Faulty(?) Subwoofer Pre-out (HELP!)

[Monycker]

I recently got a Yamaha 5.1 surround sound system. I had to order a receiver for it, and got an Insignia NS-R5101HD for the fair price of $60 on eBay.

Although all the satellite speaker connections work perfectly, the subwoofer pre-out RCA jack seems to have something wrong with it. I've attached a picture of the card.

It's that gimpy-looking little black female connection. Whenever I plug the sub into it, there's always that low hum that you get whenever you touch your finger to the end of the jack. I feel like, because there's no metal surrounding the RCA port itself, there's some sort of connection missing to complete the circuit or ground it (I have no idea about this sort of thing. I'm only JUST getting into my own audio equipment).

Is my problem actually that, for whatever reason, there is no metal coating for the RCA port? If so, what can I do about it? And if not, what else could be my problem, what troubleshooting can I do for it, and what may be done to fix it?

Thanks a lot!

- Stephen

[weltersys]

Couldn't see your picture, but an RCA output needs the inner (+) and outer connection (-) to work.

Often, all the shield (outer) connections are tied together, you may be able to use the shield connection from another RCA jack to complete the sub circuit, a paper clip or piece of wire could be used to connect another shield to the sub shield.

If that does not work, the sub RCA jack will need to be replaced.

[Monycker]

Originally Posted by weltersys

Couldn't see your picture, but an RCA output needs the inner (+) and outer connection (-) to work.

Often, all the shield (outer) connections are tied together, you may be able to use the shield connection from another RCA jack to complete the sub circuit, a paper clip or piece of wire could be used to connect another shield to the sub shield.

If that does not work, the sub RCA jack will need to be replaced.

I fixed the photo in the original post (I think). The issue seems to be that there is NO shield whatsoever on the jack. It is simply a piece of plastic with no metal around it.

[NEO Dan]

It's not uncommon for a cap to pull off if your RCA connector is a tight fit. Pull one of the metal caps from a connector you plan to never use and put on the sub out with some super glue. Test the connection before you glue it in place.

[Monycker]

Originally Posted by NEO Dan

It's not uncommon for a cap to pull off if your RCA connector is a tight fit. Pull one of the metal caps from a connector you plan to never use and put on the sub out with some super glue. Test the connection before you glue it in place.

Can you suggest any specific method as to how I might go about removing an RCA cap? I ask because I tried once with pliers, and all it seemed to do was scratch it up and bend it a little out of shape. I stopped trying because it kept denting the metal.

And thanks you guys for your help so far. I really don't want to have to return this unit if I don't absolutely have to