sd5110 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 I've been reading threads about 'hum' today and getting more and more discouraged. My Klipsch KTSW powered subwoofer was part of a THX 5.1 system that I put together 20 years ago. Frankly I haven't used it as much as I intended when I put the system together, and I've never cranked the volume very high. I have a mcintosh c39 preamp and mcintosh power amp (forgetting the model number, but those amps never clip signals, so I'm pretty confident I didn't destroy the speaker myself). The subwoofer hums loud enough to be useless. It 'works' otherwise. Indicator light is green; hum present even when speaker cables disconnected, as soon as power turned on. Volume control and frequency switch have NO impact on volume of humming noise. Any thoughts with this recognizably-limited information? This thing is so heavy I'm not sure how I'll get it to my car, let alone find someone in small-town Wisconsin to try to fix it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted March 27, 2017 Share Posted March 27, 2017 If the plate amp has a 2 prong power connector and the sub hums with nothing connected to it you most likely have a bad amp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sd5110 Posted March 28, 2017 Author Share Posted March 28, 2017 Yes, it is a 2-prong connector. It sounds great otherwise.... the hum stays at the same low level, so I can't hear it (at least consciously!) at moderate to high volume. The subwoofer is huge-- 15" speaker, box about 28" tall, and cost over $1000 when I bought it ... Any practical repair for a bad amp? Otherwise maybe I'll use it in another system where I usually crank the volume. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted March 28, 2017 Share Posted March 28, 2017 You can get an estimate from Edwards Electronics. I believe they have an e-bay store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoboKlipsch Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 CEC knows his stuff and has you pointed in the right direction. Get the amp repaired if that is the issue, or consider an outboard amp if repair seems difficult or impossible. Hum sucks and even though you are right that it probably is not an issue at higher volume still it will continue to drive you crazy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CECAA850 Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 43 minutes ago, RoboKlipsch said: at higher volume still it will continue to drive you crazy And it will be getting worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babadono Posted March 29, 2017 Share Posted March 29, 2017 Hums with nothing connected? But works otherwise? Sounds like the electrolytic capacitors in the power supply of amp are beyond service life. 20+ years. I know nothing of this model but if Edwards says they'll fix it, they will. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sd5110 Posted March 29, 2017 Author Share Posted March 29, 2017 Yes, I communicated with him-- thanks. The unit weighs 86 pounds; I could remove the amp and transformer and send it for repairs, but with shipping and repairs it will be several hundred dollars and I'll still have a 20-y-o subwoofer (btw, the hum seems to get louder by the day!) Any ideas who I should contact, or what part of this forum, to see about a good modern replacement for that monster speaker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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