[rockandroll556]

Hey guys,

Im new to the forum, but really glad i found a site like this, ha. I have a sony HT-DDW840 5.1 surround sound system, and Ive had it for around 3 and a half years now. It worked great for the first three years... just recently, however, the sub has started cutting out seemingly when it is overloaded with bass.

This problem never occured in my first 3 years of ownership. I changed nothing about how I use the system, but this problem has randomly arised recently. When playing music (especially loud music) the sub woofer will play the bass for a short while, then after making a clicking sound it will stop playing all bass. If i leave the music playing, the woofer will power back on for short periods of time (ie a couple seconds), after which it will cut out with the same clicking sound again (for much longer periods of time--probably around 30-45 seconds).

The woofer doesn't power off... I know this because I have watched it, and the green light stays lit the whole time. Another thing that could be important is that if I dont use the woofer for long periods of time (say a week with the woofer shut off) it will be able to play bass for a much longer time before shutting off (say, 10-15 minutes) than if it has been in use at all recently.

Basically, this is a very annoying problem that I have spent lots of time trying to resolve through searching google. I haven't been able to find any solutions, however, and hope that somebody here can help. I'd deeply appreciate any help anybody can give me, as listening to music with no bass (or with bass constantly coming in and out) is extremely annoying. Thanks to all who reply

[dopplermhz80]

It sounds to me like the amplifier is "clipping". I think this usually happens when too much input is sent to the amp and too much power is applied to the signal. Something like that. You are asking too much of your amp. I think it is some kind of protection mode. If it happens mainly when bass hits, then it is most likely clipping. If it happens randomly, it may be a loose connection or the amp may briefly overheat. I don't think the last 2 options are happening though. Do you have any other subs or amps that you can hook up to the signal? Try adjusting the amp gain, boost, or EQ and see if that causes it to happen.

[Seth=L]

I would suggest replacing the sub, apparently it can't match your needs.

[Tom Vodhanel]

You can also try experimenting a little with the subwoofer position too. Corners tend to work well---esp corners near the seating positions. If that doesn't help...try lowering the bass levels slightly. Sometimes even 1-3dB can help.

Tom V.
SVS