I bought a Bravus 12D subwoofer this past spring. I love it! Amazing sound, power and low bass. I use mine exclusively for music, as I’ve got a separate home theatre system set up in the family room. I had it only a week when I got a warning letter from the home-owners association. Oops!

For as much as I like the sub, I have an issue with it that I can’t seem to resolve. I keep my sub on “Auto” mode. During quiet musical passages, in between songs or before it goes into hibernation after use, the sub makes noise. If it is in “On” mode the noise never stops. It’s not a super loud noise but it is certainly audible and impossible to ignore in a quiet room. The best way I can describe the noise is that of a hot, open microphone that is not in use, but is unattended and just picking up and amplifying background noise.  I've had this issue from day one with my sub.

I have a Rotel receiver that was purchased new at the same time that I bought the Bravus 12D and decent quality cables. Any ideas about how to eliminate the noise?

Have you tried to swap the cables out?  Even quality cables have their quirks from time to time.

 

Also check and play with the levels coming from your receiver.  You might raise and lower the outbound signal to the sub to see if that helps the matter.

Make sure the power cable and input cable are not in close proximity, if they have to be make sure they cross at a 90 degree angle.  If neither of those help try turning dow the volume on the sub and turning the sub level up a corresponding amount in the AVR.

 

Cheers 

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Russ

Joined you!

Thanks for the suggestion PJ.  I made the adjustments you suggested and those Russ suggested in a later message, but to no avail. But I discovered something I didn't know before.  If I go a step beyond and disconnect the input cables coming from my reciever, that makes no difference either.  If the sub is powered "On", the noise continues whether or not the sub is connected to the amp.

Give Aperion a call or chat Monday.

 

Cheers 

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Russ

Joined you!

I plan to do that .  Thank you Russ.

I am experiencing the same situation with my Bravus 12D.

 

I've only had the sub for a couple of months and just this weekend I was able to spend time with it (HT/basement renovations kept it boxed after an initial 2 weeks of use).  I switched over from "Auto" to "On" and found the exact same persistent rumble.  The noise occurs at all times (movie playing, movie on pause, etc.) and even when I've disconnected the input line!  If it's plugged in and set to "On" then it's rumbling.

 

The only way I've been able to hide the rumble/noise is to reduce the volume to -10 which is obviously not a fix.  I've put in an email to techsupport and am anxious to hear their response.

Hey guys,

It sounds to me like you are both hearing the noise floor of the sub amp.  Generally it's not an issue in the auto mode since the sub clicks off in the absence of a signal, but if you are still hearing it the solution is usually to boost the level to the sub from your receiver so you can turn down the sub and still get the output that you want out of it without hearing the amp's noise floor.  If that still doesn't take care of the issue you can also reduce the channel levels of your other speakers, as long as you reduce all of the speakers by the same amount you won't throw off your calibration, and when you do that it will force you turn up your master volume which will send more signal to the sub and you can bump down its volume a couple more notches. 

I've got your email boyermd and I'll also reply to you there but just let me know if either of you need more help, thanks!  

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Jason Hicks
Aperion Audio Guru

Mine does the same thing.  I just leave it on auto all the time and the problem is fixed.  If I need the sub to wake up then I just hit the volume control button and its good to go.  Not really a problem....just leaving it on auto...

 

Alex

i have the same exact problem with an 8D. i called aperion several times last year and got 3 different replacement units experiencing the same issue. i ruled out my receiver and/or cables because even when unplugged, i get the low-frequency static out of the sub. at #3 i just gave up and kept it because i really like the rest of my intimus 4T hybrid SD speakers and don't want to mix-n-match brands. 

the static gets worse as the volume on the sub increases so what i ended up doing was dramatically increasing output to the sub from my receiver so i can lower the volume on the speaker. the volume is set to 4 and i can still hear the noise but it's not as prominent as before (set to 10).

this is quite troubling, however, because the issue still remains. if i move to a bigger place and will need to readjust the volume, the static noise will come back in full force and that will be extremely distracting while listening to soft, relaxing music.   

the fact the same symptom surfaces even on 12Ds begs the question, what's wrong aperion internal sub amps? i don't know what else could be generating the static if it's not the amp.

I have my AVR sub out set to +12, it's default.  I run the 8D at around -3.  I have the crossover at 100 in the AVR.  I have the sub EQ set to narrow, 80Hz, and -5db to handle a positioning problem.  I get no noise.  If I have the volume on the AVR high with no source on and put my ear within a foot or two a hiss is audible but can not be heard at all a few feet away.

I would suggest that you take great care with the cable placement and quality, test your house wiring (many homes, including new construction have ground problems), and bump the AVR sub volume up as high as possible.

Cheers 

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Russ

Joined you!

I have two 10D's and have little noise coming from either one.  I have the sub volume on my AVR set to +5db, and the sub volume at +3db.  If I crank the sub volume to their maximum setting, I can certainly hear hiss.  But obviously that's not their ideal position.

As Russ noted, sub's notoriously produce hiss due to cable placement, home wiring (grounding), etc.  When I first connected an Emotiva amp to my system, my speakers hissed like a pissed off cat.  After rewiring, the hissing disappeared.  Tough to reverse engineer.

Btw...  Aperion, how about a one time trade-up policy for subs?  I want two 12D's .  Would make a wonderful Christmas present for myself.

 

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Speakers: Aperion 6T, 6C, 5DB, 6IC, Bravus 10Dx2
Monitor: JVC RS20U front projector with Stewart Velux 100" screen
Receiver: Yamaha RX-V1800
Blu-ray: Yamaha BD-S2900
Amplifier: Emotiva UPA-7
Conditioner: Panamax M5300PM

JoeZ:

...my speakers hissed like a pissed off cat.

 

Classic.  

JoeZ:

Btw...  Aperion, how about a one time trade-up policy for subs? 

 

I would be all over that. Would love a 12D