Anyone good with speaker repair?

[hnugz]

I have a set of the klipsch 5.1 surround speakers for my pc that are now 4-5 years old.  These things have been great, however about a week ago I started getting a hissing noise from them.  The hissing comes from all speakers and is a constant volume.  Windows volume and manual speaker volume does not change anything.  I tried unplugged all the wires from the pc and the hissing continues.  I wrote to klipsch and they said it sounds like an amp problem but they want to charge me $90.  Is this a reasonable price?  Any way I could do this myself?

[ChadTower]

It does sound like an amp problem.  If the sound continues with no source signal, and it comes identically through all speakers, it is coming from the common source.  That would be the amp.

$90 may be reasonable considering what it may include.

It could be fixable yourself depending on your skills.

[USSEnterprise]

Depends. How much were they new and how much can you get a similar set for new nowadays?

[whammoed]

VERY common problem with the 5.1   This is why I went with the 2.1 set for my pc.  Haven't come across anyone fixing this themselves in the research on these, so it may indeed be reasonable.  There is another 5.1 version out but they apparently have not made them any more reliable.  Everything else Klipsch seems to be good though.

[hnugz]

new they were like $300 i think when i first bought them.  oh well, i think i might either just deal with the noise or see if there are any local shops are here for that.  its a shame because they sounded great.

[somunny]

$90 isn't that bad, though I had a Cambridge Soundworks sub repaired for $50 by the factory techs.

[ChadTower]

Subs are easier, far far easier, to diagnose than a 5.1 integrated amp.

If I were you I'd check the cables and test the setup on another source.  It could easily be a bad cable or input/output jack.

[Jess--]

most cambridge soundworks subs Are the integrated 5.1 amp (they just chuck it all in the same box as the sub)
The Megaworks range have a very nasty habit of frying the the high current side of their power supply, I would not be at all surprised if that was not what the fault was with somunny's speakers that he had fixed.....

Me... I'm a cheapskate and I just wired in my own high current supply to bypass their cheap under-rated design

[ChadTower]

most cambridge soundworks subs Are the integrated 5.1 amp (they just chuck it all in the same box as the sub)

Only the lower end ones are.  I have two Cambridge Soundworks subs that don't have any encoding or decoding.  Just an internal crossover (that I don't use), a power supply, and a speaker.  The good subs they, and pretty much anyone except Bose, makes are not integrated.

[somunny]

I have a CSW SP1, 150 watt subwoofer that's part of the Movie Works 5.1 set.  Great unit.  I've had it and the rest of the set since 1998 and have never had the desire to buy a newer system.  Plus, CSW's customer service has never failed me.  Solid organization, IMO.

Replacing the sub with a newer one from CSW would have run me around $500 - $600 so I was very pleased with their repair rates.

[ChadTower]

CSW stuff can be had refurb on ebay much, much cheaper, and is almost always like new quality.  I have had a couple of new CSW speakers blow on me and I replaced them with refurbs.