No options left... PSW110 mystery!

blugbox

OK guys, first off I am new here, so hello! My name is Brandon. I've been the proud owner of an RM85 speaker set and PSW110 for about 1 1/2 months now. There in-lies the problem...

I've used my setup twice and it no longer works. Allow me to explain.

I bought a Yamaha RX-V373 and the above speakers. Set it all up and it worked beautifully! I watched the second movie of it's short life and everything was fine. The next day, my receiver would not turn on. Long story short, receiver's protection circuitry had activated and it died. Sent it in for replacement. Hooked everything up exactly the same as before... and no sub. Tried every menu option possible, no sub. Tried a different receiver, no sub.

I got desperate and plugged a headphone jack to RCA cord into my iPhone and played a song with heavy bass... and there was the ever-so-faint sound of bass...

Here is the low-down: Fuse is not blown. Power light is working. When RCA cable from sub is tapped against sub output on receiver, it makes a faint hum like it's getting signal. Didn't see any obvious problems on amp board. When plugged into TV's audio out directly or other source such as iPhone, it makes very very soft noise and volume knob barely changes volume. When plugged into any receiver, nothing.

What do you think guys? Apparently I bought it from an "unauthorized dealer" who was fulfilled through Amazon so I can't get it replaced or repaired under warranty. I spent the 30 day return period on Amazon waiting for my receiver thinking that was the only problem. I have no options left and I just want to have a surround system! Almost two months and I've watched two movies...:sad:

Also... what could have done this?? Everything was plugged into a surge protector too...

Thanks in advance for any help. Hopefully I've been as concise as possible.

newrival

Hopefully someone here can point you in a good direction.

It would seem to me that it is something in the amp, but there are more technically knowledgable folks here.

drumminman

Welcome to CP!

There are some folks here from Polk CS - hopefully they can offer suggestions.

[Deleted User]

Hello bb,
Welcome to the forum, sorry you're having a problem. Your subwoofer has two active components, the 10" woofer and the bass amplifier and the first step is to determine which one is the cause. You could do this by removing the grille cover and take out the screws holding the woofer onto the cabinet, then use a putty knife to loosen the woofer and pull the it away from the cabinet. Then disconnect the two connecting wires and turn it upside down on a piece of carpet or towel. Then at a low playing volume try playing the woofer directly powered by your receiver's speaker wires touching the woofer's terminals. It should produce sound at a low volume, resist the temptation to turn up the volume if it doesn't play.
Regards, Ken

blugbox

Thanks for the replies!

Kenneth: Will do, but I'm out of town for the weekend. I'll report my findings as soon as I get a chance.

[Deleted User]

Let us know what you find.

blugbox

OK first off, sorry for the long delay, but the only thing delayed was my own help so I'm sure nobody minds lol.

I did exactly what you suggested, and the sub DOES in fact make noise. I had a feeling it wasn't blown out because the faint sounds it made in my other tests didn't crackle or sound off, just quiet. I had it hooked up to the front speaker wires, and without the low pass filter I could hear other noises besides bass through it.

So, I assume we have established that the sub is not blown, and that leaves the amp. Are there any similar tests I can do with the amp to narrow it down?

As I stated earlier... apparently I can't get it covered under warranty, and I really don't want to pay more money for something I have yet to use.

[Deleted User]

Hello,
If it were my subwoofer I would reconnect the woofer to the bass amplifier and turn the woofer's volume all of the way down. Then I would get my CD/DVD player and connect the right and left audio output of the player to the corresponding right and left line level inputs on the subwoofer. Then I would start to play a CD and slowly turn up the volume on the sub. If I didn't hear anything I would call Polk's CS department at 1-800-377-7655 and send them the bass amplifier (it pulls out of the cabinet just like the woofer did) and explain the circumstances of how I purchased the sub and send it to them for service. They will take everything into consideration and I'm sure you will be treated fairly.
Regards, Ken

blugbox

OK I will try doing that and report back. How much does it cost to service an amp on average?

blugbox

Doubleyoo...Tee....Eff?!

OK so, we left off where I tried running my sub directly off the receiver with positive results.

I reassemble the sub to test it like you asked. I plugged the line level connections into the sub and my old PS2, and pop in a cd.

When I turn up the volume slowly.....GLORIOUS BASS!!! I works like a dream! Without getting my hopes up, I plug it back into the LFE on the receiver, set everything where it needs to be, and pop in a Blu-Ray... GLORIOUS BASS!!!

So what in the hell happened? Nothing worked, I tested it extensively and it was barely working on its own, I leave it in peices for a week, plug it back in without changing ANYTHING and it works perfect.

I am extremely happy, very confused, a little hungry...

[Deleted User]

Hello,
I'm glad the sub is working correctly. I reread your first post very carefully and had a feeling the receiver's subwoofer output function may not have been activated properly. I'm sorry I missed that on my first troubleshooting suggestion, if I had all that other testing wouldn't have been necessary.
Enjoy, Ken

blugbox

The weird thing with that is I tested that sub on THREE different receivers! All different brands. I didn't work on any of them. After all this trouble, I plugged it back into the same receiver it didn't work on before without changing any settings, and it worked fine.

I guess I should just shut up and be happy with it now haha! Thanks again for the help, and I might do a followup post after it has been up and running for a while.