I am trying to picture what you are describing here. I looked at the T80 manual and noticed a few things. A) it apparently has a built-in RIAA correction (switchable with the phone/line switch). Important to match the type of input on your mixer/controller (phone or line) with the setting of this switch. This should only have impact on the eq of the signal and NOT on the hum you hear, it is nevertheless very important to make sure your records sound the way they are supposed to.
So be sure to set the switch right :).
B) it it is clear there is NO ground terminal on the T80! This probably means they had reason to believe you don’t need one.
I re-read your first posting and you said something about the quality of the sound/level of buzzing changed when you fiddles with the connectors. That might be indicative of a faulty cable. Does the hum appear in both channels or just in one? If you use the same cable and hook up something else (maybe a cd player with rca connectors?) does it still hum? If the input on your controller is switchable phone/line, using the same cable does it make any difference if you switch between the two settings. Using the same cables and T80, does it do the same thing if you hook it up to another (line) input if you are now using the phono input?
Just some troubleshooting tips trying to locate the problem.
Let me know what controller you are using. Makes it easier for me to understand the possible connections. If your controller has a digital in (SPDIF) input (rca type connector) you could also try that input.
Finally, when you had it open, did it seem any of those ground wires from the rca-connectors (there should be more than one) where loose/disconnected?
Well, there is some homework for you 🙂
Let me know the results.
Greetinx,
C.
p.s. if there WAS a groundwire or ground terminal on the T80, you’d be using a twisted copper single copper core insulated wire. No need for it to be very heavy/thick.
p.s. 2 Are all your power cords (controller AND T80) on the same “trunk”, i.e. wall outlet, extension block?
p.s. 3 Did some more research, this article (http://www.virtualdj.com/forums/119646/General_Discussion/How_to_earth_Stanton_T80_s_.html) says something about testing earthing by connecting a wire to the ground terminal on the controller and then just touching that wire to any metal part on the T80 or the outside of the RCA plug on the T80. They too suggest using the T80 in line mode and connecting it to a line input on the controller/mixer.
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