I'm using Cobalt cable (10AW), which I switched to last Thursday......same day I got the 990. However, I just tried replacing the center cable with the old 14AW..........same awful buzz from the center when I turn the 7700 on. Will update after I talk with Outlaw. Thanks!

(changeout of center IC = same awful buzz;

center IC disconnected from 7700 = no startup buzz)

Since I last posted I hooked the center channel back up through the Onkyo receiver instead of the 990, and the 7700 started up silently and played perfectly, so now I know it's not the speaker, the speaker wire or the interconnects. I also have no startup racket when powering up the 990/7700 with the center channel not connected.

I spoke with Steve at Outlaw tech support. He said that the 990's usually very reliable, but since I've pretty much isolated the problem to the 990 center channel he's shipping out a replacement today. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. (Great tech support, by the way!)

Thanks everyone for the input.......I'll keep you posted.

I thought I would let you know that I'm having a similar problem. I've been having center channel audio drop outs and random center channel popping noises with the 990. No burning smell, though.

However, I've gone the route of the online tech support. They had me swap some connections that caused the drop outs and popping to come out of the left speaker. I guess they were eliminating the center speaker as the culprit.

I reopened my support ticket, and expect to hear something this afternoon. So far, tech support has been good to deal with.

I'll update when I hear something.

Not on the LSiC, the left side plays only bass while the right side plays mids and bass.

BTW, good job on trouble shooting though.

Eric
Polk Audio Tech Support (with a Outlaw 990).

So it's a 2-1/2 way design? Interesting...

Update: Received replacement 990. Hooked it up. Same scary-sounding buzz from center speaker when 7700 is powered on, lesser but similar buzz when powering 7700 off. Obviously my faulty 990 deduction was......er, faulty. So much for my troubleshooting skills!

Today's troubleshooting efforts:

1. Hooked center speaker cable to old cheap speaker which I
don't mind blowing!
2. Changed from unbalanced to balanced IC's between 990 and
7700. Buzz.
3. Swapped center and surround back left IC inputs to the 7700.
Hmm......buzz STILL from center speaker. Interesting.
4. Changed IC's back to normal connection. Swapped center
and SBL speaker cable out of 7700. Hmmmm...buzz now
comes from SBL speaker.
5. Repeat #3 & #4 with different speaker cable, trying both
bananas and bare wire. Same results.
6. Repeat all of the above with 990 powered off when the 7700
is powered on. No difference. Buzz.
7. Connect my old Onkyo receiver's center preamp out to 7700
center in, and my DVD player's center IC output to the
Onkyo's center DVD input. Silent 7700 startup, no buzz,
center channel sounds good when I play a DVD.

Now, since my track record so far isn't good I'm hesitant to even posit a new deduction. But I gotta. It seems the problem (DC?) always comes from the 7700's center speaker output.....but ONLY when there's an IC input from the 990 (any channel) to the center 7700 input.

If anybody's still awake after trying to follow all that, I'd appreciate your opinions. Of course, I'll be humbly crawling back to Steve in TS with the news that the 990 swap didn't make a bit of difference. I sure don't want to have to try swapping out the 7700......I'm still bent over from the last time I had to lift it!

so from what i can tell. it sounds like it's NOT the 990.. and may be the 7700 instead? OR speaker or speaker wire/cable to me. Or did you fry a crossover in your LSiC? does the LSi center work ok on your Onkyo?

Skyblazer wrote: "so from what i can tell. it sounds like it's NOT the 990.. and may be the 7700 instead? OR speaker or speaker wire/cable to me. Or did you fry a crossover in your LSiC? does the LSi center work ok on your Onkyo?"

Quick summary to catch you up:

1. Originally had onkyo receiver as preamp with 7700, and all was right with the world.
2. Replaced onkyo with new 990. Bad "zzzzZZZZTTTT" buzz from center speaker on startup/down.
3. Eventual burning smell & dead higher-frequency driver in LSiC.
4. Not the speaker. Same buzz problem with any other speaker connected as center.
5. Not the speaker wire, improper connection or the 990 itself (see troubleshooting above).
6. Problem isolated, I think (also see above troubleshooting), to 7700 center speaker connection, but only when interconnected to 990, not the Onkyo.

that's e'ffed up....

so to me if i understand it correctly.. the 7700 center speaker connection ONLY has a Buzzz when it's connected to the 990 pre amp output? but not when connected to the Onkyo? odd.

you probably did this already. but when if you take the center channel pre amp output from the 990 to another input on the 7700? Does the buzz follow to any input on the 7700?