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RW-8 extremely quiet


synon

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Anyone aware of issues with the RW-8 being extremely quiet? With the volume turned all the way up and all my other speakers unplugged I get only a very quiet sound and slight vibration. Phase is at 0 and crossover knob is in the middle. I'm new to audio stuff so not sure where to start on troubleshooting but I assume the plate amp is the source of the issue. Both my receiver and iPhone as inputs have the same issue. Any suggestion on things I could try?

Edited by synon
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First, I'd be certain the music you're using has a lot of bass content. If you're sourcing a string quartet for instance, you won't hear much from your subwoofer. Also, I'd use a CD for a source; if you're using LP's  you're not going to have the low frequency energy to really get the subwoofer going.

 

What connection method are you using-Left+Right RCAs, speaker level inputs, or single subwoofer input?

 

What are you using for a power amp-an integrated, 2 channel receiver, or A/V receiver? If it's an A/V amp does it have speaker management and is it possible you have the subwoofer output turned off?

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Let's try this 1st 

Your Receiver may Not be Setup Correctly

  • Subwoofer is not outputting any audio
    • Solution: Make sure that the front speakers, or whole system, are set to "Small" within the receiver settings. If the speakers are set to "Large" or "Full Range", this will send all low frequency content to the front speakers instead of the subwoofer.
    • Solution: Make sure that the subwoofer, or "sub out", channel is enabled/active within the receiver settings.
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I was using "Ultra deep bass test" on youtube, should be hitting those low ranges pretty strongly. 

 

For connection I've tried the following:
Denon AVR-1706 receiver sub output -> left/right RCA in puts on sub
and... iPhone -> lightning to 3.5mm -> 3.5mm to left/right RCA inputs on sub
Identical results for both, very quiet and muffled sound.

 

The receiver does have a sub option and I've made sure it's on, the front speakers were set to large so I changed to small but no change. 

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The first thing to check is the subwoofer's built-in amplifier.

 

To do this, let's try something called a "buzz test":

  1. Make sure the sub is plugged in, powered on and has a sub cable plugged into the LFE port on the back of the subwoofer
  2. On the back of the sub, turn the gain knob up to at least 50-60% (about 12 or 1 o'clock on the dial)
  3. Do not plug the other end of that sub cable into your receiver or sub output
  4. Instead, grab the unplugged end of the cable and touch the male RCA post a few times to see if you can hear the sub give you a "buzz" sound each time you touch the post

 

                            

If you do not hear any buzz each time you touch the RCA post, then the built-in amplifier has likely gone out and will need replaced/repaired. If you are hearing the described buzz, the subwoofer should be capable of producing signal, and you will want to direct your attention to the AV receiver.

 

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5 minutes ago, synon said:

I was using "Ultra deep bass test" on youtube, should be hitting those low ranges pretty strongly. 

 

What frequencies is that video playing?  An 8" subwoofer isn't really going to do much in any ultra deep bass test.

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Fuse looks good and has continuity. 

What are my options for repairing the amp? I'm not in a large city so unlikely to be any local options, do you have any recommendations? Am I better off just putting money towards a new sub rather than try to repair this one?

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yes , the repair may be more expensive than a recent sub   ,  however you can use the sub in a passive mode , simply unhook the wires of the plate amplifier and wire up to a set of binding posts , voila , you have a full operational passive sub , binding posts are only a few $  .

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25 minutes ago, synon said:

Fuse looks good and has continuity. 

What are my options for repairing the amp? I'm not in a large city so unlikely to be any local options, do you have any recommendations? Am I better off just putting money towards a new sub rather than try to repair this one?

 

 

Extremely common with newer subwoofers not using a linear power supply. I went back to using a linear power supply subwoofer for better reliability. At one point I would go around and collect broken subwoofers from people either tossing in garbage or trying to sell for parts, most I ever paid was $20 for them. I would then take them home and fix them and gift them away to friends that had 2 channel systems that were not convinced on going 2.1 with a sub, this way there they could get their toes wet without paying anything. Many still have the units I gave them or liked the results so much they upgraded to better units.

 

I would remove the plate amp and mail it out for repair. I believe there was this college kid on here doing subwoofer repairs but he seemed pretty back logged and seems to be not responding. If he won't help you let me know and I don't mind helping out, I hate seeing things go to waste for something that needs $20 in parts and hour or two of time.

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I realize this may be overkill, but can you try the speaker inputs?

 

I also agree with captainbeefheart-I'd at least try to have the amp repaired one time. I'd contact Klipsch and ask for the nearest authorized repair center.

 

Another thought; it could be something as simple as a bad volume control on the amp. Does what little sound you hear from the subwoofer change as you rotate the volume knob?

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1 hour ago, synon said:

Tried speaker inputs, but same result. The volume knob does change the little bit of sound. 

 

your plate amplifier is defective , so it's toast -

 

the only way to use the subwoofer is

a)  repair the amplifier or ,

b)   disconnect the defective plate amp's wiring and rewire the woofer  to a set of aftermarket binding posts and use  as a passive subwoofer which would then , be powered by the Receiver rather than the plate amplifier .

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