Excessive hum
-
Outside 5,5mm, inside 2,5mm with no pin in the middle.
-
@de_cunny Some are saying that fits loose has anyone tried a 2.1mm?
-
I went ahead and bought the Power Supply at the link below. This PS was recommended by someone earlier in the topic. The good news...all my hum, crackle, and pops, are all but gone. I still get a very low volume of static crackle, from my Les Paul, but it is nothing compared to using the non-grounded original PS on the Spark. And LPs are known to have some static noise, due to the nitrocellulose finish, so I am not surprised. Still WAY, WAY better than with the original PS.
Paid up front, waited five months, and then I have to spend an additional $20, to fix Positive Grid's design screw up. This has been a bad deal from the beginning.
I would say that the 2.5 diameter on the replacement PS, is probably a little too large, compared to the fit of the original PS plug. It is NOT a tight fit, but it does work. I was unable to locate a PS that was 5.5mm x 2.1mm online. If someone knows of one, please post a link.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Z4T115Y/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
-
I bought the Power supply recommend in this thread. Works perfectly. Very happy this is known issue and easily to solve.
-
I got rid of the hum by wrapping a thin wire around my guitar cord before I plugged it into the input jack of the Spark amp and then connecting the other end to the ground plug point of the outlet I used (since the power supply that comes with the Spark does not have a grounding 3prong plug)!!!!!
-
@richchaffee I read that it's resolved by accessing s firmware update.. anyone else tried this/know how to do it with an Android phone?
-
I solved the issue of hum by using the grounded power brick from my EH Magnum 44 which has a 3 prong plug. When I use the one from PG its awful. Use the EH one its beautifully quiet and expressive. Its a lousy power brick that is the issue on mine. I suggest instead of tearing your amp apart replace that. Maybe 35 bucks? There is a pic of the brick here: https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/44Magnum--electro-harmonix-44-magnum-44-watt-power-amp-pedal
-
@kevinbridger I seriously doubt that a firmware update will resolve a ground hum issue...... try using a thin wire attached to your amp and then other end to the ground point on the outlet you're using.......all the noise will disappear !
-
@peter-denny That's pretty pricey for something that can be fixed with a power supply that costs less than 20 dollars on Amazon
-
@peter-denny
Put in a ticket. They will send a replacement. The new supply fixed the issue for me. -
@cmcwillieb i already had it. I was just posting it to show the working power supply, not to tell you to buy the magnum. :)
-
Still waiting for my replacement brick....
-
It's an AC/DC power supply. Best sounding PS of the world!
-
@mandmshrader Yep already my plan. Glad to hear it did it for you.
-
Mine also had the hum and an electrical shock (like 9 volt battery on tongue) when I touched any metal part on my guitar.
I sent a message through their support page, got a response in a day saying they are currently sourcing a new power supply that eliminates the hum and shock and it will be shipped out to me shortly.
When I get it, I’ll update.
-
@richchaffee hi there my amp was working fine and suddenly it happened today like you said toomuch noise and gets louder on 234, i tries resetting nothing happened, firmware is also the latest, have you fixed this issue?
thanks -
Hi.
I have issues with extreme hum and noise also, worse when my hand is over the pickup or touching strings. Much worse than any other amps I have.
'Passive' guitars with high impedance output are the worst. Active low impedance output guitars not as bad.
The original power supply was so bad it was completely unusable. It was ungrounded and had a green light.
I lodged a ticket, sent a video, and received a grounded power supply very quickly. The grounded external supply was quite a lot better.
However, I have 20V LiPo batteries for drones, so I tried the Spark with one of them. Wow! It was, effectively, totally silent. Barest of hum.
My take is that there is something wrong with the power supply smoothing in the Spark. Something that makes it super sensitive to noise from the external power supply. I suspect it uses a kind of 'virtual ground' and that 'virtual ground' is set to half way up the power supply voltage, meaning that power supply hum can end up in the 'ground'.
In any case, and I really don't know what's up, it's clear that the Spark requires an ultra smooth external power supply, and none of those supplied by Positive Grid have, to date, been good enough. -
I had a bad hum issue and noticed it would go away completely if I connected wire from the outlet ground pin to anything metal on the amp. Also would go away if I plugged the USB cable to a grounded computer USB. I emailed positive grid support. They arranged to send me a new power supply brick which has a ground pin in the AC plug. Just received it today and no more hum even with USB plug disconnected from computer. :-)
-
This post is deleted! -
I ALSO had major issues with 60 htz hum on my Spark amps when playing my two Taylor guitars with Expression System II on them.
I'm NOT a big fan of Taylor's Expression System II in the first place but the Spark Amplifier made me dislike them even more.
When touching the outside metal plug of my chord hum became noticeably reduced but still audible.
Other acoustic guitars with either Fishman or L.R. Baggs pickups were clean as a whistle...
Also, all my electrics had zero issues with hum.
I contacted both Positive Grid AND the Taylor company for solutions to the issue.
Eventually Positive Grid DID come through for me by sending TWO new 'replacement' power supplies.
I was skeptical that there would be a change but, plugged in and the hum issue WAS gone!
I DO thank Positive Grid for the new Power supplies! The issue was solved.
I had wished that the power supplies were mounted inside the amplifier with just a line cord out before. Now I'm glad that they are external. Odd voltage on them being 19 volts.