2. tech-talk
  3. 169032-148003

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 5 responses by spacecadet65

spacecadet65's avatar
spacecadet65 OP
58 posts
 
Thanks Miller! Great advice.

G

spacecadet65's avatar
spacecadet65 OP
58 posts
 
Will do! Why does that work? Sorry, I'm an electrical noob here...

G

spacecadet65's avatar
spacecadet65 OP
58 posts
 
OK. So I was wrong about one thing. The permanently attached power cable is a 2-prong, polarized version, where you can't invert it in the wall socket. So there was no way to use a cheater plug to get out of this. 

@jea48: It is definitely the middle YouTube video hum. Great videos, BTW.

This is a pretty old unit. $400 gets me a basic 12" Emotiva sub that will run rings around it. I may open it up and take a look at the caps. If it looks like there's something obviously amiss, maybe I'll try to do a repair. It's not worth paying someone to work on it given what it is...

I really appreciate all of the advice!
spacecadet65's avatar
spacecadet65 OP
58 posts
 
It definitely "developed" the hum. It has been in the same location for about 6 months and it's just begun making the noice in the past 2-3 weeks. From all of the comments collectively, it would appear that the amp has caps that are failing. I'm not sure I have the time or interest to mess with it. It will probably be retired.

Thanks to all of you for the great responses!

G
spacecadet65's avatar
spacecadet65 OP
58 posts
 
I'm with you @yogiboy!

G

More to discover