Re: Altec Lansing ACS295, no sound

[Guest]

Did you hook it up to a Walkman, or cassette player to test it? I had
a noise problem (bad hum) with my PC sound system, and I tried it with
a Walkman, clear as a bell. The sound card was toast.

Bob M.

 

[Matt]

Yes, thanks, I hooked it to several computers as well.

Altec Lansing doesn't seem to offer schematics, and I've had a hard time
getting through to their customer support line. I'd love any suggestions on
where to start with self-repair, or if it's best to ditch them vs. pay for
repairs.

Thanks, Matt

 

[Guest]

They won't provide schematics. The best you could hope for is to take
it to a Altec Lansing repair shop, or dealer, but get an estimate (and
find out how much they want to troubleshoot it far enough to give you
an estimate). If you have spare time, you could try putting an input
into it and tracing it through the circuitry with a probe and a small
speaker, or headphones. These days, most small amps are just a big IC,
though.

Good luck,

Bob M.

 

[redpackman]

I too have the Altec ACS 295 speaker system. It was working and in transitioning it from my office to my home it stopped. The light would come on, but no sound.whether connected to a computer or iPod.

I checked the green hook-up wire that connected the source (computer or iPod) with the Altec speakers with an ohm meter. The cord was ok, having continuity were it should. The problem must be in the speakers themselves. I messed around with it. I was able to get the speaker to run buy messing with the large orange/red plug in that went into the back of the sub. But that was only intermittant and even when the speakers did sound, I couldn't control the volume every time etc. as I should have been able to.

Then I read on the web that because that Red plug in is so large and sticks out so far that over time the connection becomes bad inside the unit and the solder connections come loose on the mother board where the connector's socket attaches. I opened it up. I had to disconnect (carefully) a couple of connectors from the circuit board to the speaker box. I removed a small plastic cover over the circuit board that covered the socket's connecting points I took a small soldering iron and reheated/melted the solder on all the connections that seemed to relate to the socket the red/orange connector went into. I checked a number of other soldering points inside and touched them up for good measure.

I put it all together and it works! The volume works. The treble and bass controls work. I'm back in business.

Long and short, at least for me, check out the soldering connections to the plug ins on the circuit board. Good luck!