[linux-audio-user] OT: more about (laptop) hum

[M P Smoak]

On Monday 08 January 2007 12:07 pm, Malte Steiner wrote:
> Anyway I found only 1 'balanced' cable in my arsenal which I seldom
> use ('stubid stereo cable, what can I use it for') and voila, humming
> reduced to 98% I would say. There is still a tiny silent high pitch
> sound, I have to crank up all possible volumefaders to even notice, a
> good way to ruin speakers and ears btw., by accidently triggering a
> sound :).
> I compared it with noise from other, none digital equipment and its
> in a good league so I am happy for now, except that I now want
> stupid-stereo-cables-no-one-can-use, to go balanced, but unfortunally
> my bankaccount is not balanced either so it has to wait.

Yes, balanced cables make a huge difference.  I knew it before but got 
a real reminder when our group got a couple of new mixers with good 
balanced inputs and good preamps.  Good cables are very expensive, I 
think, but worth it.  It nearly kills me that I can't find anyone here 
who will repair them when they go dead.  One of the folks in our group 
owns a video studio here and I asked him last Saturday night "Mike, who
repairs your cables when they need repair?"  He said he just tosses 
them and buys new.  

So ask around the studios, broadcasters, ... in your area, if you can 
solder or are willing to learn how.  Might be able to get some free 
that are repairable.  I'm probably going to buy a soldering rig and 
re-learn something I learned about 1958 but haven't done in 30 years.

If you're in the US or Canada, contact me offline;  I got a few I'll 
give you if you'll fix some for me.  I can't seem to toss bad cables.
Must be something about how scarce things were when I was growing up; 
we fixed things that broke or did without.

Marv  in Lex KY