Brendan Posted November 12, 2022 Share Posted November 12, 2022 Hello everyone, I turned on my stereo this morning and noticed a loud hum coming from one of my 5A's. I turned off the amp feeding that speaker, so i know its not related to the amp. I unplugged the speaker, turned off and on the power strip, etc. Could something have happened to the subwoofer amp inside the 5A? Thanks for any help, Best, Brendan 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vandersteen Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 Remove the speaker wires from this speaker totally at the speaker. If the hum goes away it is not the sub-woofer amp in the speaker. If the hum remains the sub-woofer amp module needs to be rebuilt. Go to service on this site and download an RMA form and follow the instructions. RV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stringreen Posted November 13, 2022 Share Posted November 13, 2022 I too had a hum from my 5A's....I attached a ground wire (any wire you have around will do) from one of the silver eq boxes before the amp to a wall screw of power plug. ....gone. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendan Posted November 27, 2022 Author Share Posted November 27, 2022 Thanks guys for the input. I can't seem to get rid of the hum. I have tried connecting a stranded wire from the 5A ground lug to the center screw on an outlet, and to the HP Xover, as well as to my Ayre Acoustics MXRs. None of that worked. I have confirmed that the outlet has ground with a receptacle tester. I have called electricians to come look for a ground loop, but they are completely not interested in the project. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GdnrBob Posted November 27, 2022 Share Posted November 27, 2022 Did you try Mr. V.'s recommendations? Bob 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vandersteen Posted November 28, 2022 Share Posted November 28, 2022 3 hours ago, Brendan said: Thanks guys for the input. I can't seem to get rid of the hum. I have tried connecting a stranded wire from the 5A ground lug to the center screw on an outlet, and to the HP Xover, as well as to my Ayre Acoustics MXRs. None of that worked. I have confirmed that the outlet has ground with a receptacle tester. I have called electricians to come look for a ground loop, but they are completely not interested in the project. Electricians typically have no idea what a ground loop is per our stereo's. What did you change (including small things) when it started? Have you tried a different amplifier? AYRE uses a different grounding scheme (floating) in their amplifiers. Has the speaker's sub-woofer amplifier been removed for any reason as it could be the input wires? RV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieP Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) Richard, I have owned your speakers forever. I brag about how great they are and recommend them to anyone who's into high-end audio. I've had Model 1s, a couple versions of 2s, a couple versions of 3s, and a couple versions of 5s. To call me a fan of your products would be God's own understatement. Anyway, I have the same 5ASignature hum problem. Both speakers. This has happened with different amplifiers and preamps, so I have to doubt that it's those components. It started a long time ago in a different house, and because I was going to be moving soon I ignored it and stopped listening to my system. Now I am setting it up again in the new house and the hums came back. I disconnected the cables and the hums disappeared, so I am thinking it's either the cables or the grounding. Hard to imagine that it's grounding given that it's two houses and different amps, but I freely admit my ignorance. What's your guess? Do speaker cables go bad? These are not exactly cheapos; other way around. Could it be that I just need to brush dielectric fluid on the ends that connect to the speakers? I know absolutely nothing about cables or grounding and am truly at sea here. Any ideas would be appreciated like crazy. Thanks in advance, and THANK YOU for what you've done for my enjoyment of music. All the best to you. Edited February 13 by CharlieP typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GdnrBob Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 Once again, did you try Mr. V.'s attempt to isolate the hum? B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieP Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 (edited) On 11/12/2022 at 4:24 PM, Stringreen said: I too had a hum from my 5A's....I attached a ground wire (any wire you have around will do) from one of the silver eq boxes before the amp to a wall screw of power plug. ....gone. What is "one of the silver EQ boxes before the amp?" Edited February 13 by CharlieP typo, dang it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CharlieP Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 1 hour ago, GdnrBob said: Once again, did you try Mr. V.'s attempt to isolate the hum? B I was wondering the same thing. By the way, how great is it that Richard Vandersteen personally answers questions here? The only other top guy in any company who does that is Anthony Imperato, owner and president of Henry Repeating Rifles. Somehow I doubt that Bill Gates will ever help me with Windows. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomicTime Posted February 13 Share Posted February 13 guessing you have broken ground solder joints in the interconnects, i would check those visually and w multi meter….especially IF adding a high pass filter ground strap from chassis helps…. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stringreen Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 On 2/12/2023 at 7:30 PM, CharlieP said: What is "one of the silver EQ boxes before the amp?" ..the crossover that come from the amp to the woofer sections of the speakers that change. the eq......they must have another name, but not sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Holmz Posted February 18 Share Posted February 18 47 minutes ago, Stringreen said: ..the crossover that come from the amp to the woofer sections of the speakers that change. the eq......they must have another name, but not sure. Technically they’re called “High Pass Filter” (HPF). The parts are listed on the website under crossovers as “HP”… like the M5 HP, M5 HP (TEF) and M7 HP. https://www.vandersteen.com/categories/crossovers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stringreen Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 3 hours ago, Holmz said: Technically they’re called “High Pass Filter” (HPF). The parts are listed on the website under crossovers as “HP”… like the M5 HP, M5 HP (TEF) and M7 HP. https://www.vandersteen.com/categories/crossovers after setup, I just left it alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GdnrBob Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 12 hours ago, Stringreen said: after setup, I just left it alone Well, if you change amps, you might need to make some adjustments for impedance change. But, otherwise, you are correct. B 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Vandersteen Posted February 19 Share Posted February 19 On 2/12/2023 at 4:19 PM, CharlieP said: Richard, I have owned your speakers forever. I brag about how great they are and recommend them to anyone who's into high-end audio. I've had Model 1s, a couple versions of 2s, a couple versions of 3s, and a couple versions of 5s. To call me a fan of your products would be God's own understatement. Anyway, I have the same 5ASignature hum problem. Both speakers. This has happened with different amplifiers and preamps, so I have to doubt that it's those components. It started a long time ago in a different house, and because I was going to be moving soon I ignored it and stopped listening to my system. Now I am setting it up again in the new house and the hums came back. I disconnected the cables and the hums disappeared, so I am thinking it's either the cables or the grounding. Hard to imagine that it's grounding given that it's two houses and different amps, but I freely admit my ignorance. What's your guess? Do speaker cables go bad? These are not exactly cheapos; other way around. Could it be that I just need to brush dielectric fluid on the ends that connect to the speakers? I know absolutely nothing about cables or grounding and am truly at sea here. Any ideas would be appreciated like crazy. Thanks in advance, and THANK YOU for what you've done for my enjoyment of music. All the best to you. Get a power strip of any kind (cheap) and hook every power cord of the entire system into it. Did the hum go away? You have a ground loop that needs to be corrected. It has nothing to do with the 5A speakers as all is good when you remove the speaker wires, and it can not be the speaker wire. RV 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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