Help diagnosing eD A3-300 sub problem

[jcunwired]

Hi,

I've had two amps failed in this subwoofer before. It worked great for a few months after purchase in early 2010 until the amp blew. The third LT.300 amp arrived last winter while my basement was being remodeled, in February I installed it and adjusted levels, in March when Denon 4311 arrived I ran XT32.

The subwoofer, even at low volume, produces an annoying, definitely unnatural flapping noise during dynamic points in a movie. The only way to eliminate this is to turn volume down so low there is very little bass output.

I contacted eD, they wanted to sell me a replacement speaker for $200. Feeling they have gotten enough of my money (and I, in return, no small amount of frustration) I purchased a TC Sounds Epic 12 replacement speaker. I installed it last night and hear the same thing. This eliminates the speaker, I presume, but a friend is bringing over an Infinity 1200w 12" speaker for further testing.

Is it the amp again? What could be the cause of this flapping sound? It's almost like driving at high speed with a flat tire.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

 

[mike c]

i've encountered this before ... i was so sure it was the driver due to a mechanical noise, but it did turn out to be the amp.

since you already have an epic 12 driver, you should just get another amp ... maybe another brand. unless you can return the epic driver ... get a whole different sub ... no sense in throwing good money after bad.

 

[jcunwired]

Thanks for the response! That's the thing - so far I have $900 invested in a $600 sub and the amp is still under warranty by eD. I am trying to preserve this and come out with some kind of working subwoofer, which will be paired with an additional sub (if I can ever get it working). I'd prefer not to throw it out.

Unfortunately the cut out for this amp doesn't seem to even closely match any others I have found as a replacement, so I am kind of dependent on eD. If you are aware of manufacturers I might look into I'll do some leg work and even pull out the sawzall if necessary.

Thanks again for your confirmation, much appreciated.

 

[mike c]

if it's under warranty, get the plate amp replaced by eD.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Ooh, before Adam beats me to the punch......another damn case of amps going bad inside the sub.

Passive sub rules!

Well, maybe next time, get those passive 18" CraigSUB subs for $500 each.

 

[gtpsuper24]

if it's under warranty, get the plate amp replaced by eD.

Good luck with that. It probably won't happen, more than likely the OP is stuck with the sub. The OP should check out the eD owners forums at AVS and some other forums like Blu Ray and see just how many people are having/had problems getting warranty claims.

Contact ED but expect to pay full price on a new matching amp cause they are not helping anyone with warranty claims.

 

[mike c]

Good luck with that. It probably won't happen, more than likely the OP is stuck with the sub. The OP should check out the eD owners forums at AVS and some other forums like Blu Ray and see just how many people are having/had problems getting warranty claims.

Contact ED but expect to pay full price on a new matching amp cause they are not helping anyone with warranty claims.

yup. been there with eD.

it's just bad business. i don't get why they don't like repeat business, seriously, if they actually gave post-sales customer support, i'd have been their biggest customer.

 

[GlocksRock]

There seems to be an awful lot of eD amp failures, maybe it's time they find a new source for their amps. I rarely ever hear of amp failures with SVS and HSU subs.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

There seems to be an awful lot of eD amp failures, maybe it's time they find a new source for their amps. I rarely ever hear of amp failures with SVS and HSU subs.

I hope eD can pull it together because I've heard a lot of great things about them, but also a lot of bad things lately concerning service and quality control - as you mentioned with their sub amps.

The eD-c12 monitor, which can be upgraded for only $75 to the same BC DE250 tweeter as the $6K GedLee Abbey, seems like a great speaker. But with this kind of bad service reputation, who would take the risk with eD as a company?

 

[GlocksRock]

I hope eD can pull it together because I've heard a lot of great things about them, but also a lot of bad things lately concerning service and quality control - as you mentioned with their sub amps.

The eD-c12 monitor, which can be upgraded for only $75 to the same BC DE250 tweeter as the $6K GedLee Abbey, seems like a great speaker. But with this kind of bad service reputation, who would take the risk with eD as a company?

I personally have had great customer service experiences with eD on numerous occasions, and that is from car audio to home theater gear. I have nothing bad to say about them, other than they have had way too many issues with their home theater sub amps, and they need to find a new vendor for them, even at the expense of having to raise their prices a bit if need be.

 

[walter duque]

You might want to try a different amp. My 2 subs and my powered toweres use amps from this Keiga 52100 Subwoofer Amplifier The oldest sub I have 15 years, did manage to put one out of commission (was my own fault, I just abuse my equipment)which I got a free replacement for after about 10 years of use. Mine are the older models, I am sure. I think they're great plate amps. Might be a little on the expensive side, but basicly trouble free.

 

[TLS Guy]

Hi,

I've had two amps failed in this subwoofer before. It worked great for a few months after purchase in early 2010 until the amp blew. The third LT.300 amp arrived last winter while my basement was being remodeled, in February I installed it and adjusted levels, in March when Denon 4311 arrived I ran XT32.

The subwoofer, even at low volume, produces an annoying, definitely unnatural flapping noise during dynamic points in a movie. The only way to eliminate this is to turn volume down so low there is very little bass output.

I contacted eD, they wanted to sell me a replacement speaker for $200. Feeling they have gotten enough of my money (and I, in return, no small amount of frustration) I purchased a TC Sounds Epic 12 replacement speaker. I installed it last night and hear the same thing. This eliminates the speaker, I presume, but a friend is bringing over an Infinity 1200w 12" speaker for further testing.

Is it the amp again? What could be the cause of this flapping sound? It's almost like driving at high speed with a flat tire.

Thanks in advance for any advice given.

You can't eliminate the speaker, by swapping it for a different woofer. The T/s parameters of the woofers will be way different, so the box will not load the cone, and cone excursion will be excessive and the woofer will bottom, leading to the noise you hear.

However since the amps in elemental design subs are notoriously bad, it is likely the amp again.

If you want that sub, I would buy a different amp and get an external pro amp. You will need to check your woofer first.

 

[jcunwired]

Thanks for the replies.

I am aware of the AVS thread, and the negativity around eD's customer service. As indicated, I've experienced the same. Nonetheless, I will go one more round with them and get a replacement plate amp. It is still under warranty.

I'm already in the throes of research for replacement subwoofers. At about 5500cf it's likely to be an expensive purchase, I keep waffling between Seaton SubM and Rythmik FV15's.

 

[jcunwired]

You can't eliminate the speaker, by swapping it for a different woofer. The T/s parameters of the woofers will be way different, so the box will not load the cone, and cone excursion will be excessive and the woofer will bottom, leading to the noise you hear.

The same flapping, flat tire sound is found with the original woofer, TC Sounds Epic 12 and an Infinity Reference 1260w. I'm guessing amp

 

[TLS Guy]

Thanks for the replies.

I am aware of the AVS thread, and the negativity around eD's customer service. As indicated, I've experienced the same. Nonetheless, I will go one more round with them and get a replacement plate amp. It is still under warranty.

I'm already in the throes of research for replacement subwoofers. At about 5500cf it's likely to be an expensive purchase, I keep waffling between Seaton SubM and Rythmik FV15's.

Before you install another plate amp, check the DC resistance of the woofer and ask eD what it is supposed to be. Also push the cone in and out and see if you can feel any rubbing. There is far more than an outside chance these amp failures have damaged the driver. The damaged driver will then blow the amp and cycle will keep repeating itself.

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Thanks for the replies.

I am aware of the AVS thread, and the negativity around eD's customer service. As indicated, I've experienced the same. Nonetheless, I will go one more round with them and get a replacement plate amp. It is still under warranty.

I'm already in the throes of research for replacement subwoofers. At about 5500cf it's likely to be an expensive purchase, I keep waffling between Seaton SubM and Rythmik FV15's.

What? You're not looking into passive subs from Funk Audio or what about the dual-18" CraigSUB ?

https://www.chasehometheater.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=500&category_id=29&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=138&redirected=1&Itemid=138

 

[jcunwired]

Before you install another plate amp, check the DC resistance of the woofer and ask eD what it is supposed to be. Also push the cone in and out and see if you can feel any rubbing. There is far more than an outside chance these amp failures have damaged the driver. The damaged driver will then blow the amp and cycle will keep repeating itself.

This is where the song and dance with eD comes into play. I've been told that it's not likely the amp caused damage to the driver, I've been told that the amp could be sending too much power to the driver (the Infinity driver I installed last night is 1260w, the amp 300w). I've also been told my settings are not likely correct, or that I'm listening to movies that simply have their bass too loud

There is no rubbing. I have inspected the original driver thoroughly, and while not a speaker builder I have seen nothing physically out of place. I thought for sure the glue from the cone and suspension had come undone, but this is sound.

eD has been contacted, I've requested a warranty replacement. This is where the fun begins

 

[jcunwired]

What? You're not looking into passive subs from Funk Audio or what about the dual-18" CraigSUB ?

https://www.chasehometheater.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=500&category_id=29&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=138&redirected=1&Itemid=138

Thanks, this looks interesting. I'll do some homework and try to find user reviews and comparisons.

I'm a noob at sub research and design, I've heard sealed might not be so great in a room my size (5500 cubic feet)?

 

[ahblaza]

What? You're not looking into passive subs from Funk Audio or what about the dual-18" CraigSUB ?

https://www.chasehometheater.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=500&category_id=29&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=138&redirected=1&Itemid=138

Hey ADTG, what amp would you recommend with the dual 18" sub or the VS 18.1? I'm two hours away from Chase, I would not have to pay shipping just tax. Sorry to hijack the OP's thread, I feel for you buddy.
Jeff

 

[AcuDefTechGuy]

Hey ADTG, what amp would you recommend with the dual 18" sub or the VS 18.1? I'm two hours away from Chase, I would not have to pay shipping just tax. Sorry to hijack the OP's thread, I feel for you buddy.
Jeff

I would get the Crown XLS2500, which is 775wpc x 2ch RMS 4ohm or 2400wpc x 1ch mono bridged RMS 4ohm!

Or the Crown XLS1500, which is 525wpc x 2ch 4ohm or 1550wpc x1ch mono 4ohm.

http://www.crownaudio.com/amp_htm/xls_drivecore.htm

I think the XLS1500 is more than enough, and it's only $325 delivered.