System hiss with receiver volume knob at minimum

[Porcupine]

I've made some changes to my setup recently and noticed a VERY slightly hiss coming out of my speakers' tweeters (two different brands, hooked up to A - B). There are lots of sources of slight hiss and I think I understand most of them, but this one is weird. It is present even with all volume knobs and controls at the minimum setting. It is VERY soft though, only easily audible if I press my ear right up to the tweeter. And it doesn't get louder if I turn the volume up. So it is not actually a problem. I'm just curious what causes it.

Is this inherent noise from the receiver itself? It's a Onkyo TX-8511 with 100 db signal-to-noise ratio. I find it odd that I never noticed it until I moved my receiver to a new setup/location (same speakers). Maybe something else is causing it, or maybe I just never noticed before for whatever reason.

 

[mtrycrafts]

It is VERY soft though, only easily audible if I press my ear right up to the tweeter. .

If it is at that distance, right at the tweeter, it is normal internal noise of the system

 

[av-man]

If your not using your speakers like headphones, don't worry to much about it.

 

[kaseaman]

Same thing happens to my speaker, no big deal. Although if you email monstercable about this, I am sure they will have a solution for you

 

[mtrycrafts]

Although if you email monstercable about this, I am sure they will have a solution for you

You are killing me, stop it LOL

 

[Spiffyfast]

Everyone is always against monster cable, is it really that bad, or just that its mass merchandised that nobody here likes it? Because I've noticed that alot, anything that is mass marketed noone seems to think is any good. Just a question hope I dont get alot of guff from this.

 

[MDS]

It's not that Monster cable is bad, it's just that it is way overpriced relative to the competition.

I think the only real exception to that is their 'low end' line that is THX certified and sold at places like Best Buy and Circuit City. They are about $20 apiece which isn't too bad when similar cables from the likes of Acoustic Research are at best $5 less.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Everyone is always against monster cable, is it really that bad, or just that its mass merchandised that nobody here likes it? Because I've noticed that alot, anything that is mass marketed noone seems to think is any good. Just a question hope I dont get alot of guff from this.

Besides their price, easy to get around, Monster's business practice is predatory. They will sue any business that has 'monster' in their name, like snowmonster, etc. and try to bully you from using it. They spend millions on putting their name on a stadeum, on it goes.

 

[Porcupine]

Hmm. However, last night I noticed that if it is at nightime when my ears are most sensitive (I dunno why, partially because ambient noise is less, but I also think there is more to it than just that) I can hear the 'zero'-volume hiss from as much as 4 feet away! This is due to super-sensitive hearing after just woken up in the middle of the night, but the fact that I can hear it does bother me. But probably after I play any sound my ears become normal and I probably can't hear the hiss as well. Still, if there were some way to reduce the volume of even this VERY minimal hiss that would be good. Maybe there is just no way and it is the basic hiss level of the 100 db S/N ratio of my receiver, I dunno.

This morning I tested again, and once again I cannot hear the hiss unless my ear is less than 6 inches from the tweeter, on-axis. Super hearing only activates at night I guess.

 

[Porcupine]

Yeah it could be the speaker cables too. That would make sense why the hiss volume does not increase as I turn the volume up. It could also be nearby equipment which generates electromagnetic radiation into my speaker cables. Oh well, it is soft enough so it's not a big problem. If it is the cables I am not gonna buy better cables cause I won't spend more than 50 bucks on cables cause my speakers are only $1000. Only if I were rich and my speakers were $100000 then I would spend a thousand on cables lol.

 

[korgoth]

Everyone is always against monster cable, is it really that bad, or just that its mass merchandised that nobody here likes it? Because I've noticed that alot, anything that is mass marketed noone seems to think is any good. Just a question hope I dont get alot of guff from this.

yeah people recommend blue jean cables and impact acoustics instead..

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hmm. However, last night I noticed that if it is at nightime when my ears are most sensitive (I dunno why, partially because ambient noise is less,

Yep, that is it ambient noise is less. Your hearing sensitivity changes constantly by itself but that noise floor shift is why





but I also think there is more to it than just that) I can hear the 'zero'-volume hiss from as much as 4 feet away!

Nope, it is the noise floor.



This is due to super-sensitive hearing after just woken up in the middle of the night,

Nope, still th enoise floor issue and plain perception, and not having full consciousness.

but the fact that I can hear it does bother me.

Not sure you will find a compoinent then that will not bother you.


But probably after I play any sound my ears become normal and I probably can't hear the hiss as well.

One of your posts said you have to be right next to it to hear it. So forget this issue.

 

[mtrycrafts]

Yeah it could be the speaker cables too.

Nope, it is not

That would make sense why the hiss volume does not increase as I turn the volume up.

Nope it would not

It could also be nearby equipment which generates electromagnetic radiation into my speaker cables.

Most likely not.

Only if I were rich and my speakers were $100000 then I would spend a thousand on cables lol.

You may do that but it would still not help one bit
But, if that thousand is burning a hole in your pocket, I will help you with that pain

 

[markw]

it ain't the cable

It's simply the inherent noise in the power amp stage combined wih a speaker that emphasises the high end.

If you do succeed in getting a cable that trims out the hiss, it will also trim out any music in the same range as well. Is that what you want?

 

[Porcupine]

Yup you guys are totally right. I did lots of equipment rearranging and tests (not for this issue, but I am getting lots of new stuffs lately) and I am 100% sure that it is the base noise of the receiver. If it were the speaker wires, then if I turn my other equipments off (TV, computer, DVD player) the noise should go away but it does not. So I know for sure my speaker cables are well-shielded and the receiver puts out the base floor noise.

I know ambient equipment does generate hiss as well though. It probably does add to the noise floor through the speaker wire but not in a significant way (it's probably -200 db or something). My ambient equipment does generate noise into my line-level cables...which I can hear if I turn the volume knob to maximum (and of course, play no sound, otherwise I am in for trouble). It is funny, I can even identify which piece of equipment is generating which noise into the line-level cables because the funny noise sounds the same as the hum my various devices put out.

For example my TV which emits a 15600 Hz high-pitched whine at all times due to it's scanning rate, also sends that same whine into my line-level cables. If I turn the volume to max with no sound playing, I hear that whine out of my speaker tweeters. My computer, which emits a fuzzy fan-like sound, sends that same sound into my line-level cables as well.

I also figured out why I never noticed the receiver base floor noise before. It was because before I had it hooked to my computer....and my computer emits FAR louder noise out of itself (fan, hum, hiss, etc) than the base floor noise of my amp. So that noise was totally drowned out even at nightime.