PSW 505 humming....

[jchas41]

I've been having an on-going issue with hum from my 505. I was told it was a ground loop issue and I ignored it, as I was moving from an apartment into my new house. Well, I moved into my house and it is still there. The humming is noticeable if I put my ear to the sub when a dvd is playing, however, when I stop playback the hum becomes extremely noticeable and I have to turn the sub off to stop it. What can I do to fix this??

[PolkThug]

Try a different rca cable first. (assuming you use one from the sub out on your receiver)

[jchas41]

Oh, I should have mentioned Im using a Monster Ultra Series THX 1000 Subwoofer Interconnect Cable. I used a cheap one before this and had the same issue.

[PolkThug]

To help narrow down the problem, try a different source. Does your DVD player have an analog sub out rca connection? Go straight to the sub with it.

[MikeC78]

Try a "cheater" plug.

[jchas41]

I will look at the dvd player later and see. What is a "cheater" plug?

[bignorm]

Maybe your sub doesn't know the words!!!

[MikeC78]

What is a "cheater" plug?

It's a 3 prong to two prong wall adapter. If that eliminates the noise, you need to run the sub off a seperate circuit.

I'd just try running it off a different circuit period, get an extension cord and have fun.

Mike

[reeltrouble1]

Well, ground loops with hum occur when using two different plugs, the use of the same plug for the gear can resolve ground loop issues, at least the use of the same circuit for all the gear can help.

As suggested a cheater plug and a different cable are some things to try.

PS Audio markets hum busters but there not exactly inexpensive.

RT1

[jchas41]

I cant use a "cheater plug" because the power cable on the 505 is a 2-prong cable to begin with. The adapter would therefore be pointless, right? As for running it to a different circuit...currently I am running it through my HTS 2600, I tried plugging it into a different outlet, same result...Hum, hum....

[reeltrouble1]

I would Contact Polk Customer Service at 800-377-7655.

RT1

[PolkThug]

Have you tried this yet?

To help narrow down the problem, try a different source. Does your DVD player have an analog sub out rca connection? Go straight to the sub with it.

[MikeC78]

Yep, what RT1 said...

Could be a possible faulty amp? Call CS.

[Robert G]

After you check or substitute the cables and hum is still there you can try grounding the receiver and components. It hasn't been mentioned yet but have you tried the prefered method of connecting the main and sat speakers to the woofer? Like someone said it could be a receiver problem and how well channel seperation is. I'm not familiar with your brand and model but hope you get this resolved and post the fix.

One thing I have found to be one of the best tools for audio problems is a test CD that has different frequency ranges and db levels that play through each speaker independtly. Most system tests are done using white noise signals and are not really testing speakers. They only test that the speaker is connected. These better test CD's are hard to find and the only way I got mine was to copy a friends disk that was made in the mid 90's and it will test a 7.1 system. Did find a DVD/CD test disk by Ovation Software at a book store but I don't know how good it is. This one tests video as well as audio. I suggested to Polk make a real test CD for the discriminating audiophiles but doubt they will.