Issue with 5.1 Pro Media Ultra

[Synchromesh1]

Hi,

This is my first post here! I have a set of Klipsch 5.1 Pro Media Ultra speakers I bought a while ago. Recently the satellites stopped working, all 5 of them. The subwoofer still works but satellites don't. On occasion they will start working after being turned off for a while but after about 5-7 mins they'll stop working again. They also gained a little bit of intermittent static which I think is connected because I haven't heard it before this problem started.

After doing some research it looks like there is something warming up in the subwoofer. I took it apart but couldn't find anything specific broken. The control pod looks fine and I don't think it's the culprit. Any ideas what the issue might be and what the fix is? Thanks.

[drcigg]

Open it up and be sure to check the board for
burnt components especially near the transformer and on the mini board
to the right of the transformer. Most of my components were burnt on
that board. I literally have replaced about 30 different components
because they were burnt or looked burnt. All of the components were replaced with higher rated components. Diodes that can handle more current, bigger wattage resistors that were fireproof etc....

I had something similar but mine was more of muffled sound then hiss.

I
replaced all 3 tall caps to the left of the transformer. I think they
were 1000uf. Then I replaced all 4 transistors next to it. D510,
etc...

Problem went away.

Unfortunately a few years ago klipsch went thru and started deleting all the threads with fixes so I don't have any part

numbers I can give you for parts. It sucks and yes this is a known failure with these speakers, but they truly are the best sounding speakers I have ever owned. I can try and see if I still have any info on part numbers in a word document somewhere if you need it.

[drcigg]

Heres some stuff I copy and pasted from a word document I found on my computer. This may be of help to you.

Towards the bottom there is a parts list of all parts that commonly fail. I replaced every component on the list as well as

a few other components and mine works like new. Any questions feel free to ask.

My 2 year old Ultras just stopped working yesterday. I read
all the information here and on other sites. Some misinformation exists and
other information is not available.

I called Klipsch Support this morning and they were very sorry and very
helpful. Unfortunately my unit is out of warranty and this is what they said.

One Year warranty on ProMedia Ultra 5.1

First Step: Check the power fuse..........

Behind subwoofer, remove panel with all connections… (the Amp module). 12
screws.............

Carefully pull panel out via top left corner and bottom right
corner................

You will feel resistance as wires are pulled. Ease it out carefully and then
disconnect 4 wires from the two subwoofers using the quick connects, note the
wire arrangement for later replacement. (Do not try to disconnect wires from
amp side).........

Observe the power cord on the inside of the amp panel to locate the fuse on
the right side of the power wires.............

The fuse is a Slow Blow 5 amp part # 270-1067 (get one at Radio
Shack)..............

Fuse might not look blown but replacement is recommended to be sure. Install
new fuse and reconnect 4 wires to subwoofers. Reinstall panel with 4 corner
screws and reconnect all components...............

Turn on power to unit (with no music) and listen for any sounds from sub to
determine if fuse may blow again. If no unusual sound was present turn on music
from the computer to see if unit works properly............

If fuse blows again Amp module must be returned to Klipsch.............

If fuse is not blow but unit still won’t work return Amp module to
Klipsch...............

If everything works again, install remaining screws and count your
blessings.............

To return amp to Klipsch: Call first, setup case and get RMA #. Cost will be
$60.00 plus shipping to Klipsch. They will return in 2 weeks postage
paid............

Hope this helps others............. Al

Mine died recently. I replaced two FETs (soldered all of six
pins and replaced a little thermal goop) on the satellite side of the pre-amp.
Problem solved. Most of the problems are going to be in the two power boards or
the pre amp due to their high heat levels and the fact that they will bear the
worst of any surge other than perhaps something crazy happening to an audio
input.



As a preventative measure I went ahead and replaced a chipped ceramic cap aas
well as moved a power resistor away from the power supply board to somewhere
cooler with a couple of short wires. I just ordered a 120mm 240VAC fan that
will run undervolted via the output of the relay on the AC input board. I am
planning on punching a hole in the front of the sub enclosure so the fan can
force in cool air. Way I figure any acoustic side effects are minor compared to
a dead amp. Hopefully the lower temps will give me many years before I have to
fix them again. hopefull by then I'll have a degree and a good job to buy me
something larger.



I heard about the Elliott guy on the Klipsch forums. According to those that
used his services he does good work and has good service. For me, it wasnt
worth the time and money since Im an intern in a electrical failure abnalysis
lab..

http://www.hardforum.com/showpost.php?p=1028862277&postcount=89

Is your set an Ultra? If so check R527 in the power supply
section.



I also have a dead amp, i've been scouring the web and seems like the mini
regulator on mine is toast. BASH HC1011. Which you can buy from infinity/HK. I
haven't fixed mine yet, because something caused that regulator to fail. Either
from a bad sat. amp or just overheated.



The fact the sub is working means the section with the R527 resistor is still
working. Most likely the regulator board on the board with black heat sinks has
gone bad. The best way to troubleshoot the regulator is by swapping in a
replacement board (not practical for a do-it-yourselfer). There is a small
chance that one or more of the satellite amplifier boards has gone bad, drawing
too much current and causing the regulator section to fail. See what the
voltage to the satellite amps is (should be at least 7 volts for a non-Ultra).
Current at idle (no signal) should be under 1/2 amp going to all 5 satellites
combined. (Again, that will be hard to measure if the regulator board is dead).
I'll guess your satellite voltage and current is now 0.



I get .5v coming out of the sat board. I get 10.5v coming out of the sub board.
Out of the power supply, I get 56.5v into the sats and 84v into the subs.



I got help from a guy that repairs these things for money. This is as far as
i've gotten. He would charge about 50+ shipping including an upgrade mod to
cool the power supply. He Install fans on the power supply section.



This is as far as i've gotten. I just didnt want to spend the 20 bucks yet and
figure that it'll be busted again. Still debating if i should just get it
repaired for 50 bucks.



Hope this helps.

I replaced R527 with a 2 watt 47 ohm resistor and now my
subwoofer and satellites work but the sometimes the signal has static. The
problem is easy to hear at middle volumes like between 25 and 45 (on the
klipsch controller) but I when I turn he volume up to 60 or 70 the static is
much harder to hear. I read on the klipsch forums that someone was saying that
there's a "special diode" which connects to R527 and can sometimes be
problematic. However, he only said it was a "special diode." Could he
meant like a zener diode or germanium diode or something like that?? Does
anyone have any idea what he meant by special diode or if this relates to my
problem at all?

i havent tried this yet but i hope this helps out a little.
my promedia 5.1 sys. is also dead. amp works with sub only. seems that the
MOSFET switches are dead. heres what to do....

this solution is for those of you with the problem of the Satellite speakers
dying or cutting off and on, but the SUB is ok. This solution probably also
fixes those systems which have the opposite problem: The SUB cutting out or
dead, but the Satellites are ok.



Both SATS & SUB use identical components (chips) for power switching, but
are on opposite sides of the same board.







OK, here what you’ll need to do



You’ll need to know basic soldering, so you’ll need a soldering iron with a
fine (small) tip, solder, and soldering flux. Also get a solder sucker to
remove the old solder. Don’t use the copper braid stuff to remove it; it takes
too long to heat up and that extra time can heat damage your board’s
components.







PARTS NEEDED:



Quantity 2: high speed MOSFET switches, part number IRFZ44N. Part number IRFZ44
can be used as well. Equivalents from other suppliers will work too.



These part numbers are equivalent to the NTE part number NTE2395. Go to
www.NTEINC.com and use the cross reference. There you can read the spec sheet
if you’re into that sort of thing. There, also in the specs, you can see a
drawing of the part if you need a visual clarification. Click on the parts
distributors in your state link to find parts suppliers nearby. I found a store
nearby who had the IRFZ44 chips. There’s also online distributors, but beware
online of the minimum order; that will cut into your savings!



This NTE site is a favorite for “OLD SCHOOL” component level electronics
troubleshooters like me! I’m not really “old” though, I can still dunk a basketball!
(occasionally).











!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Remember to unplug your power cord 1st!!!!!!!!!!!!!







The board you’ll be replacing parts on is the one containing the BASH
circuitry. From here on I’ll refer to it as the crossover board. You can
identify it by looking for the two little boards on it with the word “BASH” on
the outside of each one. This board is the “switching” part of this switching
power supply. This also is the signal crossover board; it separates the high
and low frequencies. Notice the 2 big copper coil wound inductors, just like
the crossovers found in car and home speaker boxes. This board also ties the
low level preamp signals from your PC, to the high level amplifier circuitry of
the Klipsch system. You can find this board by following the Red & Black
wires that daisy chain across the top of the surround (SAT) boards back to
where they start. Again it’s the board with the 2 smaller boards with the words
“BASH” on their sides. To remove the crossover board, unscrew the 2 screws on
the outside cover. You will also have to remove the 2 sets of Red & Black
wires from each side of the crossover board. Label the wires accordingly. The
words, SUB (+) & SUB (-) are on the board next to one heatsink, SAT (+)
& SAT (-) are next the other. I will be referring to these wires again in
the next section.







The crossover board has 2 identical circuits, one side is for the SATELLITE
speakers, and the other side is for the SUBWOOFERS. You can figure out which
side you need by looking at the Red & Black wires mentioned above. The
daisy chained Red & Black wires from the 5 SATELLITE amplifier boards plug
into the SAT+/-. The other Red & Black wires with SUB+/- go to the SUB
amplifier board. Remember, the SUB board is the only board not connected in the
daisy chain. If needed, cut the cable ties holding these wires to make sure you
trace them correctly. These wires plug into both sides of the crossover board.
Remember to look for SAT+/- & SUB+/- written on the crossover board itself.
There are 2 black heatsinks (plates) on each side of the crossover board near
each Red & Black wire plug-in. The heatsink near the SAT plug-in is for
SATS and the one nearest the SUB plug-in is for the SUBS. On each heatsink
there are 3 black clips. These clips have holes on one side of them. These
clips hold 3 chips on to the heat sink. Remove the clips. I used a small
flathead screwdriver by lifting (spreading) the clip and sliding it off. Under
each clip are the following:







Quantity 2: MOSFET switches (a kind of high speed switching transistor). The
number on these 2 chips is IRFZ44N.







Quantity 1: Semiconductor Diode. The Part Number on this one is U1520. (You
will NOT be removing this chip). It’s hard to find it aftermarket (not
impossible) so BEWARE!!







Hint: The MOSFETS have 3 legs; The Diode has 2 legs!!!!







Remove the heat sink by unscrewing it from the board (2 screws). The 3 chips
will stay in place. Take care not to damage the cards with “BASH” written on
them or you’ll probably regret it!



Remove the plastic liners from the back of the 2 MOSFET chips. You’ll need
these for the replacement chips so do not throw them away, put them aside.
You’ll notice there’s a white paste on them, this stuff is heat sink compound,
available at any Radio Shack. I just re-spread & re-used the compound
already on the liners and chips.







Removing the 2 MOSFETS, Part Number IRFZ44N:



I found it easier to just bend them back and forth until the legs snapped off.
That way they are out of the way to get to at the solder joints. You’re going
to heat the solder joints up. Put flux on the joints before you heat them. With
flux, they will heat a lot faster causing less damage to the board. Suck the
points clean of solder & remove the broken off legs using the solder sucker
and a small needle nose pliers or tweezers



Installing the new MOSFET chips:



Push them through the solder holes making sure the backs of the chips (silver
side) are towards the “BASH” cards, identical to the U1520 diode chip. If you
put them in backwards you’ll probably regret it!!!



Make sure the height of the chip is about the same as the U1520 diode chip. It
doesn’t have to be perfect, but be in the ballpark. I did this by bending the
legs on the solder side (back side) of the board when the height was correct.



Solder the new chips on to the board. Solder on the back side only. Remember to
dab flux on the legs and solder points first, this makes the solder flow fast
and heats up the replacement chips less. Add new solder to the tip of the
soldering iron only, not directly to the legs. This reduces the heat on the new
chips. Touch the soldered tip of the iron to each leg of the chip. With flux on
the legs, the solder will quickly flow into the solder joint. Add more solder
to the iron as needed.



Remember to cut the extra bit of leg off after each soldered joint when you’re
done. You don’t want the legs to bend & touch or you’ll probably regret it.







Viola! You got yourself a repaired crossover/switching board, (you repaired the
switching part) and you saved some time & dough $$!!



Re-install the heatsink and liners. Reconnect the plugs and remount the board.

http://forums.klipsch.com/tags/Promedia+5.1+Amp/default.aspx

http://blogs.ebay.com/elliot-tronics/entry/Klipsch-Promedia-Ultra-and-THX-Problems/_W0QQidZ160630017

Replace --- Replaced with

R527 (4.7 ohm) --- CPF34R7000JKE14

R529 (5110 ohm) --- CMF605K1100FHEK

680 ohm (PCB position not labelled) --- RN70E6800FB14

MR7 (100k ohm) --- CPF2100K00BEB14

D5 and D6 (FR204) --- FR204-B

All three 22uF (50V) capacitors --- EEU-FC1J220 (63V caps because they don't have the 50V
versions. Same size as 47uF caps, fits fine though.)

All three 47uF (50V) capacitors --- EEU-FC1H470

Q10 (2N5551) --- 2N5551RLRAG (also has properly spaced pins, unlike the
original)

now thats exactly what I was looking for thanks for going
through the trouble it is appreciated



im waiting on a spare sub im getting from ebay. i will make it work and let it
heat up and use a temp probe to find hot spots and record my findings



well Ive done some testing and have spoken to Evan about these amps. he
suggested replacing R1/R4 with 470 2w resistors and R7 with 100k 2w resistors
both on back of board. as a must

and in my testing i have found R7 and R527 to be the 2 hottest spots on the
board. now just to say this first I went overboard in upgrades on the ac/dc
board and eventually will upgrade all boards for temp/efficiency/clarity i will
also be upgrading the gauge of wires and replacing all interconnects with gold
replacements. caps are all low noise audio replacements.as well as a new heat
sink design but heres the list of components so far



project manager cart

daughter board

R1/R4 with 71-CPF2470R00FKE14

R7 with 71-CPF2-B-100K

Q3 with 512-MPSA92

R8 with 2f2DCT52R1001

R9 with 273-205K-RC

now for main board

DB1 with rs606M due to 200amp max surge as opposed to 150amp of original

C517/C518/C525 with 647-UKW2A470MPD

C519/C520/C532 with 647-UKW2A220MED

1000u 100v cap with 647-UKW2A102MHD

1000u 63v (couldnt go bigger due to space) with 647-UKW1J102MHD

R527 with 71-CPF3-J-4.7-E3

R529 with 273-5.11K-RC

(next to R529 unlabeled) with 71-RN70E6800F

D5/D6 with 583-FR204-B

Q510 with 863-2N5551RLRAG

Q501/Q502 with 512-IRF740B

D510 with 863-MUR1620CTG

D504 with 863-MUR1660CTG

U501 with 511-L7815CV

U502 with 511-L7915CV

R524 with 71-CCF02-J-47K

R 2,3,5,6

[Synchromesh1]

Thanks. I figured out my problem. One of the black heatsinks became loose and after gluing it back everything is working. I checked around and pretty much all of the components are in good shape.

Since I read a bit about these problems I would like to install a fan in there. Question is, what should I get it to feed off of? I mean I can just attach it to the 120V AC socket but then it will spin all the time. I know with a relay I can get it to turn on only when the system is on but where would I plug it in for that? Thanks again!.

[drcigg]

This guy repairs them and sells a fan kit for the speakers.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/COOLING-FAN-KIT-UPGRADE-Klipsch-ProMedia-5-1-THX-Ultra-amplifier-/230734991797?pt=PCA_Speakers&hash=item35b8e091b5

[Synchromesh1]

I'm aware of that kit. I just had all the necessary components already, makes little sense to pay $30 for what I already have. Hence the question.

[drcigg]

No idea on that one. Some people swear by the fan as keeping the unit cool while others say it's replacing the components that are known to get to warm. Elliot the main guy that repairs these things and has repaired hundres of these says the heat can only be fixed by replacing with better quality components. Mine is running pretty cool without the fan. I replaced my resistors, diodes, transistors with ones that can

handle higher temps. There was something here on the forum about 3 or 4 years ago however those are all long gone

as klipsch waxed everything clean.