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.