90 degree Axis there is another one about 1 block away. And my apartment building is nestled beneath a ridge that hosts all the radio towers in Portland. I've been fighting noise in my Phono stages for years. Finally gave up trying to use a tubed Phono. The Phenomena III is the quietest Phono I've been able to use in that room.

I thought the T65C would be relatively benign, but when I mounted it up I could definitely hear passive hum that increased when the TT was powered up. And then, the hum would also increase as the arm moved over the platter towards the motor. It sounded great, but the hum was intrusive enough that I knew instantly I couldn't live with it long term.

Maybe I'll try it again in a different location. For now the Opus 3 sounds sublime on my Goldmund in the living room, which is only there because my listening room rack system is too small to handle the weight and size of that behemoth of a deck. I'm working on a solution so I can move it into my listening room and when I do the T65C will be moved into the living room. It'll be interesting to see what the results of swapping will be. Will the Opus hum on the Goldmund in the other room? Will the hum disappear on the T65c in the living room? Arrrgh.

Edit: to be clear, no other cartridge (MM or MC) that I've tried has hummed on the T65c to any significant degree.
 
Grado Prestige Green3 with Audio Technica AT-LP8X. Hum starts when you place the cart over the run-in groove. Kind of a bummer but I'll live. If it hadn't been for reading about Grado hum in the past, this would have drove me nuts last night.
 
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