REL Q200E sub issues...please help

[Jolly F]

I turned on my av system yesterday to watch a movie and noticed my sub was making a noise – not bass.

I turned it off and checked all the connections, tried adjusting it and the receiver and something is definitely not right. After messing around with it, it seems to be worse to the point its not really working at all.

It started off by making a BBBBBUUURRRRRR or BOOOOOOOOORRRRRR whilst producing bass. Its like the noise you can sometimes get when you turn it on initially but a bit longer and louder.

In the end it just seems to make these noises and produce no bass. Whilst I was playing with the settings I did notice a few times that the driver was pulling in or pushing out like an on off switch if that makes sense.

It is such a good sub which has never given problems previously. Has anyone got any ideas on what it may be and how to fix it?

 

[Jolly F]

Can anyone help?

 

[fathervic]

What happens if there's no signal cables connected?

What signal cables do you use? Speaker level or LFE?

If using both, try one at a time and see what happens. If there's only a problem when cables are connected then make sure the cables are intact and try another cable or there could be a problem at your amp end.

 

[Jolly F]

I have contacted REL and by describing the issue to them they believe its a fault with the internal amplifier of the sub. They wouldn't give me a circuit diagram to check this, i have to get it sent back via a dealer. He did say if i take the amp out, i could just send that to him.

I will try a different lead first, i may take the sub to a friends and try it out to see if it produces the same issue.

I'll update this when i know more.

 

[Jolly F]

I took the sub to a friends and it did the same thing. I have now removed the amplifier (i'm an electro-mechanical production engineer and i have to say that the quality of the build of the electronics side is very good) and got it sent back to REL via Sevenoaks/audio-T.

Just waiting on them to let me know the outcome and any costs i have to pay.

Again i will update this when i get more news.

 

[Jolly F]

Its back at sevenoaks ready for me to collect. R6 and R7 had burnt out so they replaced the PCB and uprated those resistors at a cost to me of £75

They did mention that turning the sub on and off would give components a harder/shorter life to leaving it on all the time!?

 

[gilesy5]

This has been mentioned to me previously - apparently the RELs draw a very very small amount of current if left on. Personally I've always left mine on with no problems. Unfortunately the majority of your £75 cost would be shipping the amplifier board back to REL (approx £50).

 

[Member 639844]

Its back at sevenoaks ready for me to collect. R6 and R7 had burnt out so they replaced the PCB and uprated those resistors at a cost to me of £75

They did mention that turning the sub on and off would give components a harder/shorter life to leaving it on all the time!?

Thats a typical repair cost/charge to be honest. The real kicker is the components are often pence, as some have shown in the past. As long as it works though, and you enjoy it, then thats all that matters. For £75, it would probably be very hard to replace it and impossible to better it, so its probably money worth spent anyway.

All the best

 

[Jolly F]

The shipping wouldn't have come to £50, i only sent the amp in. The pcb was well bolted down through heat sinks/components etc so there would have been an hour or two labour with testing etc and replacing the board. I probably could have done it myself but removing the pcb was quite involved. I don't think it was an unreasonable price, just for the original cost etc, other things i have had issue with have been sorted outside of warrenty FOC with this level of product. Even so i'm looking forward to getting it back.

 

[proffski]

Can anyone help?

I have heard this noise before bit like 'motorboating'.
I generally change the main reservoir capacitors from 85C ones to 105C as well as a few others.

The ceramic power resistors used as crude potential dividers are moved and glued to the heatsink with appropriate heat conducting adhesive. They cook some of the capacitors, not good engineering practice.

This has cured the problem in MJ, REL and KEF subwoofers.
There is a huge family resemblance between BK - MJ and REL but not KEF.

Yet the faults I have diagnosed and sorted so far have been due to exactly what has been described above, with a few other only common to KEF.