If you own a Klipsch subwoofer and are facing issues with its functionality, fret not! In this guide, we will take you through a step-by-step process to diagnose and troubleshoot the problem.
By following our recommended steps, you can pinpoint the root cause of the issue, allowing you to decide whether you can fix it yourself or seek professional assistance.
Let’s get your subwoofer back up and running quickly!
Table of Contents
Troubleshooting Guide
Below are basic steps to diagnose the problem in your Klipsch subwoofer.
- Begin with checking the power supply. In most cases, a bad power plug or a faulty power cord can be the issue. If you use a power bar or one that includes a surge protector, ensure that it is not faulty. You can try connecting another device to check this.
- Check the source to see if it is working. You can connect another source to the sub to see if the source is the issue.
- Check the cable to see if there’s a problem with it. It’s very unlikely that cables are damaged especially if it is a new system
- Next, check the cord connected to the LFE (Low Frequency Effect) port of the Klipsch subwoofer. You can perform a buzz test. For this purpose, turn your subwoofer on and connect one end of the cord to the LFE port. Turn the gain up – make sure it’s not at the minimum setting. Touch the other end of the cable with your finger. If you don’t hear a buzzing sound move on to the next troubleshooting step.
- If you hear a buzzing sound, but no sound comes out of the subwoofer at the time of playing something, the problem is more likely with the source and not the subwoofer.
- Turn your subwoofer on. If the LED indicator at the top lights up, then move on to the next troubleshooting step. If it does not, that means the fuse inside the sub is possibly damaged. Replace the fuse and see if the sub turns on. You can check the fuse with a multimeter on the impedance or resistance setting. If the reading is close to zero ohm, then the fuse is working.
- If the fuse is okay then it’s time to get inside the subwoofer check the subwoofer driver.
Before opening the subwoofer, check to see if it is still under warranty. If this is the case, then we suggest contacting the manufacturer. Opening hardware generally voids the warranty.
Unscrew the back of the sub and identify the positive and negative cables of the driver. Find a working 9 Volt battery.
Pull the cables out of the board and place the positive and negative cables to the positive and negative terminals of the 9V battery. If you hear a tick every time you touch the cables, the driver is good.
Watch the video below – it’s explained at 6 minutes from the start.
If you don’t hear the ticking sound and the driver on the sub’s front does not retract every time you touch the cables, the issue is with the driver.
If the drivers are good, it’s very likely the amplifier that’s damaged.
Amplifier repairs can be a little more complex depending the nature of the issue. For instance it can be a damaged capacitor, the amplifier IC or any other component. Debugging at this level typically requires a reference schematic and experience with electronic debug procedures. It might be worth getting a professional to look at the amp.
Next let’s look at some specific issues with Klipsch subwoofers and their solutions.
Klipsch Subwoofer Volume is Low
Problem
The sound coming out of the Klipsch subwoofer is extremely low. Turning the gain knob at the back of the sub to maximum didn’t help. The sub isn’t cracked or broken. When the user plays something or increases the volume, the sub starts “blowing air out of the box”.
Solution
If your Klipsch subwoofer is connected to a receiver, try replacing the RCA cable between the receiver and the sub. If that doesn’t help, try replacing the sub’s power cord.
If the cables have been checked, the other possible issue is a blown fuse. This happens when it draws too much current. The fuse blows and protects the internal circuits. When it does so, the impedance across the terminals of the fuse will no longer be zero. Instead it will look like an open circuit. Find the fuse at the back panel. You can check a fuse with a multimeter – measure the resistance.
Klipsch Subwoofer Auto Turn On Not Working
Problem
The Klipsch subwoofer is connected to a Yamaha receiver in an audio setup. The sub works perfectly fine and plays music at good volume and bass. The issue is that the Auto On/Off feature doesn’t work. It means that when the Yamaha receiver is turned on, the sub doesn’t turn on automatically, nor does it turn off – even after three hours of inactivity.
Solution
There is a switch on the back of the sub to enable the automatic On/Off feature. Ensure that the switch is turned on.
If the switch is turned on, note that the sub doesn’t turn on or off based on the AVR (audio-video receiver) being turned on or off. Instead it will turn on by itself when it detects an audio signal (sound) that is strong enough.
If the sub is not turning on, it might be because the volume setting on the AVR is too low to activate the subwoofer. If the volume on the sub amp is set too high, a feature called “YPAO” (a type of automatic calibration system) might set the AVR’s volume to a very low level, which may not be enough to activate the subwoofer.
It is recommended to set the Sub’s volume at 50% so that the YPAO adjusts the AVR’s volume accordingly.
Reddit thread that discusses this problem and solution
Klipsch SubWoofer Has No Sound
Problem
In an audio setup where the subwoofer is connected to a receiver and speakers, everything else works fine, but the sub has no sound. Replacing the cable between it and the receiver didn’t help. As well, the LED indicator on the sub is On.
Solution
Ensure that all the speakers, including the main speakers and the subwoofer, are set to “small” in the receiver’s settings. This setting helps to direct low-frequency sounds (bass) to the sub for better performance. Additionally, the “crossover” setting should be set to 80 Hz. This determines the point at which low-frequency sounds are redirected from the main speakers to the subwoofer.
Note that settings vary from receiver to receiver. On some receivers, you would want to select ‘extended stereo’ mode. In this mode, the receiver ensures that the audio goes to the subwoofer along with the left and right speakers, unlike the ‘auto surround’ mode, which only sends the audio to the left and right speakers.
Reddit thread that discusses this problem
If the receiver settings are all good and the subwoofer still doesn’t work, unscrew and open the back of the sub to ensure the cables are connected and nothing’s broken or disconnected. You might need to solder a broken connection if you find one.
Klipsch Subwoofer Not Connecting
Problem
The subwoofer with Cinema 600 soundbar won’t connect to nearby Bluetooth devices. Holding the pair button on the sub doesn’t make the indicator light flash to indicate pairing.
Unfortunately some subs don’t have analog inputs and Bluetooth is the only connection method.
Solution
Unplug your subwoofer from the power supply. Wait for a minute. Then plug it back in. This effectively reboots the sub. It should now connect automatically. If it doesn’t, unplug and plug the sub back in again. You might want to unplug things multiple times before the sub connects. The bluetooth link can sometimes be flaky.
Summary
Diagnosing and resolving issues with Klipsch subwoofer doesn’t have to be a daunting task for you after reading this article.
We’ve covered some simple and easy basic troubleshooting steps. This was followed by specific issues with solutions. We hope this helps resolve your problem. Write and let us know if these tips helped you out or you need help with any other problem.
References
[1] Klipsch website
