subwoofer humming :(

[karrar55]

hello everyone i have probably the weirdest way of having my home theater subwoofer fail on me. ok so i was charging my phone and someone called me so i go to answer it and as soon as i touch the phone i got a strong electric shock from it because i was charged from my carpet. when that happened my subwoofer (that is plugged to a different wall outlet near my phone charger) started humming loud. i dont know why it started humming.

I have a samsung ps-aw730 powered subwoofer.


what i have done so far:

1. plugged subwoofer to different outlet. no change
2. did a speaker test. no change
3. opened up the SB everything seems ok. no fuses burned or anything.
4. audio wire is good too

if you guys can help me out in fixing my sub, that would be greatly appreciated thanks!

 

[markw]

Does it hum when nothing is connected to it and it's only pluged into the wall?

 

[j_garcia]

How is it connected to the receiver? Disconnect it from the receiver and see if the hum goes away, if it does, it may be ground loop. If it doesn't, the sub is the problem. The most common cause of this IMO, is typically the CATV feed - try disconnecting that from the system and if the hum goes away, it is most likely ground loop.

http://forums.audioholics.com/forums/beginners-audiophytes/5667-ground-loops-eliminating-system-hum-buzz.html

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

my subwoofer started humming loud.

If it is as disturbingly loud as I think, it's probably not ground loop, especially with absolutely nothing changed or even touched on the Audio system.

If the sub hums very loudly with no other wires connected (except power cord), then I say the sub amp probably has malfunctioned.

 

[j_garcia]

That's why we both asked if it hums with nothing connected. I don't think it is ground loop either, sounds like the amp.

 

[karrar55]

hey guys thanks for all the replies...when i plug it in without the audio wire to the electrical outlet it makes the humming noise too. my sub has a volume on it so the humming can be regulated its not a uncontrollable humming

 

[Speedskater]

It first I thought that this was the old story about the dog barking just before the phone rang.

Let's get to troubleshooting:

a] Turn everything off.
b] Unplug all the sub wires.
c] Plug in the sub AC cord & turn only it on. Does it hum?
d] If yes then make a shorting RCA plug by taking an old & cheap RCA interconnect, cutting it to about 6 inch length, strip off some insulation and twist the center and shield together.
e] Turn-off the sub, insert the shorting plug and re-power the sub. Does it hum?
f] If yes, send the sub out for repair.

 

[karrar55]

yes it does hum. guess i gotta get it fixed. thanks guys.

 

[TLS Guy]

hello everyone i have probably the weirdest way of having my home theater subwoofer fail on me. ok so i was charging my phone and someone called me so i go to answer it and as soon as i touch the phone i got a strong electric shock from it because i was charged from my carpet. when that happened my subwoofer (that is plugged to a different wall outlet near my phone charger) started humming loud. i dont know why it started humming.

I have a samsung ps-aw730 powered subwoofer.


what i have done so far:

1. plugged subwoofer to different outlet. no change
2. did a speaker test. no change
3. opened up the SB everything seems ok. no fuses burned or anything.
4. audio wire is good too

if you guys can help me out in fixing my sub, that would be greatly appreciated thanks!

Unfortunately your static charge blew the sub amp via the neutral line. The switching power supplies in these sub amps are prone to blow very easily. Unfortunately I doubt it is worth the cost of repair.

 

[afterlife2]

Don't bother getting It fixed. TLS Guy Is always on point. I'd say give us a budget/room size and we can help you get a good reliable sub.

 

[einteractive]

A subwoofer humming can be caused of two reasons: it's either coaxial cable interference from the cable TV or satellite service provider; or a grounding problem between the sub and the audio-video receiver that drives the home theater system.

 

[markw]

I can think of at least one other reason.

A subwoofer humming can be caused of two reasons: it's either coaxial cable interference from the cable TV or satellite service provider; or a grounding problem between the sub and the audio-video receiver that drives the home theater system.

The amplifier died. Unfortunately, it does happen.

 

[Bizarro_Stormy]

Well... one more reason...

A subwoofer humming can be caused of two reasons: it's either coaxial cable interference from the cable TV or satellite service provider; or a grounding problem between the sub and the audio-video receiver that drives the home theater system.

It could be bored...

I tend to hum when I'm bored...

that and smoke...

If your sub starts humming AND smoking, it could be trying to tell you something...

 

[caper26]

First guess is something shorted on the amp.
last thing to try is to use an extension cord with 2 prong, so that the grounding prong of your sub power cable is not connected. See if the hum is still there. I doubt it will work in your case due to the backstory. Always worth exhausting all efforts first.
You could price out a replacement amp. I did that for my monitor audio amplifier. $1399 MSRP sub with a mild hum was fixed with a $280 plate amp.