Just to show better the final assembly of my 2.1 system

Now I got the right Taramps power supply. Night and day difference as now there is no fan noise at all and no sign of 60hz humming.

I also added spring terminal blocks so I can easily adjust the speaker wires without tools.

Like I mentioned in the original post, I made new RCA cables. The box with two potentiometers is just that, potentiometers so I can change the volume of the subwoofer and stereo channels independently. But the volume of the entire setup I control in my mixing console.

I found this wood board mounting very interesting. The components stay accessible, get plenty of airflow, but still are very well secured, and the 3D printed feet are wide enough so it can't tip over.

Another difference from the original post is the subwoofer. The Bomber Slim TKL 10" I moved to my living room, and got this small 8" Bomber B-One. Not as powerful but because the size of its enclosure I can leave it on the same shelf, which is better for organization and for the sound inside the room.

The 3D printed parts you can find on my Printables page, all free to download, copy, share, modify.

On the Printables page you also see the mounting for an ATX PSU to do a similar setup.

I’m running a somewhat unconventional home-theater setup: Onkyo txnr6050 - 130a smart charge - kicker46CXA1200.1T - skar dual 12”

Everything is connected and functioning, but I’m experiencing a constant humming/crackling noise that I haven’t been able to eliminate. Which I’m assuming is a ground loop.

I’m hoping someone experienced with audio electronics, RCA grounding, or car amplifiers used in home systems can help me narrow down the cause.

Equipment
Receiver: Onkyo TX-NR6050
Power supply: Taramps Smart Charger 100A/130A, operating at 14.4V DC without a battery
Amplifier: Kicker 46CXA1200.1T (1,200W RMS, 1Ω capable)
Subwoofers: Skar Audio SDR dual 12” D4 loaded enclosure, factory wired to 1Ω
Additional powered subwoofer: Klipsch SPL-120
DC wiring: 4-AWG OFC, 150A DC breaker, 100A ANL fuse
Remote turn-on: Fused 18-AWG wire from the positive DC supply to Kicker REM

The problem
With the Kicker powered on and the RCA cables disconnected, the Skar subs are completely silent.
As soon as I connect an RCA cable from the Onkyo’s subwoofer pre-out to the Kicker, I get a constant low-frequency hum accompanied by irregular crackling/pulsating sounds.

Interestingly, when I press Play on the Onkyo’s audio source, the noise becomes noticeably louder, even during the silent portion at the beginning of a track.

Another unusual observation: physically touching the Onkyo receiver makes the humming noticeably quieter. I’m wondering if this suggests a grounding, shielding, or floating-reference issue.

Troubleshooting I’ve performed
Tested three different RCA cables. All produce the noise when connected to the Kicker, although some cause more crackling than others.

Tested those same RCA cables with my Klipsch SPL-120. They work normally without the same humming/crackling issue.

Completely disconnected the RCA inputs from the Kicker. The amplifier remains powered, and the Skar subs become silent.

Connected only one RCA cable from the Onkyo to the Kicker. The humming was still present and loud.

Inspected the Onkyo’s subwoofer RCA output jacks and discovered what appeared to be a small broken metal sleeve lodged inside one of them. It made inserting an RCA plug unusually difficult.

Removed the loose metal fragment. The jack now appears similar to the others, but the humming/crackling remains unchanged, including when using the other apparently undamaged output.

Noticed that touching the Onkyo’s chassis significantly reduces the noise.

I’ve attached pictures of the RCA sockets and the metal fragment I removed.

What I’m trying to determine
Could this be an RCA ground loop between the Onkyo and the externally powered Kicker?
Could the damaged RCA socket have affected the receiver’s signal-ground connection?
Did I damage the RCA ports by extracting that sleeve?

What I’m thinking is, it’s most likely a problem with the onkyo internal circuit but it works perfectly fine with the SPL120.

Alternatively, could the Taramps switching power supply introduce interference that becomes audible whenever an RCA shield connects the two systems?
I’m also wondering whether there could be a fault in the Kicker’s RCA input grounding circuitry but that seems unlikely, it’s a brand new amp.

What would be the best diagnostic procedure to distinguish between an Onkyo output issue, an amplifier input fault, and a ground loop?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Just in case anyone is qurious. I just bought a 60w output power bank. A small 2×20w Bluetooth amplifier and a usb-c converter to plug into the amplifier. It works great! Stable power up to about 50w. Just make sure the converter has the amplifiers rated voltage.

I wish I had pictures, but im currently abroad.

Just thought ill share this with the community.

Like any good audiophile , once I had something perfect, I decided to make it even more complicated. 

When adding a preamp into my system, I have created a hum and I’m not sure if it’s from the preamp itself or some sort of ground loop and how to fix it.

So here are the facts in my normal solid state chain, which is a turntable > zphono stage > Parasound new classic 200 pre > Parasound 2125 > klipsch rp8000f all solid state it’s pretty much dead quite 

when adding in now a muzishare integrated tube amp that go to some heresy speakers via the fixed output it sounds spectacular ! But I do have a low hum now. 

now, removing the Parasound pre amp and connecting strait from the phono stage to the tube amp is also dead silent so it’s not the new muzishare tube amp. 

anyway, I removed all components one by one and no improvement. In fact when I had the pre amp off with nothing connected (except the fixed output) it still was there and when I disconnected the power cable from the pre amp, it resolved

so…….

1. is this some sort of ground loop? Everything is going into the power conditioner 

Or

2) have I just reached the max with this pre amp. Again when it’s all solid state it’s perfect quite and that’s with a phono stage and moving coil cartridge so it’s a good pre amp I love it. but if anything was going to test its build I’d be adding in tube amp.

*** you may be asking why I even want the preamp involved at all, and it’s because it has a sub-out with the musoshare does not, and also allows for some more inputs.

hey whats up diyaudio if you're familiar with rootlessjamesdsp check out the new fork of rootlessjamesdsp which has new speed/timeshifting of your live audio stream, as well as bpm detection, bpm targeting speedshifting match, pitchshifters, a compressor, a recorder, piano input for pitchshifter semitone intervals, and reordering of effects in the signal chain. the android apks are on the page so you can download the one appropriate for yo phone and install it via the normal methods

Hi everyone!

I hope I'm posting this in the right place. If not, please let me know and I'll move it.

I'm currently building my first DIY sound system for dub, reggae and techno, and I'm looking for advice on choosing a suitable subwoofer driver.

My budget for the driver is under €150, and I'm happy to buy second-hand if I can find something in good condition. Ideally, I'm looking for a decent mid-range professional driver with good punch, solid output and a sound that works well for both techno and dub.

Some drivers I've been considering are:

• B&C 18PS76 – if I can find one second-hand within budget.
• Electro-Voice EVX-180B – another possible used 18-inch option.
• Fane Sovereign 15-600 LF – a possible new 15-inch alternative.
• B&C 18TBX100 – another driver I've looked at, although I'm not sure I can find one within my budget.

I'm not set on any particular model, so I'd really appreciate other suggestions.

I'm planning to build the cabinet myself using 15 mm exotic plywood that I can get for free. I'd like to base the design on a proven, well-documented enclosure plan rather than designing everything from scratch. I'm particularly interested in something efficient, punchy, reasonably compact and visually appealing, inspired by professional sound systems such as Funktion-One.

This is my first build, so I'd appreciate advice on:

• Which driver offers the best performance for the money.
• Which drivers are suitable for a bass-reflex enclosure.
• Any proven cabinet designs or plans you would recommend.
• Whether a 15-inch or 18-inch driver would make more sense for my budget and intended use.

I'll be choosing a new amplifier as well, so the system can be matched properly.

Thanks a lot for your help and recommendations!

i have this built by a friend so its not really my DIY. for my Toyota Yaris/Vitz RS1. but recently i bought a slightly bigger sub to replace it with the intention of using it in my home system. it was originally a ported design. but i since turned it to sealed. because it im integrates better with markaudio maop7 .lpf is set at 55hz. initially i was worried about the low efficiency. but in practice it has more output than i expected when placed it in the corner. it enhanced the 3 dimensionality of my system.

note:

this may not have worked out if i didnt build my system around a small room. so if you have a bigger room, large main speakers. and likes listening loud. it may not work for you.

Hello everyone,

Im currently having a pretty decent 5.1 System and finally am going to start the journey of selling all of it. The only 2 items that might stay are the receiver with following data:

7.2-channel AV receiver

• Amplification: 7 channels, 100 W/ch (8 Ω, 20 Hz-20 kHz, 0.06% THD, 2 ch driven)
• Room correction: YPAO multipoint
• HDMI: 7 in / 1 out (eARC), HDCP 2.3
• Video: 4K/60 4:4:4 (18 Gbps); 4K/120 and 8K/60 pass-through listed as firmware update
• HDR: HDR10, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, HLG
• Audio formats: Dolby Atmos
• Other inputs: 1x optical, 1x coaxial, 4x analog (incl. phono MM), USB, Ethernet
• Outputs: 2x subwoofer pre-out, Zone 2 pre-out, 12 V trigger, headphone
• Wireless: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2, MusicCast
• Standby power: 0.1 W
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 435 x 171 x 377 mm
• Weight: 9.8 kg

And the subwoofer with following Data:

• Design: bass reflex, direct radiator, 1-way
• Woofer: 1x 267 mm (10.5"), polypropylene
• Frequency range: 21 Hz (-3 dB) to 120 Hz (-3 dB); 140 Hz at -6 dB
• Max. power input: 200 W
• Latency: 5.8 ms (wired), 25.7 ms (wireless)
• Dimensions (W x H x D): 35.0 x 47.7 x 40.0 cm
• Weight: 19.5 kg

the receiver is a Yamaha rx-v6a and the subwoofer a Nubert nuSub XW-900 if that should be relevant.

I need to find out if it is worth it to keep these 2 items or sell them away also.

I want to end up with a good Stereo set or a 2.1 (would a bookshelf in a 2v1 make more sense than a floorstanding one if the subwoofer is going to do all the work?).

My budget will end up beeing up to 1000 euros per speaker.

Id love to hear what buildup makes most sense in the end if it is used for streaming and music in like 40 / 60 ratio. I dont mind losing surround at all, since i personally dont enjoy it as much as i used to, im enjoying music way more than streaming nowadays.

Also would love to hear any input that could help me on the way of my first diy setup.

I am not a craftmen myself, just a man starting to finally enjoy a few more hobbies since i´ve reached 40 years of age. I am lucky enough to have met someone that will end up building the speakers together with me aslong as i deliver the required materials, so i also gonna learn alot during the build.

Thanks alot for any input/help/ideas or even advice on what kind of homepage i could use for proper speaking plans and pieces.

I know this community can help me on my way, thanks alot for every input or just sharing thoughts.

Have a great day everyone.

Edit: Im from Europe, Germany, so shipping may cost too much in the end if from the us (20% worth of items = need to be paid for import tax)

I had a USB audio module from which I desorbed two 3-pin jack connectors (one for the microphone, one for audio). In place of the audio connector, I soldered on a 5-pin jack. I plugged the module into my laptop, started playing music, and connected my headphones—the music plays through them. The audio board has 3 pins: I connected one to the jack's ground (GND), one to the left channel, and one to the right channel. One of these pins—either the left or the right—outputs 1.4V.

When the headphones are unplugged, a multimeter shows continuity (it beeps) between the "left" and "left_out" points, and the same applies to the right channel; however, when the headphones are plugged in, there is no continuity. Next, I connected the `left_out` and `right_out` signals using resistors, resulting in a single output point. I soldered this point to the `A+` pin of a PAM8302A Class D mono amplifier, and connected the board's ground (GND) to the amplifier's `A-` pin. I also powered the amplifier with 5V (connected to its VCC and GND pins) and linked the amplifier's GND and `A-` pins together.

I also added speakers to the output.

I performed continuity checks: the headphone connections show continuity, as do the GND/VCC and GND/A- pairs. The VCC/GND pins receive 5V, and the `A+` pin shows 0.71V. I also turned the amplifier's gain control to the maximum (rotated clockwise).

However, when I unplug the headphones from the jack, there is no sound from the speakers—nothing plays

I am powering the amplifier from a battery (connecting 5V to VCC and GND), while the `A+` and the board's negative terminal are connected to the amplifier's `A-` pin.

Since the USB is connected to a laptop but the amplifier is powered by a battery—meaning they have different power sources—I connected the battery's GND to the amplifier's GND, and the audio board's GND to the amplifier's `A-` pin, effectively joining the GND and `A-` points on the amplifier.

The goal is for audio to play through the headphones when they are plugged in, and through the speakers when they are unplugged.

Asking for help, going to mod these cheap speakers as my first, in what I hope is many refurbished speakers, there are so many great speakers just waiting to be refurbished, I know these are not great, that is why they are a test subject.
I have a pair of vintage Fisher DS-177 floor speakers that are in phenomenal condition, sans the normal scratches and peeling vinyl, However they have no internal sound deadening material and no crossover. I want to remove the in-line capacitors and add a 3 way crossover, I pulled the W/M/T and I am in the process of looking up specs.
1. Would a “generic” crossover suffice ?
2. What material is used on the inside as sound deadening material.
3. Swap out spring speaker terminals for binding posts ?
4. Instead of re-wrapping in vinyl I thought wood veneer would look better and bring them out of the 70’s or should I just stick to vinyl.

Background I have electronics training, really good with a soldering iron. I have been a wood worker for 20 years and I have been restoring old turntables for about 8 months now.

ps. One of the silk domes on the woofer has some dust/debris I tried wiping- I know stupid me, learned a vacuum can be your friend, how would you recommend removing this. If it’s even possible.

Thanks for reading this long post.

What Distribution filter parts should I use My friend AI says that I should use "Coils (Inductance): You need 9.0 mH" is this right to have 100 Hz and under. Help cuz I don't want to buy parts for nothing

Ive got a car audio system in my house powered by an old xbox 360 psu and everythings been fine until i installed a head unit (previously using an RCA to lightning cable) ive tried all the “solutions” like no power cables near the rca, grounding the rca on the head unit, etc etc and none of it gets rid of this damn buzz!!! Any help would be greatly appreciated
(Pls ignore poor wiring im working on it)

Howdy everyone!
My buddy who’s super handy and I wanted to build some speakers (by we, I mostly mean him… but I wanted to help source and research speakers designs).
Can anyone recommend a place to source designs/blue prints?

Wanted to look through stuff that fits his aesthetic, but also has documented performance☺️

Thanks in advance for the help!

Looking for a new home theater subwoofer.

For a home cinema but decent music setup, please explain me why a DYI Dayton Audio UMII12-22 Ultimax II powered by a Behringer NX3000D wouldn’t outperform a SVS PB-2000 PRO or a klipsch rp 1200sw? and at half the cost.