Psw505

zimms

I have the psw505 sub hooked to a sony bdv-e770w system through the front speaker wire connection and the klipsch quintet IVs hooked up to the sub. I have been messing around with the settings on the sub and can't seem to get much from the sub for output for tv or music. I hookup the old sony sub and it has more punch. Maybe I purchased the wrong sub? Is there something I'm missing? thanks

cnh

Welcome to Club Polk!

Unless you can hook that Polk sub to a dedicated LFE OUT on the Sony unit and your speakers "directly" to the Sony, NOT to the Polk sub, you're probably wasting your time.

Dedicated HT systems like the Sony have weird impedance stats and often have passive subs that are powered by the Sony AVR/BDP player. They are not "really" designed to run much outside the "original" set of speakers that came with them.

If you want to hear "how much better" that Polk sub sounds than the Sony system. You will need a "real" receiver, with normal hook-ups for 6-8 ohm loads and a dedicated SUB-OUT RCA line!

Sorry about that. It's just the nature of an all in one system. Check your receiver. If it has a SUB-OUT! Then run a coax cable from that to the LFE IN on the Polk sub and adjust everything from there--The Klipsch speakers also need to be connected to dedicated L/C/R/SL/SR speaker terminals on the Sony amp! If not. Either return the Polk sub or get a an actual receiver with no built in player. To many compromises there.

Good Luck!

cnh

zimms

It has a positive negative wires for the stock sub from sony. Can I somehow use these to hook to the 505 sub? thanks

cnh

Well, the problem might be IMPEDANCE! What does the Sony say? 2, 4, 6, or 8 ohms. There has to be some info somewhere!

No when you try to hook up your sub using what are called High Level In terminals. You hook your Left and Right out on the receiver to the L/R IN on the Polk sub. And then hook the L/R High Level outs on the Polk sub to the L/R speakers you are using. If the impedance is too low on the Sony that may cause problems of the kind you're alluding to.

The ONLY way to do this is to connect the Polk Sub to the Left/Right speaker terminals of the Sony if it has them. Because I'm pretty sure that whatever current that Sony is putting out to its dedicated sub is OFF for a Normal stand alone, self-power sub like the Polk!

cnh

cnh

It occurs to me that there maybe another problem here! Your receiver may have all the low frequency information routed to the sub and sub alone since it assumes everything else is a satellite speaker. If that is the case. Then what I have suggested above won't work. And trying to hook up the Polk sub to the Sony sub terminals will not yield any sound from the satellite speakers since the Sony probably cuts off all the high frequencies to the sub at 150 hz or lower, in all probability.

Try some of the above. If it works good. If not. You're really going to need a NEW receiver. One of the bummers of trying to upgrade many Home Theates in a Box that don't come with a SEPARATE dedicated receiver!

Compare the back of your Sony to this middle level Onkyo. See speaker terminals for each set of speakers and how the SUB should be connected to the SUB PRE-OUTS. The impedance for speakers is 6-8 ohms, also. This is what you need. Do you have that?

cnh

zimms

I have the L/R speaker output from the receiver hooked to the sub and the sub hooked to the speakers now. In the manual it says to set the front speakers on the receiver to large, i am only able to turn the power going to the speakers up and down. Would turning the power up be the same as picking the large speaker setting? Maybe that will help with the subs sound?

cnh

OK, set the speakers to LARGE, YES! And use the VOLUME KNOB on the Polk sub to increase its output. There is one back there. Set that to at least 12 o'clock and work from there! More volume if necessary.

Also set the sub cut-off on the Polk to whatever matches your satellites, probably 120-150 hz?

May be able to salvage something yet. But do we know what the impedance for those Sony speaker outputs are yet?

2, 4, 6, or 8 ohms. That's still in the "mix" here?

cnh

zimms

167 watts per channel at 3 ohms. The sub channel for Sony has a positive-negative hookup rated at 165 watts at 3 ohms.

snake1

I think, from the pictures I can find on the web, that your dealing with a htib receiver which is more than likely not going to push your 505. I'm assuming the sub that came with your system is powered by the 'receiver' that it came with. The Polk on the other hand handles power by itself and just receives signal from a reciever via the purple plugs in the back of the reciever CNH posted above.

Correct me if I'm wrong guys, but I'm pretty positive I'm on the right track with this. I had the same issue when i wanted to start upgrading from the htib stuff! My suggestion is that you start saving for a new receiver and speakers. JMO and observations.

PolkieMan

Yea if you had like a old school receiver you could use the variable audio out and the sub would channel and play only the low freq.

You may have to get some Y cables and split the audio out.

I have two LFE outs on my Onyko one for each 505 :razz:

http://www.docs.sony.com/release/BDVE770W_qs_EN_ES.pdf

zimms

I turned up the speaker output going to the sub and it does sound pretty good, wish it had a little more punch but definitely clear and you can see the pictures on the wall vibrate in the next Room. Not bad for a $200.

cnh

That's good news. That sub can hit much harder than your original. But I'm not sure that rating of 167 watts at 3 ohms means much!

As that is NOT an RMS rating (continuous). So it is still possible that the real shortcoming is the Sony and not the sub. When you say you turned up the volume to the sub do you mean the volume on the Sony or on the Sub?

And does the Sony have sound Levels for each of the 5.1 or 7.1 channels? Did you boost those for the sub?

There are so many settings involved here.

1. the overall volume of the Sony
2. the sound level of each separate channel on the Sony
3. the Volume knob on the Polk sub.
4. the cut off for LFE on the Sony.
5. the cut off for LFE on the sub, etc.

cnh

zimms

Cutoff for LIFE? I didn't see that on the sub or player. I turned up the output to the front speakers which are plugged into the back of the sub and then wire going from the sub to the front speakers.

zimms

I meant cutoff for LFE.lol

Cofish

Zimms,

I've had a little bit of experience working with a Sony receiver and the 5.1 surround sound package that it sounds like you have. I can't tell you the tech details like most guys can on this site but I can say that from experience, no offense, but the Sony receivers aren't too good. They work fine with the Sony package but once you try to branch out it doesn't accept other speakers too well, that goes for subs, center channels, everything. Now your package of the bdv-e770w looks much better than what I had but I would suggest to you getting a pioneer receiver. Entry level ones will run from 275-325 on Amazon but it'll make a world of difference. A lot of people seem to look more into the speakers than they do the receivers forgetting that the receiver powers most of the speakers! I don't know how much you just paid for your 505 but it'll be brought to a whole new level with a new receiver pushing not only your Sony's but your sub as well.

Just something to consider along with my 2 cents.

-Fisch

cnh

There is a VOLUME control for the SUB'S AMP on the back of the sub. Have you turned that up to at least 12 o'clock? This ALSO affects the volume the sub puts out in ADDITION to the volume knob on the Sony.

Let me give and example. Let's say the Sub VOLUME is at 1/4 power. Then regardless of how much you turn up the Sony volume you'll only get so much sound from the sub. You need to turn up the Sub VOLUME to get more because the SUB has its OWN AMP!

There are TWO volumes to deal with here. Experiment with BOTH. If you turn up the sub's volume too high, it will inevitably bottom out so start at 12 0'clock and ease it up from there if you have to.

There is also a knob on the back of the sub that probably runs from 40 or 50 hz to 150 hz or higher. Look for it. And for now, just MAX that out. Turn it to the highest number since you have satellites attached! So 150 hz or so? You can always back that off if things get a little bloated.

cnh