Setup Troubleshooting

[trevorhartman]

Hi,

I moved into a new place and it happened to come with a Bose Acoustimass 6 ( i think) 5.1 surround wired into the walls. I bought a Sony 5.1 Reciever (STR-DG510) to power it and got everything plugged in. The receiver sits on one side of the living room where all the inputs for the Bose come out of the wall, and the Bose sub sits on the other, with the 5 speakers plugged directly into that. I'm pretty sure I have it all setup right. I did an auto-calibration thing where it tests each channel, and one of the front speakers and one of the surround speakers don't work. I'm not sure where the problem is. Like I said, the wiring is in the wall. I don't know if it's the receiver, the bose, the speakers, or the wiring. Could anyone provide some tips on how to troubleshoot this? Do I need a tool to test the wires? I've setup a couple systems but am definitely on the beginner side of the spectrum.

Thanks,

Trevor

 

[j_garcia]

How are the speaker connected to the bass module? Do they have that funky proprietary connector or just an RCA looking thing? All you need to do to test to see that the signal is getting through the wire is stick some short pieces of wire in there and just touch a small battery (AA or AAA) to both wires (+ and -) and you should hear a click. If you don't the circuit is open, if you do, then something else is wrong.

My dad had the same problem with his, the crossover (which is in the bass module) failed for one speaker and now it doesn't put out any sound. The only way to get it fixed is to send it in to Bose (that is what the Bose store told me). My recommendation? Rip the whole thing out and sell it on ebay or toss it because it is Bose after all.

 

[trevorhartman]

it's the funky proprietary input you referred to.

i've always heard audiophiles refer to bose as crap, but never knew why, as i don't know much about it myself. care to enlighten me? why is bose so popular w/ consumers? who makes a good surround system?

i'll try that battery test when i get home tonight. thanks for the reply!

 

[avaserfi]

Blose is generally considered more marketing than actual research and design so in the end you are paying more for that commercial you saw then good quality speakers. If they actually put some effort into R&D then this story might be different, but the plan seems to be focus on getting the less knowledgable to overpay for low quality goods.

 

[Audioholics]

Don't they have a lifetime warranty or something? You may be able to call them and have them replace the bass module.

 

[j_garcia]

Bose doesn't sound terrible to be honest. It just doesn't sound good either compared to the retail price and what you can get for that same money. That much is fact. My dad is happy with his, so I don't bug him about it, and I think that they market mostly to a specific group of people. There are a lot of people who just want easy to use/setup and small, and on that level, they deliver.

Not sure about the lifetime warranty thing. I guess I will have to check with them. My dad's Bose speaker system cost around $1000 just for the speakers. I bought him an entire second system of separate components for his den, receiver, speakers, and a DVD player for under $600, with speakers that are no larger than the Bose cubes, and it really does sound better.

 

[trevorhartman]

thanks all for the info, and the quick replies!

 

[trevorhartman]

Ok, after testing everything here's what I found.. On all 5 wires, I hear a click with the battery test, so the wiring must be good. I took the 5.1 reciever back and exchanged for a new one. Plugged everything in and same deal, 2 channels don't work, except this time it's different channels.

One thing I thought of: the bose system I have is optionally upgradable to 6.1. I think all you have to do is buy another speaker for surround center. It has inputs for 6 speakers, and the proprietary input cable has 6 inputs. So, would it not work with 5 speakers plugged into a 5.1 reciever? Do I need a 6.1?

 

[avaserfi]

While I don't know specifically about this unit. I haven't run into a receiver that doesn't work if the speakers aren't plugged in. Normally receivers don't have that information (which speakers are connected) without having had that information input through the user or an auto-setup feature.

In the end the fact that you don't have 6 speakers connected shouldn't matter.

 

[trevorhartman]

Ok..hmm.. What are the chances that both receivers that I picked up have had 2 messed up channels? Seems a little strange. The channels that didn't work are different, but it's always one front and one surround that don't work. Not sure what to do.. Any suggestions?

 

[Johnd]

Ok..hmm.. What are the chances that both receivers that I picked up have had 2 messed up channels? Seems a little strange. The channels that didn't work are different, but it's always one front and one surround that don't work. Not sure what to do.. Any suggestions?

Yeah. Bring it back to the store for an exchange. This time connect it in the store to ascertain that all works well...if not get your money back.

 

[j_garcia]

Ok, after testing everything here's what I found.. On all 5 wires, I hear a click with the battery test, so the wiring must be good. I took the 5.1 reciever back and exchanged for a new one. Plugged everything in and same deal, 2 channels don't work, except this time it's different channels.

One thing I thought of: the bose system I have is optionally upgradable to 6.1. I think all you have to do is buy another speaker for surround center. It has inputs for 6 speakers, and the proprietary input cable has 6 inputs. So, would it not work with 5 speakers plugged into a 5.1 reciever? Do I need a 6.1?

The click tells you that the wiring continuity is OK, but it doesn't tell you if it the channels are wired correctly (in phase with each other). One front and one rear channel having the problem would seem to be an unusual thing, and certainly it is HIGHLY unlikely that you would get two receivers that did the same thing on different channels back to back unless they were both damaged in the same shipment or something very odd. I agree, have them test the receiver in the store, even before you return it. At least you can eliminate or identify the receiver as the problem that way.

You can configure any 6.1/7.1 receiver to run 5.1 just fine, you tell it you don't have the rear speaker/s and it simply ignores them.

 

[trevorhartman]

update: i was messing around w/ the reciever last night.. doing auto-calibration with all 5 channels plugged in; same thing, 1 front, 1 surround doesn't work.

then i only plugged in the 2 surrounds: they both worked (!!??)

then i plugged in only the 2 front: 1 worked one didnt

then front + center: they worked, and it finished auto calibration w/ no errors for the first time EVER

I was able to play music using the front + center. while music was playing, i moved the sub from laying down to upright position. when i moved it, the sub cut out. after standing it up, it still wasn't working. i smacked the side, fairly lightly, and it started working.

tonight i'll probably try pluggin the surrounds back in. i'm kinda scarred to touch it now that it's semi-working. does it sound like the bose is shorting out? maybe it's not the receiver? strange

 

[trevorhartman]

hey all, thanks for the tips. turned out it was loose connections between the wiring and reciever. i had to strip back some wire and jam those things way in there to get a good connection. anyway, i learned a few things along the way so it was worth it. thanks for your help

Trevor

 

[j_garcia]

Cool man, glad you got it working.