bobc1

Hi Knight, Thank you for your reply to my request for help. It seems as though we both found out, independent of one another how to fix that annoying and of late practically debilitating static and dead spots in the volume control pot. I started writing my newly found solution here a couple/few days ago and just when I was about to post or "Submit" it the site went down and it was lost into the ether forever. I hate when that happens. :-) Copy and paste is good idea at these type of forums. Later, when the site was back up, in my frustration I didn't bother to rewrite and post it. It burns me that a tech from Klipsch didn't respond with the simple solution but they may have lost a $49.99 sale. They could put a "Sticky" post at the beginning of this forum to deal with this known issue. Geez. After getting this type of Customer Support from Klipsch I'll be looking around at other companies when in a few months I'll be buying my next computer and I need a new set of speakers. Their new soon to be released 5.1 Ultras better blow the competition out of the water because I'll be shopping around with this bitter experience in my mind. Just last night on C-SPAN I was watching the CEO from JetBlue give a speech at Northwestern University on his "Corporate Model" and the importance of customer service, customer relations, return customers and word of mouth advertising by its customers and at least in my eyes Klipsch surely hasn't followed it. No, I didn't call you Shirley. After several separate unsuccessful attempts I finally discovered how the control panel just "slides" away from the pod and how access to the pots is made. I knew that if I could access the pots that the odds were good that a simple spray of electronics cleaner would do the trick. I have a HOTAS Cougar joystick and the pots in it are notorious for "spiking" and a quick spray will fix them for awhile. I replaced the fussy "mechanical" pots in it with a pair of Hall Effect Sensors (thank you CubPilot) and haven't had a single spike since. A few days ago I posted the following excerpt about my experience with my Klipsch speakers at the Alienware forum. "I've posted a couple things at the Klipsch forums and sent their CS an email trying to get the static (and just recently, dead spots) in my control pod fixed. That d@mn little control pod is like one of those wooden 3D puzzles trying to figure out how to access the potentiometers in there. I realize now that I was overlooking the obvious and after taking it outside in the bright sunlight and fiddling around with it for a few minutes I figured it out. The control panel underneath the control pod simply slides towards the back (with a little coercion) and then down to separate it from the satellite. I was looking for some screws etc. that were keeping it attached. Then it's just a matter of 6 small screws to uncover the actual pots. Since someone walked away with my Radio Shack electronics cleaner I sprayed a little WD-40 on the pots in there and they work better than the day when I first got them. No static whatsoever. Woohoo. I had em cranked up till 3AM last night. Oh the neighbors. And I learned by looking at the back of the sub-woofer that I have older Pro Media V2.400s. I thought that I had the newer 4.1s. Oh well. Klipsch just wanted to sell me another pod for 50 bux plus S&H and I almost ordered one. These control pods, especially the older V2.400s are known to have inherently faulty pots in them but they wouldn't budge with their 1 year warranty. Hey, I had to try! They know exactly how to fix the pots and just how easy it is to do but they want to sell stuff and could care less about stacking the landfills full of repairable control pods and other assorted imported electronic parts and gadgets. I don't know where Klipsch manufactures its systems but last year our trade deficit with China broke the 100 billion dollar mark. Because I saved 60 or so bux on the pod I ordered a SOUND BLASTER AUDIGY 2 PLATINUM soundcard from New Egg. I think it's way past due to upgrade my old Sound Blaster Live! Value card anyway." Thanks again for your concern Knight. If only Klipsch Customer Support had the amount of concern for its customers that you showed toward a complete stranger, then negative posts like this one wouldn't be necessary. Have a nice day.

Hi InnovaZero, I'm going a little off topic here but noticed in your sig that you are the proud owner of Hitachi 62" UltraVision HDTV. Is that a "true" hi-def set? There are so many digitally enhanced this and that half-baked TVs on the market today it's hard to keep track what the terminology means anymore. Is it a plasma display? I was wondering how you like it and if I may be so bold to ask, how much did it cost you?

Hi Bohemian_Rhapsody, Thanks for responding to my post. Out of curiousity I also sent an email to Customer Support and got the same answer that you supplied me with. "The system has a 1 year warranty. You can purchase a new control pod for the 4.1 system for 49.99 + s/h. To order please call Klipsch as 888-554-5665. Thank you, Tech Support/Customer Service 888-554-5665" Since the original 4.1 Control Pods have a reputation for being less than ready for prime time, I thought perhaps Klipsch would go beyond their stated warranty and try to satisfy their customers with a product that performed as it was designed to. I've heard positive things about Klipsch in this regard and so at least was hoping for the best. I should have RMA'ed it during the 1 year warranty period but the inconvenience of a little static (little at least in the very beginning) was tolerable in light of the alternative, the headache of packing it up, shipping it off and waiting for a replacement. No matter what the product is, I just put stuff like that onto the back burner and try not to think about it ... and now I'm feeling the heat! Before I call them and order a replacement I'd like to see if I can fix this one by spraying some electronics cleaner in the potentiometer. But that little control pod is a real puzzle to take apart. After removing the front grill and the 4 screws the only other thing I see left in there that could possibly remove the bottom control panel is a rather large brass or copper cylinder. I tried turning that with a pair of needle nose pliers but it wouldn't budge. Do you have any instructions on how I might gain access to the volume control pot? Thanks again.

I've had my Klipsch Pro Media 4.1s since March of 2001. I ordered them with an Alienware computer which was warranteed for only a year. Practically since the first day I've had the PM 4.1s there has been static in the volume control pot. Nothing that a simple twist and pull this way and that didn't temporarily fix but in the past year or so it's been getting much worse and now I even have some dead spots in the volume control pot. I've heard that this is a known problem and that even after two and half years I may be able to get this problem fixed. My Klipsch Pro Media 4.1s don't have a 1/8" mini-jack on them so I'm assuming that these are the older and perhaps inherently faulty ones. Can anyone tell me if I can still get these fixed without charge? Thank you.

Hi Justin_tx, That settles it then. I'll just keep the ProMedias plugged in all the time. My Advent Powered Partners have that "sleep" mode on them as well but the green power light will dim in order to let me know that they're taking a nap. I guess because the green power light on the ProMedias don't dim that I assumed they were fully powered up waiting to receive a signal. I only perused the owners manual when I first got them so maybe I'll search this "black hole" of a desk and see if I can find it again and "read it" this time. Thanx for the info Justin_tx. Bob.

Hi, I have the Klipsch THX ProMedia 4.1 speakers and sub-woofer from Alienware as well. They work and sound great. However, I still can't get over the fact that Klipsch "neglected" to incorporate a simple on/off switch into them. Whenever I want to totally shut down my rig I have to fight that ever growing tangling array of wires behind my desk in order to yank the plug on the Klipschs. And its kinda dark and scarey way back there where the surge protector is and I've yanked the wrong plug several times unplugging components that I would've rather remained plugged in. So 1/2 the time I just leave them on but that ever glowing green light kinda haunts me because I know some electronic gizmos ( like the amplifier for one! ) in them are burning for no good reason. I also have a pair of Advent Powered Partners hooked up and its a real horse race as to which speakers sound better to me. I'm kinda leaning towards the APPs but I just keep them all screaming and they accentuate each other well and I'm pleased with the sound. The volume control knob on the Klipschs does crackle every time I adjust volume on them but just momentarily. Maybe a little electronics cleaner in there would help. I keep the sub-woofer on a pillow to lessen the vibration of that bad boy on my computer and more than a few times its emptied my ashtray all over the floor with the blasts of air that pulse out of it! *cough* I know, I'm trying. That's my $.02 worth. bobc1