Problem with Athena PS6000 Sub.

[EqualSlash]

I've had the sub for about a year now with zero problems but this evening when I walked into my HT Room and powered it up to listen to some music, It wouldn't output ANY sound at all. The sub powers up fine (Green LED light on front comes on) and I have tried switching Sub Cables to no avail. I also turned it on the side and looked at the speaker and didnt notice any imperfections on it at all and I highly doubt it could be the reciever (Denon AVR-2805) because I have no problems with any other input/output on the reciever at all. I'm basically wondering if there is any sure-fire fix anyone knows based on what is going on that I can fix at home rather than sending it in to Athena to be fixed/replaced?

[ransac]

Does it have output from any other source (DVD)?

I had this problem once and it turned out to be an open voice coil. To test this, you would have to get to the driver terminals and check it with an ohm meter. If it is the driver, Athena should send you a replacement driver instead have having to send in the sub.

[EqualSlash]

Originally Posted by ransac

Does it have output from any other source (DVD)?

I had this problem once and it turned out to be an open voice coil. To test this, you would have to get to the driver terminals and check it with an ohm meter. If it is the driver, Athena should send you a replacement driver instead have having to send in the sub.

Actually I just found out that it IS outputting sound, just not very much. When I turn the Sub's Volume to 10 and have the source volume at a decent level it rumbles a tiny bit. This goes for any source I've tested, Music (CD Changer)/Movies (DVD Player) & Games (PS2). Also, I forgot to add that when I have the power switched to Standby/Auto, The sub switches on when signal goes to it just with the same problem as above. Any idea exactly what the problem is and what can be done to fix it?

[ransac]

Sounds to me like you are now at the mercy of Athena's customer support. From their web site, this is not going to be pretty. I didn't find any way to contact a tech support person. They only give you some repair company's contact info. You are probably going to have to work with the retailer you bought it from or some other Athena retailer. The warranty says 5 years on the speaker and 1 year on the electronics.

Sorry I couldn't help more, but you are dealing with electronics, so it could be any of a dozen things.

Have you completely shut it down, unplugged it, plugged it back in and powered it back up? Have you tried the age old method of smacking it on the side, real hard. You would be surprised how many times this has worked for me.

[EqualSlash]

Originally Posted by ransac

Sounds to me like you are now at the mercy of Athena's customer support. From their web site, this is not going to be pretty. I didn't find any way to contact a tech support person. They only give you some repair company's contact info. You are probably going to have to work with the retailer you bought it from or some other Athena retailer. The warranty says 5 years on the speaker and 1 year on the electronics.

Sorry I couldn't help more, but you are dealing with electronics, so it could be any of a dozen things.

Have you completely shut it down, unplugged it, plugged it back in and powered it back up? Have you tried the age old method of smacking it on the side, real hard. You would be surprised how many times this has worked for me.

Yikes! If this is the case I might just be better getting a new sub. The thing is, If the problem is not covered under warranty like you say I would have to take it up with the store (Sadly Best Buy) I bought it from...Only problem is I didnt get Best Buy's Warranty on the sub :/. Should I try to open it up and see if I cant see anything obvious wrong with it (not experienced with Subs at all) or just attempt to give Athena a call and pray for the best?

[ransac]

Since it isn't under warranty, you can pull the amp and see if there is anything loose or if you smell burnt electronics (an unmistakable odor). Or take it to BB and have them look at it. They will probably want you to buy a new sub cuz that's what they do. but they should be able to give you a repair estimate.

[EqualSlash]

Originally Posted by ransac

Since it isn't under warranty, you can pull the amp and see if there is anything loose or if you smell burnt electronics (an unmistakable odor). Or take it to BB and have them look at it. They will probably want you to buy a new sub cuz that's what they do. but they should be able to give you a repair estimate.

Exactly what I was thinking, I like B&M Stores like Best Buy in certain ways that if I know exactly what I want I can walk in and PERSONALLY get it instead of ordering offline and hoping it doesnt get fudged up in shipping, But then the ugly side always shows its head with their pushpushpush Customer Service and Salesmen along with crappy policy all around. I'll bust it open and see what I can see but I got a gut feeling I'm just going to have to replace it with a different Sub.

[EqualSlash]

Well, I opened up the sub this morning and through my speaker-inexperienced eyes I didnt notice anything obviously wrong and also didn't notice a smell of anything burning or that had burnt. I guess I'm pretty much SOL then? Guess I should start shopping around for a new sub...

[uncle]

Did you ever find out what the problem was with your sub?

My father has the same sub, has had it for the same amount of time as you did, and started having the same problems you've had. I've heard rumors that there might be a protection circuit inside that might have been tripped. Did you see anything like this when you went hunting around inside your sub?

what did you end up doing?

[louthewiz]

Did you try switching the cable to see if the cable is defective and also did you try feeding the speaker level inputs as well,and finally did you check to see if the woofer is blown ???

[James Barber]

Recently blew out my Athena 6000. It just produced a vibrating rattling sound just like a blown driver. I took it apart and checked the fuse, then hooked the driver to another amplifier and it ran happily. Putting various other speakers on the amp output produced the same sounds. Unfortunately the electronics were over warranty. My dealer has looked at it and offered me a tradein for a Paradigm pw-2200 so I will probably take that.

James

[nathanielmark01]

I had the same exact problem with my sub. I just sent it in for warranty to one of the service centers. It was a place called "simply speakers" in Pinellas, FL... apparently, Athena is moving its service centers because of the Klipsch acquisition so I could not send it in there.....

Today I got a call from them (Simply Speakers) informing me that the sub passed all the tests without any issue so they are shipping it back... They said it might be my sub cable or receiver but i tested them out with another sub and everyting seems fine... i really thought i was losing my mind...

And now I see this thread... Now i am extremely PO'd because I had to pay for return shipping and now I see there is in fact a problem with the sub... is it possible that this problem is self-correcting? If i get the sub back and it doesnt work, i'm going to do everything possible to get it fixed.

Anyone have any ideas? I am ready to call simply speaker back and speak to whoever tested it.

Uncle can you elaborate on the rumors of a protection switch? is this something i could locate?

[nathanielmark01]

I spoke to them again today (Simply Speakers in Pinellas, FL)... they really do seem to be an extremely professional shop and from what i can see its a good place to do business. They confirmed that the sub is performing normally and the problem must be intermittent... They facilitated communication with Athena on the issue and now I am waiting to see if Athena will do the appropriate thing and reimburse me for return shipping costs.

I will certainly keep everyone posted in how this situation is handled.

[James Barber]

Mine was not intermittent as I had the amp right out of it and trying it with other speakers. I used several input signals and all produced the same buzz and rattle with any speaker. Athena to this day has not answered my emails at all.

James

[nathanielmark01]

James, you should try calling them. I haven't got the sub back so i can't speak to whether or not the issue is resolved, but they Dan at API did refund my return shipping and told me to let him know if there are issues when i get it back... i will PM you Dan's contact info.... i explained that they have a lot of customers on AVSForums and a lot of people are concerned that service is falling off because of the takeover.... i think they are going thru transitions but will still address issues if you are persistent...

sub comes tommorow so we will see what happens... i got my final piece of the full 6.1 today (R1.2 rear channel) and had upgraded the fronts to F1.2s and have yet to hear my new setup with the sub so i am very excited about the sub coming...


if anyone else needs contact info for Athena issues, just PM me.

[whoaru99]

I would say that Athena went above and beyond.

Unless there is something I'm missing, they did you quite a favor by paying return shipping on a NDF return.

[James Barber]

Thanks Nathanielmark01
For the contact info.
I had given up after several tries and contacted my dealer. At first he offered to repair the amp free of charge then he offered a full refund since I was enquiring about upgrading to a Paradign PW2200 sub. I have taken the deal and my Athena is gone. Just waiting now for the Paradigm to arrive. It was such a good deal I couldn't turn it down.

James

[nathanielmark01]

Originally Posted by whoaru99

I would say that Athena went above and beyond.

Unless there is something I'm missing, they did you quite a favor by paying return shipping on a NDF return.

I would say refunding the return shipping was the bare minimum they could have done. I don't see many businesses doing anyone favors. These days, if you want something handled correctly, you often have to make it happen.

[nathanielmark01]

I unpacked the sub and hooked everything up and its still screwed up. the bass might be slightly better than it was. i really dont know. i get low output now by turning the sub volume up to 7 (out of 10) and pushing it up +4 on the receiver.... before it seemed a bit worse.. but the bass coming out isnt clean... i switched the power source to a direct open socket on the wall (from my cyberpower 1030HT) and swapped the RCA cable and it was exactly the same result... next will be bringing it to a friends house to test on a different receiver.. but since my computer sub seemed ok on my receiver (and i can't imagine an unamplified signal from my onkyo is the problem), i am guessing its the sub..

at least i have a direct contact with API. i am going to request they send me a new amp or sub since ive already had to pack it up and ship it once... will keep you posted... im tempted to just buy an H-100 but wife would be a bit pissed with all the new toys i just got... right now, i really regret having bought an Athena sub.

[nathanielmark01]

sub is definitely shot... i brought it over to a friends and swapped it right out with his sub and there was nothing - at normal listening volumes... i cranked it up on the sub and could still barely hear it...

he pointed out that i have regular speaker wire inputs to the sub and then i remembered noting that the sub crossover had been adjusted down... im going to try testing it with regular speaker output to see if that works... that could be the explanation for their test results.... however, since i would wager that better than 80% of sub owners use the RCA in, testing the speaker wire input and neglecting the RCA is completely unacceptable... obviously its going to be a long weekend, so i might not hear a response for a while... i am going to request that they send me a new sub since they already dropped the ball twice on me.. (first time was getting a place that would let me ship it to them)....

ive encouraged a couple people to buy athena speakers and generally feel like a jackass now...

[James Barber]

I wouldn't feel that way. Athena speakers have been pretty good except for the subs. I have f2.2 in the front with asc1 and f1 in the rear. The sound is pretty good and the speakers take quite a pounding on a daily basis without any problems. I have been through several buyouts by different companies and often the service is in termoil since employees and locations are being reduced and combined. I still think Athenas are pretty good.

Good Luck
James

[nathanielmark01]

I am definitely not disputing the quality of the speakers. i have 7 of them, including the sub... but clearly the sub has an issue of some kind and what i am seeing is that their warranty service is below the standard you would expect with an expensive specialty product of that kind... i realize Athena is a "budget" brand, but you still expect more when shelling out $300 or so for something...

i guess there are people who can afford to buy a new sub every few months when it dies... i am not in a position financially to do so. I have heard excellent reports about Bics warranty service for the H-100, so there is no excuse for the service I am experiencing. IMHO, anyone in the market for a "budget sub", should seek alternatives until Athena shows they will honor their warranties... who knows what kind of quality issues will arise out of the merger... You can expect they will try to trim employees and cut production costs while maintaining prices... it stands to reason that the quality of Athena speakers will very likely decline.

[nathanielmark01]

Looks like Athena is making good on the warranty afterall. but obviously, it has been more aggravating than what it could have been...

[nathanielmark01]

FYI: It seems that API is making good on the warranty issue with my Athena sub... just wanted to reassure anyone who saw my original post... not that my warranty issue was without a great deal of aggravation, but that is probably typical with other companies as well.

[edwardsk2003]

i've had the same problem with my sub...looking into getting it fixed, but mine IS under warranty

[rppb]

I have two ps 6000 subs. The first sub was under warranty and I sent it to Simply Speakers for repair. They put in a new amp and it has been working fine.I packed it with the original packing and shipped it Fedex for $70.00. Simply Speakers said it arrived with two large dings so I will never use Fedex again.My second sub just died today. It might still be under warranty but I don't care. I will not send it in for repair.

[mcfc98]

Looks like I have the same issue as others here. Tried the sub last night with my new receiver and it wasn't outputting any test tones duirng the MCACC setup. Cracked it up to 10 and I could hear it trying to output the sound but really quietly.

I'm pretty sure I won't have any warranty coverage here (I think it is 3 years old IIRC), any suggestions on what I should do?

[rppb]

Since the amp is the problem and the Athena brand is history it will be hard to find replacement parts in the future.I would buy a sub from an established company.I replaced mine with a JBL L8400 that I bought on ebay for about the same price from the Harmanaudio store with a full warranty.The Athena sub that I sent in for repair is working fine in a second system that I rarely use.If you decide to send it in for repairs I would ship it UPS.The last three items that I received from FedEx were damaged.I won't use FedEx.(I wish the ebay sellers didn't) I packed the sub in its original packing and the only way it could have been damaged like that was if somebody threw it to the ground.I used to work in a warehouse loading and unloading trucks and have seen how items get damaged. good luck. I will try to post this message again it failed to list.

[Jakeman02]

Originally Posted by mcfc98

Looks like I have the same issue as others here. Tried the sub last night with my new receiver and it wasn't outputting any test tones duirng the MCACC setup. Cracked it up to 10 and I could hear it trying to output the sound but really quietly.

I'm pretty sure I won't have any warranty coverage here (I think it is 3 years old IIRC), any suggestions on what I should do?

My first sub was the Athena 4000 which suffered the same fate. I loved that sub and minus output capability of larger subs I've had since it's still my favorite sub to date. If the series had a reliable amp I'd have just went multiples and forgot about about it but the amps after a year or so all seem to suffer the same fate.

I'd recommend just chalking it up as a loss and move on. It was in the category of a budget sub to begin with, Athena in itself is no longer a company and it only had a 1yr warranty. Set a budget and move on to something more reliable, ID gives the best performance/price ratio with personalized service you can count on if something should happen down the road.

[mcfc98]

Thanks, good advice all.


It was my first sub I've owned (came with my Point 5 setup) and I liked it a lot. I'll have to do my research and see what is best for me now. I'd like to stick under $200, I only have a small room to fill.