For the record, I’m not threatened - being told that there’s got to be something else first seems more like being shouted down after raising the real posibility more than once.

I feel it is always needed - the 1st time you have a brown out and roast your gear, you’ll think back about thinking you don’t always need it. I set 6k worth on stage each night - I’m not wealthy enough to absorb losses.

I hope you find a way to making hum free music, Cary.

Peace.

jshep0102 - 20 February 2014 11:22 AM

That still doesn’t negate at all what I’m saying.

I’m not rejecting that there’s a legitimate purpose for a power regulator/etc. Indeed, a Furman or other decent quality product might correct what’s causing Cary grief, and be protection against power line “glitches” as well. However, not using a power conditioner at this point could simplify determining what’s occurring.

If Cary‘s gear, the same as cmayhle‘s, is connected identically, the problem should be resolved. If it isn’t, then the situation merits further close investigation.

VikasSharma - 20 February 2014 11:59 AM

Peace.

Ah, there it is again; The Vikas Effect.  Thanks Man.

Hi All who tried to help. DavePolich hit the nail on the head, when he said “its the way the DXR’s are wired”.  It all sunk in, as no other powered speaker that I have been able to try or borrow made that hum.
Yamaha verified it today and I am good with it.  The mixer that Dave had recommended was partially DOA.
Off it all goes, and the quest for live powered monitors, and a good mixer is in the works.  Its not the cables, thou the canare are to be sourced.  A digital mixer/interface, as stoneb3 said he uses will be sourced too.  So if anyone wants to help, that would be great.
Thank You All,
Cary

Cary - 20 February 2014 05:55 PM

“its the way the DXR’s are wired”.  It all sunk in, as no other powered speaker that I have been able to try or borrow made that hum.

Yamaha verified it today and I am good with it.

I couldn’t quite understand that. Do the DXRs really need some special kind of input to avoid hum/noise than other speakers?

That does sound strange. I wonder if Cary’s DXRs are exhibiting hum with other unbalanced sound sources, e.g. an iPod (obviously battery powered), or a different keyboard or mains CD player, perhaps initially plugged directly into one speaker, then chained, then perhaps going via the mixer. It would be interesting to know at what point they start to hum to try and isolate what is causing the problem.

This is not something I’ve ever experienced as an amateur in the UK though.

ChrisB - 27 February 2014 08:22 AM

That does sound strange. I wonder if Cary’s DXRs are exhibiting hum with other unbalanced sound sources

After eliminating my faulty XS6 I introduced a number of devices to the unbalanced inputs and had no hum, both with and without cmayhles set up. Trouble shooting can often be time consuming and misleading for a user to perform. It was for me, although in hindsight it probably should not have been. I assumed the XS6 was in good condition, never hearing a hum when placed in the balance outputs. Additionally I feel it is somewhat unlikely to purchase two new DXR’s with the same potential defect. Also the DXR speakers are very powerful and any deficiencies at the input will be readily disclosed.

A search of the internet reveals very little on this subject, with most hits resembling this thread. Perhaps Dave could offer some clarity on his mention of how the speakers are wired. I take this as how they had been externally wired, not internally as Cary may have interpreted it be.

Stone

stoneb3 - 27 February 2014 09:07 AM

...Perhaps Dave could offer some clarity on his mention of how the speakers are wired. I take this as how they had been externally wired, not internally as Cary may have interpreted it be.

Stone

I fully agree, I hope DavePolich will elaborate on the statement that the issue is with how the DXR’s are wired, as they also are working quite well for me.

After Cary abandoned this thread, he continued his search for new gear in the On Stage Forum in a thread titled Yamaha Stagepas 300.

Since the thread (here in the MOXF Forum) had pretty much left me (and perhaps others) hanging, with no real conclusions...or even systematic follow-through on the analysis...I followed up with Cary in that Stagepas thread.

He kindly added what information he could, but apparently he does not know what the ‘wiring issue’ is with the DXR’s either.  He simple took it at face value and sent back the DXR10’s.

If there is indeed a problem with how the DXR’s are wired, I haven’t found it...but would certainly be interested in more elaboration.

I know this thread is several months old but wanted to confirm what you guys are saying about the DXR powered speakers.  I too use two DXR12s as left and right monitors.  I use a Furman power conditioner and regulator, and cannot get rid of the hum no matter what I try.  Fortunately since I am only using them for my personal monitors, the out front mix is not affected.  Regardless of the hum, I do really like that setup using the DXR12s.  I have just learned to live with the hum.

I really don’t have anything new to add to this discussion, other than a personal experience update.

I still run the same keyboards, mixer, DI, and pair of DXR10’s as personal stereo monitors as I did back in February when this thread was current.  And they still absolutely kick it out with no hum.

If you feed a hot, hum-free signal into your DXR’s, you will get a hot, hum-free response...and you shouldn’t need to turn them up beyond about 8 o’clock (used as monitors) to get all the punchy sound you can use (-10 to -20 DB level on the DXR dial)

Any higher and you’ll be threatening your hearing.

If you need to turn them (the DXR’s) up higher than that, your signal-in is not hot enough, and of course any noise-floor buzz inherent in a weak signal will be magnified by the DXR amplifier.  This is a very important point to consider.  I experimented with a less than optimum (weak) signal going into the DXR’s and was certainly able to produce an obnoxious buzz after turning them up enough to get the gain I desired.  However, this is not an amp/speaker issue, it is a poor-gain-staging issue.

Similarly, if you feed a signal with any buzz (hot or not) into the DXR’s, they will obviously magnify the signal (and the buzz) to an exponential level.  These are very powerful amp/speakers.

FWIW, I don’t run a power conditioner.

I wanted to add to this topic. I know it’s a very old thread, but it is 100% the same issue and I found a resolution.

I’ve been battling this issue for a while now. I’m having some serious hum/pop/clicking issues that is very, very audible in my equipment. Firstly, let me list all my gear.

1. 2x Yamaha HS8
2. 2x Yamaha HS50M
3. 1x Yamaha HS8S subwoofer
4. 2x Coleman LS3 line audio switchers
5. Yamaha Motif XS 8
6. Furman M-8X2 “power conditioner”

The hum/pop/clicking is serious; so much so that it’s almost impossible for me to make a nice, good piano track because the pops and clicks interrupt me when I’m in a groove. If I disconnect EVERYTHING except the HS8 studio monitors, the tweeters in the HS8 actually THUMP occasionally. Nothing connected except the monitors to power.

It’s no secret that my home has bad/dirty power, and I am learning as I go along. Unfortunately, I have learned the hard way; this is the reason why you see that I put the Furman in quotes, because according to what I’ve read through various sources, it’s nothing but an over-glorified surge protector. My mistake, and I won’t be throwing money at it again.

I even tried grounding lifters (the adapters that go from 3 prong to 2 prong). It doesn’t work for all some of the equipment, whereas it does for one (the sub) only.

I thought what I needed were RFI filters, so I bought myself one to make a custom filter with it. I decided last night, however, to tear down EVERYTHING. I ripped all the parts and cables out that I recently ordered from Sweetwater, and started troubleshooting one by one. All the cables, audio and power, and start going one by one. What did I find? Lo and behold:

The problem are the Hosa speaker cables! Namely:

Hosa SKJ-610 TS-TS Speaker Cable - 10’
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SKJ610

All 4 of them exhibit the same behavior. When connecting them to the Yamaha HS8 or HS5 studio monitor that is connected to nothing but a conditioned power source, the cable causes the speaker to buzz LOUDLY. When plugging in another TS patch cable of a different brand (I have a few lying around, and the one I tested is the brand name Rean), it is virtually silent. And the more confusing/baffling thing is that all 4 of the Hosa TS-TS cables I bought from Sweetwater exhibit the same problem. I put a Sweetwater tech on speakerphone and had him listen to it. Plug in the Rean brand cable into the studio monitor: silent. Unplug it and plug in the Hosa cable? Loud buzzing.

Unfortunately, it seems as though I bought the WRONG CABLES. Those are SPEAKER cables. You are not supposed to use those: you are supposed to use INSTRUMENT cables, and that’s where I made a mistake. I’ve already put in an order for instrument cables, which should be delivered by the end of this week.

Bottom line: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT CABLES AND EQUIPMENT. The cables are extremely confusing, because it was honestly the last thing I expected to be the problem, but they do make a huge difference. Speaker cables =/= instrument cables.

ajm786 - 29 October 2015 08:58 AM

[...]Bottom line: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE RIGHT CABLES AND EQUIPMENT. The cables are extremely confusing, because it was honestly the last thing I expected to be the problem, but they do make a huge difference. Speaker cables =/= instrument cables.

Thanks for posting your experiences and the resolution.

For those not familiar with the differences in cable types…
A speaker cable is meant to connect the output of a power amplifier to an unpowered speaker, and is of a wire gauge sufficient to handle the power. Typically such cables are not shielded, and don’t reject external interference.

An instrument cable is meant to be used with line-level signals, such as connecting the main and assignable L and R outputs of a Motif to Yamaha HS-series powered speakers. Instrument cables are shielded, and minimize the effect of external interference.

Wow! Thanks to both of you.  I’ve been doing this a while now and had no idea there was a difference.  I guess I’ve been lucky so far and haven’t introduced any noise into my systems.