Depending on the movie and the system volume, I will periodically hear loud, nerve-jangling pops coming from my S10 subwoofer during bass heavy sequences that don't just take you out of the movie, they're like getting stabbed in the ear drum.  I've experimented with various levels on the receiver (an Onkyo TX-SR674 with the levels on the receiver set using their automatic microphone setup process) as well as the sub itself (connected with a Y cable purchased from Aperion) and the only thing that ever seems to eliminate the rather unpredictable problem is by turning down the level knob on the sub.

The extra-annoying thing is I can go for months without hearing it and without ever altering any the levels on the sub or receiver (other than overall volume, of course) and then it'll crop back up at an inopportune time and I'll have to tweak the sub knob lower.  So my question is this, is my S10 blown or otherwise physically damaged on the insides?  Or am I just pushing it beyond its means?  This problem has been occurring on an irregular basis since I first got my Aperion set 3 years ago.  My warranty will be up on it in a matter of weeks, so I'd like to know if I can RMA it or if I should just bite the bullet and buy a Bravus.

Hello Peter,

Hmmm, I doubt the woofer is blown if it only occurs every couple of months or so.  However you can test the integrity of the woofer by pushing gently on the center of it when it isn't playing.  It should be nice and spring-y, if it makes a scraping noise or there is a lot of resistance and not much give in the woofer it is likely blown.  

I'm thinking the more probable cause is one of two things.  First you may be overdriving the sub either from the channel level at the receiver being too high or from turning the level knob up to the top of the dial, in general for that model once you go past the one or two o'clock position you can overdrive it. 

Either that, or you may just be getting occasional power spikes from the wall.  If you don't have the sub plugged into a power conditioner already, I recommend it. 

Feel free to give us a call or log into webchat if you need any further help, thanks! 

You are definitely bottoming out your sub, the reason you may not hear it for months, is because of the different movies/shows you watch have different lengths to which the bass extends. Example, one movie may go to only 20Hz, where as another will hit 5Hz.

Here is an example of a sub bottoming out, im pretty sure this is what you are talking about.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VsQFRoqmOIE