Subwoofer static/popping/cutout

Hey all... longtime lurker, don't post much. I've found a lot of help here over the years; maybe you guys can help out some more.

I recently purchased some home theater equipment during the Black Friday week. Here is my setup:

Receiver: Yamaha RX-V671
Speakers: Klipsch HDT 1000
Subwoofer cable: Mediabridge Subwoofer cable
The sub itself is a Klipsch RPW-10

I hooked everything up, did the YPAO setup, and the first time I got a W-1 Error: out of phase. I checked the phase on the sub and it was set to 0 degrees, so I set it to 180, and got the same error. Switched back to 0 and the error went away. I thought this was odd, but it also said some speakers were reverse wired the first time (which they're not) and not the second. However, I also got a "W-3" error, which I have been unable to find anything about. It also set my sub to -10dB (minimum) and it was highlighted red. I have no idea what this means, but it seemed like the sub wasn't very loud, so I pushed it up to -5. I set the crossover to 120Hz as recommended in the manual, and I have the lowpass on the sub itself set to 120Hz as well. Everything was working fine for the first few days, though it did feel like the sub was kind of weak/nonexistent while watching cable. Fine while watching Blu-Rays through my PS3, though.

Then yesterday, I started getting static/popping from the sub when it would get a bass signal, and then it would randomly cut out, producing no sound at all. It's kind of hard to describe, but it doesn't sound like it's blown. Imagine that every time there's the kick of a bass drum, for instance, it's weak bass with some static-y popping. But sometimes it's perfectly fine and really strong for several minutes. I messed with the crossover and the LPF, made sure the cable was connected to the LFE channel securely, made sure it was connected to the receiver securely, tried switching the phase, reversed the cable... nothing worked. Thinking it may be a bad cable, I tried to just use another RCA cable from a component cable set short term (not as good as a subwoofer cable, but a decent, shielded, gold-plated set). This did nothing... same problems, so I don't think it's the cable.

So now I'm stuck and confused... is it a problem with the sub? The receiver? My configuration? I don't have another receiver to test the sub, nor do I have another sub to test the receiver. Returning them will be a pain since I bought them both from Amazon, but obviously I'll do what I have to. I just want to make sure I'm not missing something obvious here. For reference, I had everything plugged into the same surge protector, along with my TV, PS3, cable box, as well as my modem/router; I thought maybe this was causing some issue so I plugged it into its own outlet with no change. I don't think it's a ground loop issue since I don't hear a constant hum from the sub or any of the speakers. Kind of at a loss.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Update: It seems my sub no longer works at all. I can hear it play some bass briefly as it shuts down and powers up, and it works for a few seconds when it first starts, but then nothing. Do I have a bad sub or a bad amp on my receiver?

Update 2: Just did some more testing. I used a 1/8" to 2xRCA cable, plugged my phone into the sub and played some music. Got a good amount of bass just below half gain, was afraid to go above half gain so as not to blow the sub. I also tried wiring the high channel for the LF speaker AVR->sub->speaker. Got sound out of the LF speaker just fine, there was a clear difference between sub on/off.

Feels more and more like the sub is fine. Is it just the LFE channel on the AVR?
Edited by card-me - 11/30/12 at 6:55pm

The sub was working fine again this morning, then quit again. I tried wiggling the sub cable on the AVR input and didn't notice any more static or popping, but the bass did come back for a second, only to go away again. It hasn't come back.

I guess it's just the sub out on the AVR that's bad. Time to pack it up and send it back.

I had Amazon send out a new receiver and had the sub turned off while I was waiting. The new receiver came in today, so I plugged everything up... nothing. I tried plugging my phone into it to check it again like I did last time... nada. The sub is just dead. I checked the fuse and it's perfect (see the attached picture).



So I guess the sub is dead, but I can't figure out why. If I send this back, I don't want to have the new one have the same issue if it was something I did. Is this combination of receiver and sub not a good idea? If not, what should I be looking for? Or did I just get a bad part?

Sorry for the noob questions and thanks in advance.

I didn't have a different sub cable to try, but I did try just a standard RCA cable (from a component cable set). Same result... no bass whatsoever. I also tried plugging a different audio source into the sub using a 1/8" to RCA adapter and got nothing either, which is strange since that worked just fine a few days ago (which is the reason I thought the issue was with the AVR).

I'm quite sure now that the sub is bad, but what I don't know is why. This is the first home theater that I've done, so I want to make sure I'm doing everything right and that I didn't cause this. I'd hate to send the speakers and sub back to Amazon only to have the new ones have the exact same issue in three days. Basically, I'm trying to make sure I'm not over/under driving the sub and that my AVR and spears are... simpatico. Hopefully you guys that are better at this stuff than I can weigh in. I also have the option of just returning the stuff I have and getting a different setup... i.e. piecing together the speakers and the sub separately, but I really don't have much of a clue what I'm doing there (and that would obviously be a thread for a different forum).
Edited by card-me - 12/5/12 at 8:07am