reQuest Fading Output---Help!

[hillbilly]

I have a pair of reQuests that are used as surrounds (Summit Xs are the mains). One of them has about half the output as the other. This is after I increased the output on my Marantz 8801 pre/pro.

I switched the outputs on my Cinenova Grande amp with the same results: the same speaker has half the output as the other.

I vacuum the speakers every 3-4 months. Somewhere down the road I had purchased spare, used, but supposedly working as new, extra panels.

Should I go ahead and replace that panel, or would there be another reason for the diminished output?

I've never replaced panels before, so would also appreciate any opinions about how difficult that procedure would be.

Thanks for any help!

Dennis

 

[TomDac]

Hi Dennis,
It could also be the power supply, so I'd contact ML tech support first and they will walk you thru some additional troubleshooting steps. This could mean swapping power supplies or panels to test.

Swapping panels isn't that big of a deal on the older ML's. A rubber mallet and some determination is all you'll really need. Maybe replace the double-sided sticky tape that holds the panels on while you're at it.

Good luck.

 

[hillbilly]

Thanks Tom,

Good idea; I'll call ML today.

I watched an action movie last night and several times I heard crackling/static-like sounds from the one reQuest when there was lots of surround effects.

One thing I need to check today is the cabling. I run my surround and rear surround cables through the floor and under my house. About a year ago I had a critter chew on of the cables-easy fix (except crawling under the house).

I'm also wondering if there is a loose wire. I have a Velodyne DD15 sub that made awful intermittent noises a while back. When I took the amp plate off, I found one connection had worked loose.
If I follow the directions for the panel replacement, will I have access to check the wiring?

Thanks

 

[TomDac]

Yes, you will see where the wires connect to the panel once you open up the power supply box thingie. Let us know how things turn out. If the panel needs replacement, i'd suggest getting them re-done (both of them). Do some searching on here and you'll see some threads about a guy who can rebuild them cheaper than buying new panels.

 

[hillbilly]

Well, before I started to replace the panels (I have an extra pair I bought used a while back), I thought a bit more about my problem solving process. I crawled under the house (yuck!) to check to see if any critters chewed on the cables running underneath. There was no damage I could see, so I switched between amp modules on my Earthquake Cinenova amp. I finally figured out that one of the modules has less output than the others. I connected the weaker module to one of my rear LX16 speakers that provide mostly ambience to movies. Whew! At least it's not my reQuests. Now I'll have to take the 110# amp back to Earthquake in the Bay Area to have it serviced.

Thanks for the help Tom. I think I'll be prepared now when I do need to exchange the panels.

 

[JonFo]

... I finally figured out that one of the modules has less output than the others. ...

Glad to hear it was not the speaker, that can be daunting.

I went through a similar scare back in 2006, and it turned out that a 15-year-old Sunfire stereo amp was going bad, had it repaired and all has been good.

Which reminds me, need to schedule the other two Sunfires to go to the shop for preventative maintenance (re-capping) as they are both approaching 20 years.