humming phono stage

i noticed a slight humming comming from my phono stage when my record player had the arm lifted off a record.
i unplugged the tt from my amp as well as its earth and the humming is still there.
i have to turn the amp volume up quite high to hear the humming but its in both chanels ( the amp and phono stage is dual mono design ) and its on mm and mc positions.
itds sounds like huuuuummmmmm then it moves up a notch and sounds HHHUUUUUUMMMMM then it gets quieter as if someones switching on and off a loudness switch.
is this normal?
do i need a seperate phono stage?

 

Is it noticeable at normal listening volume with no music playing?

If not, it's probably nothing to worry about. Very few phono stages, even expensive ones, are completely silent at high volumes.

-- Ian

 

nope , at normal volumes its quiet , it was just the hum switching on and off effect that worried me.