I realized that it was irrelovent that I knew that I brought it the first year of college yet you probably didn't

Like all of you my klipsch 5.1 amplifier failed and had the same set of problems.  I replaced R527 myself with a 47 Ohm 2 watt resistor.  The amplifier works.... well, not really.  The gain on the amp has been significantly reduced and the signal has become very distorted.  Interestingly, the distortion can only be easily heard at lower volumes.  Does anyone have any clue as to what is causing this.  Please don't be afraid to get technical as I am an electrical engineering student.

R527 is a 4.7 ohm resistor. The heat may have discolored your resistor to look like a black band, but as I recall it is actually gold when new, a multiplier of .1, rather than 1.  Try a 4.7 ohm, or even a 5 ohm 5-watt resistor.  But also check the diode next to it, it can get leaky after being exposed to heat for a long time.

What type of diode is it specifically? Can it be replaced with a higher quality component? I have a bit of circuits education but not much in the way of field experience. ie. book learning. I'm a computer engineer so mostly worked on digital systems, not analog, so that knowledge doesn't really help me here. I'm planning to replace the at risk components pre-emptively on my system that I recently purchased on ebay (brand new, was lucky: I thought it was an open box demo machine from bestbuy, came in all its original plastic with no signs of repackaging). I've been leaving it off mostly, due to the heat coming off the rear panel when in operation. Sounds great the few times i've fired it up on colder days so I wanna get to fixing it soon.

FR104 stands for a fast recovery 1 amp diode. I sometimes have used a FR304 (3 amp), but that should not be necessary if you take other steps to reduce the heat build up in that area.  Power handling of semiconductors decreases rapidly (not linearly) as ambient heat rises.

Thanks for the quick response!

 

Mine have the same problem.  What a RIPOFF!!!  I am not often duped, but in this case I certainly was.  My speakers broke about two years ago and I replaced them without bothering to figure out what happened to them.  I am in the processof setting up an office and I thought about my forgotten speakers and how they would be perfect for the office.  I lugged them out of the spare room and set them up.  Still no sound.... I figured I would check online for people with a similar problem.  What do you know?  There are hundreds of people online wth the exact same problem!  Great work Klipsch!!!  I for one will NEVER buy another Klipsch product.  Additionally, I will tell anyone who will listen that Klipsch products are poorly designed and a waste of money.  To the Klipsch employee on here who asked that this product not be compared to other Klipsch products - Are you kidding?  You get one chance to make an impression on a consumer.  If one product is junk, then they are all junk.  

   

I have the same problem and I don't want to pay money and ship this out to fix...

anybody here knows where i can buy parts and replace them?   what parts would i be looking for???   somebody plz list them out and share their experience if you've fixed your own as well.....      man I really like the speakers but how can they sell something like this and even if  I ship them back for repair the same problem will just happen again... 

Email this gentleman: elliot-tronics@yahoo.com. Also, log ontp eBay, search for Klipsch ProMedia 5.1 and he will pop up. I and many others have had the same problem and Elliott will rebuild your amp for a reasonable price. After 'dropping' $350 for these speakers I would hope that you would seek out a repair facility. If my expensive car died on me, I would do more than get onto a Forum - I would seek out a repair facility. Trust me, you'll thank me for this information. Elloitt has a magnificent reputation and may not be able to fit you into his busy schedule.

FredEm

Hi and thanks Fred I just want to say that I'm glad you are happy with my service, and anybody that needs my services can e-mail me any time, and if you want to check my customer reviews just go to eBay an search for Klipsch Ultra  Repair my user name on eBay is elliot-tronics you can also e-mail me to eliott4113@yahoo.com and not elliot-tronics@yahoo.com

Note:

I will not reply to any technical questions here in this forum or give free technical support   ..

Thanks,

Elliott 

 Well amy, I bought a pair of Klipsch outdoor speakers for $350 and they lasted less than my Promedia, which lasted for just 4years. So in my eyes, it is a broad issue. Thank goodness the public can now be made aware of products and manufacturers to avoid. I blew off the speaker loss, but now that my Promedia has failed, the public needs to know. I am temporarily listening to audio via my(didn't throw-away) cheaper speakers ,that have been going strong for over 9 years.

Amy Unger:

If we had an unacceptable failure rate, we would recall the units.  We have nothing to gain by selling defective products, either financially or by reputation.  I don't know how many times I have to say it.  This section of the forum has more complaints simply because of the sheer number of units sold.

That would be a more believable assertion if it wasn't for the fact that so many people see repeated failures even after sending the amps back to Klipsch. My guess is that it was far more economical to close down the ultra promedia 5.1 line than it was to offer a recall. To minimize bad PR, they have Amy shutdown threads that get out of control with comments of "mine died too!" If you didn't lock all of those threads prematurely, we probably would have seen more complaints.

 I'm also amused by the comment "they are a completely different technology"...interesting, are you saying the other Klipsh lines don't use conical speakers and magnetic drivers?

I have the ProMedia 5.1 speaker system. (the older non ultra version)

The amp seems to be dead.  No sound is output at all. (but I have LED glow, power clicks on off)  I’ve tried several computers/devices and several cables.  I don’t even hear hiss when I turn up the volume all the way.  It seems to be a common problem for these to fail after a few years.   I would by a new 5.1 system but 5.1 units seem to be discontinued/

Does Klipsch offer a repair service for out of warranty systems?  Can I send this in for repair?  Should I try the 3rd party guy Elliot I saw in these forums?  His email bounced so I guess he's gone now. (EDIT: I see he has a new email address, I just resent him an email asking for repair costs/details)

I really love the sound quality of Klipsch and don’t want to switch to Logitech or other brands.

Also, if I buy a used system instead of repairing this one, sould I stick with the less expensive non Ultra 5.1 or go for the Ultra version of the 5.1?  I see a few on ebay now and again but they are over priced..

 
Thanks,

~Jon

 

 get the Klipschs repaired/rebuilt otherwise you will regret it.

Amy Unger:

If you want to complain about the PM 5.1 because you've owned one and have had problems, of course you have every right to so.  But please do not compare these speakers with rest of Klipsch products.  They are a completely different technology, completely different design, components, everything about them is different.  It is really an unjust comparison.  If you spend any time on the rest of the forum, you'll know we have very few complaints for our home audio products. 

I understand that you have sold a lot of these system when compared to other products, but "But please do not compare these speakers with rest of Klipsch products." may be the worst possible thing you could have said... If you don't want these speakers compared to the rest of the Klipsch line of products, then don't put the Klipsch name on them.  Inherently, if you put your company name on something it will be compared to everything else you make.  Why does the Ford pinto come to mind.  If you are going to make a product, and charge a premium price for the name on the side, then you need to make sure the product is up to the quality standards of the rest of your product lines.  I have sent my system in twice to be repaired by Klipsch, and both times within a year, the same issue had returned.  I love my speakers when they work, but that is becoming a less and less dependable scenario...  If you want the Klipsch name to be attached to great products and customer support, then you need to take care of the people that buy your products.  Simply admitting that there was an issue would be a huge step forward.  Coming from an industry that is very customer focussed, I can tell you first hand that for every customer that feels wronged, your net promoter score, or the willingness of those people to suggest your products, drops very quickly.  I highly doubt anyone from Klipsch will actually read this, but sometimes there is more to business than just making money...