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MFW-15 w/ new July 2009 amps <absolutely NO AV123 or MLS bashing/negativity!!> - Page 9

post #241 of 2801
7/30/09 at 9:10am
I got my three mfw's on tuesday. I have only tried out one thus far due to limits on time. Initial impressions.... WOW!

I did have a slight hum which was cured with a cheater plug. This thing does seem to handily outperform my SVS pb12 ultra. Can't wait to get the other two hooked up!

Tough to imagine another sub touching this for the money. It's really that good.
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post #242 of 2801
7/30/09 at 12:56pm
I just got my dual MFW15 shipped via YRC (cheaper rate). I had read somewhere in the forum that YRC wasn't as reliable due to possible damage to items or the items sitting in their docks for long periods of time before they even call you to come pick it up. I had not problems with YRC and no damage to the boxes at all. However, I was tracking the shipment so when they did arrive at their warehouse, I called them to pick them up.

The subs look great, but I haven't had much time to try them out yet. Both subs did have a loud humming issue even when there was no RCA cable plugged into them. I fixed the problem by following the steps outlined in AV123's forum for humming issues. This is an old thorn that should not be there with current shipments of subwoofers. I'm still having a ground loop hum, but I know that my Uverse cable box is the culprit and I'm working on fixing it.

AV123 does do a very good job of boxing the subs so they don't get damaged during shipment. The finish on the Satin Black is very nice - I really like it. The amp does get a little warm even when the sub is supposed to be off. Does anyone know if it is normal for amps to get warm even when they are off?

Anyhow, so far so good. But again, the humming sound should not be there if it is not ground loop related hum.

My 2 cents.
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post #243 of 2801
7/30/09 at 1:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AMEZ68 View Post

Does anyone know if it is normal for amps to get warm even when they are off?

I presume you mean in standby mode, not off. In standby, the units use about 25 watts. That may be what's producing the warmth you mention.

About your hum, perhaps your electrical circuits are not grounded. Just a thought.
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post #244 of 2801
7/30/09 at 2:18pm
It is possible; however, my house is only 3 years old and I also have a pair of fronts with powered subs that don't hum. But I know nothing about in-home electrical wiring so I can't say for sure.
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post #245 of 2801
7/30/09 at 2:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by AMEZ68 View Post

I just got my dual MFW15 shipped via YRC (cheaper rate).

Anyhow, so far so good. But again, the humming sound should not be there if it is not ground loop related hum.

My 2 cents.

I agree 100%. This is one reason why I didn't go for dual MFWs, there are still too many weird issues. I've had many subs over the years, and I have not had any hum issues. That's just not good design, IMO. Good luck with your subs!
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post #246 of 2801
7/30/09 at 3:31pm
For about $5 you can buy an outlet tester at Home Depot. You plug it into your outlets and it'll tell you if you've got a valid ground, hot & neutral are reversed, etc. The age of the house has nothing to do with mistakes made during its construction.
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post #247 of 2801
7/30/09 at 3:45pm
Would the subs have HUM with AND without RCA connected? I did notice when I briefly tested mine, I plugged it into 110, clicked AUTO, set gain. X-over, and as soon as I plugged in an RCA there was a faint HUM. I unplugged the OTHER END of the rca from my receiver and that did absolutly nothing. next resort is a cheater plug
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post #248 of 2801
7/30/09 at 11:31pm
My new amp has zero hum in it... I did locate the wires permanently to the sides with cable clips during the install also though.
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post #249 of 2801
7/31/09 at 12:19am
The diamond black looks fantastic paired with the Rockets. One caveat: the base is also done in the diamond finish, but there are no feet included with the new iteration of the MFW-15. Don't try to slide this thing around unless you want to scratch the finish on the bottom. (which may not matter to you).

Also, zero hum so far. I've got a first run satin black MFW-15 that has been performing duties in our upstairs bedroom. It has given me zero problems other than a slight hum I remedied with a cheater plug. I schloeped it down and paired it with my new one and the pair definitely gets me to a point that one just cannot in my large open living room. If the amp on the new one holds up like I'm hoping, I'll be ordering a 3rd once AV123 is keeping sufficient stock on hand.
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post #250 of 2801
7/31/09 at 5:17am
I received my satin black MFW last week and have been very impressed. The couch shaking during movies is great. Played 300 with my brother and he couldn't believe that it sounded so much like a thunderstorm in the beginning.

I like it and only have to talk the boss into letting me getting another.

I have zero Hum issues
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post #251 of 2801
7/31/09 at 5:36am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chu Gai View Post

For about $5 you can buy an outlet tester at Home Depot. You plug it into your outlets and it'll tell you if you've got a valid ground, hot & neutral are reversed, etc. The age of the house has nothing to do with mistakes made during its construction.

Chu....you are so right.

I've got a 15 year old spec house. 2nd one I had built. While I was having it built, I was there, after work, every day to inspect it. Found all kinds of mistakes that I made the builder and/or sub contractor correct. Even then, I didn't catch everything. Neither did the county inspector....particular with the electrical work.

Builders loathe to re-do anything. Plus, they'll go out of their way to try to convince you you're crazy when you call them on their errors.

Even today, all these years later, I find mistakes that I didn't catch 15 years ago, as I remodel stuff. And yes, most of it surrounds the electrical installation.
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post #252 of 2801
7/31/09 at 5:38am
Thread Starter 
I am sure this has been mentioned before, but what has AV123 said in response to this hum issue. Also, is there an issue with the auto on/off function not working properly....or does it just relate to the grounding of the electrical outlet?
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post #253 of 2801
7/31/09 at 5:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by MTAtech View Post

I think that a nameplate would improve its appearance.

I, for one, am glad that there is no visible branding on mine, a satin black model. Right now, it's just an innocuous black box that sits in the corner and performs dutifully. A few friends have asked who makes the sub, and when I say A-Vee-123, the response is almost always a laugh. Great domain name (easy to remember), but a cheesy sounding brand name, IMO. If there was name plate, I'd remove it, if possible.
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post #254 of 2801
7/31/09 at 6:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AMEZ68 View Post

[…]The subs look great, but I haven't had much time to try them out yet. Both subs did have a loud humming issue even when there was no RCA cable plugged into them. I fixed the problem by following the steps outlined in AV123's forum for humming issues. This is an old thorn that should not be there with current shipments of subwoofers. I'm still having a ground loop hum, but I know that my Uverse cable box is the culprit and I'm working on fixing it.
[…]
Anyhow, so far so good. But again, the humming sound should not be there if it is not ground loop related hum.

My 2 cents.

Are you referring to the wire re-routing fix? It's hard to understand why that would be necessary at this point in time. Ground loop hum is at least understandable as it's seemingly beyond the company's control.
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post #255 of 2801
7/31/09 at 7:48am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mdaudioguy View Post

Are you referring to the wire re-routing fix? It's hard to understand why that would be necessary at this point in time. Ground loop hum is at least understandable as it's seemingly beyond the company's control.

Yes, that is what I meant. I had to reroute the wires. By rerouting I am getting no hum. I would imagine if I had ground problem in the outlet I would still hear a hum even after rerouting the wires.
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post #256 of 2801
7/31/09 at 8:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by mesojdm View Post

Would the subs have HUM with AND without RCA connected? I did notice when I briefly tested mine, I plugged it into 110, clicked AUTO, set gain. X-over, and as soon as I plugged in an RCA there was a faint HUM. I unplugged the OTHER END of the rca from my receiver and that did absolutly nothing. next resort is a cheater plug

Yes, I had a hum problem with and without the RCA. The reason I had the problem without the RCA plugged in was because I needed to reroute the wires inside the sub. I now only have the hum noise when the RCA is plugged, but the problem is due to a ground issue with my Uverse cable box. I just ordered an isolation transformer from Parts Express that is suppose to fix the problem. I read good things about this in other forums.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...TOKEN=37746518
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post #257 of 2801
7/31/09 at 8:03am
Quote:
Originally Posted by AudioIronHorse View Post

... This thing [MFW-15] does seem to handily outperform my SVS pb12 ultra. ...

AudioIronHorse,

Do you mean the PB12-Ultra/2? If so, I'd really appreciate to know more about your comparisons between it and the MFW-15.

As part of my system, I still run a pair of the Ultra/2's non-co-located in my ~3000cf room and happy with them. I have no experience with the MFW-15 and would like to learn more in this regard.

TIA.
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post #258 of 2801
7/31/09 at 8:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Snowmanick View Post

The grill looks like one of Loudandclear's, he is a forum member here and at av123 that made a few batches. I agree they look nice.

I comfirmed that it is a custom grill from LoudandClear. He is still making them so if anyone is interested they should send him a pm. I put in a request for one. He will make them when he has enough requests for a batch.
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post #259 of 2801
7/31/09 at 9:31am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by AMEZ68 View Post

Yes, I had a hum problem with and without the RCA. The reason I had the problem without the RCA plugged in was because I needed to reroute the wires inside the sub. I now only have the hum noise when the RCA is plugged, but the problem is due to a ground issue with my Uverse cable box. I just ordered an isolation transformer from Parts Express that is suppose to fix the problem. I read good things about this in other forums.

http://www.parts-express.com/pe/show...TOKEN=37746518

I don't want to de-rail the thread from updates on the new amps, but what did you exactly "re-route". I read this on removing the ground:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showt...light=mfw+wire

That sounds like a potential fire hazard.
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post #260 of 2801
7/31/09 at 2:21pm
hi everybody my driver died, that's what i was told new one shipped no instructions how to replace. HELP PLEASE, called no response left message yesterday. don't know how to replace this big cone thing.
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post #261 of 2801
7/31/09 at 2:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by pab1219 View Post

hi everybody my driver died, that's what i was told new one shipped no instructions how to replace. HELP PLEASE, called no response left message yesterday. don't know how to replace this big cone thing.

Pretty simple, really. Remove the front 4 magnets (can't remember the size of the hex heads, but I think they're #20). Then there are screws that hold the woofer to the cabinet. Remove those.

Take the old woofer out. Take the wires off the connectors.

Turn the cabinet on it's back, gently. Take the new woofer and attach the wires (either via soldering or with electrical clips). Drop woofer into the cabinet. Line up the screw holes. Replace screws. Replace the cabinet cover and the 4 magnet hex heads.

You're done. Should take about 15 minutes.
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post #262 of 2801
7/31/09 at 3:50pm
For shipping I bet the grill, amp, driver , controller AND face plate would get it under 70 lbs.

I finally got Both of mine up an running at the same time! I have to run Cheaters on both of min as they hum with out signal and I have routed the controller wiring as far left as I can

feeth: Check your sub with an Ipod or something, during shipping the Ferrite bead can pull the wiring out of the amp. That was an issue with one of mine.


LL
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post #263 of 2801
7/31/09 at 4:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SKYWLKR View Post


You need another WOOFER on the right (4th) to balance out your system>>

HH
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post #264 of 2801
7/31/09 at 4:39pm
I just unboxed one of the two satin black MFW-15s, shipped without any problems by YRC, and hooked it up where my trusty little X-sub was. My room is a strangely shaped dedicated theater room on the second floor measuring 12.5 ft wide in the front where the screen is around 25 ft wide in the rear, 8 ft ceilings. From above, the room is shaped like the letter “T.”

Anyway, there is a scene in Ironman, BD, at the 38:34 spot that seems to wreak havoc on subs; I know it certainly did on my little X-sub. (Admittedly, I still haven’t figured the best location for a sub in the room and have not run through calibrations with either Audissey or my calibration DVD/Ratshack SPL meter). At that spot both subs exhibit what sounds like strong port chuffing. My X-sub originally had some air leak issues that AV123 promptly fixed, but still chuffed at that scene. The MFW-15 has gobs more power than the X-sub, but still has problems with that particular scene. I’m nearly certain it’s just port noise but wanted others to check their MFW-15s at that spot for issues. I will un-box and check the other one at that spot to see what happens. Also, I plan to calibrate it/them tonight and try to figure the ideal location for the sub(s). (I will likely gift one of them to my younger brother because he gave me his Onkyo 805 and Carada 100” screen a few months ago after he upgraded equipment).
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post #265 of 2801
7/31/09 at 7:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TCW1 View Post

I just unboxed one of the two satin black MFW-15s, shipped without any problems by YRC, and hooked it up where my trusty little X-sub was. My room is a strangely shaped dedicated theater room on the second floor measuring 12.5 ft wide in the front where the screen is around 25 ft wide in the rear, 8 ft ceilings. From above, the room is shaped like the letter T.

Anyway, there is a scene in Ironman, BD, at the 38:34 spot that seems to wreak havoc on subs; I know it certainly did on my little X-sub. (Admittedly, I still haven't figured the best location for a sub in the room and have not run through calibrations with either Audissey or my calibration DVD/Ratshack SPL meter). At that spot both subs exhibit what sounds like strong port chuffing. My X-sub originally had some air leak issues that AV123 promptly fixed, but still chuffed at that scene. The MFW-15 has gobs more power than the X-sub, but still has problems with that particular scene. I'm nearly certain it's just port noise but wanted other to check their MFW-15s at that spot for issues. I will un-box and check the other one at that spot to see what happens. Also, I plan to calibrate it/them tonight and try to figure the ideal location for the sub(s). (I will likely gift one of them to my younger brother because he gave me his Onkyo 805 and Carada 100 screen a few months ago after he upgraded equipment).

Measuring 120db with both subs going I have yet to hear any port chuffing and they were being pushed as hard as I believe the MFW can be pushed.

I have had Iron Man at reference levels and had no issues with either of them handling it. You might want to get a rat shack meter and properly set them up. I have never tried running mine anymore than 2db hot and the gains at 11 to 11:30 on the subs and can't see a good reason to do so unless I want too much bass which can over power the room.

Try them both out prior to gifting one.
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post #266 of 2801
7/31/09 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TCW1 View Post

I just unboxed one of the two satin black MFW-15s, shipped without any problems by YRC, and hooked it up where my trusty little X-sub was. My room is a strangely shaped dedicated theater room on the second floor measuring 12.5 ft wide in the front where the screen is around 25 ft wide in the rear, 8 ft ceilings. From above, the room is shaped like the letter T.

Anyway, there is a scene in Ironman, BD, at the 38:34 spot that seems to wreak havoc on subs; I know it certainly did on my little X-sub. (Admittedly, I still haven't figured the best location for a sub in the room and have not run through calibrations with either Audissey or my calibration DVD/Ratshack SPL meter). At that spot both subs exhibit what sounds like strong port chuffing. My X-sub originally had some air leak issues that AV123 promptly fixed, but still chuffed at that scene. The MFW-15 has gobs more power than the X-sub, but still has problems with that particular scene. I'm nearly certain it's just port noise but wanted other to check their MFW-15s at that spot for issues. I will un-box and check the other one at that spot to see what happens. Also, I plan to calibrate it/them tonight and try to figure the ideal location for the sub(s). (I will likely gift one of them to my younger brother because he gave me his Onkyo 805 and Carada 100 screen a few months ago after he upgraded equipment).

Audyssey does some strange subsonic boosting in some setups. I added eD eQ.2 to fix the issue. I was able to play around with it by ear for a temporary fix, but I'll run REW this weekend to find out exactly what is going on. I'm not the only one with this issue. There was somebody on here with dual SVS PB13-Ultras with the same issue. I heard one guy who actually used EQ to boost the frequencies in question and then run Audyssey. Then remove the EQ and problem solved. I might try that this weekend as well. Then I can use the two EQ bands on the eQ.2 for any other peaks that exist after Audyssey. I think the problem happens in setups where Audyssey fails to detect the rolloff. So, it may be an Audyssey issue and not an issue with the sub.
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post #267 of 2801
7/31/09 at 7:58pm
I have my amp replaced for about 2 weeks now. Along with others, my amp didn't fit perfectly. I just screwed it in with a little part sticking out but it doesn't seem to be affecting the sound. I moved my MFW 15 into the corner of my 2nd bedroom. WOW!!!! what a difference it made with a smaller size room. I've been feeling the MFW 15 eversince. Too bad I can't feel my MFW in my living room like I can feel it in my bedroom.
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post #268 of 2801
7/31/09 at 8:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by TCW1 View Post

I just unboxed one of the two satin black MFW-15s, shipped without any problems by YRC, and hooked it up where my trusty little X-sub was. My room is a strangely shaped dedicated theater room on the second floor measuring 12.5 ft wide in the front where the screen is around 25 ft wide in the rear, 8 ft ceilings. From above, the room is shaped like the letter T.

Anyway, there is a scene in Ironman, BD, at the 38:34 spot that seems to wreak havoc on subs; I know it certainly did on my little X-sub. (Admittedly, I still haven't figured the best location for a sub in the room and have not run through calibrations with either Audissey or my calibration DVD/Ratshack SPL meter). At that spot both subs exhibit what sounds like strong port chuffing. My X-sub originally had some air leak issues that AV123 promptly fixed, but still chuffed at that scene. The MFW-15 has gobs more power than the X-sub, but still has problems with that particular scene. I'm nearly certain it's just port noise but wanted other to check their MFW-15s at that spot for issues. I will un-box and check the other one at that spot to see what happens. Also, I plan to calibrate it/them tonight and try to figure the ideal location for the sub(s). (I will likely gift one of them to my younger brother because he gave me his Onkyo 805 and Carada 100 screen a few months ago after he upgraded equipment).


the mfw15's CAN be driven too hard, and WILL give you port chuffing/driver distress sounds. you basically have to back off the gain on the sub to around 12 o'clock. if you go past that, even to 1 o'clock you might have that issue with strong bass in certain frequencies. many of us reported this early on (myself included)
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post #269 of 2801
7/31/09 at 9:07pm
Alright, the younger brother came over and we unboxed his possible gift. We set it exactly as the other (gain to 11 o'clock, phase in the middle, and crossover setting all the way up – no calibrating as of yet). We did the Ironman scene and it was awesomely clean, deep, and violent. We ran mine (the original unboxed one) set it exactly as the other and ran it. All four of us (me, wife, him and his squeeze) all let out gasps of horror. I've decided the sounds are not chuffing but something is way off. Either it's leaking like crazy and needs the driver tightened down or something else. Also, with both subs sitting next to each other we all noticed the driver in the sick sub looking different. It had less sheen, more of a matte finish. Weird? We snapped a couple pics with the iPhone, inverted each sub's position and still it looked different. Ideas? I'll give the AV123 guys a call tomorrow or Monday if they're not open tomorrow.
LL
LL
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post #270 of 2801
7/31/09 at 9:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pure-Evil View Post

the mfw15's CAN be driven too hard, and WILL give you port chuffing/driver distress sounds. you basically have to back off the gain on the sub to around 12 o'clock. if you go past that, even to 1 o'clock you might have that issue with strong bass in certain frequencies. many of us reported this early on (myself included)

Evil,

Why would anybody have to "back off" to 12? Typically between the AVR and the gain on the sub 11:00 seems to be the norm. If you have it set up to 1:00 are you lowering the level in the AVR?
I just ran a few sequences from WOTW and Iron Man with both subs gained up to 1:00, this was simply too strong and checking the rat shack meter using my AVR test tones I was running near 90db so 10 to 11 db hotter than I typically would so it wouldn't shock me if people who had it up this high complained of straining subs.

But again, if you're running the subs at 80db or 75db with the gain on the sub at 1:00 Maybe backing off on the gain on the sub and upping it a bit in the AVR might sound better, or am I smoking ganja..
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