KSW 15

[zappa883]

Any comment, thoughts or suggestions regarding the BASH amplifier in this sub. My tech claims they are not bad at all but highly recommends that it goes on the bench every now and then for some PM. If this is not done it can become a costly experience should it fail.

[JackDalton]

I doubt there is any meaningful preventative maintenance that can be performed on a KSW-15 to keep the amp from failing. I'd be curious to hear exactly what kind if PM he'd do.

My opinion is that you should not trust your tech any farther than you can throw him.

[zappa883]

Here's my tech's response, must admit he's good and did all my repair/warranty work when I still owned my 12v Car Audio Shop. He does a lot of work on various units shipped from the USA as well.

Morning His negative opinions maybe stems from bad experiences from his local joe blow “consumer” service ctr.---------we’ve experienced those before too from clients bringing us their butchered units…. We’re very thorough with all our workmanship----our entire service philosophy is modeled on the standards of the aerospace industry, which I’m a big fan of (hence our modified NASA co. logo since 1987). We service not only to repair 1 or 2 typicals complaints, but also perform preventative steps to avoid future failures years down the road, which not only affect reliability, but sound quality performance. Unless there was an outright fault to address, preventative maintenance that we perform on powered subwoofers/speaker are: ----replace any electrolytic capacitors with superior hi-temp. version types (sometimes low ESR types), ESPECIALLY those exposed to/adjacent to hot running components such as power resistors & voltage regulators (we’ve seen this MANY times on many brands----this is THE SOLE cause of problems in may KEF’s, Velodynes, KRK’s…..). ALSO we can simply bend away these heat-sensitive caps from adjacent hot parts by simply bending them away on their radial leads for more breathing room--------something that cannot be done during mass production by the robotic insertion machinery. ----for an extra charge, replace the MAIN large filter capacitors with top-quality versions (many hi-end mfgrs. that charge top-dollars for their subs actually use the cheapest garbage main no-name caps from China----pure junk that fails prematurely)----resolder/strengthen PCB connections >>sometimes the sole fault are fatigued/intermittent PC board connections that develop in the torturous vibration inside a sub, combined with some hot-running parts >> also hand soldering beats the mass production method of wave soldering for permanent long-term reliability. ----clean & treat all controls & switches (& sometimes relay contacts) with an anti-oxidant/preservant chemical (the signal path goes thru these & can easily oxidize after years of use----common on some models). This chemical prevents any further oxidation & enhances conductivity.----snug-up/tighten all fasteners (many times they loosen off esp. the driver------we were surprised to see some that were VERY loose, took over 1 turn to torque up snug!----perform frequency sweep test to reveals any resonant noises in the driver & cabinets-------on rare occasions it reveals an overstressed voice coil/spider, or a leaking cabinet edge that can easily be resealed. Worth taking the time to check…..

That’s about all you can do.

2074 Steeles Avenue East, Unit 21Tel: (905) 791-2020 Brampton, Ont., L6T 4Z9Tel/Fax: (905) 791-2121 email: rick@ontav.comToll Free: (888) 791-2899 FACTORY AUTHORIZED WARRANTY SERVICE CENTRE FOR:AKG ACOUSTICS LEXICON PRO ALESIS CORPORATION*LOEWE OPTA GMBH ALLEN & HEATH MACH SYSTEMS AMPEG MACKIE (LARGE FORMAT SPEAKERS)ANTARES AUDIO*MARANTZ (AUDIO/DLP/PLASMA)APHEX SYSTEMS*MARK LEVINSON ARCAM MARSHALL AMPLIFICATION ASHLY AUDIO MEDIA MATRIX*B & K COMPONENTS MIDAS CONSOLES BOGEN*MISSION ELECTRONICS BSS AUDIO*NAD*CARVER*NAKAMICHI*CELESTION NEC (PROJECTOR/PLASMA/>32" LCD)*CERWIN VEGA NOVATION CERWIN VEGA PRO NUVO COMMUNITY PRO*ONKYO / INTEGRA CRATE AUDIO PANASONIC CANADA (R-DAT/RAMSA/PRO VIDEO)CREST AUDIO PEAVEY ELECTRONICS CROWN AUDIO PIONEER PRO DBX PRO PRESONUS AUDIO*DENON COMSUMER*PSB SPEAKERS DENON PRO QSC AUDIO DIGITECH PROCESSORS*REVEL DYNACORD*RUNCO INTERNATIONAL EAW COMMERCIAL SAMSON AUDIO FENDER (AMPS/PROCESSORS)SHURE INC. FOSTEX CORPORATION*SIM2 MULTIMEDIA*FUJITSU CANADA SLS INTERNATIONAL FURMAN SOUND SOUNDCRAFT CANADA GENELEC INC. STANTON MAGNETICS*HARMAN/KARDON*SUNFIRE HHB COMMUNICATIONS SYMETRIX*HITACHI CANADA LTD. TASCAM*INFINITY SYSTEMS INC.*TEAC CANADA*JBL CONSUMER TOA ELECTRONICS JBL PRO*TOSHIBA CANADA LTD.*KEF VESTAX CORPORATION*KENWOOD ELECTRONICS*VIDIKRON KLARK TEKNIK VOX AMPLIFICATION KORG CANADA WHARFEDALE SYSTEMS PRO*KRELL INDUSTRIES*YAMAHA KRK SYSTEMS YAMAHA PRO KV2 AUDIO Pick-up & delivery services offered in the GTA using a local in-town messenger courier (upon request)We provide service coverage for all consumer electronics extended warranty programs Open Mon.-Thurs. 8-7, Fri. 8-6, Sat. 9-1, North side of Steeles between Bramalea Rd. & Torbram*consumer product

[JackDalton]

I'm fairly impressed with his response. Sounds like he has a lot of experience and is quite thorough. What he's specified mostly goes beyond what I'd consider preventative maintenance, it seems more like upgrading and/or modification. I'm interested in how much he'd charge for those services. I'm sure he's out of my league!

[CECAA850]

Someone should send him a failed Sub-10 or Sub-12 amp and let him figure out what's going bad on all those amps. If he could fix them for less than the $60.00 exchange rate, he'd have plenty of work to do.

[zappa883]

His contact info is there just a heads up, he's VERY busy and always behind the 8 ball even with 5 benches and tech's on the go all specializing in something. As it turned out nothing was even done to my BASH amp as the tech that knows them claims it was one of the best he's ever seen as far as assembly etc. Mentioned that once BASH expanded to 12v car audio that their quality improved a lot. . .

[Zen Traveler]

Any comment, thoughts or suggestions regarding the BASH amplifier in this sub. My tech claims they are not bad at all but highly recommends that it goes on the bench every now and then for some PM. If this is not done it can become a costly experience should it fail.

I would only take it in when/if you experience a problem with it and not for "preventive maintenance."

[Yura]

A few things that he said make sense actually. There are often times capacitors located right next to MOSFET transistors which produce a lot of heat. This may damage capacitors over time and cause them to go out. So moving it or replacing with higher temp rated one is a good idea.

Cleaning oxidized or crooked contacts is also a good idea as sometimes oxidized stuff grows to a point where it shortens something on the board. And most manufacturers do use the cheapest parts they can get away with.

Having said that, I would only bring it in if you are unhappy with the sounds and think that better parts will make it better, or if it has failed.

[DanO55]

Your tech has the right type of thinking when it comes to PMs. I have been an electronics technician for about 35ys. Sometimes, when not much going on, I will open up a piece of my gear, amp, CD, speaker, whatever, just to give it a good eyeball inspection and cleaning. I can't tell you how many times this simple act has prevented down-the-road potential problems or failures in equipment. Take care of your valuable audio equipment and it should be as reliable as it can possibly be. Another good rule of thumb, don't fix it if it aint broken. Tweets, replacing parts just for the hell of it, etc. can cause more harm than good.