Amp Hum


I've got a B&K AV5000 Series II amp with a hum. It gradually builds up over about a 5 second period on startup. I've disconnected everything (preamp, speaker cables) and still the hum persists. I tried a different power cord (Shunyata Sidewinder), made sure everything else was off, tried a cheater plug, different wall socket... still have the hum. I tried the Monidal Magic thing for the cable, still the hum torments me. Is it time to take it in or am I missing something? Thanks-
scrapiron
Can you hear the hum from the listening position or when you put your ear to the unit. If the latter is true this is normal. Steve
Definately call B&K they are more than happy to advise you on potential problems or even suggest a fix. They are only in NY and a pleasure to deal with. A hum that is isolated to the component can be two things... faulty ground or
bad or noisy transformer or power supply...
take the piece over a friends and plug it in... see what happens and if hum still persists.. call B&K.
Good Luck!
Joe
The suggestion of a faulty ground seems a likely possibility. With everthing unplugged except the amp, ground the amp from the ground of one of the RCA plugs to ground at the outlet. I had a Rowland 5 that had this problem. It was just a loose wire on the input of the IEC connector for ground. It also got worse over the first 20 seconds or so of warm up. I was rather surprised that the hum was so bad since the unit was effectively grounded through the interconnects and other equipment--but it was.
...a blondie is trying to start-up her malfunctioned Mercedes and it doesn't start.
the other friend-blondie stops next in her Jaguar and trying to help:
--did you wash the dashboard?
--yes!
--dod you wipe the bumper
--yes!
--is it shiny?
--yes!
--did you wash your mirrors; are they shiny?
--yes!
--sorry darling i can't help :( call the Mercedes Service...
This could be a lot simpler than i thought. I've run into this on other amps, including B&K. Pull the lid and check to see if the toroidal transformer is tightened down. I have seen where these were not snugged down properly at the factory and have vibrated loose in transit or over time. I would suggest unplugging the unit from the wall first though while leaving the amp on. Let it sit for a few minutes and then make sure that it is snug using the proper tools. Sean
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