Sub amp buzzing in DT tower

[tdalej]

Hey folks. New to the forum here but I have been following for quite some time as well as the YouTube channel. I would like to get your opinions on an issue I'm having and a possible solution I'm thinking about.

The amp in one of my Definitive Technology BP-8060ST towers has been buzzing for about a month now. I swapped the towers to confirm it is isolated to the tower and not some connection issue. The buzzing gets very annoying during movies, so it's time for a solution.

I was considering purchasing a subwoofer (maybe SVS PB-1000 Pro Subwoofer) to handle the bass. I would disconnect the power to the DT towers for bass and continue to connect my receiver to the towers for highs and mids only and manage the bass crossover from the SVS app. This way I could still use most of the speakers in the towers and probably get better bass from a dedicated subwoofer.

What are you thoughts on this approach? Thanks!

 

[TLS Guy]

Hey folks. New to the forum here but I have been following for quite some time as well as the YouTube channel. I would like to get your opinions on an issue I'm having and a possible solution I'm thinking about.

The amp in one of my Definitive Technology BP-8060ST towers has been buzzing for about a month now. I swapped the towers to confirm it is isolated to the tower and not some connection issue. The buzzing gets very annoying during movies, so it's time for a solution.

I was considering purchasing a subwoofer (maybe SVS PB-1000 Pro Subwoofer) to handle the bass. I would disconnect the power to the DT towers for bass and continue to connect my receiver to the towers for highs and mids only and manage the bass crossover from the SVS app. This way I could still use most of the speakers in the towers and probably get better bass from a dedicated subwoofer.

What are you thoughts on this approach? Thanks!

We have had this before, as the amps in those speakers are absolute junk and no parts are available. They all give trouble sooner rather than later. Most sooner rather than later.

To be honest those speakers are in the worthless junk category. There is no solution to your problem other then new speakers. The reason is that those mid drivers are also cheap junk and have to be offloaded in their lower range to the bass drivers, which do not count as subs as they don't go low enough.

So now is the time to send thoss speakers to the recycling center and go speaker shopping for much better speakers.

 

[lovinthehd]

Are the amps in use if you don't use the sub pre-out connection? If so, I'd just avoid the annoyance of the amp buzz until I get a proper sub.

 

[tdalej]

Are the amps in use if you don't use the sub pre-out connection? If so, I'd just avoid the annoyance of the amp buzz until I get a proper sub.

The only way to stop the buzzing is to unplug the power cord to the sub amp.

 

[TLS Guy]

Are the amps in use if you don't use the sub pre-out connection? If so, I'd just avoid the annoyance of the amp buzz until I get a proper sub.

The answer in your question is yes, they are. You can not use a sub to replace the bass driver, as the mids are also offloaded to that bass driver. It is actually not a sub, but a bass driver. F3 is 32 Hz.

So those speakers are really tower speakers with an active bass section they are also bipolar with rear drivers. To be honest, they are an absolute amateur hour design.

With no amps parts available the speaker is useless for anything. We have been through this before.

 

[lovinthehd]

The answer in your question is yes, they are. You can not use a sub to replace the bass driver, as the mids are also offloaded to that bass driver. It is actually not a sub, but a bass driver. F3 is 32 Hz.

So those speakers are really tower speakers with an active bass section they are also bipolar with rear drivers. To be honest, they are an absolute amateur hour design.

With no amps parts available the speaker is useless for anything. We have been through this before.

Never a fan of these speakers let alone them having "subs" but thought the amp could be bypassed when using them as normal speakers....but do they act differently if not using the "sub" input on the speakers and just using them as normal passive speakers? Or the amp must be plugged in for even that?

 

[TLS Guy]

Never a fan of these speakers let alone them having "subs" but thought the amp could be bypassed when using them as normal speakers....but do they act differently if not using the "sub" input on the speakers and just using them as normal passive speakers? Or the amp must be plugged in for even that?

The amp has to be plugged in. So you can not just pull the plug and use a sub as half the crossover to the mids is missing.

It is a three way system with a powered bass section and in no way the same as a speaker and sub.

The exact analogy is to take a three way speaker and disconnect the bass driver and hook up a sub. That won't work.

 

[lovinthehd]

The amp has to be plugged in. So you can not just pull the plug and use a sub as half the crossover to the mids is missing.

It is a three way system with a powered bass section and in no way the same as a speaker and sub.

The exact analogy is to take a three way speaker and disconnect the bass driver and hook up a sub. That won't work.

So even when people aren't using the LFE/sub pre-out connection, you must plug the amp in....the drivers cannot work off your main amp power alone?

 

[TLS Guy]

So even when people aren't using the LFE/sub pre-out connection, you must plug the amp in....the drivers cannot work off your main amp power alone?

That is correct because the bass driver is not just handling the sub and LFE output. It is incorrect to think of the side driver as a sub. It really is not. It is the bass driver of a three way system that also mixes in the sub and LFE.

It is somewhat similar to the way I designed my dual TLs. One of the drivers in the bass line also handles the BSC for the mids to offload them, but both of those lower drivers handle the sub output and the LFE. So if you just replaced the long line drivers with a sub it would not sound correct.

The difference is that one of the inputs is derived from a speaker level output. In my case there is a mixer circuit I designed with a buffer amp to blend the BSC from an electronic crossover and the sub output from the AVP. So mine is a more professionally designed system.

 

[tdalej]

Thanks for all the feedback. Time to replace these speakers. Now to decide on some decent bookshelf speakers and a sub since we need the space where the towers are currently sitting.

 

[lovinthehd]

Thanks for all the feedback. Time to replace these speakers. Now to decide on some decent bookshelf speakers and a sub since we need the space where the towers are currently sitting.

Curious, how would bookshelf speakers and a sub reduce footprint? Generally you put the bookshelf speakers on stands for best placement, and is pretty much the same footprint. Subs simply add to that, especially the better subs.

 

[lovinthehd]

Good point. My wife has a couple of bookcases for each side of the TV console. I was thinking about possibly mounting speakers on the sides somehow or with a wall mount. We are limited on one side if there is a tower there and a bookcase since there is a door. I have not decided yet for sure.

Sometimes you just make things fit, but that may not be ideal for the audio. Maybe a pic of the space....

 

[tdalej]

Sometimes you just make things fit, but that may not be ideal for the audio. Maybe a pic of the space....

Sorry, I meant to post that as a reply. (sigh...)

 

[tdalej]

Another pair of tower speakers is not out of the question if I can first get these bookcases in place. We don't need thundering bass in this basement setup, so I am not committing myself to a sub yet. It has been so long since I did any kind of due diligence on speakers that it will take me some time to decide on the right ones. I dare not ask for any recommendations unless they are just offered voluntarily. You guys are so far ahead of me on your audio knowledge.

 

[Eppie]

Another pair of tower speakers is not out of the question if I can first get these bookcases in place. We don't need thundering bass in this basement setup, so I am not committing myself to a sub yet. It has been so long since I did any kind of due diligence on speakers that it will take me some time to decide on the right ones. I dare not ask for any recommendations unless they are just offered voluntarily. You guys are so far ahead of me on your audio knowledge.

Don't be afraid to ask for recommendations. Better to ask now than spend the money and regret later. Helps if you can post a photo of the space but the forum has file size limits that may require resizing. Would need to know what your budget is and what brands are available in your area if you want to audition them first.