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SW-12 II help


supercooldude

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Howdy gang,

 

This is my first post so please be patient if I am talking about things that are common knowledge.  I...I am not a smart man....

 

So I have had a SW-12 II since 1995 I believe, and I love it so.  The rumbling.  The power.  Ahhhh joy. We moved to NYC some time ago and I had to put it in storage, ie my parents house, for about ummm 12 years or so, then I just started using it in my class room 2 years ago.  We finally bought a house and now I can rev it up in all its glory!

 

The problem is, as I have always suspected, the RCA inputs on the back are touchy.  And now, don't seems to be working at all!  Has anyone ever had this problem??  Can it be fixed?  The green light comes on in the front but nothing comes out when I perform the test tone operation on my receiver.  

 

I have to tell you that since buying the house money is tight...well more gone than tight...actually more "holy crap the kids need to get a job" than gone.  So.....since I was thinking...and please god don't kill me, about replacing it with the moderately priced 12HG Synergy Series 12 inch 300W sub.  Now I know its not the high end stuff you guys have but I really hope this is would be a decent replacement.

 

Thanks for the help my friends......

 

superCOOLdude B)

 

 

 

 

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Welcome to the forum.  To be sure it's not your receiver or cable, find a portable cd player or the like that has rca outputs and hook that to your sub.  Play some music and see if the sub makes any noise.  If not, you've eliminated everything but your sub amp.

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Welcome to the forum.  To be sure it's not your receiver or cable, find a portable cd player or the like that has rca outputs and hook that to your sub.  Play some music and see if the sub makes any noise.  If not, you've eliminated everything but your sub amp.

 

Okay I did that.  I hooked up a really old DVD player and played a shrek DVD, putting the audio through the sub.  It was really badly garbled and thumpy sounding.  Couldnt really make out the dialogue at all...thats really GOOD right [sarcasm]?  I tried to embed a video of it but now that I listen to it you cannot hear the low rumbling at all.

 

Now what do I oh masters of sound?

 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3pSjpyUWAdA

Edited by supercooldude
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OK, if you have sound now and didn't previously then the sub is ok.  Next steps are to swap out your sub cable and recheck the settings in your receiver to see if something has changed.

 

 

I wouldn't really call it "sound" it was just really low rumbling pulsing.  And the test tones will not play out of it.  You could not make out any dialogue whatso ever.  It sounds sick and sad :(

 

 

Just curious.....what about this if I need to replace it?

Klipsch SW-112 Reference Series 12" Powered Subwoofer
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You really shouldn't be able to get dialog out of it.  How did you play test tones and at what frequencies?

 

 

What is your budget for a sub?

 

Oh, okay.  I am just using the standard frequencies from my yamaha -v675 receiver.  It worked when I initially set up my theater, so nothing has changed.  I even purchased a new sub rca cable, it didn't work so I switched back to my old cable and still nothing.

 

But my budget is so small I really shouldn't even be contemplating it, but ya know, its been a dream of mine since I was 19 to have my own home theater and I want it to be as perfect as it can be on a shoestring budget.  $400 is my absolute limit.  The sw 112 is the old version I think so its only $369 on amazon.  I know I am probably getting WAY ahead of myself.....

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I wouldn't really call it "sound" it was just really low rumbling pulsing. And the test tones will not play out of it. You could not make out any dialogue whatso ever. It sounds sick and sad

 

What exactly were you playing?

 

Click on this and you will hear it, but not hear the low low bass frequencies 

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I wouldn't really call it "sound" it was just really low rumbling pulsing. And the test tones will not play out of it. You could not make out any dialogue whatso ever. It sounds sick and sad

 

What exactly were you playing?

 

Click on this and you will hear it, but not hear the low low bass frequencies 

 

 

 

I can't click on any media here at work due to our blasted firewall.  All I get is "blocked content".

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Your sub is right at 20 years old.  I wouldn't invest a nickel in resurrecting it.

It was just a scene from shrek.  It has been really touchy, especially dragging it from upstate NY to the city, then to my classroom and blasting it like crazy then back home where it sat throughout a 2 month renovation (lots of dust).  It worked fine up until this week when I noticed it not "speaking".  

 

***THe sound coming out of it was bass but honestly, just really "unhealthy" sounding bass.  I don't know how to describe it.

 

-s

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I wouldn't really call it "sound" it was just really low rumbling pulsing. And the test tones will not play out of it. You could not make out any dialogue whatso ever. It sounds sick and sad

 

What exactly were you playing?

 

Click on this and you will hear it, but not hear the low low bass frequencies 

 

There are a few things.  First, hearing even muffled voices from the sub is a partial but not huge problem.  Did your crossover on either your receiver or back of the sub get set to near max (usually around 160Hz)?  That will allow some muffled sounding 'voices' to come through.  Two, check the 'LFE Out' or 'pre-amp out' on the back of the receiver.  Is it loose or corroded?  I would not recommend running straight sound from any device, try to use only LFE low frequency e.g. LFE Output.

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If you're not getting any bass from multiple sources then it's most likely the subs amp going belly up.

Getting some sound, albeit unhealthy, does not necessarily mean the amp went to crap.  CECAA850, think it could be corrosion on the RCA Line input, perhap even inside the enclosure.  That much travel and dust and such, something, e.g. moisture, dust, both may have gotten in there.  Even 20 years ago, green light means power, so I am hesitant to think amp right away.

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If you're not getting any bass from multiple sources then it's most likely the subs amp going belly up.

Getting some sound, albeit unhealthy, does not necessarily mean the amp went to crap.  CECAA850, think it could be corrosion on the RCA Line input, perhap even inside the enclosure.  That much travel and dust and such, something, e.g. moisture, dust, both may have gotten in there.  Even 20 years ago, green light means power, so I am hesitant to think amp right away.

 

 

 

That's why I wanted him to try a different source and cable.

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If you're not getting any bass from multiple sources then it's most likely the subs amp going belly up.

Getting some sound, albeit unhealthy, does not necessarily mean the amp went to crap.  CECAA850, think it could be corrosion on the RCA Line input, perhap even inside the enclosure.  That much travel and dust and such, something, e.g. moisture, dust, both may have gotten in there.  Even 20 years ago, green light means power, so I am hesitant to think amp right away.

 

 

 

That's why I wanted him to try a different source and cable.

 

I wonder...since he tried a different cable if you aren't right and the amp decided to take a vacation.  Darn, I hope that isn't the case.

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I wonder...since he tried a different cable if you aren't right and the amp decided to take a vacation.

 

20 years for a Klipsch sub amp is excellent service.

 

True.  Didn't mean to sound like I was purposely contradicting you.  Sorry if I came off that way.  Just wanted to explore possibilities.

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