PSW10 HELP please

grb3963

Hi, I have a psw10 sub hooked to a sony str-dh510 avr. my reciever only has an lpf filter with a preset of 120hz which is unchangeable but can be turned on or off. since the psw10 does not have a lfe input should i max out setting on sub and turn off lpf filter on avr or turn off lpf filter and set xover on sub to about 80hz? it is hooked up via rca w/y splitter. my other speakers are polks at5s in front csw1 front and monitor 50s rear..

thanks grb3963

grb3963

rtia5s front cs10 center monitor 50 rear

Tbone289

With your setup, I would recommend running the LFE out of your receiver to one of the RCA inputs on the PSW10. You will then need to set the low pass filter on the sub (not a crossover!) to the highest frequency. Also, keep the low pass filter (lpf) on the receiver at 120Hz. Set the main, rear and center speakers to "small", and set receiver's crossover to what sounds best. Start at 80Hz and work from there.

grb3963

im a little confused. Ken from polk told me just the opposite. He said to turn off filter on reciever and set low pass filter on sub to 80hz..(lowest setting on sub)..Do you know why??

thanks grb3963

[Deleted User]

Hello GRB,
You indicated, in your first post, that the Sony's sub-out frequency is fixed at 120Hz. If this is the case then switch the receiver's setting to "off" hopefully there will be a full range signal leaving the Sony's sub-out connection. Then use the variable low pass filter on the sub to blend with your main speakers. If by setting the Sony's filter choice to "off" completely turns off the sub-out signal, then you have two choices. One would be to send a full range speaker level signal from the Sony's front speakers to the speaker level inputs on the sub and use the variable low pass filter on the sub.
The second choice would be to turn the sub-out on and use the variable low pass filter on the sub to blend, but that would involve two low pass filters and could cause some matching problems. I try and avoid double filtering whenever possible.
I hope this is a little clearer.
Regards, Ken

grb3963

Thanks

John K.

The confusion and apparently conflicting suggestions in the three threads (helping the confusion)on this topic arises out of the fact that the filtering provisions in the 510 haven't been accurately or completely described. The 120Hz low-pass filter which can be turned off is only a filter on the LFE channel(.1) for low frequency effects which occasionally has content in movies. It has nothing to do with the crossover settings between the speakers and the sub for the other channels. It can be left on at 120Hz, since that's the upper limit on possible LFE content.

Entire separate provisions are in the 510 for setting crossovers between the speakers and sub at frequencies between 40Hz and 200Hz in 10Hz increments. Your speakers should be set "small" with appropriate crossover frequencies(typically 80Hz)selected in the 510. The low-pass filter frequency control on the back of the PSW10 should be set at its highest setting to get it out of the way of the crossover which the 510 is doing.

grb3963

Ok, But the 510 does not have cross over settings for the sub at all. only for the speakers.

Tbone289

You can do it the way I described, or you can do it the way Ken described. If you are going to leave your main speakers set to "large", do it the way Ken described. If you set them to "small", you will need to do it the way I described.

With Ken's instructions, you'll be using your main left and right speakers "full range" (large), and sending all frequencies to them and to the subwoofer, including low bass. As described in his instructions, you will need to use the sub's low pass filter to "blend" it in with your mains. With my instructions, you'll not be sending the lowest frequencies to your left and right mains, but only to the subwoofer. This will reduce the load on your receiver, since the amplifier in the sub will be handling the low bass.

Honestly, both setups will work. I would suggest that you try each setup, listen to each for a while, and decide what you like best. Ken's setup might be best with the PSW10 since it's a low-power sub, and mine is probably best with a higher-powered sub. Be sure you follow the instructions closely, noting the difference between a "crossover" and a "low-pass filter" (lpf).

The crossover controls what frequencies go to the main speakers and the sub. Only the frequencies at the crossover setting and higher will go to the mains, and only frequencies at the crossover setting and lower will be sent to the sub. This is why you would want to set the subwoofer's lpf at its highest setting when using the crossover--so you aren't double-filtering.

grb3963

Thanks!!!

[Deleted User]

Thanks John K. and Tbone289 for your helpful postings! Let us know how things sound, GRB.

grb3963

i will

grb3963

thanks, works very well