Strange Monitor Problem

[ianbee]

About a year ago I bought two KRK Rokit 6 Monitors that I use on my Windows 7 PC & Mbox 3. The monitors plug into my mbox via 1/4 TRS balanced cables. The monitors work and sounds great, but occasionally I have a very weird problem that I've some how managed to put up with this past year (the problem has been going on ever since I purchased the monitors). The problem is this: randomly and uneventfully the left monitor will sound very muddy / underwaterish almost like its being played through a LPF. The problem is easily fixable, all I have to do is turn the volume up much louder and then the left speaker LPF problem goes away so I turn the the volume back down, and it works fine. This is the fix that I have discovered for my strange problem. But this problem shouldn't happen in the first place. I don't know why it's happening but i've tried unplugging and plugging in the cables, messing with some db levels on the back of the monitors and I even used my speakers on an iMac to see if the problem would still persist, and it did. Does anyone have any idea why this is happening? Is it the monitors, my TRS cables? I don't think its my mbox because ive tested the montiors on multiple mbox 3's and the problem still happens. I mean it doesn't happen that often but its annoying as f*ck. If anyone could help me fix this problem it would honestly mean so much to me!

[Benoni]

If I would make an uneducated guess I would say it could be a cone or tweeter problem. I have no clue though. Maybe a fuse??

If you think its the cable, simply switch cables from the good speaker to the speaker you are troubleshooting and from the "bad" to the good.

You will probably get much better answers over on the KRK site, they even have a troubleshooting guide for you to try.

http://www.krksys.com/krk-trouble-shooting.html

[JoelG]

I'd recommend swapping the right and left monitors, keeping everything the same otherwise. If the problem moves with the monitor, then there is something wrong with the monitor. If it stays on the same side, different monitor, then there is a problem with your audio device or the cabling. Then start narrowing down from there.

Joel

[albee1952]

Originally Posted by JoelG

I'd recommend swapping the right and left monitors, keeping everything the same otherwise. If the problem moves with the monitor, then there is something wrong with the monitor. If it stays on the same side, different monitor, then there is a problem with your audio device or the cabling. Then start narrowing down from there.

Joel

My thoughts exactly. I suspect the KRK itself has an issue, and swapping the speakers(with everything else left the same) will tell the tale

[ianbee]

I swapped the monitors like you guys suggested and the problem now exists in the right monitor and not the left monitor a.k.a the same monitor that was having this low pass filter / muddy problem... I even tried swapping the cables and the problem still exsisted.


So this means it is a problem within the KRK monitors and not my interface, or cables or PC, correct?

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by ianbee

I swapped the monitors like you guys suggested and the problem now exists in the right monitor and not the left monitor a.k.a the same monitor that was having this low pass filter / muddy problem... I even tried swapping the cables and the problem still exsisted.


So this means it is a problem within the KRK monitors and not my interface, or cables or PC, correct?

Ate you saying that say left monitor -> sounds muddy and you swapped out that cabel and put it on the right monitor which now sounds muddy and the one hat sounded muddy now sounds normal with the right speaker cable? If that is the case the itmis the Mbox that is skewed and not the monitors. If the problem is that the same speaker cable makes both speakers muddy when swapped it is not the KRK's. If the monitor that was muddy in the first place still sound muddy after switching cables it is the KRK speaker that is messed up.

Best Regards
Christopher

[ianbee]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

Ate you saying that say left monitor -> sounds muddy and you swapped out that cabel and put it on the right monitor which now sounds muddy and the one hat sounded muddy now sounds normal with the right speaker cable? If that is the case the itmis the Mbox that is skewed and not the monitors. If the problem is that the same speaker cable makes both speakers muddy when swapped it is not the KRK's. If the monitor that was muddy in the first place still sound muddy after switching cables it is the KRK speaker that is messed up.

Best Regards
Christopher

I'll try to make this more simpler:

The problem:
One of my monitors (which was my left monitor) would randomly sound very muddy like it was being passed through a low pass filter.

The Temporary Solution:
I'd turn the volume up louder and then bring it back down and my left monitor would no longer sound muddy. But the problem still randomly happens, all the time.

Things I tried to fix this Problem:

1. I tried switching the cables. I swapped my right and left monitor cables and the LPF problem still existed in my left monitor.

2. I bought new cables and the LPF problem still existed with my left monitor.

3. I tried using the monitors on a Mac instead of my PC. I used the exact same interface / monitors and the same LPF problem still exsisted in my left monitor

4. I tried swapping the monitors. I swapped my monitors (left to right, right to left).. And the LPF problem still existed with the same monitor.

I hope this makes things easier to understand.

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by ianbee

I'll try to make this more simpler:

The problem:
One of my monitors (which was my left monitor) would randomly sound very muddy like it was being passed through a low pass filter.

The Temporary Solution:
I'd turn the volume up louder and then bring it back down and my left monitor would no longer sound muddy. But the problem still randomly happens, all the time.

Things I tried to fix this Problem:

1. I tried switching the cables. I swapped my right and left monitor cables and the LPF problem still existed in my left monitor.

2. I bought new cables and the LPF problem still existed with my left monitor.

3. I tried using the monitors on a Mac instead of my PC. I used the exact same interface / monitors and the same LPF problem still exsisted in my left monitor

4. I tried swapping the monitors. I swapped my monitors (left to right, right to left).. And the LPF problem still existed with the same monitor.

I hope this makes things easier to understand.

Hahaha Forgive me for complicating the issue but I have been recording a really cool american artist you all know about for 31 hrs with only a 25 min snack break and I am a tad slow right now

With your info above I would say with 100% certainty that the "left" monitor is wack. I guess the warranty has elapsed and no way to get it looked at free of charge? The best way to be a million % sure would be to connect another set of monitors to the exact same setup w/ same cables and same settings in PT and see what happens. If everything is Kosher then you have a defective monitor.

Best Regards
Christopher

PS. Excuse my worldclass spelling in the post you quoted and I don't know what I was writing it seems

[ianbee]

Originally Posted by Southsidemusic

Hahaha Forgive me for complicating the issue but I have been recording a really cool american artist you all know about for 31 hrs with only a 25 min snack break and I am a tad slow right now

With your info above I would say with 100% certainty that the "left" monitor is wack. I guess the warranty has elapsed and no way to get it looked at free of charge? The best way to be a million % sure would be to connect another set of monitors to the exact same setup w/ same cables and same settings in PT and see what happens. If everything is Kosher then you have a defective monitor.

Best Regards
Christopher

PS. Excuse my worldclass spelling in the post you quoted and I don't know what I was writing it seems

Were you recording a rapper??

I'm 95% sure I have a defective monitor after doing all of the things that I did. And also I just checked and I still have my one year warranty.. It ends in like 3 months. So I emailed KRK describing my problem and even offered to show them video proof... Do you know how the process would work? Would I get a new monitor or monitors?? Or would they just attempt to fix the one monitor?? And do you know if I'd have to pay for shipping?

[Southsidemusic]

Originally Posted by ianbee

Were you recording a rapper??

I'm 95% sure I have a defective monitor after doing all of the things that I did. And also I just checked and I still have my one year warranty.. It ends in like 3 months. So I emailed KRK describing my problem and even offered to show them video proof... Do you know how the process would work? Would I get a new monitor or monitors?? Or would they just attempt to fix the one monitor?? And do you know if I'd have to pay for shipping?

I really doubt you will pay for anything assosiated with the warranty. When one of our tweeters blew out on our 5.1 Genelec 1032's we had the speaker picked up by UPS and Genelec swapped out the tweeter and sent a working speaker back to us within 10 days which atleast from my perspective was very fast. We got a replacement 1031 sent the same time they picked up the 1032 and when they came with the fixed speaker we just sent the 1031 we got to borrow free of charge back with the UPS guy. Even though the system was 5 years old last year when this happened we got extremely good service and though they didn't have any 1032's atleast we got the smaller model to use free during the repair and that was a very nice gesture

I hope you just get the speaker picked up and then sent back either fixed or replaced. If you bought them new at a dealer close by maybe they will send you there to have the dealer send it to be repaired and if you ask them maybe you get a replacement to use while they check uyour speaker.

It is not a rapper, it is a hugely popular female singer who record a lot in Stockholm and have sold multiple platinum albums and 6 or 7 times platinum singles..

Good Luck with the speaker and hopefully you won't be without that one for too long. I don't know how KRK Systems are towards their customers but seeing they are pretty huge I would ask if you could get it replaced in the store where you bought them new. It doesn't hurt to ask