[xubuntu-users] Hum in speakers when nothing is playig

[Ralf Mardorf]

On Wed, 2026-03-18 at 11:49 -0400, Charles M wrote:
> Silly question, but are the speakers plugged into a power bar? If so
> try plugging directly into a wall. I noticed noise with a mixer I had
> that was being introduced by a power bar it was plugged into. Once I
> plugged it into the wall the noise vanished.

Hi,

in such cases, switching from a power strip to a wall outlet usually
won’t eliminate the ground loop.

A temporary workaround for these ground loops is to do a ground lift via
a safety capacitor, but that’s not a permanent solution.

I’ve also installed a switch in one of my devices that performs a hard
ground lift without a capacitor. However, I don’t normally use it. I
haven’t needed it in decades, and it’s not even a temporary solution,
depending on the type of device it’s actually prohibited.

Regards,
Ralf