60 Hz Hum from Powered Sub


Hi All-=

I have an older (late 90's?) Tannoy PS110 powered subwoofer. It has a 3-prong (grounded) permanently connected power cable. Over the last month it has developed a 60 Hz hum. I've plugged it in different locations in the house to rule out ground loop. The hum is present whether there is an audio source connected or not. Is it time to just move on or is this something worth repairing? Could this be something simple, and if so, how can I diagnose it? Any suggestions are appreciated!

Thanks, 

G
spacecadet65

Showing 3 responses by fiesta75

Are you using the low or high level inputs to the sub? If you're using the low, it's probably a bad cap in the subwoofer. You might just try the high level inputs if you have them. I know that cured the hum in my older Sunfire sub years ago. I replaced all big electrolytic caps and it still hummed, no matter what I did. This just might work? It would be a temporary cure until you either upgrade to a newer and better sub, or decide to send it in for repair. Good luck.
If you're going to open it, be careful to discharge all large electrolytic capacitors through a resistor. These caps can store some high and potentially lethal voltages for a long time. All plate amps I've worked on use 105C capacitors.
Huh? Two electrolytic caps, you must be kidding. One I serviced, I replaced 42 electrolytic caps and the problem still existed. Only switching to the high level inputs stopped the hum.