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LiveFreeAndRoam

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  1. Firstly, let me start out by shouting... Moose09876; you ROCK! If it weren't for Moose's adventurous troubleshooting methods [], I could not have done this myself. After getting many great tips from Moose, I ordered an IRF740 MOSFET N Channel, just $0.94 (yes 94 cents) , waited 3-weeks for it to be delivered [] , replaced the blown MOSFET, and my Subwoofer is BOOMING again!!! [] [] [H] In case others have the same misfortune and are willing to have a go at fixing it themselves, I've recorded a few pics and tips. Naturally, you undertake this at your own risk. Whilst it worked for me, there's no guarantee it will work for you. Remove bolts holding back plate and carefully remove it The bad MOSFET is shown below Remove cables and then remove power board to work on it. NOTE:Only work on the board when power is disconnected - and be careful not to touch the capacitors; they can store a jolt. You could use a capacitor drain resistor to be sure the capacitors have no stored energy. Remove the MOSFET by first undoing the bolt that holds it to the heat-sink. In my case, I removed the whole heat-sink in case I had to replace both MOSFETS. However, I'd suggest unbolt only the suspected MOSFET and if you have long-nose cutters, cut it's legs. This would only leave the 3-legs, detached from the MOSFET body. Desoldering 3-legs is much easier than trying to desolder the legs with the body still attached. After removing the MOSFET (and desoldering its legs) from the power board, you must test the board to ensure the fault has been isolated. To do this safely: a) Reconnect the red and black mains power connectors on the power board (leave all others disconnected) Bolt the board to its mounting plate and reinstall the mounting plate onto the subwoofer box. Two or three screws should hold it securely enough. c) Insert a fresh slow-blow fuse (1A) d) Ensure the subwoofer's power switch is OFF e) Insert power cord and and switch on at wall f) Turn on the power at subwoofer If the fuse still blows, then you need to keep troubleshooting; e.g. remove the 2nd MOSFET and repeat the steps above. On the other hand, if the fuse does not blow, then you are probably well on your way to repairing your unit. Replace the MOSFET and solder it in place. Retest the board as above. Assuming a successful retest, continue to the next step. For interest-sake, measure the output voltage of the power-module: Reconnect the signal cable and the output power cables. Now retest. This time, your subwoofer should completely power-up. Start rejoicing... you're nearly there. Disconnect power and once again remove the board so you can continue to work on it. Apply non-conductive thermal paste and remember to install the thin plastic insulator between the MOSFET and the heat-sink. Take your time. In this case, I needed to insert the bolt with the bent long-nose pliers. Then carefully hold the nut in place with a pair of straight long-nose pliers. I had just enough room to start rotating the bolt with my fingers, whilst still holding the nut with my pliers. Basically, do whatever works for you. Glue the nuts in place (I used nail polish, but there are probably better glues for this) http://i274.photobucket.com/albums/jj241/LiveFreeAndRoam/Klipsch/IMG_3017.jpg Reconnect all those cables that you previously removed. Rebolt the board to its mounting plate and reinstall it into the subwoofer. Switch on the power and rejoice!!!! Find your favourite movies/music and enjoy LFaR.
  2. I bought the sub with a bunch of other equipment, so don't have a separate invoice for it. I recall a figure of around AU$900, which was a little discounted from RRP at the time. Yeah, I hear you moose. Spending AU$400 just to fix it, gets a little rediculous, epsecially considering the price of the MOSFETs will be substantially less. I'm travelling soon, so may not get a chance to play with this for a few weeks. A busy week ahead. Cheers, LFaR.
  3. FWIW, I've since found quite a few posts on this topic as well as a fixya thread: http://www.fixya.com/support/t5614956-klipsch_rw_10d_when RW-10D fuse value Dead RW-10D RW-10d won't power on. RW-10D blowing fuses. Has a root-cause been identified? Is one of the components particularly vulnerable? It reminds me of a problem I had with my Onkyo AVR, where a resistor they used was under-rated which caused the LCD display to fail. A new resistor with higher rating fixed that. Could this also be an inappropriately rated component? LFaR.
  4. Just experienced the exact same symptom this past weekend... right before a 21st party [:'(]. Any chance of a picture of what you replaced? I haven't done the research yet, but is there a way to determine a bad mosfet from a good mosfet? Have soldering iron and willing to give it a go before I fork out ~AU$400 for a replacement module. LFaR.
  5. If money were no object, the sky was no limit, and the WAF did not apply, then I wonder what sort of home-theatre I would dream up. It wouldn't be nearly as ostentatious as the Steve Jenkins project, but gee it would be fun putting it all together. I am pretty damn certain that it would include a healthy dose of Klipsch spread around the home-theatre. In my dreams, LFaR.
  6. I just checked on our importers website (http://www.internationaldynamics.com.au), it appears they only import the R-5650-W into Australia, but not the R-5650-S. Can anyone recommend an online store where I could import them myself? Thanks, LFaR.
  7. Thanks again guys! Good ideas and good advice. I'm about 2 months from buying and will test the in-walls, as well as figure out the best way to cut into the wall etc. Luckily, the rear-wall is also an exterior wall, so I won't be too concerned if some sound sneaks out into the yard. Given this is just for surrounds, I doubt my neigbours will care either. It's certainly good fun. Cheers, LFaR.
  8. >I sometimes use my reading glasses...sometimes the spec sheet will be in a larger font and I don't have to. Sometimes I just look at it and read from left to right. Wow, the simplicity of it all. Talk about cutting to the chase! [] LFaR.
  9. I like the idea of installing them in the wall, but had discounted that idea based on some negative articles about in-wall speakers compared to stand-alone speakers. Mostly, the things that warned me away from in-wall speakers was that their performance is highly dependent on the wall cavity, as that becomes the speaker baffle. Maybe there are things I can do to reduce the impact of weird resonances in the wall. Or maybe it's not as serious as some of the articles make it out to be? Routing cables through the wall cavity won't be without its difficulties, but it may be possible, at least for the vertical drop to the floor. Which in-wall speakers were you thinking about? Also, do you feel it is best to keep all the speakers the same size, at 6.5"? Thanks again DrWho. I continue to enjoy your excellent advice. Cheers! LFaR.
  10. Hi, I am trying to decide between the RS-series or RB-series for the rear-wall in a 5.1 setup. Our seating position is flush with the rear wall and 15' from the front wall. I could place the speakers on the rear wall or on stands/side-table. I also have the option of moving the seating position forward by 1' if needed. The room is 15'x30'x8'. From the center of the sitting position, the side-wall is 10' to our left and 20' to our right, so one of the rears will be much closer to the side-wall than the other. The system is driven by an Onkyo 805 (130W/ch). Existing equipment: RB-61, RC-64, RW-10d. My questions: Would you recommend RS or RB speakers for rear-wall in 5.1? Ideally, should they be matched in size with the fronts (6.5") or is smaller better for the rears? Is it better to wall-mount or stand/table-mount the speakers? As always, I appreciate your responses. Good Listening to you, LFaR.
  11. Just back from a 3-day camping trip. Guys, thanks so much for the info. There's been some really interesting discussion and well-made points. To Canadian_Dude: That was an excellent paper. Thanks for the pointer. To damonrpayne: > "How to read a spec sheet", that sounds like an article waiting to be written by some saucy bloggers or writers for Klipsch fan websites. Now I would love to see such an article. I hope an expert is listening. To DrWho: That was aptly put, and especially appreciated knowing more about PWK's point of view. I'll be reading your post a few more times over to digest it all. To michael hurd: Are you any relation to Mark [] (sorry I couldn't resist). Your pointer to the Anatomy of the Power Amplifier is much appreciated. More reading and lots of techonology to digest. I'll likely have more follow up questions too. Cheers! LFaR.
  12. Take any spec sheet, and there are some things I understand, some I think I understand and others I don't have a clue about. As I read each spec, I like to ask myself two questions, "So what?" and "What does this mean to the end-user?" Maybe some knowledgeable folk can fill in the blanks and correct me where I'm off-target? (Apologies up front, as this post is a little on the long side. Don't feel you should reply to all the points. Any contributions are appreciated.) Take the RF-62 as an example. I've bulleted each spec below and given my brief interpreration of that spec. If I'm off-base, please don't hesitate to set me straight. FREQUENCY RESPONSE 38Hz-23kHz ± 3dB Frequency response describes the operating range of the speaker, and that it is flat (± 3dB) within that range. However, knowing how flat would presumably be helpful. Also, the slope of the roll-off may be of interest when fine-tuning crossovers (I think). Why not publish the curves, e.g. look at the curves in this HT-Labs review? BTW, I've always felt that ± 3dB is a huge range. That's up to 6dB delta, which is very signifcant change in volume and also the power variation (4x) to drive it. Does anyone ever publish ± 1dB figures? POWER HANDLING 125W RMS / 500W Peak Presumably the higer these figures, the better? I've read that this may help you select minimum power of the amplifier. One article suggested it should be at least 3dB more than the Amp's output. Other's suggest that if you never drive your amplifier to its clipping point, then this figure is not relevant. I found this site to be interesting reading. SENSITIVITY 97dB @ 2.83V / 1m This is possibly the most important specification and describes the efficiency of the speakers. The larger the better and the horn-tweeter largely contributes to Klipsch's high sensitivity. A speaker with sensitivity of 97dB requires half the power compared to a driving a speaker with 94dB sensitivity. This also gives the amplifier greater dynamic range as it more easily copes with sudden volume changes - e.g. an explosion. Knowing this helps to size the power-rating of the amplifier. Is there anything else I should know about this? NOMINAL IMPEDANCE 8 ohms compatible I believe impedance varies over the frequency range and that it can drop quite low (maybe in the 3 ohm range) at certain frequencies. Some amplifiers are not able to drive very low ohmage equipment. So what does "Nominal Impedance" mean to the end-user? Can any amplifier rated for 8 ohms drive this speaker - if not what should I look for in amplifier specs? Why not publish the curves of how ohmage varies with frequency? HIGH FREQUENCY DRIVERS 1" (2.54cm) Titanium diaphragm compression driver mated to 90°x 60° square Tractrix® Horn I have lots of questions on this one spec. This describes some characteristics of the tweeter. Though I don't understand the signifcance of it being Titanium. Is a compression driver better than a non-compression driver? What is a compression driver? The horn is square, but what is 90°x 60°. What is Tactrix (apart from being registered to Klipsch)? HIGH FREQUENCY CROSSOVER 1800Hz I think that this means that the internal (comb?) filter will send frequencies lower than 1800Hz to the woofers and higher than 1800Hz go to the tweeter. What does it mean to the end-user if the crossover point is higer or lower? LOW FREQUENCY DRIVERS Dual 6.5" (16.5cm) Cerametallic cone woofers This describes some charactersitics of the woofer. What is "Cerametallic"? I presume this has something to do with the stiffness and assists with clarity? The cone woofer is common enough. What other type of woofer is there? ENCLOSURE TYPE Bass-reflex via dual rear-firing ports I believe reflex means that when the driver pulls, that air is also expelled from the ports, and this somehow helps to improve the bass-response in both volume and frequency response? I think reflex systems are tuned, so that the response especially affects certain frequencies. What does it mean to the end-user if the enclosure is sealed, as is the case for the RC-64? Thanks for your patience! LFaR.
  13. Thanks jamesV. The rears would go on the 30' wall. The couch is currently up against that wall, so the primary listening position is on the same wall where the speakers would be fixed or possibly sit on side-tables or stands. The rears would be approx 13' from the fronts. Hey, I especially agree that spending other peoples money is much more fun [;-)] I'm glad to know you would go with the RF-62 option, and I will definitely give them a sound test (I just won't tell my wife about my intentions []). Cheers, LFaR.
  14. Yep, turf-wars get no respect from me either. BD and HD-DVD will be here for a long time yet, thanks largely to the PS3 and XBox (IMHO). Here are some other interesting bookmarks (I kinda like the 1st one below 'cause it's apparently live sales data from one vendor): http://www.dvdempire.com/Content/Features/hidef_wars.asp http://www.engadget.com/2005/09/19/blu-ray-vs-hd-dvd-state-of-the-s-union-s-division/ http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9740033-1.html Though, before getting overly excited about higher def video, I feel there is still more fundamental issues to resolve. E.g. I have a PS3 and have enjoyed several BluRay movies, WOW - truly breathtaking! But, and this is a big BUT in my opinion; the PS3 seems to be incapable of displaying the movies Original Aspect Ratio (OAR), eg the OAR might be 2.40:1, but the PS3 zooms it to a fullscreen 16:9 image. Some forums suggest that you can view the OAR via component outputs. In my case, I'm using HDMI to a 1080p LCD, (via an Onkyo 805). No matter what I do, I cannot view the movie in its OAR, as it was intended. This is true for DVD as well as BD. Bottom line, I still prefer to watch my DVDs on my old player so I can enjoy the image as the director originally intended it to be. Unfortunatley, I don't have anywhere else to play my BD (other than the PS3). As much as I enjoy the high-def, I peg the OAR at a higher priority. LFaR.
  15. First, my current equipment: Refernce IV RB61 (LR), RC64 ©, RW-10d (Sub), driven by Onkyo 805 AVR. Soon, I will be buying the rear surrounds and will be glad to hear your opinions. The salesman has recommended RB-51. Later I learned about the RS52 and wondered what benefits (if any) that would provide over the bookshelf speakers. The spec sheets are too close for me to tell (http://www.klipsch.com/media/products/cut-sheets/RS-52NEW.pdf, http://www.klipsch.com/media/products/cut-sheets/RB-51.pdf. Naturally, I will be doing some of my own sound testing, but having more info before the sound-test will serve me well. I'm not wanting to confuse the main topic of this thread (RS-52 or RB-51), but I feel I have to mention other choices I'm considering... I'm also left wondering if RB61 for surrounds would provide a better match or would that be overdoing it? Is there any concern with matching 5.25" surrounds with the 6.5" fronts? Another option I'm considering (budget permitting) is RF-62 for front LR and moving my RB-61 into rear surrounds. Thanks for any thoughts. Regards, LFaR. PS: In case it helps, room dimensions are (WxLxH) 15'x30'x8' (or 4.5x9.0x2.4m); the HT viewing axis is parallel to the short wall (if that makes sense).
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