Jump to content

R-15PM Problem


Istari

Recommended Posts

We received a pair of the Klipsch R-15PMs for my son who is in college.  These were in his room and were connected to a Klipsch sub.  The setup sounded great!!!

 

However, when it was time to hit the rack, he used the remote to turn off the speakers.  This puts them in standby mode.  When in standby the speaker with the amp module emits a faint but audible "click" from the horn every 8-10 seconds .  In a very quiet room the sound is enough to keep you awake.  I purchased these from the Klipsch website and called them to replace the speakers which they readily did.  

 

We got the new pair in and decided to do a test to see if all was good with the new pair.  Nope!!!, the new set does the exact same thing!!!!!  I even tried to run a separate ground wire from the grounding lug on the back of the plate amp to house ground.  This did nothing to solve the problem.

 

We were going to just use the On/Off switch on the back of the speakers to turn the units off but when doing this it sends a very loud THUMP to the sub at what appears to be full volume so that is a non starter.

 

We'd like to keep these but really can't due to this situation.  It appears that there is a design error with the plate amp that is causing this problem. 

 

Any suggestions? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That would be a bothersome workaround.  The speakers shouldn't be emitting that "click" in the first place.  For $500. I want them to work the way that they should.  Will probably have to return them and get something else. Though with Kornerhorns, a Belle, a pair of Cornwalls, a pair of Herseys, a pair of Forte IIs and an Academy I'd like to keep the newer R-15PMs.  Maybe someone from Klipsch can chime in....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You asked for suggestions and it's what a large portion of people with expensive home theaters and professional sound equipment do on a regular basis. ;)

They likely won't chime in since they don't often visit looking for support issues. Give their support line a call on Tuesday. What are you using for a source? Is it possible that device is keeping something active and causing the standby feature to click on/off?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It sounds like digital leakage into the audio section. If you can turn off the bluetooth feature that might be the most likely culprit. They may have the antenna too close to an audio component. A design flaw for sure.

 

Also, if you haven't already, run the bookshelves without the sub to make sure it's not leaking something into the system.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Mine don't do this.  At least not that I've noticed.  I'll take a closer listen later today.  I don't have a powered sub connected like you do.  Ask your son to do two tests:  1) temporarily disconnect the powered sub.  2) on the remote, switch to an unused input (phono/line) prior to putting it into standby mode.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You might also check for external sources of interference such as cell phone or other cellular connected devices, anything that can emit RF interference (I had an old LED digital clock that would create noise), or it could be coming through the AC. You might move to a different power source.

 

Anyway, things to try....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

i went up to my office where my pair has been sitting in standby mode for a day or so.  Didn't hear anything.  Then I stuck my ear almost inside the horn, and I could hear a faint click every 7-8 seconds or so.  If I'm 8 inches away, I can't hear anything.  And this is a quiet house on a Saturday morning @ 36db ambient noise.  I tried different inputs, different volume levels, and mute prior to putting it into standby mode, and the clicks were still present.  Your son must have dog hearing.  I would have never noticed if I hadn't been told what to listen for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for the comments everyone!  

 

pbphoto has the same problem!  We have tried these at two different locations 13 miles apart so it wasn't the AC power.  Using a isobar ultrablok surge suppressor or not same problem.  Using a sub or not same problem.

 

Wavefile44K has the same thoughts as I do, a design flaw in the digital amp.

 

And yes, my son has very keen hearing, we call him Rover!  I always enforced hearing protection when he was growing up.   i think he appreciates it now.

 

Sending these back seems to be the thing to do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In my case, I wouldn't call it a problem.  When I go out of my way and stick my ear inside the tweeter horn, I can hear a faint tap if I really concentrate hard in a quiet room while holding my breath.  I'm keeping mine - they sound great for their size and price, and it's such a portable and flexible system.  I'll be using mine later today for sound reinforcement of a string quartet at a loud cocktail hour following a wedding.

 

That said, it is a 1.0 product and maybe there are things that could be done better with the digital amp implementation.  I wonder if they had a bad production run?  Give them a call - maybe 3rd time is the charm.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, they sound great and with a sub they are a very good system.   

 

However, the clicking or taping sound really annoys him when trying to sleep.  He is 22 yrs old and has way better hearing than I do.

 

His dorm room is rather small and the system is only 5 or 6 ft from his bed so I can understand the annoyance.

 

pbphoto, you are correct it is a 1.0 product and there are probably a few bugs that need to be worked out.   I'm going to call tech support on Tuesday and see if they have a fix.  My initial thought was just to leave them in the "on" status but they automatically go into standby if there is no signal present.  The "click" isn't present when the unit is powered on.  Mayabe the Version II will have the bugs worked out.

 

Thanks everyone for your comments.  pbphoto special thanks to you since you verified the situation!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Mine that I purchased last week do the same thing. I would never have noticed it without this thread. But yes, if I turn them off via the remote and put my ear very close, I can hear a faint static pop every 4-5 seconds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 year later...

Thank you for this thread! I have been using R-15PM speakers for my computer, so they are fairly close to me. After noticing this very issue on my speakers, I contacted tech support and they had not previously heard of this issue. I decided to exchange them at Best Buy and the new speakers had the same sound. I am glad to hear that multiple people have also noticed it, as I am now assuming that it is normal (rather than a sign of defective speakers).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...