Loud buzzing from speakers?

Question

Hi, we are putting on a stage production and last night we decided to turn on our amps to find any problems before our sound engineer comes. Everything was good until we turned one one of the amps. We heard a loud buzzing coming from either the speakers on the second level of the theater or the first (we didn't check as it was late at night). I checked the connections and they seemed fine. Our soundboard was NOT on, we are using a Yamaha board (don't remember model). I will try to get more specs for you. Could it be the levels in one of the amps?

Answer 1

The last 2 answers may be correct but I suspect a ground fault problem. Try plugging the amp in to an outlet somewhere else in the theater. If that fixes the buzz then you may need a power conditioner. Instead of rerouting the power, you can use a grounding adapter (like the link below) temporarily to see if it's the ground.

http://www.filmtools.com/grliadco41.html

Answer 2

This buzzing noise could be caused by several things.  If a speaker is played too loud for too long, that could definitely damage it.  Also, you have to make sure that all of your cables are plugged in all the way and that none of the cables are damaged.

Answer 3

The "buzzing" could be caused by the mixing board NOT being on.  I have seen this problem a few times over the years.  Turn on everything and then check for "buzzes".

If the system still buzzes after everything is turned on, then you really need someone to come in and troubleshoot the system.  To stop the buzz temporarily, just turn off the amp that buzzes or turn down the "volume" control on that one amp channel that is producing a buzz.

E-mail me if you have other questions.

By the way, I am in CT if you need a "house call"