Slight Hum From IC

[Monjul]

Hi.

I'm experiencing a slight hum in the left channel that can only be heard when about a foot or less from the speaker while the right channel is dead quiet. I've isolated the issue to one of the interconnects which is a Transparent MusicLink Plus.

Since I cannot afford new IC's at the moment, my questions are:

Is there anything I can do to possibly fix the problem? The solder joints look good but should I resolder the shield or might this cause more problems?

If I just let things ride for now, can the damaged shield pick up noise?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Mooly]

Are you sure the IC is at fault. If you swap left/right at source and amp what happens to the hum ? I'm assuming it's a normal RCA to RCA lead... yes ?

 

[Monjul]

The hum follows the cable. These cables are connected between the output of a Kinergetics crossover/sub amp to the input of a Cary power amp. When I swapped cables, the hum moved to the right channel.

I noticed that there is a bend on one end. Should I slowly peel back the insulation to see if the braid is compromised (stretched)? If it is, how would one go about repairing a shield?

 

[Mooly]

Pretty conlusive it's the cable then... as to repair, dunno is the honest answer. Would have to have it in front of me to see what's possible.
Have you tried measuring on ohms end to end to see if the outer shield is broken ?

 

[Monjul]

No but I'll do that tonight. Thanks.

 

[Monjul]

I resoldered the shield connections on both ends and the hum dissapeared. It's as quiet as the right channel now. Thanks for your input Mooly.

 

[Mooly]

That's good... it's quite an unusual problem tbh