Speakers hum - what to do?

Hifi systems often experience problems in the form of buzzing loudspeakers. We will explain what the phenomenon is and how you can solve the problem.

Hum in the living room - where does it come from?

The first thing to check is whether the hum is actually coming from the speakers.

You can differentiate between two types: mechanical hum and hum caused by equalizing currents via the ground connection.
Mechanical humming occurs, for example, in the power supply of your amplifier.
If the coils in the power supply are not dimensioned appropriately, they actually start to vibrate. For you, this manifests itself as a hum from the device.
In the case of high-quality power supplies, the coils are therefore additionally packed in material that prevents mechanical vibration.
In such a case, you can only change something by replacing the affected device.

You have better cards if the hum from your speakers is caused by the power supply.

If your devices are grounded differently, equalizing currents flow, which express themselves as a buzzing loudspeaker. It can sometimes help if you plug all devices that are connected to cables into an electrical outlet.
The hum can be particularly strong due to the antenna connection on the receiver or television. Test if the hum disappears when you unplug the antenna cable. If so, an investment in a bypass filter is worthwhile for you. This filters out the error and lets your useful signal pass.
Inferior cinch cables can often be heard humming. They don't create it, but they increase the effect. So leave the accessory straps behind and invest better in correspondingly good cables.
If your system supports it, you can also use an optical medium for your audio transmission - for example a Toslink cable. The optical transmission interrupts the potential hum loop because only light is transmitted via the cable and no current flows.
Symmetrical connections to the loudspeakers, in which errors cancel each other out, are more likely to be found in the professional sector. An example of this would be the use of XLR cables.
Important note: Never cut the protective conductor of an affected device to interrupt the ground loop. This is life-threatening, because in the event of a fault, the mains voltage is applied to your housing.