B&W ASW600 "rattling" noise

[jules]

Hello all, first post

I own a B&W ASW600

lately i've noticed when the sub is producing deep bass at about half volume, it makes a 'clicking' noise. its only noticable when there is nothing but a bass tone, but nonetheless, its kind of annoying. i've made sure its not the screen, and have verified that it is coming from the driver. Any ideas? the sub sounds amazing sans the clicking noise

TIA

 

[jules]

any input on this?

 

[mtrycrafts]

Hello all, first post

I own a B&W ASW600

lately i've noticed when the sub is producing deep bass at about half volume, it makes a 'clicking' noise. its only noticable when there is nothing but a bass tone, but nonetheless, its kind of annoying. i've made sure its not the screen, and have verified that it is coming from the driver. Any ideas? the sub sounds amazing sans the clicking noise

TIA

Is that clicking sounds like mechanical clicking, bottoming out or sounds like a digital signal interruption?

 

[Adam]

I had an ASW1000 that rattled. My dealer lied to me for two years and told me that it was normal, but I knew it wasn't. I finally got smart and contacted B&W directly and then sent me a new one. They had a bad production run and some subs weren't made correctly. If no one here can troubleshoot it and find an easy fix, then I'd suggest contacting your dealer (and B&W if the dealer can't help).

 

[jules]

yeah, a mechanical clicking noise...kind of like bottoming out. i know its not bottoming out though because even when it's not being pushed hard, you can still hear the clicking noise when it's producing deep bass.

 

[TLS Guy]

yeah, a mechanical clicking noise...kind of like bottoming out. i know its not bottoming out though because even when it's not being pushed hard, you can still hear the clicking noise when it's producing deep bass.

The driver voice coil is probably coming unwound. I agree contact B & W.

 

[Mr_Hemi]

I have the exact same sub and I have exactly the same problem as you. It only makes this rattling sound when there is long, deep base tones, but quick bursts, you don't hear it. I think its mechanical in nature and not a digital signal interruption.

Its definitely coming from the inside of the sub. At first I thought it was a break-in issue, maybe the rubber/cobex needs to flex a bit so I put it off from bringing it back, now 3 years later(!), the rattle noise is still there (I don't really use it much anyways but when I do and it rattles, it make for a really crude sounding bass not what you would expect from B&W). My dealer gladly said he would check it out for me and if there is a problem they would send it back and hopefully its not an electrical issue as that warranty has expired for that (5 years for everything else).

Jules, Was your issue resolved? Did you contact B&W and did they identify the problem? If so, what was it?

I also found another forum user who reports the same thing:

hometheaterforum.com/htf/speakers-subwoofers/208092-b-w-asw-600-subwoofer-questions.html

 

[TLS Guy]

I have the exact same sub and I have exactly the same problem as you. It only makes this rattling sound when there is long, deep base tones, but quick bursts, you don't hear it. I think its mechanical in nature and not a digital signal interruption.

Its definitely coming from the inside of the sub. At first I thought it was a break-in issue, maybe the rubber/cobex needs to flex a bit so I put it off from bringing it back, now 3 years later(!), the rattle noise is still there (I don't really use it much anyways but when I do and it rattles, it make for a really crude sounding bass not what you would expect from B&W). My dealer gladly said he would check it out for me and if there is a problem they would send it back and hopefully its not an electrical issue as that warranty has expired for that (5 years for everything else).

Jules, Was your issue resolved? Did you contact B&W and did they identify the problem? If so, what was it?

I also found another forum user who reports the same thing:

hometheaterforum.com/htf/speakers-subwoofers/208092-b-w-asw-600-subwoofer-questions.html

Sounds like B & W had a bunch of badly wound voice coils.

 

[jules]

I have the exact same sub and I have exactly the same problem as you. It only makes this rattling sound when there is long, deep base tones, but quick bursts, you don't hear it. I think its mechanical in nature and not a digital signal interruption.

Its definitely coming from the inside of the sub. At first I thought it was a break-in issue, maybe the rubber/cobex needs to flex a bit so I put it off from bringing it back, now 3 years later(!), the rattle noise is still there (I don't really use it much anyways but when I do and it rattles, it make for a really crude sounding bass not what you would expect from B&W). My dealer gladly said he would check it out for me and if there is a problem they would send it back and hopefully its not an electrical issue as that warranty has expired for that (5 years for everything else).

Jules, Was your issue resolved? Did you contact B&W and did they identify the problem? If so, what was it?

I also found another forum user who reports the same thing:

hometheaterforum.com/htf/speakers-subwoofers/208092-b-w-asw-600-subwoofer-questions.html

Sorry it took so long for me to update this thread!

anyhow, good news. I tried to contact B & W, and they told me to contact the dealer, as most of their dealers do repair themselves. After I got the run around from the dealer and B & W, i decided to troubleshoot the issue myself. Keep in mind, I'm not familiar with the internal components of the subwoofer. I grabbed an allen wrench so i could remove the driver from the enclosure. I had this feeling in my stomach that the driver may have been loose. Sure enough, the allen screws were very loose, all around the driver. The noise was coming from the plastic surround rattling against the enclosure! I firmly tightened the screws around the driver. It solved the problem Although, after a few weeks of heavy usage, the rattling is starting to come back. I am considering using some threadlock to solve this issue.

I was extremely happy I didn't waste my time/money getting it "repaired." I just would have never guessed, because i listened so closely to the subwoofer, and could have SWORN it was coming from the driver.

Also, I used a y-adapter to plug in to both of the line inputs, and the output of the subwoofer nearly doubled. Previously, i was using only one, i figured that was okay because that was how my old JBL worked. If you plugged the jbl in with a y-adapter it made no difference.

Hope it's an easy fix for you as well!

 

[Adam]

Excellent news on the solution. Thanks for the update!

 

[Mr_Hemi]

This is great news! Thanks for sharing. I have not brought my speaker in yet, so this I will definitely try this now.

I just had one question, do you actually have to remove the driver or would just tightening the screws on the outside with an allen key be sufficient? i.e. are there internal screws that need to be tightened?

Thanks!

 

[Sheep]

Remind me not to buy a lower end B&W product. That is pathetic, and the CS sounds awful to boot.

SheepStar

 

[jamie2112]

Sheep - don't buy any lower end B&W products. You won't be happy and it will lead to many unnessisary hooka sessions. In the cold weather is not the best place to be hookaing IMO but it makes for some great pics...

 

[Sheep]

Sheep - don't buy any lower end B&W products. You won't be happy and it will lead to many unnessisary hooka sessions. In the cold weather is not the best place to be hookaing IMO but it makes for some great pics...

I've decided next will be Ascends CBM170s. All modified by WmAx. When that happens, who knows.

SheepStar

 

[jamie2112]

I've decided next will be Ascends CBM170s. All modified by WmAx. When that happens, who knows.

SheepStar

Chris is the man for sure.....

 

[Mr_Hemi]

My allen screws were ALL loose (outside ones) and I just tightened them. They were very loose by at least one full turn before it became tight enough that to stop turning. Unfortunately, it was early in the morning, so I didn't want to wake everyone and test for the rattling so I will be doing it tonight.

This sub may not be the most powerful sub on the market, but its has good quality sound (clearly the craftsmanship needs improvement for this product). What sold me on this sub 3 years ago is that tests showed it was able to play "15 Hz wobbles with ease" and the price was right! When I watch the matrix on blu-ray, my sub is about 25 feet away and my pants vibrate and there is very little sound coming from my sub, got to love those sub sonic waves!

 

[tyman71491]

I don't know if this is the same thing, but my ASW600 is right beside my desk, and I guess I sit a little above it. When I sit right next and above it I hear the rattling noise, but when i sit level with the sub I can't hear the rattle at all.

 

[jules]

You only need to tighten the external screws with an allen key. Mine were all extremely loose as well. Let me know if you get the same results! By the way, I figured out it was that plastic plate because i would play something with some deep bass that would rattle the sub, and i would press firmly against the plastic surround and the rattling would get much more quiet.

 

[Mr_Hemi]

Problem Solved!!

Thanks Jules for your acute observations and suggestions!

I played the scene in Matrix Reloaded Chapter 26, 1:38:20 where previously my sub would rattle like crazy on this scene (outside the building shot) because of the heavy base, now after tightening the screws, the bass is crisp and tight! Its like I got a new sub woofer.

Tyman, get your allen key and start tightening those screws!

Cheers!

 

[jules]

Just want to update this thread for anyone having the same issue that sees this in the future. Even after firmly tightening all of the allen screws around the driver, if i pushed the sub hard it would still rattle.

THE SOLUTION:
Tilt the subwoofer on to it's backside so the driver is facing up, remove all allen screws. Remove the plastic plate, and then replace all allen screws and firmly tighten them. Issue resolved. Of course it doesn't look as pretty, but I keep the screen on mine so I don't notice the difference. Honestly i would rather have good sound quality than a pretty, cheap plastic ring.

pm me if you have any issues

Cheers