one of my BX5a died on me :(

[Ezeickiel]

Hey there,

One of my two Monitor died on me just like that! no warning whatsoever .

The volume of the monitors were maybe around3/4, the volume of my Tascam Fireone audio card was maybe 1/2, the volume of the computer's output was full, but winamp's output was 1/10th! ( I know cuz my neighbor from below came so I was playing really low.)

I was also playing bass, the signal was coming in my Tascam Fireone audio card. Finally, my girlfriend was on Ultimate-Guitar.com trying to find some tabs.

Then one of my montor just started buzzing! Not a buzzing of an unplugged jack, a real strident buzz. I really wasn't expecting that kind of problem given the conditions in which my setup was working! (So low) When I turn it off, it makes a loud cracking sound.

The problem comes fom the Monitor, that's for sure. A plugged or unplugged jack makes no difference. There is just that constant, unending and unrepenting buzz.

I really love those BX5a's. That makes it even more so heartbraking.

[Ezeickiel]

CAn they be repaired and if so, how?

I don't have any warranty so I don't mind playing with them.

[JA]

The speaker can be repaired. Since you're out of warranty, you could open it up and see if there are any capacitors that look like they've blown. You can also contact tech support to arrange for an out of warranty repair.

[greenblob]

The post above sounds correct - a dead capacitor is likely. I just fixed a hissing problem with one of my BX5a monitors that sounds the same as what yours is doing. Mine developed a hiss when on (both tweeter and bass) and a much louder thump when powered off. Would still play sound, but a the constant hiss made it unusable.
I pulled the thing apart and found a slightly swollen power filter capacitor on the internal board (pics attached). They are the two biggest black capacitors, labelled as 25v 6800uf. One of these had a slight bulge at the top. The tops of these should be totally flat. The indented X on top of the caps make any bulge easy to spot. Worth opening it up and having a quick look. I could only find 35v 6800uf caps at my local electronics store but they did the job (2 of them at $3 each). I swapped both out and it's now working great. The only thing you can really screw up is putting the caps in the wrong way, just put the new ones in with the polarity (marked on the cap as a vertical white stripe) the same as the ones/one you remove. An easy DIY fix, just be sure to always have the power cord unplugged before you put your hands anywhere near the guts of the thing. Not sure of the M-Audio warranty policy but i kinda like messing with electronics so i chose to find the problem myself. Mine are only 12 months old and have had light use, never mistreated. Hope it helps.

[mad scientific]

hi! i'm looking for a replacement tweeter, or a FIZ for my bx5a as well.
the tweeter is blown, but the speaker, otherwise, functions normally. im not sure how it happened, but i noticed a severe lack of highs, and blamed my drum mics for a while. and i learned that the tweeter, in fact, is completely dead. no hissing, nothing.
thanks!!

[patrickolee]

Thanks to Greenblob,
Same exact problems started occurring with one of my BX5a's this weekend. Opened it up and found the same cap was bulging as the one in your photos. Going to electronic shop after work and replacing them tonight. Now I have some hope. thanks again.

[pringlet]

Hello,

I just purchased a used set of BX5a's and am getting the loud thump upon power on followed by a hiss. I'm going to do the capacitor replacement also to see if I can get them fixed up. Can you offer any tips or tricks on replacing them? I'm assuming just cut off the old ones and soldier on the new ones. If only 1 is bugling should I still replace both?

Thanks
pt

[pringlet]

Just a quick update on my hissing speaker. I received the replacement cap from Cascade Surplus Electronics. When I opened up the speaker, sure enough, one of the existing capacitors was bulging at the top. I performed the replacement which went smoothly and only replaced the 1 damaged cap. The speaker is working like it's brand new. No more terrible thump on power on and no more hiss.

Thanks to Greenblob for the picts and the nice writeup.

pt

[scotrick]

hi. I have the same blown capacitor problem as the other's in this post... I see from the motherboard that the same capacitor even... is this a known defect? These particular speakers were never used, unfortunately, as they were purchased by my university to go with a particular computer and because we're on a yearly budget cycle the computer and speakers ended up on a different year... so I finally got the computer and keyboard and turn on the speakers and there's the buzz... but I know it's been more than a year since the school purchased them.... anyway... I'm handy with a soldering iron so I'm going to go ahead and try replacing this one... any hints from those of you who have done it already?

thanks!

[taza_one]

How does one remove these capacitors? I have a buzz in one of my BX-5s. I took it apart. Neither of them are bulging, but one looks a little rusted.