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Thread: Confused about subwoofer connections |
    
New member Username: Rglaser
Post Number: 5
Registered: 12-2003
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| Posted on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 06:25 am: |
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I have read so much my head is spinning and just when I think I have it figured out, I read something else and am confused again. Somebody else hooked up my HTS, before I read anything, and I'm not sure it's correct. My subwoofer (Paradigm) has a LFE connection, as well as 4 spring clips. My receiver (Marantz SR-18) has the Subwoofer direct in connection, so I think I should just connect the sub's LFE to the receiver's direct in. I get nothing out of the sub when I do that, though. The only way anything comes out of the sub is when I have the main speakers connected via the receiver to the 4 spring clips on the sub. Do the main speakers have to be bi-wired (they can be, but aren't), or is there a setup setting for the receiver that isn't right, or something else? FYI, I've only checked this out watching TV, and haven't checked what happens with DVDs or CDs. Thanks! |
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| Posted on Friday, January 23, 2004 - 06:05 pm: |
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your marantz sr-18 should have a LFE(subwoofer) output that can be connected to your Paradigm LFE connection.
I'm assuming your TV audio is routed through your Marantz reciever. The reason why you couldn't hear low bass notes watching TV because the reciever is not able to output them, using the signal from your TV. My old Kenwood VR-370 doesn't do this.
a way to test the LFE connection is to load up a DVD movie track that has dolby digital sound. I doubt your TV connection has a digital output that can go into your reciever.
hooking up the main speakers via the reciever to the spring clips behind your subwoofer is a way to force the sub to play low bass frequency. But a higher-end reciever should be able to mix a "stereo" signal(like from your Tv or CD) and feed it through the LFE port w/o having to use the spring clips connection(a line-level connection). My newer Denon 1804 can do this. |
New member Username: Rglaser
Post Number: 6
Registered: 12-2003
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| Posted on Saturday, January 24, 2004 - 06:29 pm: |
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We put in a CD and checked out the sound (the bass, specifically) on the same song using both the line level connections and the LFE connections. It was definitely "thumpier" using the line level connections. We tried setting main speaker setting on the receiver to both "large" and "small" and also fiddled with the crossover threshhold and the line level connection was still best, and in fact, was only a teeny little bump, but no thump. This doesn't make any sense to me, since from what I've read the LFE should do the trick, and I just have to play with the crossover threshhold and the subwoofer output level to set what sounds like best. |
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| Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 02:02 am: |
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if you DO hear bass from hooking through the LFE connection when playing CD, then you can adjust the gain level on your reciever. |
New member Username: Project6
Post Number: 145
Registered: 12-2003
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| Posted on Monday, January 26, 2004 - 03:43 pm: |
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have gone through the set-up procedure on the Marantz?
if somebody else set it up for you, they may have neglected to properly calibrate the subwoofer output of the receiver. |
New member Username: Rglaser
Post Number: 7
Registered: 12-2003
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| Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 01:23 pm: |
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Thanks to all of you who provided suggestions. To wrap this up, the problem turned out to be a bad cable. Once we cut the bad piece off, put on a new end, everything worked as it should have. |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 10:33 pm: |
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HI,
what does the 0 and 180 switch on the back of my sub do and what setting should it be on |
New member Username: Project6
Post Number: 174
Registered: 12-2003
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| Posted on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 - 10:57 pm: |
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Danny,
the normal setting is at "0". You use the phase switch if bass is weak around the listening area, and unusually boomy in another part of the house or in the next room. If there is a huge bass "dead spot" right in your listening area the phase switch can be used to help alleviate this effect. That is, of course if you have tried moving your subwoofer in different spots in your listening area, certainly not a cure all for bad placement. So, experiment!
cheers
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Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Thursday, January 29, 2004 - 10:00 pm: |
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Thanks Berny
I had been using some Bose 201 bookshelf speakers as my mains. I recently purchased a pair of Athena F1's using them as the mains and moving the bose to the back and noticed that i have a much more "full" sound. The sub seemed less involved until i started tinkering around with it. i didnt know what the phase switch was used for. I set it on 0 and moved the frequency knob to 150 and it sounds great. I'm pretty new at this so I appreciate any advice i get from those like you who have the experience |
New member Username: Hampshire
Post Number: 12
Registered: 12-2003
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| Posted on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 10:20 am: |
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Danny,
Looking at the specs for your F1s they have a frequency response of 40Hz-20kHz +/- 3dB. This means they can produce bass in the 40Hz area but it can be up to 6 db quieter than the rest of the speaker playing. This is where your sub comes in. It needs to take over from where your F1s are dropping off in the bass range. Your sub crossover should be set at the 40 Hz range and slowly turned higher till it picks up where the F1s left off.
You said you have it at 150. It's not bad that the sub and mains are overlapping frequencies, however, subs are built for BASS, and the higher the frequency crossover is set, the mudier the sub will get. Put you ear next to the sub while its playing and adjust the frequency knob. The lower you set it, the cleaner it should sound. At 150 it may be getting a little too much signal. |
Unregistered guest |
| Posted on Friday, January 30, 2004 - 10:06 pm: |
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John
Thanks for the advice. I did turn down the sub to the 40 level. I used the U571 DVD to get some low bass in there. It seemed that between 60 and 80 it had the best sound. Im not sure what best means other than it sounded good to me. Thanks again |
New member Username: Warriorlittle
Post Number: 1
Registered: 03-2004
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| Posted on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 06:58 pm: |
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I was wondering. My M&K Sub has a left/mono and right LFE connection. I purchased a Diamondback subwoofer cable from audioquest and it comes with an adapter to hook up both right and left outputs on subwoofer to the one subwoofer channel on my Marantz SR8200. Is this good to do or is one of them enough. Also if it is better to hookup only one should I hook it up to the one that corresponds to where my speaker is, my sub is on the right so it should be connected to the right output of the sub? Thanks. |
Bronze Member Username: Heff
Post Number: 86
Registered: 12-2003
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| Posted on Tuesday, March 02, 2004 - 11:42 pm: |
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Hey Jason, I answered your question here |
