# Bad bass - 2.1 PC sound system



## Conrad007 (Dec 21, 2010)

Hello everybody,

I'm new here and I've registered to this great forum in the hope that I will receive some advices on how to repair my pc sound system. Sooo... I have a Commodore 2.1 PC sound system and I've noticed that the bass sounds very bad lately (unintelligible, as you would hear it from another room...). I suspect that my wife is "guilty", because she use to hear a lot of music very loud on the PC :4-dontkno. I disassembled the woofer case, which contains also the electronic plate, to check if the speaker itself is damaged (if the diaphragm is broken), but it looks very good, as new, so my only explanation would be that some electronic component on the plate is damaged. At this point I would like to ask you guys for help, as I have only basic knowledge of electronic circuits, which isn't help me in this case. 
I can see on the circuit board an integrated circuit mounted on a cooler and a few resistors and capacitors. Would you say that the bass sound problem is comming from a defective integrated circuit, or could be just a capacitor or other "small part"?
Please give me some advices on what I have to do to repair my sound system, as I don't plan to buy a new one.

Thanks in advance!
Conrad


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## deleted10242017b (Dec 18, 2010)

Disassemble it again and carefully push down on the cone evenly on either side, and if it scratches or make a scratching sound then the woofer is blown, the reason it scratches is because the copper coil attached to the cone and suspension expands and rubs against the innards of the magnet when it is blown.


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## Conrad007 (Dec 21, 2010)

Thanks echo off for your answer.
I've tried what you said and I couldn't observe any scratch sound if I push evenly on the sides of the cone. I've also replace the loudspeaker with another one (one that I had arround, not in specs) and the sound problem is still there... and it's not necessary a scratching noise, is more a "stuffy" sound.


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## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

edit - my reply is redundant due to your last post!


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Hi Conrad and welcome to TSF :wave:

Have you checked all the PC sound-card settings, i.e. graphic-equaliser, bass-boost, 'Loudness' (if installed) etc?


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## Conrad007 (Dec 21, 2010)

Hello WereBo,

this is a nice forum and I'm surprised how nice and ready to help the members are!
I have connected my PDA (Dell Axim X30i) to the sound system and the problem is still there, so I suppose it is not much that I can do with the sound card settings...


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

True, that eliminates the PC as the problem. Unfortunately, it could be either a capacitor or the IC itself - Without test equipment and a circuit-diagram, it's near impossible to tell. 

Do any of the capacitors look bad, discoloured, bulging, cracked or 'blown' (leaking)?

Also, how old is the speaker-system, can you exchange under warranty?


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## Conrad007 (Dec 21, 2010)

All components are looking good... there are just ceramic capacitors and some resistors... 
The system is already a few years old, no warranty anymore. I had also the idea to try to make myself a "simple" circuit, but I don't know where to find wiring diagrams. It should be more than just an amplifier, it has to include also some filters for the 2 high frequency speakers and for the bass speaker, isn't it?


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## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Yep, it'll need a crossover filter for the bass-driver - I can't remember what the frequency is for that, perhaps another of our members can help out with it?


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