Klipsch sw-115 troubleshooting

[Lilpimpe]

I just got a Klipsch sw-115 subwoofer in the mail today to replace my older infinity 10'' sub that is already hooked up to my computer. When i plugged my sw-115 in the exact same way the infinity was, (LFE input) the sw-115 simply doesn't work.

It will produce very quiet sounds when the gain is set to below 50% and the lowpass is down to 40 hz on the amplifier. The problem occurs when I turn the gain up so the subwoofer will actually play at listening volumes. Upon turning either the gain or the lowpass filter up, the subwoofer makes a quick pop noise and stops producing sound. The green power indicator remains on but no sound will produce until i turn the gain down and lowpass to 40 hz and restart the sub.

In addition, the amplifier plate on the back of the subwoofer gets extremely hot within minutes of being plugged in and playing at extremely low volumes. So hot in fact that you can't put your hand on it for more than a few seconds without getting burned!

The subwoofer is brand new out of the box a few hours ago and I have a feeling it has a bad amplifier. Does anyone have any opinions or additional troubleshooting I can do to possibly remedy the situation? (Klipsch's customer support phone closes at 5:00 est and on weekends so I am screwed until Monday...)

Thank you for any help/insight you can give me! I really appreciate it.

 

[pbc]

A popping sound doesn't sound good at all. To confirm, you have the cable hooked up from the subwoofer preout of your receiver to the line in on the subwoofer?

Is the switch in the "on" or "auto" position? maybe the auto function keeps causing it to pop and then shut off?

Edit: I'd just return it if the amp is getting as hot as you say. Something isn't right.

 

[Lilpimpe]

I do have it hooked up perfectly correctly from the pre-out to the LFE in. I can literally change the connection from the sw-115 to my infinity and the infinity works perfectly. The sw-115 only works at extremely low volumes. When i turn it up there is a single quite pop noise and the amp seems to turn off although the green power light stays on.

I have tried both the "auto" and "on" feature. Both function exactly the same with the pop noise and the amp seems to turn off until i restart it by turning the sub off and back on.

I got it directly from Klipsch so returning it is going to take a few weeks of shipping/processing and returning... Such a disappointment...

 

[pbc]

You could also try the line in input vs the LFE input, just out of curiousity to see if that works. But I doubt that is the issue.

That is dissappointing. Though if is "just" the amp, maybe Klipsch can send you a new amp and you can return the old one and replace it yourself (it's relatively simple).

But I can't see Klipsch doing that, personally.

 

[Lilpimpe]

I've tried both the line in and lfe inputs with no success. The only thing left to try is the high level inputs but that seems to just be a waste of my time because I definitely won't be using those for a permanent input. Out of every subwoofer they send out of the factory I WOULD get the one that has a faulty amplifier...

 

[pbc]

Long shot, but do you have another receiver that you can try plugging the subwoofer into versus the computer? Doubt it would make a difference if the Infinity sub is fine, but since you have the sub for the weekend at least ...

 

[Lilpimpe]

I've tried three different receivers throughout the day and none of them have worked unfortunately. I guess i have to wait until the klipsch customer service phone line opens back up on monday

 

[pbc]

I've tried three different receivers throughout the day and none of them have worked unfortunately. I guess i have to wait until the klipsch customer service phone line opens back up on monday

Sorry man, stinks that you just got a new sub and it isn't working. That subwoofer has some great specs too.

 

[TLS Guy]

If it gets so hot it will burn your hand, it is dangerously defective.

Unplug it at once. Do not try to use it or plug it in again, for your own safety.

 

[markw]

Three fools walking down the road.

They come across a small, steaming pile of brown substance.

First fool says "I wonder what that is" and says "It looks like sh!t"

The second fool reaches down, sticks his finger in, holds it up to his nose an says "It smells like sh!t".

The third fool reaches down, sticks his finger in, tastes it and says "It tastes like sh!t".

The first fool says "I'm sure glad we didn't step in it" and the others nod in agreement.

It's broken. Send it back.

 

[Lilpimpe]

Just to update everyone on what has happened:

I called Klipsch about the broken amplifier last Monday and rather than forcing me to ship back the whole unit, they gave me the option to have an amplifier shipped to me. I was able to keep the defective amp (i'm probably just going to throw it away as i have no idea what is wrong with it). Yesterday I received the new amplifier in the mail and I installed it. The sub now works perfectly and I couldn't be happier with the tight, precise, deep bass it can produce!

 

[markw]

Glad it all worked out.

Kudos to Klipsch for realizing you're not a moron and simply shipped you a new amp for you to install rather than forcing you to repack and send that mutha back. That's good customer service.