I can't thank you enough for suggesting that the subwoofer be placed on the right side. It's been on the left for seven years, just due to my living room configuration. What an incredible difference, just with that minor change. Something always felt wrong and now I feel more relaxed even. Again thank you!! John M
I was so surprised when you quoted the orchestra example. I used to wait for my son's school band practice I never realised till date that all the drummers are right side of the conductor. It makes sense....
You sir, are the most precise, easiest to follow, Audio instructor I have stumbled upon. I have a library of your instructional's. In my bookmarks. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Your advice has perked up my system. I will compensate a bit.
That’s pretty good advice. However, an advantage to test tones and digital signal processing is that it compensates for both speaker anomalies and room interactions. What Paul refers to is only adjusting the subwoofer to the main speakers and has very little to do with adjusting the sub and speakers to the room. After decades of being into audio I finally purchased a sub and a MiniDSP 2x4HD processor. Using Room Equalizer Wizard (REW) freeware, I’m astounded by how great my system sounds. There was a steep learning curve to using the software but it was well worth the trouble!
I did the sub in the listening position thing when I set up my system a number of years ago, it does work very well. Then to get a starting point to tune it, I set the sub low pass filter to a setting higher than I would normally use, like 200Hz, then boost the sub volume till I can begin to hear it, then lower the crossover frequency till the sound from the sub blends in to the sound from the mains, this is my starting point, I will then listen to the music I typically listen to plus a few of my favorite songs for testing, then make an adjustment and re-listen to a few songs in-between changes. If you set it up right, none of the speakers should standout. And if you picked components that have good synergy, it should be able to reproduce any genre of music equally well, I've listened to systems that do really well with genre, but fall flat or gets muddy with another.
Hi Paul as usual is the glass half-full or is the glass half empty😊 you remind me of my grandfather with Alzheimer's thanks Paul and have a great day I absolutely made no sense out of anything you said thanks Paul😊😊
Great site. Just getting back into audio after 50 years. I remember my fathers 78 rpm records with Nipper of "His masters voice" on the RCA labels. I've got to get Nipper!. Your advice on subs and other content is really helping me to transition from analog to digital. Thanks again!
Can the sub be tied into the center channel? My denon has no high power sub out, but I could run the center out to the sub and then the sub out to the center channel.
my spkrs are superzeros, i lusted after them since the 80's and at last got'em. my sub is cheap, 8 inches down-firing cone; i first placed it against the front wall which clearly increased its apparent efficiency but sounded boomy at moderate sound levels. then placed it besides the right spkr, the three of them one third distance from the front wall; now the bass seems to come from the spkrs, the sub is nowhere to be heard, its sound level dialed at the "10:30" position, that's all i need. i'm into midfi (not wealthy) since 1980 and had never had my sub blending with my spkrs like this. thanks, Paul!
Good day I have connected 1 subwoofer in 2 amplifiers and on each amp connected a set of bookshelves on 1 channel and another set on 2 channels for each of the amps. Am I going to break anything.
Thank you so much for not making me confuse during listening like other RUclipsrs, they want to talk about subwoofers but after a minute they become confuse and start thinking while talking on what topic they were talking 😂.
Nice Paul, I agree totally, a subwoofer is so critical to a great sound system, but placement has to right, with doing the subwoofer set up, subwoofer placed in prime listening position, then walk around listening for sweat spot in room to set sub up at, I also recommend you do this at different heights, on your hands and knees, crouching and then standing up right, as it might be a better response at different heights too, another trick whilst doing this, if your ears have trouble listening for bass, try a big empty plastic soft drink bottle or the likes, the larger the bottle opening the better, like that of a gatorade bottle, if you gently hold empty bottle in hand nearer to top of bottle, whilst walking around to find sweat spot, you'll find the bottle will get real excited in a sweat spot, it will vibrate more, allowing you to feel it as well as hear it, it's a little thing I discovered, whilst setting up my subs, I had a bottle of coke I was drinking at the time, so I experimented with different bottle's, finding a larger opening the best and good size bottle around 2ltr is good.
Not sure your still responding but I have a Mcintosh ma9000 with focal 1028 I find I have to overuse the sub to make up for the lack of bass? Your thoughts?
I have a 5.1.2 set up. A Denon avr and Arcam SA20 used together to run the home cinema and stereo. I have a sub with LFE and high end. So using LFE from AVR and getting bass for movies but when I go to my stereo, I have to unplug the LFE to get bass and it’s really loud so have to turn it down. Then back up and plug the LFE back in when I go back to movies. Is there a workaround for this?
I have one 15 inch sub for my computer audio. My mains are JBL EON 612 for right and left. How to tap one of the mains for back round sub effect? Thanks I have a sub amp and crossover with inputs ready to go.
Hello there and fast forward almost 3 years. Actually, its a tossup on either left or right for orchestral music. The reason is because the percussion section is to the left, which is where the timpani and bass drum is - especially the bass drum. On the right, with cellos, bass, and tuba you can get away with lower mids or upper bass; so on a decent system your speakers can handle that by themselves. Organ music - you should definitely have 2 subs. Thanks for your videos.
Hahaha I love the first letter because I’m from MA and we have a lot of towns with awkward spelling and silent letters etc. you did well though! Also, thanks for the info!
I set my 2.1 up @60db for my mixing/tracking station. The mains are 112db max spl and the sub is 123db. The sub has many +/-db adjustments. With each component at 60db, should I attenuate -12db on the sub after db matching or before? Or am I completely off?
Hi Paul, I like checking out your videos cause they are pretty precise on the info.Now I have a question, I need orientation on how to connect a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX101 7.1 ch A/V receiver with Bose Redline single cubes and if possible with the powered Acoustimass 9 sub unit, which has a 8 pin din cable and from receiver end 2 RCA and one 3.5mm servo control, how do I connect all those cables.My Pioneer has 2 sub pre outs. I also have an Kenwood stereo control Amplifier KC-992, can I combine then all?.
Thanks Paul..Im using Denon AVR...and want to go high level to my 2 svs sb2000...currently using low level lfe rca....how should I set up the base mgt in the denon spkr size, crossover, etc..when i switch over to high level?..Maybe just tell Denon "no sub or sub off"?????
Paul I know rel has d high level output using speakon cable that's with their T line series it's really difficult choosing a sub so many brands would u also recommend Dali subs I'm going with a denon x3700h Dali oberon 5 n not sure d sub which will you recommend thanks
i want to connect 2 tweeters & 2 mids, but when I do that on series or parallel it eats up a lot of energy & the sound level goes down, what do I do now?
Why would it be a problem to combine botch the left and the right channel in the subwoofer? Wouldn't it just play the low frequencies from both channels? How would everything get screwed up?
My active sub doesn't have high input chanel so what will happen if i insist to put high input from my amplifier? Will it blow my sub in the long run? Im using car amplifier which is 4 chanel 300w rms per chanel 1200w peak, i think its too big so i abit worry. Or its better to use the left rear chanel from my head unit (reciever) output which is 18w rms 55w peak? Now im running the later, but the former seems to offer more potential hehe 😊
I made my own sub woofer. I got one with two voice coils. My amp has four outputs so I used a set of those. I ended up puting the voice coils out of phase... sure solved a lot of problems.
Hi Paul! I'm getting a strange intermittent knocking sound (more like a thud) from my subwoofer when the power from my preamp/Denon is off. I have a two sub set up and they both seem to be doing it. One sub is actually doing it worse than the other, that's the sub that is closer to the Denon with a shorter digital audio cable. Do you have any thoughts on what could be causing this issue? Thanks :-) Greg
Will the sub connected via speaker input, not distort when the amp's signal to the speakers will distort? I always choose the line level input to make sure of no distortion.
I just a Denon 3600h, so know pre amp. I used audyssy set up for my 2 towers and a svs sub. I had the tripod and the microphone and it recognised the 2 towers and the sub, but when it finished I loaded it and there was no sub output it was like the sub was turned off at the mains? My 2 towers worked though. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Hello, I have my sub Adam 10 "MK2 And ADAM S2V couple in my homestudy, the fact is that I have it in the center between my two monitors, under my desk, if I leave it with the 0 ° phase and with sonarworks, the graph gives me a + -3db waveform up and down, between 100 Hz and 28 Hz. And if I change it to phase 180 °, I have a +6 dbs rise in the graph, from 80 Hz at 28 Hz. No waveform, all this measured in the whole room The question is that with phase at 0 °, as the graph says, At ear, I perceive less serious, and with the phase at 180 ° I perceive more serious. My question is, which of the two configurations do you think would be in the correct phase? I'm lost.
I didn't get the Y cable thing (I know what a Y cable is). Probably too fast a spoken English to catch up with (I'm French), anybody has an explanation?
I run the Y splitter from the amp to the first sub and again speaker wires to the second sub and oh my lord, bass is sweet. I never need to turn the sub volume more than 25%. There is so much bass or power out of there amp compared to pre amp.
Hi there, I always enjoy your perspective on Hi Fi stuff. My situation is rather unique, so I was curious if you or any of your listeners had any good advice on what to do with my circa 1995 Plexus Sub woofer. The unit has (2) SEAS speakers. About 10 inches in diameter. It was originally designed to use a dedicated EQ which went in to the system between the pre amp then the amp, or in my case the tape loop. Remember those? Any way, I currently have the sub woofer hooked up to the "B" speaker terminals and the bookshelf speakers hooked up to the "A" speaker terminals. The EQ box has died and I can not find a technician I trust to fix it. I was wondering if I should simply use the "A" speaker terminals directly to the subwoofer then use the subwoofer out jacks to go to my bookshelf speakers.
I am planning a sub! (despite having been a bit anti - you have helped convince me, and yes I'm British!) The Main amp is to driven by a passive pre (all in planning stage) - I'm concerned about diluting the CD signal between sub and power. My solution is to use an old (but reasonable) DAC I have to drive the sub, while the CD continues to solely drive the power amp. Is there any obvious flaw to this plan?
Great vid Paul. Like all folks looking at these videos, we are music lovers and lovers of high end sound delivery. I have some older stereo equipment in my LR. NAD 1300 Preamp, NAD 2600 AMP, connected to KEF 103 mid tower speakers, all 35 years old. I just recently considered addi g a SW. The NAD does not have sw preouts. So, the quick question is: do I connect speaker wires from the same two speaker connections on the AMP to the high level speaker terminals on the SW ? I presume one would not splice into the speaker wires ( i used Monster cables for the original speaker connections)? Thx fir your advise or any responses from others. Stay well all.
Do you recommend using the power line into the sub and then the power line out of the sub to the monitors. Or is it preferable to use both A&B stereo outs from the power amp to the sub and monitors separately? My thoughts was that crossover freq would probably work better using the through option on the sub, I also am not sure if using A&B in this situation would change the Ohm rating or power delivery.
Subs with high level inputs are awesome for music especially if u using small front speakers u get to control how much u sent to yur fronts and u get awesome full range response no tricky lfe
Hey Paul how low can you go subwoofer hz below 20 I know u won't hear it but would rel give u cinema type bass that u would get all the frequencies those movies intend too
Good advice... But not for subwoofers almost as big as a fridge. Well... still applies, but it's a pain to move. Also you can't not see the sub, however I have it tuned pretty well and flat and it sounds great to my ears.
I agree 100%, Im big fun of subwoofers to, goood subwoofer is whnen you can not locate the box with your ears, first I setup my main speakers-satelites for bass, than turn on my powered sub and setup how laud will be. Sub give much more wider bass with much low freq. in the room.
ok, maybe a dumb question. Great video Paul. I have a crossover knob on the back of my SB-2000 and a crossover setting on the amp. I've set the amp to 80 and the knob to 80... does one override the other? do they need to match? I have QAcoustics 3050 towers, a QAcoustic center. Do mostly TV/Movies and 20% music. Is this the best set up? thanks for your help!
Turn the crossover on your sub all the way up and let your AVR to do the crossover, it's what's recommended. I have dual pb-2000's and they sound great. :)
Rob Petro u dont need to use it u using external crossover from yur reciever the switch on the sub for the crossover suppose to be set to out set to in if u using a receiver with no bass management
Paul newer viewer here from MN. I have 3 THX systems and my favorite is Logitech 5.1 1000 watts. After 15 years of masterful home theater it is starting to power down when advertising codec changes through the optical input. I know it's my satellite provider but I am looking for advice for a family man who can't afford anything more than about $400. What are your favorite "budget brands" until the kids grow up?
hi let me start by saying that I love all your videos. I need some advise on a set up. I have the acoustimas 15 Bose and the directions from Bose says that they speakers should be set to large instead of small but doing so leaves me bass deprived when watching movies. I have the system connected to a Sony receiver STR-dn1000 and when I use the calibration tool from Sony it also sets the speakers to large... you have mentioned in the past that those speakers should be set to small and 80hz, the base sounds better but is not there yet. There is a lot of boom but not a lot of deep bass LFE. What do you recommend? P.s the room is an open floor plan 25ft by 50+
Paul McGowan thank you Paul for your response. So here is my predicament, my Sony receiver only has one sub output so I won’t be able to purchase a second sub unless I change receiver :( so in regards to changing the setting to large on my boss speakers, would I still be able to set the crossover to 80 or would large lock me out? Also I have the nose sub that comes with the system. Lol I’m trying to maximize for a little while longer...
Old post but with the Sony set it up manually. You can set up speakers as small. Go through the manual. Pay no attention to Douchy Donna. Ya it’s not “audiophile” but it’s YOURS!
hi man. Try ac3 filter with spdif-on ,it has phase out also for LFE out. It can process 'the PCM signal into AC3 2.1 ,just play unballacenced one speaker (-5dB ) , you can even mod it ..to play Wmp10 through Dlna ;) no flac support.. though
This is a little confusing, considering most new mainstream receivers, have LFE outputs for subs, And that signal is determined by your main and surround speaker crossover settings. Most newer subs don't even have the speaker tap connections. But I do agree with the parts about sound preference, and the sub sounding like low range extensions of the main speakers.
He's talking about music listening and all half way decent subs for music have speaker level connections. LFE is designed for home theater, which is a whole different ball game.
vonclod123 That’s right: the ears have it! Even if you use sophisticated electronics to tailor the sound to acceptable numerical levels, if it doesn’t sound good to your ears, how long are you going to be able stand it without messing with the setup? That said, technology can point out a problem that you just can’t pin down with just listening.
I have a set up at my brother barbershop a 3 speaker system a cheap small Pyle amp 2 fluance signature bookshelf on stands a bic america pl 200 sub a Bluetooth reciever with built in DAC upscaller plays like a boss everyone hears it always ask is it that thing playing like dat its pretty awesome.am goin from amp to sub high inputs the sub high outputs to speakers crossover on sub set to in sending 80 hertz to the speakers cheap but awesome as hell 2.1 system
@@rankinh71 it have a dac chip in the bluetooth reciever i have a an audio engine bluetooth reciever with a dac in it also both recievers have rca and optical outs
Watchin the end credit there, looks like your in Arizona. Is this True??? 👍🏼. Thanks for advice bud. I am about set up my 1st surround sound system. Klipsch HD-300 speakers ($15 buckarooneez) and polk audio PSW12 subwoofer (snagged it for $20buckaroonees) . I think i got a pretty good deal on this set up. I have Monster cable speaker wires and some banana plugs (not sure i will use the banbans) but they are there if i needem. Got the wires n plugs for $15. Oh and i got this Sony str-HD720 Amp $40 (not bad of deal). All this was a spur of a moment snag n grab set up. Saw the deal and just went for it. Klipsch HD-300 (5 speakers) $15 Polk Audio PSW12 $20 Spk wires n banplugs $15 Sony Str-HD720 $40 Total $90 Not bad for a Oldskoo setup. Have no idea how i got into talkin bout my set up, haha. Wasnt in the playbook comin in. Haha but there it is. Thnks for all the advice bud. Wish u,PS audio Team & everyone reading contined success😉👍🏼
You say not to use a Y connector for a sub, but you're referring to this by taking a Left and Right to merge into a single RCA input. However, what I find is common is that sub (powered) have a Left and Right input. I have read conflicting information about which input to use, the Left or the Right since it is mono it really shouldn't matter, right. I used only one connection for a long time and I would always have to max out the volume on the power amp to the sub just to get bass out of it. I finally read that each input is 1 volt and that most sub woofer drivers require 2 volts to power. So you have to send signal to both the Left and the Right input to achieve 2 volts. I therefore had to get a Y connector. When I did this, the sub woofer bass was exceedingly loud and powerful, requiring me to finally having to turn down the volume. Is there any way you can explain why outputs are mono but the inputs on sub woofers are stereo? Why couldn't they just make a 2 volt mono input?
@Click to Confirm Yes. As I stated, most powered subs have a Left and a Right Input, but a Receiver has a mono Output for subwoofer (LFE). A Subwoofer only has one speaker (generally.) Again, from my research, to properly get the most out of the subwoofer, you need a 2 volt signal. Each input is equal to 1 volt of signal. So you must use both the Left and Right input. If your Receiver has a Left/Right output, that's fantastic! I have personally never seen that. IF not, then you need a Y-splitter. I bought Audioquest's Y-splitter.
@@johnpoo1662 what's the chance that my muddy Polk subwoofer from 2010 has a way to auto-adjust its frequency response in relation to the room? Why is that better than adjusting it at the receiver, the 31 band EQ, or an even more detailed output EQ on the HTPC? yeah, I don't get it. 'seems like rubbish to me.
@@JustinCrediblename just a guess but i would think the digital Eq on your receiver would have more bands and be more accurate. In the end correct placement of the sub in relation to the listening area is the no1 priority (subwoofer crawl). Then start EQing.
I have found the single most effective improvement for a sub is time alignment. Subs tend to react slower therefore sound in the crossover region is not solidly staged. In my case - a small "project studio" using small Neumann monitors and a 10" KRK sub - I measured the time response of both monitors and sub and found the sub was slower by about 12ms. Making this correction in the active crossover creates a more integrated bass and more solid staging. Naturally, it's worth reviewing crossover settings after making the alignment.
Love your channel, but have absolutely no way to make a connection between what your explaining , and what it looks like. Please use the physical items as you explain. It adds the clarity that is needed for understanding what the video is supposed to be about, thanks
Which makes me ask whether or not height matters for subs. Usually it is said that in treble domain, height is of paramount importance (@ear level), but bass isn't directional, now is it sensitive to where it's emitted from, I wonder... never tried to raise my sub.
I can't thank you enough for suggesting that the subwoofer be placed on the right side.
It's been on the left for seven years, just due to my living room configuration. What an incredible difference, just with that minor change. Something always felt wrong and now I feel more relaxed even. Again thank you!!
John M
I was so surprised when you quoted the orchestra example. I used to wait for my son's school band practice I never realised till date that all the drummers are right side of the conductor. It makes sense....
You sir, are the most precise, easiest to follow, Audio instructor I have stumbled upon.
I have a library of your instructional's. In my bookmarks.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge. Your advice has perked up my system.
I will compensate a bit.
Evel knieval
Your ears never lie. I have ALWAYS judged my setups with my ears and adjusting to what sounds best.
That’s pretty good advice. However, an advantage to test tones and digital signal processing is that it compensates for both speaker anomalies and room interactions. What Paul refers to is only adjusting the subwoofer to the main speakers and has very little to do with adjusting the sub and speakers to the room. After decades of being into audio I finally purchased a sub and a MiniDSP 2x4HD processor. Using Room Equalizer Wizard (REW) freeware, I’m astounded by how great my system sounds. There was a steep learning curve to using the software but it was well worth the trouble!
I did the sub in the listening position thing when I set up my system a number of years ago, it does work very well.
Then to get a starting point to tune it, I set the sub low pass filter to a setting higher than I would normally use, like 200Hz, then boost the sub volume till I can begin to hear it, then lower the crossover frequency till the sound from the sub blends in to the sound from the mains, this is my starting point, I will then listen to the music I typically listen to plus a few of my favorite songs for testing, then make an adjustment and re-listen to a few songs in-between changes.
If you set it up right, none of the speakers should standout.
And if you picked components that have good synergy, it should be able to reproduce any genre of music equally well, I've listened to systems that do really well with genre, but fall flat or gets muddy with another.
Sub on the floor or actually sitting in the listening position chair, as described in the video?
Thank you. Just got a new subscriber & fan. I like your style of explaining things. Concise & to the point in an easy to follow manner. 👍🏼😎
Hi Paul as usual is the glass half-full or is the glass half empty😊 you remind me of my grandfather with Alzheimer's thanks Paul and have a great day I absolutely made no sense out of anything you said thanks Paul😊😊
Good video and shoutout to Boulder CO!
Great site. Just getting back into audio after 50 years. I remember my fathers 78 rpm records with Nipper of "His masters voice" on the RCA labels. I've got to get Nipper!. Your advice on subs and other content is really helping me to transition from analog to digital. Thanks again!
is the best choice the high level input? even if the amplifier has an preamp rca output?
Can the sub be tied into the center channel? My denon has no high power sub out, but I could run the center out to the sub and then the sub out to the center channel.
Do you connect the sub to left/right speaker out, if no sub connection specific on amp. Thanks
Would you suggest using booth out from my dj controller or from my controller to the sub then out of sub to tops?
my spkrs are superzeros, i lusted after them since the 80's and at last got'em. my sub is cheap, 8 inches down-firing cone; i first placed it against the front wall which clearly increased its apparent efficiency but sounded boomy at moderate sound levels. then placed it besides the right spkr, the three of them one third distance from the front wall; now the bass seems to come from the spkrs, the sub is nowhere to be heard, its sound level dialed at the "10:30" position, that's all i need. i'm into midfi (not wealthy) since 1980 and had never had my sub blending with my spkrs like this. thanks, Paul!
Hey Paul, Do dual subs have to be exactly the same or even the same company ?
Use a frequency sweep and an RTA.
Good day I have connected 1 subwoofer in 2 amplifiers and on each amp connected a set of bookshelves on 1 channel and another set on 2 channels for each of the amps. Am I going to break anything.
Thank you so much for not making me confuse during listening like other RUclipsrs, they want to talk about subwoofers but after a minute they become confuse and start thinking while talking on what topic they were talking 😂.
Wouldn't you want to run a crossover before the power amp so that you are only amplifying the frequencies you want coming from your speakers?
Nice Paul, I agree totally, a subwoofer is so critical to a great sound system, but placement has to right, with doing the subwoofer set up, subwoofer placed in prime listening position, then walk around listening for sweat spot in room to set sub up at, I also recommend you do this at different heights, on your hands and knees, crouching and then standing up right, as it might be a better response at different heights too, another trick whilst doing this, if your ears have trouble listening for bass, try a big empty plastic soft drink bottle or the likes, the larger the bottle opening the better, like that of a gatorade bottle, if you gently hold empty bottle in hand nearer to top of bottle, whilst walking around to find sweat spot, you'll find the bottle will get real excited in a sweat spot, it will vibrate more, allowing you to feel it as well as hear it, it's a little thing I discovered, whilst setting up my subs, I had a bottle of coke I was drinking at the time, so I experimented with different bottle's, finding a larger opening the best and good size bottle around 2ltr is good.
Not sure your still responding but I have a Mcintosh ma9000 with focal 1028 I find I have to overuse the sub to make up for the lack of bass? Your thoughts?
I have a 5.1.2 set up. A Denon avr and Arcam SA20 used together to run the home cinema and stereo. I have a sub with LFE and high end. So using LFE from AVR and getting bass for movies but when I go to my stereo, I have to unplug the LFE to get bass and it’s really loud so have to turn it down. Then back up and plug the LFE back in when I go back to movies. Is there a workaround for this?
I have one 15 inch sub for my computer audio. My mains are JBL EON 612 for right and left. How to tap one of the mains for back round sub effect? Thanks I have a sub amp and crossover with inputs ready to go.
Thank you so much for these tips, Just a bit of moving around on my rather old subwoofer 2 speaker setup made it sound so much better its amazing!
Hello there and fast forward almost 3 years. Actually, its a tossup on either left or right for orchestral music. The reason is because the percussion section is to the left, which is where the timpani and bass drum is - especially the bass drum. On the right, with cellos, bass, and tuba you can get away with lower mids or upper bass; so on a decent system your speakers can handle that by themselves. Organ music - you should definitely have 2 subs. Thanks for your videos.
Hahaha I love the first letter because I’m from MA and we have a lot of towns with awkward spelling and silent letters etc. you did well though! Also, thanks for the info!
I can not find many subs with high level inputs.
I set my 2.1 up @60db for my mixing/tracking station. The mains are 112db max spl and the sub is 123db. The sub has many +/-db adjustments. With each component at 60db, should I attenuate -12db on the sub after db matching or before? Or am I completely off?
Is it wise to put a floor standing speaker on your subwoofer. I did this to my klipsch floors on my klipsch subs .
Hi Paul, I like checking out your videos cause they are pretty precise on the info.Now I have a question, I need orientation on how to connect a Pioneer Elite VSX-LX101 7.1 ch A/V receiver with Bose Redline single cubes and if possible with the powered Acoustimass 9 sub unit, which has a 8 pin din cable and from receiver end 2 RCA and one 3.5mm servo control, how do I connect all those cables.My Pioneer has 2 sub pre outs. I also have an Kenwood stereo control Amplifier KC-992, can I combine then all?.
Thanks Paul..Im using Denon AVR...and want to go high level to my 2 svs sb2000...currently using low level lfe rca....how should I set up the base mgt in the denon spkr size, crossover, etc..when i switch over to high level?..Maybe just tell Denon "no sub or sub off"?????
Thank You so much!!!
I absolutely love your channel, so many questions answered and answers for things i didnt even know i wanted to know lol
Thank you, Eric! That made my morning.
You continue being the best, regardless what any body may say.
Paul I know rel has d high level output using speakon cable that's with their T line series it's really difficult choosing a sub so many brands would u also recommend Dali subs I'm going with a denon x3700h Dali oberon 5 n not sure d sub which will you recommend thanks
i want to connect 2 tweeters & 2 mids, but when I do that on series or parallel it eats up a lot of energy & the sound level goes down, what do I do now?
Why would it be a problem to combine botch the left and the right channel in the subwoofer? Wouldn't it just play the low frequencies from both channels? How would everything get screwed up?
That thumbnail looked like you were about to spit some Lyrics
facts
My active sub doesn't have high input chanel so what will happen if i insist to put high input from my amplifier? Will it blow my sub in the long run? Im using car amplifier which is 4 chanel 300w rms per chanel 1200w peak, i think its too big so i abit worry. Or its better to use the left rear chanel from my head unit (reciever) output which is 18w rms 55w peak? Now im running the later, but the former seems to offer more potential hehe 😊
I made my own sub woofer. I got one with two voice coils. My amp has four outputs so I used a set of those. I ended up puting the voice coils out of phase... sure solved a lot of problems.
Hi Paul!
I'm getting a strange intermittent knocking sound (more like a thud) from my subwoofer when the power from my preamp/Denon is off. I have a two sub set up and they both seem to be doing it. One sub is actually doing it worse than the other, that's the sub that is closer to the Denon with a shorter digital audio cable. Do you have any thoughts on what could be causing this issue? Thanks :-)
Greg
Will the sub connected via speaker input, not distort when the amp's signal to the speakers will distort? I always choose the line level input to make sure of no distortion.
I just a Denon 3600h, so know pre amp. I used audyssy set up for my 2 towers and a svs sub. I had the tripod and the microphone and it recognised the 2 towers and the sub, but when it finished I loaded it and there was no sub output it was like the sub was turned off at the mains? My 2 towers worked though. Any advice would be much appreciated.
Hello, I have my sub Adam 10 "MK2 And ADAM S2V couple in my homestudy, the fact is that I have it in the center between my two monitors, under my desk, if I leave it with the 0 ° phase and with sonarworks, the graph gives me a + -3db waveform up and down, between 100 Hz and 28 Hz. And if I change it to phase 180 °, I have a +6 dbs rise in the graph, from 80 Hz at 28 Hz. No waveform, all this measured in the whole room The question is that with phase at 0 °, as the graph says, At ear, I perceive less serious, and with the phase at 180 ° I perceive more serious. My question is, which of the two configurations do you think would be in the correct phase? I'm lost.
I didn't get the Y cable thing (I know what a Y cable is). Probably too fast a spoken English to catch up with (I'm French), anybody has an explanation?
I run the Y splitter from the amp to the first sub and again speaker wires to the second sub and oh my lord, bass is sweet. I never need to turn the sub volume more than 25%. There is so much bass or power out of there amp compared to pre amp.
Thank you Paul. Enjoy your talks!
isn't the low level signal supposed to run from the preamp or receiver to the sub? I think you said from preamp to power amp and then to sub.
Hi there, I always enjoy your perspective on Hi Fi stuff. My situation is rather unique, so I was curious if you or any of your listeners had any good advice on what to do with my circa 1995 Plexus Sub woofer. The unit has (2) SEAS speakers. About 10 inches in diameter. It was originally designed to use a dedicated EQ which went in to the system between the pre amp then the amp, or in my case the tape loop. Remember those? Any way, I currently have the sub woofer hooked up to the "B" speaker terminals and the bookshelf speakers hooked up to the "A" speaker terminals. The EQ box has died and I can not find a technician I trust to fix it. I was wondering if I should simply use the "A" speaker terminals directly to the subwoofer then use the subwoofer out jacks to go to my bookshelf speakers.
What are you using for crossover and amp?
I am planning a sub! (despite having been a bit anti - you have helped convince me, and yes I'm British!) The Main amp is to driven by a passive pre (all in planning stage) - I'm concerned about diluting the CD signal between sub and power. My solution is to use an old (but reasonable) DAC I have to drive the sub, while the CD continues to solely drive the power amp. Is there any obvious flaw to this plan?
Excellent tip!
Thanks so much!
Regards from Brazil!
Great vid Paul. Like all folks looking at these videos, we are music lovers and lovers of high end sound delivery. I have some older stereo equipment in my LR. NAD 1300 Preamp, NAD 2600 AMP, connected to KEF 103 mid tower speakers, all 35 years old. I just recently considered addi g a SW. The NAD does not have sw preouts. So, the quick question is: do I connect speaker wires from the same two speaker connections on the AMP to the high level speaker terminals on the SW ? I presume one would not splice into the speaker wires ( i used Monster cables for the original speaker connections)? Thx fir your advise or any responses from others. Stay well all.
Do you recommend using the power line into the sub and then the power line out of the sub to the monitors. Or is it preferable to use both A&B stereo outs from the power amp to the sub and monitors separately? My thoughts was that crossover freq would probably work better using the through option on the sub, I also am not sure if using A&B in this situation would change the Ohm rating or power delivery.
I wish you’d gotten an answer to this question. I’ve been wondering the same thing.
Thanks for such highly significant tips to enhance our audio experience!
Hi Paul what do you think of JBL Pro Sub18 combined with the JBL M2?
"His Master's voice". Love the RCA dog in a video talking about setup of sound system.
The dog is “stoned”. 🤫
Subs with high level inputs are awesome for music especially if u using small front speakers u get to control how much u sent to yur fronts and u get awesome full range response no tricky lfe
Yes, I think it's the best way to go
That is great advice, thanks for sharing and explaining so well.
If i have a 2ch system and i want to add a sub, how do i wire that up?
Excellent info Paul and easier than the subwoofer crawl.
Hey Paul what's your best subwoofer n would u prefer svs or rel n to add q acoustics q b12 n does a sub need to go below 20hz for movie n music
I really like REL subs. They don't have to go below 20Hz, no, but nice when they do.
Paul do u like goldenear forcefield 4 sub would it be better than d rel and do high level output make sense and what does it do
Hey Paul how low can you go subwoofer hz below 20 I know u won't hear it but would rel give u cinema type bass that u would get all the frequencies those movies intend too
@@lyndonramchatesingh105 My big ones go down to 16Hz so you feel them rather than hear them.
Hey Paul d ones u say that goes down to 16hz is a rel or something else
Thanks for saving me some trouble. I was considering using an XLR y connector, but I was a bit dubious. Now I know.
My subwoofer, between the two outside (Front?), speakers, sounds absolutely KA, in my small space!
Good advice... But not for subwoofers almost as big as a fridge. Well... still applies, but it's a pain to move.
Also you can't not see the sub, however I have it tuned pretty well and flat and it sounds great to my ears.
I think I understand what your saying. Your sub should complement your speakers one should not be over the other but be in harmony with eachother
I agree 100%, Im big fun of subwoofers to, goood subwoofer is whnen you can not locate the box with your ears, first I setup my main speakers-satelites for bass, than turn on my powered sub and setup how laud will be.
Sub give much more wider bass with much low freq. in the room.
ok, maybe a dumb question. Great video Paul. I have a crossover knob on the back of my SB-2000 and a crossover setting on the amp. I've set the amp to 80 and the knob to 80... does one override the other? do they need to match? I have QAcoustics 3050 towers, a QAcoustic center. Do mostly TV/Movies and 20% music. Is this the best set up? thanks for your help!
Turn the crossover on your sub all the way up and let your AVR to do the crossover, it's what's recommended. I have dual pb-2000's and they sound great. :)
Rob Petro u dont need to use it u using external crossover from yur reciever the switch on the sub for the crossover suppose to be set to out set to in if u using a receiver with no bass management
Mine is on the right, behind the main speaker and bit off the wall.
How are you even supposed to set the crossover frequency? Like, what are you listening for?
Paul newer viewer here from MN. I have 3 THX systems and my favorite is Logitech 5.1 1000 watts. After 15 years of masterful home theater it is starting to power down when advertising codec changes through the optical input. I know it's my satellite provider but I am looking for advice for a family man who can't afford anything more than about $400. What are your favorite "budget brands" until the kids grow up?
Joshua Essig elac
Listening to you is very informative but very inlighting thank you for being willing to help on this hobby
hi let me start by saying that I love all your videos. I need some advise on a set up. I have the acoustimas 15 Bose and the directions from Bose says that they speakers should be set to large instead of small but doing so leaves me bass deprived when watching movies. I have the system connected to a Sony receiver STR-dn1000 and when I use the calibration tool from Sony it also sets the speakers to large... you have mentioned in the past that those speakers should be set to small and 80hz, the base sounds better but is not there yet. There is a lot of boom but not a lot of deep bass LFE. What do you recommend? P.s the room is an open floor plan 25ft by 50+
Paul McGowan thank you Paul for your response. So here is my predicament, my Sony receiver only has one sub output so I won’t be able to purchase a second sub unless I change receiver :( so in regards to changing the setting to large on my boss speakers, would I still be able to set the crossover to 80 or would large lock me out? Also I have the nose sub that comes with the system. Lol I’m trying to maximize for a little while longer...
Old post but with the Sony set it up manually. You can set up speakers as small. Go through the manual. Pay no attention to Douchy Donna. Ya it’s not “audiophile” but it’s YOURS!
YOU ARE THE GURU OF THE BOTTOM SOUND SIR
Thanks Sir. Very valuable information.
How on Earth do you adjust the phase on a sub???
hi man. Try ac3 filter with spdif-on ,it has phase out also for LFE out. It can process 'the PCM signal into AC3 2.1 ,just play unballacenced one speaker (-5dB ) , you can even mod it ..to play Wmp10 through Dlna ;) no flac support.. though
Happy lil subwoofers
This is a little confusing, considering most new mainstream receivers, have LFE outputs for subs, And that signal is determined by your main and surround speaker crossover settings. Most newer subs don't even have the speaker tap connections. But I do agree with the parts about sound preference, and the sub sounding like low range extensions of the main speakers.
He's talking about music listening and all half way decent subs for music have speaker level connections. LFE is designed for home theater, which is a whole different ball game.
Bandit88 lfe has nothing to do with 2.0 lfe connections are used by receivers.
Great advice. Thanks Paul.
My ears are the best tool.
vonclod123 That’s right: the ears have it! Even if you use sophisticated electronics to tailor the sound to acceptable numerical levels, if it doesn’t sound good to your ears, how long are you going to be able stand it without messing with the setup? That said, technology can point out a problem that you just can’t pin down with just listening.
aurally it’s the brain 🧠
I have a set up at my brother barbershop a 3 speaker system a cheap small Pyle amp 2 fluance signature bookshelf on stands a bic america pl 200 sub a Bluetooth reciever with built in DAC upscaller plays like a boss everyone hears it always ask is it that thing playing like dat its pretty awesome.am goin from amp to sub high inputs the sub high outputs to speakers crossover on sub set to in sending 80 hertz to the speakers cheap but awesome as hell 2.1 system
Chriswell Jack Bluetooth receiver with built in DAC ? Really ? How many devices are connected to it ?
@@rankinh71 it have a dac chip in the bluetooth reciever i have a an audio engine bluetooth reciever with a dac in it also both recievers have rca and optical outs
@@rankinh71 never said it was a stand alone dac
@@rankinh71 if i plug the 1.8 to rca direct to a phone and play anything it sound like crap compare to playing it throught the bluetooth receiver
@@rankinh71 audioengineusa.com/shop/adapters/b1-bluetooth-music-receiver/
Are there any audiophiles about the age of 18 like me?
Watchin the end credit there, looks like your in Arizona. Is this True??? 👍🏼. Thanks for advice bud. I am about set up my 1st surround sound system. Klipsch HD-300 speakers ($15 buckarooneez) and polk audio PSW12 subwoofer (snagged it for $20buckaroonees) . I think i got a pretty good deal on this set up. I have Monster cable speaker wires and some banana plugs (not sure i will use the banbans) but they are there if i needem. Got the wires n plugs for $15.
Oh and i got this Sony str-HD720 Amp $40 (not bad of deal). All this was a spur of a moment snag n grab set up. Saw the deal and just went for it.
Klipsch HD-300 (5 speakers) $15
Polk Audio PSW12 $20
Spk wires n banplugs $15
Sony Str-HD720 $40
Total $90
Not bad for a Oldskoo setup.
Have no idea how i got into talkin bout my set up, haha. Wasnt in the playbook comin in. Haha but there it is. Thnks for all the advice bud.
Wish u,PS audio Team & everyone reading contined success😉👍🏼
That is an absolute awesome tip. Thanks so much
Thank you sir. It’s was an informative and refined answer to very common question.
So many great tips. Thank you so much sir.
My pleasure!
It just dawned on me that every setup I've seen or used has a single subwoofer placed off on the right side. That's crazy.
You say not to use a Y connector for a sub, but you're referring to this by taking a Left and Right to merge into a single RCA input. However, what I find is common is that sub (powered) have a Left and Right input. I have read conflicting information about which input to use, the Left or the Right since it is mono it really shouldn't matter, right. I used only one connection for a long time and I would always have to max out the volume on the power amp to the sub just to get bass out of it. I finally read that each input is 1 volt and that most sub woofer drivers require 2 volts to power. So you have to send signal to both the Left and the Right input to achieve 2 volts. I therefore had to get a Y connector. When I did this, the sub woofer bass was exceedingly loud and powerful, requiring me to finally having to turn down the volume.
Is there any way you can explain why outputs are mono but the inputs on sub woofers are stereo? Why couldn't they just make a 2 volt mono input?
@Click to Confirm Yes. As I stated, most powered subs have a Left and a Right Input, but a Receiver has a mono Output for subwoofer (LFE). A Subwoofer only has one speaker (generally.) Again, from my research, to properly get the most out of the subwoofer, you need a 2 volt signal. Each input is equal to 1 volt of signal. So you must use both the Left and Right input. If your Receiver has a Left/Right output, that's fantastic! I have personally never seen that. IF not, then you need a Y-splitter. I bought Audioquest's Y-splitter.
Thought your were going to do the old Johnny Carson routine
Very informative! thank you.
Thank you for this explanation:-)
'got it hooked up to the input/output terminals. now I can avoid that sound processing bull. thanks.
Justin Crediblename but can’t avoid the room affecting the sound. So that bull is still useful.
@@johnpoo1662 what's the chance that my muddy Polk subwoofer from 2010 has a way to auto-adjust its frequency response in relation to the room?
Why is that better than adjusting it at the receiver, the 31 band EQ, or an even more detailed output EQ on the HTPC? yeah, I don't get it. 'seems like rubbish to me.
@@JustinCrediblename just a guess but i would think the digital Eq on your receiver would have more bands and be more accurate. In the end correct placement of the sub in relation to the listening area is the no1 priority (subwoofer crawl). Then start EQing.
I have found the single most effective improvement for a sub is time alignment. Subs tend to react slower therefore sound in the crossover region is not solidly staged.
In my case - a small "project studio" using small Neumann monitors and a 10" KRK sub - I measured the time response of both monitors and sub and found the sub was slower by about 12ms. Making this correction in the active crossover creates a more integrated bass and more solid staging.
Naturally, it's worth reviewing crossover settings after making the alignment.
Mike Page what did you use to measure the delay?
Absolutely sound advice!
thank you, helped out alot.
Great Video
My sub became obsolete when i purchased a pair of bowers&wilkins 683's. Now i have"too much" low end - much to my neighbors annoyance!
Use a calibrated mic and the free REW software. Use yt to search for info on how to use it
Love your channel, but have absolutely no way to make a connection between what your explaining , and what it looks like. Please use the physical items as you explain. It adds the clarity that is needed for understanding what the video is supposed to be about, thanks
I would point out that you should listen at the height of the Sub as it sits on the floor. So crawl around while listening.
Which makes me ask whether or not height matters for subs. Usually it is said that in treble domain, height is of paramount importance (@ear level), but bass isn't directional, now is it sensitive to where it's emitted from, I wonder... never tried to raise my sub.
Thanks sir great advice 👍