Airport Express, unexpected problems

[FahadAhmed]

Has anybody else ever faced this?

I was looking for a cheap solution for streaming to my HiFi. So I was suggested Airport express and set one up a couple of months ago. But that kind of started interfering with my Turntable setup. Normally things would stay quiet when the power of the amp and all the sources are on. But the minute my stylus would touch the record, I would get a loud hum. The airport express is/ was connected to my amp via 3.5mm to RCA cable. I have removed the AE from the setup and things are back to normal. Now the airport express is a slightly over priced range extender for my WiFi.

Can anybody suggest a cure so that I can take the AE out of quarantine?

 

[iMark]

I have an Airport Express but that is connected with a Toslink cable to a DAC. You could of course connect the AE to an external DAC and connect that to your amp. That will eliminate your hum for sure. Does the AE only hum when the record player is connected?

I think you have a ground loop problem somewhere. Is your system properly earthed?

In a previous home I had serious ground loop problems with my stereo receiver when my computer was connected to it. It turned out that the FM cable from the cable TV wall socket was causing a ground loop hum. I remember buying a ground loop hum filter for the coax cable.

 

[FahadAhmed]

IDoes the AE only hum when the record player is connected?

The AE doesn't hum at all. The record player hums when the AE is connected. That too only when the stylus lands on the reord.

I am not that much into streaming anyways. That is why I was looking for the cheapest possible solution. Buying a budget DAC now would cost me around 150 (DAC magic 100). I was contemplating buying a really long USB to lightning cable so that I can just connect my iphone to the CD player and stream. Take the wireless out of the picutre. (My digital music would easily fit into my 128 GB iphone)