# Problems with Subwoofer



## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

I have VIP622 hooked up via HDMI to my new AV Receiver. On both my old receiver(hooked up via Optical) and this new HDMI one, I noticed that when my Subwoofer gets the remote power on signal, I hear an initial pop sound(Almost like a computer beep sound) and then the Subwoofer is on. I was wondering if anybody else has experienced subwoofer problems with the Vip622.


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## Ron Barry (Dec 10, 2002)

Nope... I have not. I have a volidyne (sp?) front throw sub and I don't notice anything when I turn on my HT.


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## phat78boy (Sep 12, 2007)

I don't have the VIP622, but I can tell you this is rather standard for a lot of subwoofers. When they get the initial signal to switch from standby to on, they will give a pop. I don't think it has anything to do with your receiver or VIP622, just the way the sub handles the signal.


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## zlensman (Jan 15, 2006)

This is what the audiophiles call "turn on thump". Try googling on it. Post on a forum where the audio gurus hang out.

I would not expect a modern-day, home theater AVR to have an on thump problem. My Sony, for example, has about a 3-4 second delay from power on until playback. This gives the amps a chance to warm up and prevents turn on thump.

You said this noise happens when the sub gets a remote power-on signal. Like many of us, I suspect that you have a powered subwoofer that has its own A/C power. Does your subwoofer take a remote control power-on signal that is separate from the AVR? Or, does it come on with the AVR power-on? My sub is basically always in standby when no signal is present, then comes to life (without a thump) when the AVR needs it. It does produce a mild off thump when going to standby.

If your system is powered-on manually or by a remote macro, you might be able to avoid the on thump by having the sub power up first with a delay before the AVR comes on.


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## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

zlensman said:


> This is what the audiophiles call "turn on thump". Try googling on it. Post on a forum where the audio gurus hang out.
> 
> I would not expect a modern-day, home theater AVR to have an on thump problem. My Sony, for example, has about a 3-4 second delay from power on until playback. This gives the amps a chance to warm up and prevents turn on thump.
> 
> ...


It is not really a thump - It almost sounds like a computer generated sound ,similar to when hitting the <Enter> key on a menu(Not sure how else to desacribe it) That's why I thought it was a sound being sent by the VIP622. My Subwoofer is separately powered, so it is receiving the turn on signal from the 1 Subwoofer line level RCA cable. My subwoofer also sits in a standby mode until it gets a powered on signal.

Its odd


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## zlensman (Jan 15, 2006)

Guitar1969 said:


> Its odd


Hmmm. This is odd alright. You have described the sound as a computer pop or a beep or computer generated. Thing is, most powered subs only produce frequencies below 150 Hz. So, it shouldn't be able to produce a pop or beep because those noises, generally, have high frequency components. Maybe the sound isn't coming from the sub? Very strange.



> It almost sounds like a computer generated sound ,similar to when hitting the <Enter> key on a menu


What sound is this? Are you running Windows? If it plays ding.wav or chord.wav, that's something that just about any Windows box could reproduce.


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## phat78boy (Sep 12, 2007)

What kind of sub do you have? I have heard what you describe from a couple powered subs before. One of them being an older yamaha sub. Except for newer and higher end subs, it seems like a lot of subs give off a quick noise when switched on from a receiver.


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## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

phat78boy said:


> What kind of sub do you have? I have heard what you describe from a couple powered subs before. One of them being an older yamaha sub. Except for newer and higher end subs, it seems like a lot of subs give off a quick noise when switched on from a receiver.


Its a JBL 12" 250Watt E250P. I contacted JBL and this is the answer - sounds right on:

"Good afternoon and thank you for your inquiry. A slight chirp or pop
is
normal when the sub is coming out of standby. It just means the source
is sending a signal to the sub and the sub is waking up. However, if
it
pops randomly during programs and DVD movies, there may be an issue
with
the sub. Please note, if there is a lot of dialog during a movie, the
sub may go into standby mode, then when bass passages hit, it will come
out of standby and the slight chirp may occur.

If you are concerned, you can take your unit to an authorized service
center for examination. You can find an authorized repair center
directly from our website. Please visit http://www.jbl.com and click
on
Product Support. Select your model and enter in your zip code to
locate
the nearest service centers in your area."

Sounds correct - I am getting the chirp in the middle of DVDs that are not really bass heavy, so it must be going in and out of standby periodically. Unfortunately I can't get it checked out - out of warranty(little over a year)

One thing is my new Sony 910 AV receiver had me set the crossover Freq to max on the Sub(And then it does the auto calibration) - I may try to turn down the crossover Freq to maybe minimize the Chirp. Question, can anyone recommed where to set the Subs Crossover Freq on a sub - My fronts and rears are set to large so some of the bass is being handled by them - not sure if large is the best setting for them - their Bose 2 front satellites paired with their bass box so they handle bass pretty well, and then 2 rear bookshelf Bose speakers that handle bass pretty good.

Any ideas or recommendations are appreciated.


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## Rob Glasser (Feb 22, 2005)

Thanks for that post. I have had the same issue and thought it might be a problem with the sub but I guess not. 

On a similar note I've noticed that ever since I got my new Pioneer TV that whenever I turn off my system (Dish 722, AVR, and TV, I get this low rumbling sound out of my sub that dwindles down to nothing over a few seconds. Really annoying. I never had this before I switched out my old Pioneer Plasma to a new Kuro model a few weeks ago. It's like some residual signal is being sent to the sub during the power off.

Anyone else seen this? Have any ideas?


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## phat78boy (Sep 12, 2007)

It is just as you say, the sub will go into standby mode if not used for a defined amount of time. This happens a lot in movies as there can be long dialog scenes that do not require your sub, then when the sub is needed it turns back on and you get your chirp. There are several sub companies and models of subs that do not do this. Its unfortunate that its so evident with your sub.


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## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

phat78boy said:


> It is just as you say, the sub will go into standby mode if not used for a defined amount of time. This happens a lot in movies as there can be long dialog scenes that do not require your sub, then when the sub is needed it turns back on and you get your chirp. There are several sub companies and models of subs that do not do this. Its unfortunate that its so evident with your sub.


Funny thing is, I am still communicating back and forth with JBL on the issue and they are now saying if I take it to a JBL service center, that they could reduce the chirp(So now they're making it sound like its a malfunction) Unfortunately, I am out of my warranty, so I am not sure its worth spending money to resolve it. They did say I could wire the thing to always on, buy using speaker level connections, but not sure if that is wise- Also, not sure how to go from a single RCA Sub output to speaker connections. Its not that big of a deal but anooying, especcialy because the person who bought it for me last year way overpaid for this Sub.


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## phat78boy (Sep 12, 2007)

Guitar1969 said:


> Funny thing is, I am still communicating back and forth with JBL on the issue and they are now saying if I take it to a JBL service center, that they could reduce the chirp(So now they're making it sound like its a malfunction) Unfortunately, I am out of my warranty, so I am not sure its worth spending money to resolve it. They did say I could wire the thing to always on, buy using speaker level connections, but not sure if that is wise- Also, not sure how to go from a single RCA Sub output to speaker connections. Its not that big of a deal but anooying, especcialy because the person who bought it for me last year way overpaid for this Sub.


Do you have speaker wire connections on the back of your sub? Or just the single RCA plug? If its annoying you that much, it sounds like it could be defective a little. Usually when you notice it, its not too big of a deal. Sounds like yours may be louder then normal.


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## Guitar1969 (Oct 19, 2006)

phat78boy said:


> Do you have speaker wire connections on the back of your sub? Or just the single RCA plug? If its annoying you that much, it sounds like it could be defective a little. Usually when you notice it, its not too big of a deal. Sounds like yours may be louder then normal.


My sub has speaker connections, but my AV receiver doesn't for the sub, - just the RCA connections(And 4 of them at that so you can hook up 4 subwoofers - I know its ridiculous). I am going to see if turning dow nthe crossover freq will help, as I would assume the sound would be less pronounced then.


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## phat78boy (Sep 12, 2007)

I understand. Let us know if the reducing the freq works.


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## whatchel1 (Jan 11, 2006)

Guitar1969 said:


> My sub has speaker connections, but my AV receiver doesn't for the sub, - just the RCA connections(And 4 of them at that so you can hook up 4 subwoofers - I know its ridiculous). I am going to see if turning dow nthe crossover freq will help, as I would assume the sound would be less pronounced then.


Give the model # of the sub & the receiver. Changing the crossover freq will not change the characteristics of the sub amp combo. What JBL will do is set it either stay on all the time or put a passive crossover in after the amp to cut off the hig freqs generated by the amp when it turns on. Changing the crossover will not do this since it is being generated by the turn on of the amp. The crossover the is built in before the amp and will notstop a high frequency noise transit produced by the amp.


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## Moridin (Mar 22, 2005)

Rob Glasser said:


> On a similar note I've noticed that ever since I got my new Pioneer TV that whenever I turn off my system (Dish 722, AVR, and TV, I get this low rumbling sound out of my sub that dwindles down to nothing over a few seconds. Really annoying. I never had this before I switched out my old Pioneer Plasma to a new Kuro model a few weeks ago. It's like some residual signal is being sent to the sub during the power off.
> 
> Anyone else seen this? Have any ideas?


If both your sub and your AVR have 12V trigger connections, that would definitely solve the problem.


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## Grandude (Oct 21, 2004)

Guitar1969 said:


> One thing is my new Sony 910 AV receiver had me set the crossover Freq to max on the Sub(And then it does the auto calibration) - I may try to turn down the crossover Freq to maybe minimize the Chirp. Question, can anyone recommed where to set the Subs Crossover Freq on a sub - My fronts and rears are set to large so some of the bass is being handled by them - not sure if large is the best setting for them - their Bose 2 front satellites paired with their bass box so they handle bass pretty well, and then 2 rear bookshelf Bose speakers that handle bass pretty good.
> Any ideas or recommendations are appreciated.


When setting up my AV receiver with a subwoofer the instructions were to select small for the front and rear speakers. I don't expect that this would make any difference but certainly worth trying to see what happens.


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## BatStang2000 (Sep 6, 2007)

I have had this same model subwoofer for over a year now. The "chirp" has always been there. Guess I just got used to it.


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## cdub998 (Aug 16, 2006)

Guitar1969 said:


> Its a JBL 12" 250Watt E250P. I contacted JBL and this is the answer - sounds right on:
> 
> "Good afternoon and thank you for your inquiry. A slight chirp or pop
> is
> ...


If you get the pop from it waking up a lot try raising the sub output on your avr and lowring the gain on your sub so the level is the same. With more output from the AVR your sub is more likely not to fall asleep while you are playing music. Hope this helps.


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