Rt 5000p cabling suggestions to av9/p7 pre-pro

photone1

Howdeedoo,
Good evening, and thank you for taking a moment to share my exuberant return into audio realm!
Ok- So, the Family just moved into a larger home and the boss ( wife) gave an “all systems go” to set up a home theater system
... out come the Polk audios- purchased back in 1999 (party like its...).
Dusty.... but barely Bronco’d at 100hrs +/- use:
rt800i
Cs400i
Fx500

Pre/pro:
Arcam fmj av9 pre ( LFE out)
Arcam Fmj p7 amp

Just getting ready to hook up a pristine Vandersteen 2w through front channel feeding the rt800 s when I came across an RT 5000p ( responsibly used)
( Rt3000p, cs1000p; fx1000)
My question to my fellow PA enthusiasts:
A)
Should the av9 pre amp l + r rca outs be split (y) to:
- p7 l+r amp in —-> l+r rt3000 l+r satellite speakers
- rt3000 bass in
or

Av9 Pre l+r outs —->P7 amp l+r in —->rt3000 l+r sats
Av 9 LFE outs (total of three available) —-> rt3000 l+r bass in

Thank you in advance!

tonyb

Don't try and use the bass modules as a dedicated subwoofer, you'll be disappointed. A dedicated sub from the likes of SVS or HSU is your better bet. The bass module is really there to augment the speaker, even though it has inputs to use as a dedicated subwoofer.

Hook them up like you would any other speaker, only difference is you have to run additional speaker cables from the bass module top posts to the Sat. on top. Play with the volume knob a bit until it blends well. Start at about the 10 o'clock position.

photone1

Tony B, your input is much appreciated Sir.
Good tip on-sound knob position start point towards room dB calibration/ speaker balance.
Omitting pre amp LFE outs utilization to lower subs makes sense.
For the same reason ( optimum rt3000 bass performance),
I feel the Vandersteen 2w sub ( 3-8” woofers), with its unique crossover cap filter system (required placement after pre amp and before amp) on the front channel rca l+R connect would diminish the designed performance within the rt3000 bass as well.

In your opinion, should I feed the subs from amp or pre amp as follows:

A) from amp:
pre amp l+r fronts out ( rca )—->amp l+r fronts in(rca)—-> amp l+r fronts out( wire )—->sub l+r in ( bi wire)—->satellite l+r in ( bi wire jumps)
OR

B)from pre amp:
pre amp l+r fronts out ( rca “Y” splitter)—->(rca split 1) amp l+R fronts in (rca y)
—->amp l+r fronts out ( wire)—->satellites l+r in ( bi wire) and ( rca split 2) l +r subs in ( rca)

tonyb

A ...seems like the better solution

tonyb

beat it spammer

photone1

Again, thanks for the knowledge input Tonyb .... A) would allow me to run a current monster z2 cabling to subs... I’ll need to pick up a comparable bi wire jump to the satellite speakers.
Btw, is a suggested cabling method as provided within the RT3000p manual
https://www.manualslib.com/manual/362827/Polk-Audio-Rt3000p.html?page=10#manual

photone1

Btw, B. ) is a suggested cabling method

tonyb

Yes, I know, and I've tried it that way myself being a former owner of said speakers. Did not sound that good to my ears which is why I never recommended that way. It's an option, obviously, and wouldn't hurt anything to try it yourself to see which way sounds better to you.

civilian

The RT's do offer several different choices for hook up, but I have settled on just running them all as large with traditional speaker wire connections as Tony B suggested nut no bi-wire.
Though if I pick up another 2 channel amp i'd like to test the 3000's with the bottoms running the internal amp via RCA and the tops bi-amped with 2 channels per cab.

OShag

Hi Photone1.

Many congrats. I used to own that system many years ago. When set up properly with the CS1000p plugged in for the powered woofer, and the F/X1000 mounted correctly, you will have one of the very best surround systems. Even though the tweeters are soft-dome, the RT3000p and CS1000p are very resolving. I did at some point experience hum / noise in the woofer amps if dialed up higher. I would suggest if if you hear any hum, to first check if there is a return policy (incase there is no difference) then order online Emotiva CMX2 (3 of them) which are around $130 ea. They are amazing devices that will eradicate transformer hum caused by DC offset, but not grounding issues which generate the 6ohz hum.

Incidentally regarding your speaker wire suggestion; I found the Nordost Flatline cable to work superbly with these speakers. The Flatline 2 can be found used for very good prices. I would suggest 3 longer runs (left center right) of at least three maybe four metres as this will give you great flexibilty for positioning the speakers. I found the ideal position in the room i had way back when was about 12 feet apart. Set up this way and toed in with tweeters aimed about 1ft from each ear (use a handy laser device perched on the top of the RT3000p to get the angle dialed in precisely. For the FX1000, if you are running the calbe along the periphery of the wall get 100ft spool of Monster 16awg or 18awg, tin the ends and terminate with spades.

What is so great about the RT5000p is that is has a rich full powerful sound that can really knock your socks off if set up correctly. They are great all rounders so serve well for music and cinema duties.

Cheers,
OShag