20 Most Recent KEF Audio PSW 1000 Subwoofer Questions & Answers

Ok so no guarantees this will work, but it did for me and I knows it's very late but hopefully it will help someone else with a similar problem.

I had the same problem and as clmrt5000 said a very long time ago there could be an issue with a ground loop, although this is likely to give a high pitched buzzing sound.

This can easily be fixed by adding a switch to disconnect the mains earth from the back plate, or you can just unscrew the earth and tape it up, this fixed my ground loop, (some models already have a ground lift switch)

As for the "boiling" sound I also got a saw tooth wave sound (like a strange squeak or beep that changed frequency) this is caused by faulty components, and thanks to Frank Johnson (http://lug.demon.co.uk/kefrepair/?p=60) who suggested that you can simply and easily replace 3 capacitors on the main amplifier board (c58 - 47uF 63v or 100v) + (c52 & c53 - 220uF 25v) but stand them away from the board on the length of the capacitor leads to prevent them from absorbing heat from surrounding hot components (with heat shrink tubing to prevent shorting)

Now my sub works as good as new, apparently these 3 capacitors can cause all kinds of problems it's a common fault, so if you are handy with a soldering iron, or know someone who is you could save yourself a lot of money by repairing you faulty KEF sub.

p.s. if you have ANY of the KEF PSW subwoofers they all have similar issues, you can find a guide to fixing them at the link above, Frank is a brilliant and very helpful man.

Hi,
First of all you need the service manual for the same. That i have with me. If you can sent your email id through fixya will sent the same to you. Just read the service manual and watch the circuit diagrams. There are different voltage measurement points.You have to check the power supply first. It will be very easy to both of us if you also have the service manual. if so i can assist you in the Wright way. It is not possible to set the service manual through fixya because its a large pdf file.
ok

yes. A good idea. Kill power to the sub, then unplug and remove everything from the sub. go ahead and plug it in again and check for buzzzz.
That is test one. if you have buzz still, its the sub assembly. bad luck, but not impossible. If the buzz is gone its one of the signals to the sub. They can produce a buzzz without any signal coming from your stereo equipment. Replace the feed line, enjoy! BTW...Kef sure does sound clean. good choice.

you can simply and easily replace 3 capacitors on the main amplifier board (c58 - 47uF 63v or 100v) + (c52 & c53 - 220uF 25v) but stand them away from the board on the length of the capacitor leads to prevent them from absorbing heat from surrounding hot components (with heat shrink tubing to prevent shorting)these are usually the cause of most problems with KEF PSW subs, as for it sounding wooly, this is just the way it is, mine is the same.

It's not clear if this has EVER worked or what is new in the scenario. The STR manual has setup instructions for supporting a sub. If you want to prove the sub itself works you could jack any source like, say, a CD player, into it to prove its amp will respond BUT IT WILL BE LOUD if it works.

If it came actively powered and permanently connected but you do not want to use the supplied amplifier, then you need to disassemble the subwoofer cabinet and disconnect the amplifier from the driver.

Have you got the sub defined to the Onkyo correctly? Try conencting the sub's input to one of the Tape Out connectors and play some FM through it. That will prove if the sub is alive. The nwe can troubleshoot the correct failing device.

Not very easily. Your receiver has no Sub Output. You really want a sub that supports hi-level inputs such as this: http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?Partnumber=300-633
Then you can run your front speakers through the sub.
The Kef site hints it may be possible to run high-level inputs to that sub by using RCA adapters.

Either you need new high quality cables,or your amp has output filter capacitor problems.

Check main fuse or power cable.