dBLimit Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 Is there any particular reason Klipsch designed the new subs 350 snd 450 with detachable power cords? Doesn't this increase the chances of user error as far as AC polarity is concerned? After a recent visit to my local best buy to check out the new subs, this happened to be the case. The floor models were connected incorrectly on the subwoofer end (unfortunately there was no marking to indicate the positive and negative connection for the power cord on the sub) which resulted in an odd bass signal (it was there but it sounded like it wasn't). I think it would help if Klipsch would indicate in the sub manual why it is important to match the polarity correctly on the sub end of the ac cord. Also mark for ac polarity on the sub itself. If that is too much trouble, I think it would be best to stick to a non-detachale power cord or use a three prong for the next design. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 The floor models were connected incorrectly on the subwoofer end (unfortunately there was no marking to indicate the positive and negative connection for the power cord on the sub) which resulted in an odd bass signal (it was there but it sounded like it wasn't). Did you try flipping the AC cable polarity to fix the problem? Btw, how do 'you' define "proper polarity" for an AC signal? It oscillates between positive and negative at a rate of 60Hz all the time...there really is no polarity to the voltage coming out of the wall. Sure, there is a dedicated Neutral and Line wire inside the wall, but it is designed that way for special safety concerns. Once the AC gets inside the subwoofer, it's just going to a transformer and feeding a bridge rectifier. The Neutral and Line wires are required by law to satisfy the same isolation requirements, and since transformers and bridge rectifiers don't care about the polarity, then there really is no problem and it is perfectly safe. No matter which way you plug it in, you get the same DC voltage coming out of the bridge rectifier. In other words, the problem you were hearing was in no way due to the lack of polarity marking on the AC cable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dBLimit Posted October 26, 2009 Author Share Posted October 26, 2009 I did flip the cable to correctly match and it fixed the problem. I understand that you get the same dc voltage and it is safe. However it did sound different. Although the phase setting was correct on the subs, when standing a few feet away the bass seemed out of phase. When I flipped the power cord the sound was more in phase when listening from several positions. The ac cable itself was fine (it indicated the positive and negative wire). I am only suggesting that there be a marking on the sub's panel because the connection to wall is fixed due to the use of a detachable polarized cord. I would think that for the same reason it is not recommended to wire speakers out of phase you wouldn't do so to the sub's power. It has a negative effect on the sound (my personal opinion, but you can test yourself if you don't believe me). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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