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I just moved into a new home that was pre-wired for audio distribution. There are six zones. From each zone, CAT5 wire connects a keypad to a distribution pre-amp in the "equipment closet." Sources located in the closet (e.g., SACD carousel) that connect to the pre-amp sound great in each audio zone (no buzz/hum). However, when a source originating in any zone (e.g., IPOD, satellite receiver audio out) is played back in any of the zones, there is a very serious noise issue. Even when no zone source is connected, a very serious noise is heard in any zone that selects that zone input. I did extensive troubleshooting, and can rule out problems with keypads, pre-amp, amp, speakers, and sources. For example, when I connect a keypad directly to the pre-amp in the closet (bypassing the CAT5 running through the walls from a zone to the closet), the noise disappears. So, the CAT5 is picking up interference along the path. Some CAT5 runs exhibit varying degrees of this interference (i.e., the noise from each zone is not uniformly loud). Any ideas for diagnosing and correcting the problem?
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