My Klipsch SUB-10 is dead also - Black Friday purchase

[factory81]

While I am sure Klipsch sells several thousand SUB-10's a year, I too wonder the actual RMA rate.

So far my experience with Klipsch has been 4/4 products failing including this SUB-10. Klipsch ProMedia's were nothing at all to brag about for reliability, in fact the computer shop I convinced to sell Klipsch stopped selling Klipsch just for the failure reasons in different parts of the unit. (Volume Pod, Midrange outputs going out, and BASH amp's failing). I don't push things hard, I know what clipping is, and how gains effect distortion. From past experience with BASH products on the ProMedia line I knew the amps got very hot if you sat and used the product for a while.

My SUB-10 never got warm on the speaker cone, and the back where the BASH amp is located it would warm up, but far cooler then car audio or any other kind of comparison in audio really. I was surprised how cool the amp actually kept.

To describe my problem here.....the subwoofer was playing music fine yesterday. As the day progressed the subwoofer started at a certain point to drop in volume quite a lot. Thinking this was a thermal protection issue, or even a gain issue. I turned the gain down even further, turned everything off for half an hour. Turned it back on.......within minutes the same problem developed again. Until finally the subwoofer would still light up with the blue light, but the subwoofer would kick in.....and right out. The subwoofers color on the front never changed any other colors indicating a problem. I tried it on 2 recievers. Also to note there is less then one weeks play time on this subwoofer. It died........very fast.

Compare it to my experience in car audio......if my subs voice coils were fried and I was playing music, if the subs excursion reached a certain point where the ohm load would drop too low...my amps would automatically switch in to protection to save them selves..........the subs would kick back on....but yadda yadda.

I really am beginning to "pray" my crap works. Wait...praying that my crap LASTS. How annoying is this going to be when I am out of Best Buy's 30 day return / exchange program....and I have to R.M.A. to Klipsch for a month turn-a-round time and....... 1/4th the cost of the speaker itself in S/H charges.

Here is some off topic ranting too....
So I sold Klipsch ProMedia....a lot, and many of my friends bought units as you couldn't find for the dollar a better unit. We would see them develop problems, and we would R.M.A. them to Klipsch (sometimes 2-3-4-5 units a time). We would receive them back.....power them on to test them. And find one problem was fixed (the sub didn't work before, now it does, but there is still midrange outputs that are failing). So here we would have half repaired units, we would call Klipsch and get told that if we want to ship them again they would fix them and send them back. These problems got to be so annoying....that on the third time a friend and myself returned our ProMedia's......it would be our last time. I literally have 3 sets of dead Klipsch ProMedia units. We took everything apart on them.........got to know them.......tried to fix them ourselves. Tested the ohm on the subwoofers, checked the fuse, eyed every capacitor or mosfet inside the unit for problems. We couldn't fix it.

This same friend has always loved a boomy bass.......Klipsch had it....but he never returned to test the waters again. Now a Velodyne subwoofer owner, BUT he still enjoys Klipsch midrange / tweeters sounds. He still has sour feelings.

So if anyone from Klipsch is reading this....

Is the SUB-10 another ProMedia product? Do the return rates resemble eachother at all? This is a value subwoofer, but can this value subwoofer survive a college kid?
These questions are pointless, because Klipsch will never say "oh yeah, we have a horrible return rate on them", the only time you can hope for the truth is under the court of law.

[Jay481985]

wow why do people go to such efforts.............

[factory81]

wow why do people go to such efforts.............

The efforts? I spend hours of listening to speakers to decide which one I like......and now I learn I am putting too much effort in to it? Or is it the effort I put in to show that I didn't turn the gain 3/4th the way up and call it good. Maybe I should just go buy some Sony stuff and put no thought in to my purchase like many Americans. Excuse me for voicing my fourth problem with Klipsch within 5 years centered around BASH amps in my personal life, not even trying to include back when I worked retail. Those number I couldn't fathom keeping track of. I was looking for a little feedback....not a post happy user who likes to troll.

Next time....please give topic posters responses that are on topic. E.G. I bring up speaker, you bring up how you like to garden. This is uncalled for in a forum, you should know this........you only spend your life on here.

Your insult does not help the brand any, and your lack of response just shows that you think I am with some lump of.......maybe cheap people who shouldn't even afford Klipsch items (Best Buy does only sell the low end stuff).

Sorry I stepped foot on your brand. I will make sure not to cross you or your almost 8,000 posts in a speaker manufacturer forum. I hope the rest of your posts are worthwhile and offer some help.

I have a question to ask........are you a post count *****? Do you have nothing better to do then to say things like "uhhh, wow that is great", can you form a complex phrase? Something with meaning and substance? Or is it just those one liners of wasted bulletin board space?

[stormin]

Hopefully the replacement process goes quick and smooth for ya. Sorry to hear of your troubles. Hopefully Klipsch is on top of these amp problems with the Sub-10 and get things as they should be. All we want to do is enjoy the tunes while staring at our cool Klipsch speakers!

[Kriton]

Dude, jet down - relax and breathe - I think Jays post
could have been interpreted in two ways, and you and I interpreted it
in different ways - He could have been saying tht you are flapping in
the wind complaining about a product to a company that isn't going to
answer you and therefor you are wasting your time complaining about it
- that would make him on YOUR side, wouldn't it? You spend an
entire post saying nasty things about this guy for an eight word phrase
on an open internet forum? Don't you think that is a little over
reactive, even if he just wanted to say you make a long post complaining
and venting when nothing can or will be done - he didn't call you a
troll, or an idiot, or anything of the sort. You appear to spend
some time on the internet, yes? You know how this works, why do
you think crapping in the front seat is going to make the car smell
better? You want help, you be nice and inquire - you will be
shocked at how people will actually try to help here. I have a
free turntable, some crazy good speakers and people I respect and now
consider friends from this board- you can too. More listening and
less expulsing.

What exactly do you want us to say? Have many of us
had some crappy experiences with Klispch mass produced products?
You bet, I am one of them - I had a set of ProMedia 5.1THX, the
infamous-amplifier-blows-just-shortly-after-the-warranty-period-is-up-blunder
- was I pissed? You have absolutely no idea. Did I *****
about it, yes and how. Did my bitching resolve anything?
Not on your life. NOW, that being said Klispch doesn't build your
speakers, they are built by some sweat shop factory someplace
subcontracted by Klipsch on the Asian rim. Fact of life, to get
the speakers at the price you get them, that is what you get. If
you want to pay more, much more, you can pick up the actual MADE by
Klipsch, hand built, hand tested reference and Heritage speakers that
we all aspire to (see my sig)- but you get ultimately what you pay for
here. Some of us actually ahve taken the time to meet the good
hardworking folks that hand build these things, and THERE, the fail
rate is remarkably LOW (saw the inspriation chart on the board in the
factory in Hope, Arkansas). And yes, you will find that there are
some very conscientious people on this board, in the employ of Klipsch,
who are watching and reading everything you are saying - and I believe
that those people will be very interested in your problems and will
tell their superiors what is going on (but frankly, I think in this
particular matter, you will be one of thousands making the same
complaints) - and while I hope that they will attempt to fix this - it
is out of the board moderators hands - and into the dark halls of the
corporate shuffle. All I ahve learned is that these things are
worth the hassle.

But, if you are looking for specific
advice on maybe how to fix those buggers, ask specifics, and you might
be surprised. IF you want someone to tell you that you are right,
and this sucks wind - I am telling you that you are right, and I am
sorry for your pain - because I have been there - if you want me to
tell you to move on and get something else - can't do that - as painful
as it was, I got those ProMedia's fixed, and am using them at good
volumes today, and they kick asssssss compared to the Logitechs I owned
and the now defunct Monsoons...these bears are more than decent
speakers.

That all being said, you should be able
to take that speaker back, no? Get it back to where it comes
from, get another or get your money back or call Klipsch support and
get it fixed on their dime - or ask nice and maybe one of the
moderators here will point you in the right direction.

K

[colterphoto1]

Sorry you're having difficulty, please contact us at:

Klipsch Home Audio Technical Support

Toll Free: 1-800-KLIPSCH (1-800-554-7724)

Mon - Fri, 8AM - 8PM ET

Sat, 9AM - 6PM

E-mail: technicalsupport@klipsch.com

I
think the evening guy is out tonight, so please fill out the support
questionnaire or call on Monday and we'll see what we can do.

Michael - yeah I have more posts than even Jay! []

[factory81]

Nothing beat the Klipsch for "Computer Specific Speakers".......well...I think now there are most definitely better sets out (not by Logitech or Cambridge....they never had what Klipsch offered to the scene), but I remember some reviews of some brands offering $500-600 2.1 systems and etc back in the day when Klipsch was "the champ", but I think these speakers were more for studio use.

This SUB-10 was just a rant to maybe offer support that......Klipsch still should look to refine the amps they choose, or choose better amps. Maybe I just have realllly bad luck with a company.

Hey it is cool to see a Klipsch rep in the forum, and the truth is I never had a bad experience with a Klipsch bookshelf, tower, or ProMedia desktop satellite. It's these BASH amps I suspect.......I am going todo the Best Buy exchange for another one so it is quick and easy. Just owning a 40-50lb subwoofer+ is expansive to ship even to Indy from Michigan (almost cheaper to drive). Is there anything I can do to prevent these problems? Is there anything to do other then.....turn it down? I myself have a large gap between my subwoofer and midbass so I set the crossover as high as it would go (120hz? or 125hz?). I play gentle with the gain but my concern is.....

If I was to play rap music that dropped to low....low like I should have a subsonic filter low....the subwoofer sounds a lot like its unloading and I am unable to control that range to tune it down. I have 2 12" RE Audio XXX subwoofers in my car with 3000w Class D RF amp on them.......I have went through many car audio systems....and without voiding warranty I can't solder resistors and such in there. Do home audio speakers unload? What kind of protection do the amps have?

[RAD0361]

I'm sure glad I had a chance to see the above mentioned regarding the SUB-10. I'm currently running the Klipsch Synergy series speakers off my Harman AVR-325 and I am very happy. SF-1's on the fronts, SB-1's rear and an SC-1 center but am in need of a sub. I'm currently running an old Boston Acustic sub that has just about had it. I almost purchased the SUB-10 from Bestbuy for $250.00 but passed up on it because I didn't know much about it. Any suggestions and should I stay clear of say the SUB-12? I'm a Klipsch fan and currently own a pair of the old but "fantastic" KG-3's. Klipsch is a very efficient speaker and my experience is that one should be careful with what kind of receiver you run on them. Before the Harmon I purchased an Onkyo 701 and did not like it at all. What I'm reading here has me thinking I should look for something other than Klpisch when considering a sub.

[Mr. RF62]

I myself is looking to get a Klipsch sub and everything I hear is good towards the sub-12, haven't read anything negative about it that would change my mind, and based on specs, it keeps up with the reference line pretty good. This thread is among quite a few of reads on here that say people are having problems with the sub-10 so I will not be going there.

Was thinking about another brand for a sub also but it would be so nice to stay with the brand that brings great sound to fill the room, shake my house, break my heart, stir my soul, and hopefully always always will.

S

[Bill H.]

Disregard, Didn't see that this was an OLD Post..................Hope the Boy got his problem solved.

[CECAA850]

Factory,
In your opening line you state you bought this on Black Friday? Why not just return it to the Place of Purchase for either a refund or replacement.

No rant needed.

Look at the date of the 1'st post. Over a year ago. Factory is most likely in the wind by now.

[Guest srobak]

Sub12 owner for over a year, thousands of hours on it, ProMedia2.1 owner for over 5 years, thousands of hours on it... not a lick of problems on either.

Treat your expensive electronic components nicely, they will treat you nice in return. Also always use a power conditioner...

[ARklipschlvr]

Promedia 2.1 owner for 7 years and not a problem.