Not Enough Bass!!!

damcdon

After hearing the Polk RM6700 system (PSW303 Sub) in the store, I said I got to have them. After getting them home, it had no where near the bass that it did in the store. I've tried alternate hook-ups (Polk recommended way- fronts thru the sub, and Sub Out on receiver), but nothing worked.

So I upgraded to the RM7200 system (with the PSW550 Sub) and I'm having the same problem! Hardly any bass!! What gives?

My receiver is a Sony STRDE595. Could that be the problem?

Frank Z

You may need to adjust the Bass Peak set point via the receiver. Have you set up and calibrated with an SPL Meter?

damcdon

I turned up the Bass on the receiver so it's maxed out, and my treble is set low.

Sorry, I'm kind of new to this; how do I set it up and calibrate it with a SPL meter? (not sure what a SPL meter is).

Thanks.

Frank Z

SPL= Sound Pressure Level Meter. They are available from Radio shack for around $30. The basic idea is to calibrate your system so that the sound pressure for all the speakers is equal. The instructions for your receiver probably suggest adjusting the speaker levels until all the speakers have the same volume when the test tones are played. Altough this may seem pretty staight forward, you'll be amazed at how far off your system will be after proper calibration with an SPL meter.

You might want to pick up a copy of this:
http://www.soundandvisionmag.com/article.asp?section_id=1&article_id=200&page_number=1

I got mine at MediaPlay for about $15. It's a great disk to add to your collection. Not only does it cover basic set up procedures for both Audio & Video, but it also shows you how to calibrate your TV for a better picture.

Have you tried relocating your sub to another area? Proper sub placement is critical to achieve proper performance. One simple method is to place the sub at your listening location and then walk around the room untill you hear the best bass, that's where you should place the sub. Another method is to place the sub along the longest unbroken wall, with at least 1' of clearance to the wall.

Be patient, it takes a little time to get it just right.

BTW, Welcome to the forum!!

Loud & Clear

Not that there's anything wrong with an SPL meter, but I can't imagine that's the problem here.

Make sure the subwoofer is on, and run the gain or volume roughly halfway. If you're using the subwoofer out from the receiver, turn the sub's variable crossover knob to it's highest (largest number) setting; if you're using speaker level connection from the receiver to the sub and from there to the fronts, adjust the variable crossover to roughly 150Hz (ok, I'm guessing here, but somewhere high and we'll refine that later).

Ok, I'm guessing our problem is with your receiver, and not it's sub-out voltage; I think those Sony's have a setup button on the receiver, and from that you can make numerous bass and LFE adjustments. For instance: If you're using the sub-out cable to your subs input jack, you tell the receiver that you have a sub, while if you're using speaker wire from your receiver to your sub (and then to your fronts) you tell the receiver you haven't a sub.

There are other things to discuss here, other parameters in the Sony's setup environment, and I'd (for now) run them all dead center, just until you get a legit response from your sub.

My bottle of wine welcomes you to the forum with it's arms open. It's usually very shy, so she must really like you.

I'm guessing that by tomorrow someone here will really narrow down your problem and that you'll be up and running. Don't sweat it and don't get frustrated.

damcdon

Thanks for all the great advice guys!

However, I'm really starting to think it's a problem with the receiver. We're talking two different Polk systems and no matter what I do, I can't get enough bass.

I've tried it with the subwoofer's outputs cranked all the way up, and only get MINIMAL bass. I'm certain all my wiring hookups are correct (not + to - or anything), I've tried setting all the receiver's setups reconfiguring with sub on/off, sats Large/small, speakers into sub/sub out to receiver, sub out on receiver to filtered/unfilter inputs to subwoofer... (with 2 different Polk systems remind you with the same results - the sub can't even come close to matching the sats even with all the sub's knobs cranked!). It's not a question of balancing, I just can't any Thump.


I'm going to return the receiver later today - and God I hope that was it, because I'm in love with that Loud, Deep Bass that I heard in the store from those great Polk subs!

I'd still welcome any advice though!

Thanks again!

Dr. Spec

Look for a dynamic range limiter (works only on Dolby Digital soundtracks) in both the DVD player and in the AVR. Sometimes referred to as Midnight Mode. Make sure it is set to normal/off.

Look for a bass peak limiter feature in the AVR and make sure it is set to off or disabled.

Look for a separate LFE channel level control. This is not the same as the sub channel level control, and only affects the LFE channel. Make sure it is set to maximum, usually on a scale of -10 to 0.

These three hidden/ignored bugaboos are responsible for more weak bass than you might think.

Doc

damcdon

So I talked today with a very nice Tech rep from Polk. She suggested I hook up my outputs from my DVD player directly to the subwoofer. That way I could bypass the receiver and see if it was the culprit.

I did, and ALLELUIA!!!! Not that I'm glad my receiver's crap, but YES I got my thump! So it was the receiver, and I'm upgrading tomorrow.

Thanks for all your help and welcoming me to your club, and a special thanks to "Loud & Clear" for the very cool quote about wine!