DEC

Well, since your ProMedia 2.1 system is new, you definitely have the new and improved right-angle DIN connector, so that is likely not your problem. And I don't know how Klipsch handles warranty work outside of the US, but they (or the outlet you purchased your unit from) surely would stand behind a new purchase that was bad right out of the box (unless there is some question as to whether you purchased your system from an authorized dealer). I would first suggest getting in contact with the retail outlet and/or Klipsch and describe the problem you are having and see what they can do for you. If you don't feel that approach is going to work for some reason and want to trouble-shoot the problem yourself (and you have the skills for doing that), I highly recommend going back through some of the many threads on ProMedia 2.1 system failures & potential solutions having to do with control pod issues, internal fuse failures, bad capacitors, poor board contacts/soldering (etc.) to see if any of that information might be helpful. Good luck

That can indeed be the problem, but there can be other issues as well (as is reflected in a number of other, related threads). One thing ... you say that you "just bought these speakers and connected them out of the box". Does that mean they are factory new? If so, you already have the new & improved right-angle DIN connector. Either way, you are in warranty and should be able to get full satisfaction from Klipsch. On the other hand, if you bought your ProMedia 2.1 set-up as used, then the problem could be the old style DIN connector or the other issues I was generally referring to.

There are other threads on this board regarding this subject you might want to check out. Depending on your electronic repair skills (and with some luck thrown in), you might be able to bring your sub back to life. Good luck

aleximas ... any possibility of just posting about Klipsch issues without always adding your shoe website links?

By the way, in terms of what I ended up doing, I ordered a new ProMedia 2.1 system from Klipsch. I had previously contacted stpeteshepherd, but he was too swamped with 5.1 system repairs (his meat & potatoes), and he additionally felt that he wasn't that far ahead of me in terms of trouble-shooting the 2.1 system to get to the bottom of what was wrong with my sub boards in any cost-effective manner. Mister_Clean subsequently suggested that I keep my old 2.1 satellite speakers, control pod, and sub for parts, and that's what I finally decided to do (which should allow me to keep one of my two "old" ProMedia 2.1 systems up and running for some time). Anyway, I installed the new set-up a couple of days ago in conjunction with my wife's iMac, and other than a minor problem with the mini stereo plug, it sounds great. I think I will open it up though and replace the two 1/4-watt resistors with 1-watt versions just to be on the safe side.

Have you opened up your sub to check on resistors R120 & R107? If one or both of these are damaged, you may be a good candidate for swapping those original 1/4-watt resistors out for 1-watt versions. On the other hand, take a look at this outcome (from page 2 of the "ProMedia 2.1 fried resistor-I think" thread: http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/126402.aspx?PageIndex=1 ) ...

Well, I'm certainly not trying to argue about this, but I don't know how I could have gotten a "transitional system" (especially since you say that the new 2.1 systems were produced after January 2010). I bought the new 2.1 system directly from Klipsch, and when you mentioned the various changes in the newer 2.1 systems in your earlier postings, I was concerned enough to contact Klipsch while my order was in-process to see if they had any of the older systems left and they said no (and they of course said that there should not be any differences in sound quality between the two). Anyway, independent of what genre of 2.1 system I got, I am really happy with it. I think I will open it up though and replace the two 1/4-watt resistors with 1-watt versions just to be on the safe side.

I'd be interest in your opinion of your new system. If Klipsch sends you their current version, which has totally different electronics in the sub (about 6lbs lighter than the older ones and no off/on switch with direct wiring through the satellites) I'm wondering if it will sound the same as your old one or better or worse. razzz42,I received my new ProMedia 2.1 system a couple of days ago and I am very happy to report that it is definitely a "good" system IMO. While it is true that the new version 2.1 system has hard-wired satellite speakers, mine actually does have an on/off switch on the back of the subwoofer unit. I also weighed both my "old version" 2.1 sub and the "new version" sub, and the new one weighed only 1 lb less than the old one (i.e., 15 lbs versus 16 lbs). And as already mentioned, the new version system has the new & improved 90 degree DIN plug. Most importantly, the bass output from the new sub is absolutely stunning IMO. Where I was worried that the bass output would be worse than the old design sub, it is actually better in both the amount/intensity and quality of bass, so I am very thrilled with this development. In terms of THX certification, I also noticed that the new owner's manual doesn't have the THX logo on it (as the old one did), but I do have the Klipsch/THX logo "buttons" on both satellite speakers as well as by the sub port, so I don't know what to say about that aspect. The only negative I encountered was that I have a bad mini stereo plug (the green plastic one) that comes out of the control pod wiring. The sound gets cut out and I get humming & static when it is rotated or if you touch the wire going into the back of the plug. The problem is definitely not with the jack on the back of my wife's iMac, but luckily, I can find one "sweet spot" where I can rotate the mini stereo plug and get good sound without the hum & static. I contacted Klipsch about this, and they are shipping me a replacement 2.1 control pod at no charge, so I will swap that out when that arrives. All in all, I am very happy with the new 2.1 system. Don

Dan, Congratulations on your successful repair! In my case, the control pod green light is on and I get full volume out of both satellite speakers. At first blush, I appear to get no sound coming out of my sub, but when I run the sub potentiometer up to max and then play a source with some very heavy bass passages, I can detect a very slight amount of air movement and bass coming out of my sub. And FWIW, the DIN plug was replaced by Mister_Clean a couple of years ago. Despite my multiple posts, I am not much of an electronics guy. I don't know if I can successfully test all of the things you have to get to the bottom of whatever else is wrong on my sub boards, but when I get a chance, I'll see what I can do. However, in the short term, my focus is going to be setting up the new ProMedia 2.1 system for my wife's iMac once I receive it. Thanks for your follow-up post, and hopefully that will help someone else who is having the same problem. Don

Well, on balance, that sure doesn't sound encouraging. I don't care too much about the direct satellite wiring, and since I always left my two subs on all the time anyway, not having an on/off switch probably isn't the end of the world (and I do like the sound of the improved 90 degree DIN plug). However, less weight and less lows coming out of the redesigned sub definitely sounds like a step backwards to me. Anyway, I will definitely let my ears be the judge on this.

Mister_Clean did tell me that the new version 2.1 system had direct speaker wiring to the satellite speakers (i.e., no jacks), but I was unaware that there was no on/off switch or that they had substantially changed the electronics in the sub. Based on this, I too will be very interested in the sound quality. And since I still have another of the old 2.1 set-ups hooked up to my MacPro (that is still in working condtion), I will be able to do something of a head-to-head comparison. Now you've got me a bit worried ... so Klipsch had better have done a good job with the new version! [^o)]

dzfan, Sorry to hear that your resistor replacement effort didn't yield more positive results, and I agree, we appear to be in the same boat. FWIW, I am aware that a couple of other people with the same symptoms had good luck when they replaced their damaged R120 and/or R107 resistors. Anyway, if you do end up finding any other malfunctioning components on any of your subwoofer boards, I would be interested in hearing more about that. In terms of my final solution, I ended up ordering a new ProMedia 2.1 system from Klipsch for $149.99 and free shipping last Friday. I had previously contacted stpeteshepherd, but he was too swamped with 5.1 system repairs (his meat & potatoes), and he additionally felt that he wasn't that far ahead of me in terms of trouble-shooting the 2.1 system to get to the bottom of what was wrong with my sub boards in any cost-effective manner. Mister_Clean subsequently suggested that I keep my old 2.1 satellite speakers, control pod, and sub for parts, and that's what I finally decided to do. Good luck with your on-going efforts to get your sub back up, Don

dzfan, I already posted the link as well as the entire set of schematics for the 2.1 in my earlier thread ... "Full Set of Schematic Diagrams for ProMedia 2.1 System": http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/t/137146.aspx And yes, as I already reported on page 1 of this thread, after replacing the two original 1/4-watt 82-ohm resistors R120 & R107 with 1-watt 82-ohm versions (and not getting good results), I carefully checked all of the boards in the subwoofer and nothing else looks burned, discolored, or obviously damaged. Don

Yeah, I was really hoping this would work too. However, on the bright side, I am aware of at least 2 or 3 people who had the same problem, replaced one or both of the resistors in question, and got their 2.1 subs up and working again. So, if you are lucky in that the resistor(s) are the singular issue, doing this work is potentially worthwhile and cost effective. And as others have stated, replacing/upgrading the two resistors is probably a good preventive thing to do even if you're not having problems.

I don't know if you were addressing your question to Zortrium or me, but in my case, I use several music players and a number of other sound media sources and the source/player volume is definitely not the issue. If that was the problem, the right/left satellite volume would also be down or non-existent, and my 2.1 satellite speakers have plenty of volume. It's the subwoofer that has little or no volume independent of source or ProMedia 2.1 control pod main volume/sub volume settings.

In terms of the original Klipsch DIN plug, that already failed back in 2008, at which point I had Mr. Clean replace it with one of his beefed-up DIN plugs and everything ran fine for the better part of two years after that. When I subsequently encountered the issue with little or no sound coming out of my sub last month, I sent the control pod back to Mr. Clean thinking that something had gone south with it. However, he checked it and gave it a clean bill of health. Despite that, I went ahead last night (after the replacement resistors failed to bring my sub back to life), and plugged my control pod equipped right satellite speaker from my second set of ProMedia 2.1's into the bad sub (which, by the way still has a functional Klipsch DIN plug), and the sub was still essentially dead with regard to any significant sound output. So, the problem is definitely not with the DIN plug or control pod. (And I also wiggled both DIN plugs a bit in the jack on the back of the dead sub to see if I could get any response, but absolutely nothing happened in terms of intermittent sounds, etc.). Since I am not much of an electronics guy, I am not sure how much more trouble-shooting I can viably do. I suppose I could start removing the full array of circuit boards one-by-one and testing resistors for stated resistance from the schematics, but if that's not the underlying problem, I am not sure what to do exactly for all of the other components in terms of acceptable versus non-acceptable readings (e.g., transistors, capacitors, diodes, etc.). And while I haven't done any searches for used 2.1 subs, I don't have a feel for availability of these, and I guess I am a bit hesitant about the "working" part as I might be inheriting someone else's dead or dying sub. Beyond that, I realize I could get a new 2.1 system, but that's not in our budget from a fixed income perspective. So, with all of that said, I may or may not go the route of having stpeteshepherd take a look at it, however, that would need to be done with some total cost ceiling in mind ... especially considering the back and forth shipping costs with the heavy transformer-equipped innards of the 2.1 sub. (And so far, between recently rechecking the DIN plug with Mr. Clean, along with ordering fuses, resistors, soldering supplies, and what not, I am already $50+ into the repair effort with little to show for it). Anyway, one final option would be to run the compromized system as a 2.0 system. The satellite speakers work and sound good, and as far as 2.0 systems go, the Klipsch satellite speaker sound output and quality is still very good even without the sub. And since this is for my wife's iMac and she is more than happy with the improved sound quality over the built-in internal speakers (which aren't too shabby in their own right IMO), that may also be the route we might end up going in. BUT, it still personally bothers me to not have the full capability of the system, especially after having invested the time (and some cost) involved with my efforts to date. I'll probably go ahead and recontact stpeteshepherd on all of this, but even he wondered about the cost effectiveness of further trouble-shooting if the resistor swap-out didn't end up working. Don

Well, I unfortunately have bad news to report. After I desoldered and removed resistor R120 (which previously looked like it was damaged), it turned out that a small amount of the over-sprayed brown foam stuff that is slopped around in quite a few places on the various internal boards in the sub was on the end of the resistor in question, which made it look like it was damaged when it actually wasn't. Anyway, I went ahead and replaced the two 1/4-watt 82-ohm resistors R120 & R107 with 1-watt 82-ohm versions and nothing changed (and the job went well and I didn't need to take the power supply circuit board out to do the work). I unfortunately still get no sound from the subwoofer unless I crank the sub volume level control potentiometer to maximum, and then I just get the same anemic low-level volume even with a heavy bass passage, so there is obviously something still wrong with one or more components on one of the circuit boards inside the sub unit. The trouble is, nothing else looks burned, discolored, or obviously damaged, so I guess it could be anything at this point. I am going to have to think about what's next. I would definitely like to get my 2.1 sub working again, but I also don't want to spend an arm and a leg doing it. I am also not willing to start buying replacement circuit boards from Klipsch, as with my luck, whatever I started with wouldn't be the right board and then I would just be out more money with no real benefit. I have been in touch with stpeteshepherd from eBay (aka Klipsch forum member "stpete cooling"), and I may have him take a look at it, although he typically focuses more on ProMedia 5.1 systems as compared to 2.1 systems. Don

Well, I unfortunately have bad news to report. After I desoldered and removed resistor R120 (which previously looked like it was damaged), it turned out that a small amount of the over-sprayed brown foam stuff that is slopped around in quite a few places on the various internal boards in the sub was on the end of the resistor in question, which made it look like it was damaged when it actually wasn't. Anyway, I went ahead and replaced the two 1/4-watt 82-ohm resistors R120 & R107 with 1-watt 82-ohm versions and nothing changed (and I didn't need to take the power supply circuit board out to do the work). I still get no sound from the subwoofer unless I crank the sub volume level control potentiometer to maximum, and then I just get the same anemic low-level volume even with a heavy bass passage, so there is obviously something still wrong with one or more components on one of the circuit boards inside the sub unit. The trouble is, nothing else looks burned, discolored, or obviously damaged, so I guess it could be anything at this point. I am going to have to think about what's next. I would definitely like to get my 2.1 sub working again, but I also don't want to spend an arm and a leg doing it. I am also not willing to start buying replacement circuit boards from Klipsch, as with my luck, whatever I started with wouldn't be the right board and then I would just be out more money with no benefit. I may have stpeteshepherd from eBay (aka Klipsch forum member "stpete cooling"), take a look at it, although he typically focuses more on ProMedia 5.1 systems as compared to 2.1 systems. Don

Well, I unfortunately have bad news to report. After I desoldered and removed resistor R120 (which previously looked like it was damaged), it turned out that a small amount of the over-sprayed brown foam stuff that is slopped around in quite a few places on the various internal boards in the sub was on the end of the resistor in question, which made it look like it was damaged when it actually wasn't. Anyway, I went ahead and replaced the two 1/4-watt 82-ohm resistors R120 & R107 with 1-watt 82-ohm versions and nothing changed. I still get no sound from the subwoofer unless I crank the sub volume level control potentiometer to maximum, and then I just get the same anemic low-level volume even with a heavy bass passage, so there is obviously something still wrong with one or more components on one of the circuit boards inside the sub unit. The trouble is, nothing else looks burned, discolored, or obviously damaged, so I guess it could be anything at this point. I am going to have to think about what's next. I would definitely like to get my 2.1 sub working again, but I also don't want to spend an arm and a leg doing it. I am also not willing to start buying replacement circuit boards from Klipsch, as with my luck, whatever I started with wouldn't be the right board. I may have stpeteshepherd from eBay (aka Klipsch forum member "stpete cooling"), take a look at it, although he typically focuses more on ProMedia 5.1 systems as compared to 2.1 systems. Don

Would the guy on eBay be stpeteshepherd by any chance? []

That sounds great. If the Ultra 5.1 system is anything like my ProMedia 2.1, the sub always gets too hot IMO (esprcially since it's on all the time with a pretty big transformer inside). I have a burned out power supply resistor that I am going to attempt to replace myself in the hope that I can get my sub to come back to life. However, having the cabinet ventilated with a fan would be a big plus as far as I am concerned. Would you mind sharing the guy's name, link, or contact info? I'd like to see if he does the same kind of work on a 2.1 system (and feel free to PM or email me if you prefer). Thanks, Don

Just curious, but do you have any idea what the guy on eBay plans to do to "upgrade the cooling"? More importantly, is this for the sub or the satellite speakers?

No problem on the resistor identification, I just really wanted to make sure I was on the right track before desoldering/removing the wrong component. And I agree, even if my R120 resistor isn't the sole basis of my sub volume problems, at least replacing it (and R107) eliminates any current/future issues coming from those 1/4-watt resistors. I am of course hoping that doing this work will bring my sub back to life, but we'll see. I am also not pretending to know what I am doing either, but with your help (as well as Mr. Clean and others), I hope to do the right thing and at least not screw anything up more than it already is. Thanks again for all of the help and good information. I'll let you know how it goes. Don

Thanks Mr. Clean ... I've got my fingers crossed as well.

Thanks much for all of the valuable information razzz42 ... I really appreciate it! I've now got the 1-watt resistors, desoldering wicking ribbon, and solder on order. One thing that you said though is definitely a curve ball for me, and that is the identification of the second resistor. On my circuit board, resistor R120 is the damaged one, and the identical 1/4-watt 82-ohm resistor (which is the same size and with the same gold/black/red/gray stripes), is directly adjacent to it is shown as R107 on the back (green) side of the circuit board. Also, when I have traded posts or emails on this subject with two other individuals having the same issue, they both referenced the same R120 & R107 resistor pair. Moreover, take a look at the following schematic where the same two 1/4-watt 82-ohm resistors are labeled as R120 & R107: In fact, I can't even find resistor R113 anywhere on either my circuit board or the ProMedia 2.1 schematic. I certainly don't want to goof up at this point, so if I am somehow missing something (such as a key resistor location or identification), please let me know. Also, something else I wanted to run by you to get your opinion on is the following. I did an in-situ resistance check of the slightly damaged resistor R120 and it read out as 80.4 ohms. Then for a comparison, I did a resistance check of the adjacent undamaged resistor R107 (which, as mentioned above, is the same rated resistor as the damaged one), and it read out as 81.2 ohms. As I have already stated, I am no electronics guy, but I was surprised at how close the two readings were. So here's my question ... do those close resistance readings imply that slightly damaged resistor R120 is not in that bad a shape, or is this a case where even a small drop-off in relative resistance potentially causes deliterious electronic effects & issues? In other words, does 80.4 ohms versus 81.2 ohms for 82 ohm nominally-rated resistors fall into the category of acceptable statistical variation for such a resistor type? If the latter, it makes me wonder if going to the trouble of replacing the "bad" resistor is going to gain me anything if it is in fact operating within the range of its tolerance. On the other hand, maybe "bad things" are happening to the performance of resistor R120 when it heats up during operation (as I tested the resistors when everything was cooled down). Please let me know what you think. Thanks again! Don