Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions EP500 V4 - amp is making a "click-click" noise

I have a call into Axiom Tech. Too much going on to sit around waiting for a call back..... Maybe someone has a trick up their sleeve for me to try in the meantime.

One of the twins I unboxed yesterday is making this click-click-click noise. Noticed it when I initiated the Denon's white noise test tone to balance channel levels. I have dual sub output adjustment. Same spot, same cable as the V2 500's these V4's are replacing. Tried turning it off, back on a couple times. Connections are good.

When the clicking occurs, I can see a color change occurring inside the amp cover. Must be an LED. It turns from blue to red.

Can't refer to the instructions (uhhhh, it happens!!), as there were none in the boxes.

Michael,

Without knowing the design of the V4 amp, i would guess it's a relay from what your saying.

Point of clarification, is the click coming from the enclosure (amp plate) or the driver?

Below i am speaking on the assumption that the click is not coming from the driver.


The switching of the LED leads me to go down this road...

Even though you said the cables are good. Have you tried to swap the cables, or put the existing cable into the other sub out on your Denon (i'm guessing your unit has dual sub out's?). i've had this issue with a non-axiom sub at the house, for whatever reason the signal would drop out, even though the connections seemed good.. if this is a relay issue, it sounds like the signal is intermittent, from the multiple click noises your hearing.

So, try swapping out the cable, and also the connection to the Denon. The V4 amp may be more sensitive than the V2 amps.

Hope this helps man... These intermittent things are the biggest pain in the ass possible.


Gotta go do more yard work, i'll check back when I'm done.

Thanks Dak -

The click is the driver making the noise. Weird... I have not had this happen before.

I actually swapped the subs around, thinking it could be a cable issue. The click went with the offending sub.

My Denon is the 4311 model with dual sub outputs and independent level adjustment.

Dammit... These are real wood models too. Getting that amp off without scratching the finish can be challenging.

I have more speakers to unbox.... Still no call back from Axiom.

Swap the two subs instead of the cables and you'll check the whole chain up to the sub.

Easy for me to say; I don't have to lift them!

Michael,

If you felt so inclined. you could pull the driver, and measure the resistance.


Tip on pulling the amp without scratching the finish..

Painters tape.. Mask off the amp; this should protect the surrounding area. I know what you mean about it being tricky to pull the amps.



P.s.
Michael,

The more i think about this, the more i would consider a loose connection within the enclosure if i were in your shoes. from my understanding, all of the amps are bench tested before they are put on the production line. So, the amp should certainly be good with a 100% QC check. next, possibly the driver (unlikely though).. So, that leaves the connections between the amp and the driver.. One of those connections could be loose, and the amp is detecting it. This would explain the changing LED colors.. Also, this would be a pretty simple fix on your end. Granted, you'd have to pull the am still... But, it would not require any shipping down time.


Oh, and you'd get a project out of it... Not that you're necessarily looking for a project...

Mark - I did that already.

Well now there's a burnt aroma coming from this particular sub's amp, and now the other sub is making a slight rattling sound from the amp. Something funky is going on... I don't put much faith into coincidences.

I'm throwing in the towel till I hear from Axiom.

I had the clicking sound as well. I shut off my sub for about 10 minutes and then turned it back on and had no more clicks. Don't know what caused it though. I believe when I was talking to Brent about this he may have mentioned the DSP may be making this clicking noise.

Guys you have me a little tad worried, I'm waiting to recieve my ep500v4 shortly and seeing issues with the v4's is giving me second thoughts on my purchase...

Removed.

Hi Michael,

Does the sub click when there is no signal, or the signal is at low levels, or does is only take place at high levels? The LEDs you see changing colour through the cooling vents suggests that the amplifier is going into protection for some reason. I am suspecting a wire harness may have come loose during shipping, even though we have not run into this before. The amplifier used in the v4 is a proven design and has been in production for over a year in the v3 DSP models. To my knowledge we have not had a single one returned with a fault.

Thanks,

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

If something can go wrong, I'm usually the one to find it....

This clicking occurs at low level. I never did get to the point where I could try this sub, as I couldn't adjust channel level. I unplugged this sub, as I smelt a burnt odor. Haven't done anything since.

The second sub is rattling. Only noticeable with the test tone. Does appear to rattle under normal operation.

I'm not apposed to pulling out drivers or the amps to look for something loose. The sub with the fragrance of something burnt has me more concerned than the one rattling.

I'm also wondering if this Denon might be part of the problem? Seams a bit weird the V2 500's had no issues, ever, and now both of the V4's do.

I did not get a call back from Axiom this weekend. I take it that tech support hours have been scaled back? If so, you all might want to consider advertising that, so folks with issues no when not to expect a call back. Some of us are busy people.

My ep500 v4 has had no problems. Had for 5 weeks. Haven't even calibrated yet.

Michael,

They kind of did.. They removed the weekend notation with their 866 number. However, they did not explicitly note the change to their hours.

Also, another tip to pulling the amp without damage to the finish is to use a pick after pulling the screws. When i was pulling my amps, i removed all of the screws then used a pick to grab the amp from one of the now empty screw holes and pull it straight out of the opening. This way you don't need to use a flat head or something else to pry the amp out of the opening.

http://www.sears.com/craftsman-4-pc-hook...mp;blockType=G2

Above is the product that i have for doing what i am talking about. that technique worked great and none of the finishes were damaged on either of my subs.

I know what you're referring to Dak, I have several for removing valve stem packing. This is simple, just time consuming.

Where is this notation for the no-weekend support? The 866 number doesn't have a message saying that. It rings, you get the message to hold, then the second message saying to leave a number. Nothing has changed on that front.

It's more the absence than then noting it. As of a couple years ago, they use to have a note below the 866 number giving all of the phone hours, m-f then below that Sat and sunday hours. Now, they make no mention of hours by a daily breakdown.


I asked about this quite some time ago.. Brent noted that most people would wait until monday to call, instead of calling on the weekend. So, due to low weekend call volume i'm guessing they made the decision not to support weekend calls.


Good luck man.

No need to worry. I've been buying Axiom products for over ten years. They always resolve issues. This issue is being investigated now. I'll let Andrew speak to it if he wishes.

I was upgrading my amps. That's how i had the insight that i did on how to pull the amps....

Do you ever stop upgrading? Lol.

um... nope not really.. well... i haven't bought anything new for the race car in a while... Does that count? But, then again i kind of have an itch for a GT3... gr...

Nothing for a race car??? Stop waxing it and drive it then I'm holding out for a 430 Scuderia... I have a long wait.

i've got a track day this sat actually... I thought about an F car.. But, the maintenance costs are crazy if you're going to track them.. 6k$ for brakes... um, no thank you... i'm not in that league..

The Z06 isn't bad on costs..

I spend way more time wrenching on it,I barely ever wax the damn thing... Maybe once a year... not a garage queen by any stretch.

Z06 is nice. Have you seen the new C7 Z06? I might have to get one of those!

-Howard

Howard,

I haven't seen the C7 yet. I would advising test driving one. I test drove a C6 Z06 and decided to pass due to the size of the vehicle.. It was a fun car lots of low end torque, but much larger than cars i'm use to.

I love my C6Z. It can take more than I can throw at it. I've seen 1.6 g's on the HUD, can run low tens and hit 200 with more in it and get 29mpg at 60 mph. Tough numbers to beat for the price. I did work the the engine a bit though, swap shocks, tires, clutch, shifter. The new Z is boosted and 400 pounds more. Neither are good attributes for racing.

This thread is way off base but I'll jump in.

Earlier this week my old Jeepin buddy showed up with his newest project, a Mini-Cooper S he modified a good bit to race in an open racing club in New Brunswick. I pushed it pretty good through the nasty s turns on my road and it was a step or two up in fun from my already fun Mini. Punch it at 4k in any gear except maybe 6th(I didn't use it) and you better have your neck braced. Lowered and with a stiffer sway bar it cornered like it was a slot racer, which is saying a lot considering I'm used to the already crazy handling of our stock Mini.

Sharon, who was silly enough to come with us, started looking online for used John Cooper Works models to trade up to. I love it when I'm not the instigator!

Michael, that's why I'd like to get the gt3 (na motor).

A buddy of mine had a C5 with headers cam and exhaust... I took a clover leaf in 3rd. However, when it started to straighten out and I dropped it in second and punched it, every cop in the area knew someone was "having some fun". After that I told him if I got a vette and drove it on the street I'd get myself in trouble.

Michael, did you get the Hurst shifter? My buddies car had that shifter, and I REALLY liked it. Super short throw & easy to get in and out of the gates.. One of the best shifters I've felt.


My buddy noted that his car got the best mpg at 80mph, you've got more displacement in the c6 though. Amazing that a vehicle with an engine making that much power can be operated efficiently.

It seems like almost all of the manufacturers are going the turbo/sc route..


Murph, my track car is a 330. When I lived in new England there were a LOT of mini enthusiasts that would attend BMW events. Many of which were couples where both partners were drivers, either co-driving one car or each had their own mini.

The mini croud was a lot of fun, they were all layed back and wanted to have a good time and chat.


on topic, what the hell is that??

P.S.
Murph, its a slippery slope... Fist you want a little more power, then some bigger brakes.... Next thing you know you've got a full blown track car.

I know the slope well. Although it was a bit different. It was a slippery slope to add mods to let me drive up slippery slopes, but equally expensive.

Michael, any word as to what was going on with your sub?

Ya, I think so….

The one that was making this click noise, I should let Andrew speak to with any technical terms, if he wants….. I’d just screw it up anyway. He did some experiments/investigating and determined what is causing it. Unfortunately, I will need to swap out the amp. A replacement amp has been ordered and I’m waiting for it to ship.

The second sub that was making the rattling sound is a bit easier to speak to, as I’m pretty sure I fixed it…. I did two things at the same time, so I’m not positive which one fixed the problem, maybe both. I pulled the amp and zip tied one of the little wiring harnesses in a fashion that prevent it from rubbing or rattling on the plastic amp cover (snug, not tight). I suppose I should have taken pictures, but it’s pretty easy to see with the amp out. The second thing I did was apply a layer of electrical tape on the plastic amp cover mounting flange; on the outer side that the amp flange will mate to. I reinstalled the amp and tested it by playing the test tone at a very high level. There is still a very, very light rubbing, but it can only be heard if I put my ear directly on the cabinet. I suspect this is normal for a sub. It’s darn near impossible to route wires that will never vibrate and rub on something, when they have to be long enough to gain access for assembly and disassembly.

I think the tape gasket is what cured the rattling, as it kinda had a “plastic” like tone to it. I did not recognize it until I found out the amp had a box type plastic cover, then it just hit me….It’s an intuitive mechanic sorta thing, hard to explain. I think the fine folks at Axiom are looking into this (I sent them a summary of my troubleshooting findings, which are more detailed than what I wrote here).

I do like the V4 500. It’s a rockin’ little sub! I took a bunch of pictures of it with my V2 500 next to for comparison, and I’ll post up a summery when I have time to actually listen to the sub. So far though, I think I’m digging the little bugger. I really do not need a second one in this room either. Hell, the volume knob is only about 20%.... But the single sub just looks lonely by itself, so I'll stick with two....:)

Looking forward to your comparison between the two subs. You mentioned not needing a second sub, what are the dimensions of your room..

12x18x9

That's good news, I have a 12.5W x 21.5L x 7.5H room and have space for only 1 box sub, so ordered the ep500 v4 and fedex tracking says eta Wednesday, it's replacing my ksw-15

My EP600v v2 made a "click-click" sound if I left it on for a few days. It would start "thumping".

recently it started blowing F3/4 in the rectifier board in the psu - currently awaiting feedback whether the parts are available to resurrect it... :-(

I know what you're referring to Dak, I have several for removing valve stem packing. This is simple, just time consuming.

Where is this notation for the no-weekend support? The 866 number doesn't have a message saying that. It rings, you get the message to hold, then the second message saying to leave a number. Nothing has changed on that front.

The replacement amp arrived last week. Both subs are thumping along just fine now. No weird noises.

I like these new ep500s. The LFE hits you, verse a push. It is a very different type of LFE over the V2's they replaced.

Didn't read this. Nope. La la la la !!!

(added an EP500 v<not 4> last year)

A second amp showed up last week. That was a surprise.

I'm really digging these new subs. I guess I'm just a "sealed sub" kind of guy. I will have to admit that one seamed to be a bit lacking, but with two firing in my room, LFE is killer. Now I'm wondering if I can fit an 800 in this room... LOL