Setting up Onkyo with Surround50

gatsat

I am setting up my surroundbar50 with my onkyo TX-SR705 receiver and could use some input on my settings. The instructions that came with the surroundbar says to set the speakers to small (Option #2 - used with powered sub) My onkyo does not do the large/small speakers setup... it ask me for frequencies instead. So I am wondering what frequency to set the surround speakers at, what distance to set them at (the manual just says to make them all the same)

Also, my onkyo lets me choose 4 or 6 ohms... which is correct for the polk surround bar 50 ?

Thanks !

gasapple

I've been toying with setting up the Surorundbar 50 and the Onkyo SR706 receiver (Yamaha sub), also. Does anyone have optimal config recommendations and or a good idea, Polk engineers included? I don't seem to be getting the full benefit of the Polk dispersion technology and believe I should start by tweaking the Onkyo settings to get the most out of the Surroundbar... please let us know your settings for best effect and performance! Thanks in advance.

gatsat

gasapple wrote: »

I've been toying with setting up the Surorundbar 50 and the Onkyo SR706 receiver (Yamaha sub), also. Does anyone have optimal config recommendations and or a good idea, Polk engineers included? I don't seem to be getting the full benefit of the Polk dispersion technology and believe I should start by tweaking the Onkyo settings to get the most out of the Surroundbar... please let us know your settings for best effect and performance! Thanks in advance.

Hey Gasapple, I tried to send you a PM but this board won't let me until I have ten posts. I was just going to say, let me know what you find out - if you find out elsewhere.

What OHM level do you have your surroundbar set at ? what about crossover frequencies ?

gasapple

Hey - I'll have to check the crossover settings but I think I went with the recommended 100-120 per the Polk Sbar50 manual - CNET says something different. I'll let you know after I check tonight. The recommended SBar50 ohm level is 8 ohms as you know and I *think* I had the same wonderment when I viewed the "ohm" settings of *only* 4 and 6 on the Onkyo.

My guess is that since the ohms rating of the speaker is a measure of how much electricity is resisted by the speaker, and an indication of how much energy it takes to drive it - the higher the ohms rating, the more difficult the speaker is to drive. So this Polk Surroundbar 50 is and 8 ohms system (not series or parallel wiring since each speaker has it's own source from the receiver in the SBar cabinet - ?). I'd venture to go with the 6 ohms rating since it's closest to the 8 ohms recommended setting. However, since ohms measure resistance, the more ohms, the less output from the amplifier. Conversely, the less ohms, the more output from the amplifier - so maybe we need to go with the Onkyo "4 ohm" setting to adequately push the speakers in the Polk Surroundbar 50? Not certain though... the Onkyo receiver should have the exact 8 ohm since that's somewhat common??? Is there a way to get more specific with the Onkyos? There should be but I don't know...

We'll see... I'm asking other people who have tweaked the Surroundbar 50 with the Onkyo and I'm sure we'll get something valuable soon! Also just read in this forum that people have been using the Onkyo Audyssey calibration mic with success - I never would have thought that method would work!? Going to give it a try as well...

http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/surroundbar/specs.php

gatsat

Cool, let me know what you find out. I am going to do an Audyssey setup tonight as well. I had read where some people were having success too. keep me in the loop. it's nice to have someone to compare notes with.

I will have to check my frequencies as well, I believe I set them all to 100. My Onkyo labels all 90 freqs as THX.

I have much to learn.