RTi100 subwoofer wiring

ArtG

Hi,

Total newbie here. I just purchased a set of RTi100s and an Onkyo TX-SR501 receiver. So far the performance has been a bit disappointing. No matter how I try to wire it, the 100s' built-in subwoofers do not seem to be producing any sound.

Naturally, the first thing I did when I got home was immediately open the boxes and do a rough, raw wiring to see how it sounded. I simply ran wires from the Onkyo's front speaker outputs to the 100s and connected my cd player to Onkyo. I then set Onkyo's subwoofer mode to off and played a cd. That sound was acceptable/good but I was obviously anticipating a fuller, richer sound once the 100s' subs were wired. I also placed my head and a hand near the opening at the bottom of the speaker tower to see if I could sense anything coming from the sub opening. Nothing seemed to be coming from the sub.

Next, I ran a RCA cable from the Onkyo's subwoofer pre out to one of 100s' subwoofer line level inputs. I also removed the jumper strips on that speaker. (I kept the other 100 with jumpers and without the RCA input as a test.) I set the Onkyo's subwoofer mode to on and played a cd. The sound from both speakers was identical and flat. I then turned the subwoofer mode to off and both speakers again sounded identical and like they did during the first test, acceptable/good but not great.

After rereading the Polk manual, I noticed the sub's line level inputs should only be used with unfiltered subwoofer outputs. I called Onkyo and they said the output was filtered. (Tech specs can be found here http://www.onkyousa.com/model.cfm?m=TX-SR501&p=s&class=Receiver for any interested audiophiles).

So, any suggestions on how to properly wire these components? Again, I am a total newbie, so please start with the absolute basics, such as did I think to plug in the 100s.

Thanks!

. . . and by the way, they are pluged in and the green power light is on. <g>

PolkThug

On the Onkyo setup menu, are the front speakers set to Large?

Regards,
PolkThug

ArtG

There does not appear to be a setup menu on the Onkyo to specify speaker size as 'large'. I did, however, set the crossover frequency to 80Hz. Should I try 100Hz instead?

PolkThug

Uh.. If you have your crossover on, on the Onkyo, that's why no bass is going to your fronts. Basically, nothing under 80hz is going to the fronts.

Try this. Connect your RTi's with speaker wire, put the jumpers back in, turn off the Onkyo crossover, turn sub to off. You should hear bass from your speakers.

If not, I would guess there is a problem with them.

Any 100 owners out there with ideas?

Regards,
PolkThug

jeff reimer

I have a pair and have them hooked up using speaker wire. Leave binding post connectors on. Have been told that it is the best way. Set fronts to large and turn dial on the back to about 12 o clock position. Sound very good this way. I too tried the sub out way and they didnt work well.

PolkThug

ArtG, use the s-video monitor out on the back of the Onkyo and hook it up to your TV, this will help you look through the menus much easier, so you can find the menu with small/large settings.

Regards,
PolkThug

dcarlson

I looked up the manual and it doesn't look to have the Large/Small settings.

Set the subwoofer to none and use the jumpers. I think that should do it.

Airplay355

first i would make sure that the subwoofer amps are turned on, there is a small metal switch in the back.

make sure they are plugged in

disable your crossover on your receiver if you are hooking them up with speaker wire.

turn the volume up on the back of the speaker

im not trying to make you feel stupid but i owned rti100s and i would turn the amps off and forget to turn them back on and then wonder why there was no bass. good luck

Emlyn

I have used the RT1000p and RT1000i speakers and never found a use for the RCA hookup method, so I'd not even bother with trying to hook Polk's powered towers up that way. On the receiver, make sure you have selected "No subwoofer". Just use speaker wire to one set of posts on each speaker with the straps in place. I had an Onkyo receiver, not the same model as above, but selecting "Subwoofer>NO" disabled the selection of "Main>LARGE/SMALL". With no subwoofer selected the receiver outputs a full range signal to the speakers--changing the crossover setting does nothing.

I found that turning the amps on both versions of the RT1000s to one third of their power produced the right amount of bass. Anything above that got boomy. The powered towers in any of their various versions are my least favorite Polk speakers.

ArtG

Well, thanks to everyone here, I think I have it working properly. I used speaker wire, kept the jumpers in place, disabled the subwoofer on the Onkyo, and turned up the volume on the back of the speakers. Sounds pretty darn good. Now I just have to make small adjustments on placement and also the power/volume setting for the subs on the back of the towers.

Thanks again!