Depth i "Squeak" when bass notes hit!

[Thai]

Hey all,

I have not been on here for a while...and search engine is down this morning. I have a Depth i subwoofer. From the very beginning, whenever a deep bass note hits, i hear a high frequency "squeak" sound. The squeak comes from inside the subwoofer box...nothing around it is making noise.

Is there something that i can do to get rid of this noise??

BTW, this is my 2nd Depth i with the same problem! Both bought from authorized dealer and in new condition.

 

[Hocky]

Could it be the feet squeaking on the floor?

 

[Thai]

I doubt it...because my Depth i is on carpet with the spikes. Regular bass don't bring out the squeak...just deep deep bass. This is why i have ignored this long because i thought that it was just too much bass...but watching Xmen First Class Blu-ray this weekend brought the squeaks more than i want.

 

[roberto]

Hola. If you bring the level down, to you still have the same problem? You could be clipping its amplifier, or the bass control at 25Hz is too much. I think that the Depth I is a great sub, but its internal amp is only 350W. Sometimes when you have a deep bass, you can get this unwanted sound, due to clipping the amp. Hope this might help. Happy listening,
R.

 

[Thai]

Roberto, it is just a weird clipping if it is such...it is just that...a squeak! My level is at 5.5. 25 Hz control is at zero. My bass level on my Audyssey-Denon AVR 4306 is -3.5. Nothing too extravagant. My volume on my AVR when i play movies is around -12 to -17.

ML is asking me for the serial number...so, i will email it to them when i get home today.

 

[roberto]

the Xmen movie has a very low deep frequency effects, and you could be clipping the amp. This frequencies could be sub-sonics and your ears could not listen to them, but the electronics and the woofers could. My question is if you bring the sub volume knob at 4, do you have the same problem? Our ears are good in mid range, very low deep we can sense and feel their energy, but sometimes we do not listen all the intensity of the wave. This is a reason why we talk the 20Hz and up, and your sub can go below that frequency, perhaps there is too much energy and clips the amp. On the other hand, if you play another movie with low frequency effects, do you have the same result?

 

[Thai]

Well, damn, if the amp bottoms out that easily, then i am a bit disappointed. I pretty sure that the squeak goes away when i decrease the bass level. It also lessens if i decrease the 25 Hz control level. So, i guess that the amp may be clipping...but, yeah, for such an expensive (and sophisticated) subwoofer, i am a bit disappointed.

 

[roberto]

Thai, can you tell me where is your listening position? Do you have a wall behind you? You could be in a place where some deep notes are out of phase and can cancel there, at that particular place. So, you need some power to get there. Did you move your sub around? There is a video in youtube from ML that shows how we can get the most of the bass response and placement. I have a Depth I , and I do not want more power in my room. I do get plenty bass energy. Try 1/3 then 1/5 and so. from the side wall. You can adjust the bass energy this way.

 

[Thai]

You can see my signature for a better idea of my listening position. The sub is in the front of the room behind the right Vantage. There is a wall behind my sitting position. I chose that position based on what i read from here and ML's literature. The door opening to my room is in the opposite corner of the room.

Is my bass settings that high???

 

[roberto]

Thai. I do not know how loud do you play your videos and music, but I recommend to you to watch this video from ML http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzCIMufCQLk Your system looks neat and nice, congratulation!... I do not understand why you are having a bass level issue. Happy listening!.

 

[Thai]

Settings on my Depth i:

Volume level is at 5.5
25 Hz control is at zero

My bass level on my Audyssey-Denon AVR 4306 is -3.5 dB.

My volume on my AVR when i play movies is around -12 to -17.

Are these settings extreme?? Otherwise, my sub integrates well with my system (i think). But, i did learn a few things from the video! Will try that later this coming week when i am off.

Thanks for your help, Roberto.

 

[roberto]

With all respect, I think that the position near the corner is the culprit, and there, usually what you get is a one note bass... try to do the recommendations at the video, and sure will take these peak (only one note) away. Remember this, it is not where you get one note of the bass more evident than the others, is where you get even (±) all the bass notes. Hope this might help!. Happy listening.

 

[Thai]

With all respect, I think that the position near the corner is the culprit, and there, usually what you get is a one note bass... try to do the recommendations at the video, and sure will take these peak (only one note) away. Remember this, it is not where you get one note of the bass more evident than the others, is where you get even (±) all the bass notes. Hope this might help!. Happy listening.

Well, the corner position is what is recommended in the owner's manual i think. I thought that it integrated well with my system, but i will definitely try what ML recommended in the video.

But, are my settings THAT high for the amp to clip (thus, the squeak)????

 

[roberto]

Do you have this bass issue with all your recordings? If your ears tell you that you are OK with the volume level, then you are OK... but clipping means overloading the amp... means I can't do that! 350W is a lot of power, and is this the second unit doing the same? Deep notes need a lot of power to come out clean. but clipping a Depth I means you are too high... the manual says too..." Generally, subwoofers have the most output when placed in the corner of a room. However, this can also exaggerate the subwoofers output making blending difficult. We recommend starting by placing the subwoofer in a corner. It should be placed in such a way that there are 2 inches between the grill and the wall. This will avoid blocking the output of any woofers. If, after the full range of tuning techniques have been employed, the subwoofer sounds like it has too much upper bass energy try pulling it away from the wall, toward the listening position. This will lessen the reinforcement of these problematic frequencies from the wall and likely smooth out the response. Repeat the setup procedure with the woofer controls after you move it (see figure 16)"...Happy listening!

 

[Thai]

Yup, my Depth i is 2-3" away from each wall in the corner. No, i do not have much bass issues with much else except movies and deep bass. Well, if i am clipping, then i guess that i need to check out the placement etc..

Are we even sure that the squeaking is from the amp clipping?? Is that what it sounds like when an amp clips?? Squeaking?? I thought that clipping usually result in deletion of sound as the amp goes into protection mode. No sound = clipping...but squeaking???

This is where i am still confused...my settings noted above is nothing out of the ordinary, is it??? Regardless of how it sounds, why is the amp clipping at such ordinary settings??? Maybe i am not seeing the bigger picture here.

 

[mopar04]

It might not be the amp clipping at those somewhat low volumes, it sounds a lot like a similar issue I was having with my REL T1. My issue was actually that the sub's foot spikes were chattering inside the plywood base board under my carpet during deep bass. The sharp spikes were in little grooves that had slowly warn into the plywood and when a deep bass note would hit the spike would hop ever so slightly and rub the metal spike against the plywood, causing kind of a plucking or squawking sound. Maybe that's the case with your sub? That's assuming the Depth even has foot spikes, I've never installed one but I'd imagine they do.

 

[Thai]

Hmmm, that may be it. Yes, my Depth i has metal spikes. I will change out the feet later this week and try it out! Thanks!

Yeah, i just don't see how my Depth i internal class-D amp would clip at those volumes.

 

[Hocky]

If it is clipping or overexcursion, pulling it out of the corner is going to make it worse. One thing to try is to play it again with any room correction turned off - you could be over driving the preamps.

 

[Thai]

ML customer service is excellent...wow, their email response is lightning fast! I am going to send my Depth i in for them to look at.

This will definitely make me buy ML again in the future....

 

[Thai]

UPDATE. I got my new Depth i from ML...THANKS for the superb customer service!! The new one works perfectly...no squeaks, nothing, just pure bass!! Of course, it has not been broken in yet. I installed the same metal spikes and placed it at the same location as my old one.

I did ask ML rep to keep me posted on my old Depth i to see if they found any problems with it.