PSW505 stopped playing sound. Need help trouble shooting.

MalVeauX

Hey guys,

I've had my PSW505 for about a year or more now and loved it. Just this week it stopped playing though. My setup is a CS1, Monitor40's, Monitor30's and the PSW505 on an Onkyo TX-SR308. I also have a Pinoeer VSX-521 for testing purposes. It used to work fine. I'd play music or a movie, and the sub would thump away. Playback included VLC for movies and Foobar2000 for music on my HTPC which outputs to the receiver via optical. Well, as mentioned, the sub just stopped playing recently. The rest of the speakers output everything fine. The sub powers on, the lights are all normal, but no sound comes from it. When I touch the cable to the port on the back just to make some noise, it definitely makes a loud feedback noise. And when I max it's volume it will sort of flub out a little scratchy flub sound a few times then stop. But when I just touch the cable to the port without plugging it in to get some feedback noise, it's loud, solid, and tells me that the speaker works fine, it's just not getting a signal or something. So when I plug it in fully, no more sound. I've been plugging into the LFE from the sub-preout on the back of the receiver and I tried both the L/R channels just in case. I've adjusted phase and set it to "on" and "auto". I've changed the speaker config in my receivers to represent "Subwhoofer: Yes" and my crossover is 150hz, but I've adjust it to 80hz and up, just to test. So I have another receiver and tested it on that one too. No audio there either. So now I don't know what's wrong with it. It obviously still works, the power works, and it can play loud tones (when I make it play feedback noise by touching a cable to the input port without fully plugging it in). But something is wrong with either my output or or something and I haven't changed anything so I'm not really figuring out what changed to make it stop. The receiver itself, I've set it to Neo6 cinema, dolby II, all channel, etc, I've ran through all the set modes for listening to see if it was that sort of issue, but so far, nothing has done it for me. I'm at a loss at this point. I know the sub works, since it can get a loud feedback tone playing, but maybe something else is wrong. Bleh.

Any ideas to further test? I see a few threads here with similar problems.

Also, if I can get this resolved, I was thinking of picking up another PSW505 to have a two sub setup. I was wondering, how would I set that up given the receiver(s) mentioned, or is that not possible with my entry level receiver? Would I just use a Y-splitter and be good to go?

Thanks!

Very best,

[Deleted User]

Hello,
Sorry you're having a problem. Just as a test could you do the following:
1). remove the sub-cable from the back of the sub with the sub's volume all the way down.
2). take another RCA cable and run it from either the right or left output of a CD/DVD player to the LFE input on the sub.
3). start playing a CD (not a DVD) and turn the volume up, on the sub, to a moderate volume, resist the temptation to turn the sub's volume up all the way. It should produce plenty of sound at a moderate volume setting.
Let us know what happens.
Regards, Ken

MalVeauX

Kenneth Swauger wrote: »

Hello,
Sorry you're having a problem. Just as a test could you do the following:
1). remove the sub-cable from the back of the sub with the sub's volume all the way down.
2). take another RCA cable and run it from either the right or left output of a CD/DVD player to the LFE input on the sub.
3). start playing a CD (not a DVD) and turn the volume up, on the sub, to a moderate volume, resist the temptation to turn the sub's volume up all the way. It should produce plenty of sound at a moderate volume setting.
Let us know what happens.
Regards, Ken

Heya,

I tried something else. I took my Sansa Fuze and used a 3.5mm to 2x RCA adapter and plugged one of them into the LFE on the sub and hit play and played with volume and stuff. That's equivalent to just using a CD player, I assume? Anyhow, I tried it on LFE and L/R just for kicks. At half volume, there was a sputter, a little "pfft" sound basically. I turned it up a bit and it started to punch and get a sound, but only a sputter really, not a real tone and it wasn't playing music, it was just sputtering when the bass thump was occurring (tried some electronic house music). But no real music was coming out (as in couldn't hear any other stuff, just the flabby sputter sound when it was pushing out).

Here's the back of my receiver in case it looks like I've done something wrong (for previous setup, not for sansa fuze -> sub test):

Very best,

[Deleted User]

In all likelihood you have a woofer with a partially blown voice coil. Telephone Polk CS at 1-800-377-7655 or email them at polkcs@polkaudio.com and they can help.
Regards, ken

MalVeauX

Heya,

Here's an example of what it sounds like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gt4ve5BnHo

I recorded the sound. Doesn't sound like a sub at all. You can hear how messy and flubby scratchy it sounds.

-- Should I just order a new sub? I can get it for $189 shipped today on a deal from NewEgg. Or is it going to be vastly cheaper to repair?
Edit: I went ahead and ordered a new sub. I wanted two anyways, so if I can repair this one, I'll have two. If not, well, I have another sub on the way.

Very best,

MalVeauX

Heya,

I contacted customer service via that email provided and was told that the driver is covered for 5 years and the amp for 3 years and that if I just mail them the driver, they'll replace it. So looks like I can have it repaired for less than $30 since it won't cost that much to ship it via UPS with insurance. This may allow me to have two working subs after all. Will y-split them when operational for some serious boom.

Awesome customer service. No hassle at all. Just print my invoice, send it with the driver, and I get a new one. That's awesome. Kudos to Polk Audio. I just bought more speakers from you guys and this just makes it all the sweeter.

Thanks all.

Very best,

MalVeauX

Heya,

Ok, so I'm trying to open the sub to get the driver out. I took off the back panel which has the amp and unplugged the driver from the amp. But how does the driver come out? There's no apparent screws or openings or anything to let the driver come out of the enclosure. Does the front panel snap off? Is the driver bolted in place or anything?

Edit: never mind, got it, had to destroy the foam ring cover to get to the screws. Will ask for a new one from customer service.

Very best

[Deleted User]

They'll send a replacement gasket along with the new woofer, no problem.

MalVeauX

Heya,

Awesome, so far this is looking promising. And if it fixes it, I'm going to play some double sub goodness as thanks hehe. And if all goes well, I may get more subs. I've been dying to have a quad sub setup for stupid amounts of boom.

Very best,