Help me hook it up!

Florida_Gator

Hi gang,

After listening to several different speakers, and speaker sets, and thanks to some good advice here (thanks cfrizz), I've decided to pass on the "satellite" plan, and get some "real" speakers!

Just purchased, and am waiting delivery on:

2 Polk R50 Towers - front L&R
1 Polk CSR - center
2 Polk R150 Bookshelf - rear L&R

I already have a (around 8-yr-old) Polk 8" (or so) powered sub, (forget the model number/name, and it's not displayed anywhere on it!) which seems to be working fine.

OK, so we've established that I like Polk speakers, so hopefully I'm in the right place...

My current receiver (which I'll keep if it works OK) is a Harmon Kardon AVR100, which was purchased around 8 years ago when I bought the Polk sub.

I want to connect all my stuff, and make the proper receiver and subwoofer adjustments... hopefully all without damaging the new speakers!

Here are the specs for the Harmon Kardon AVR100:

Stereo Mode
Continuous Average Power (FTC)
50 Watts per channel, 20Hz–20kHz,
@ < 0.08% THD, both channels driven into 8 ohms

Five-Channel Surround Modes
Power Per Individual Channel

Front L&R channels (this is where I'll connect the Polk R50's):
40 Watts per channel,
@ < 0.08% THD, 20Hz–20kHz into 8 ohms

Center channel (this is where I'll connect the Polk CSR):
40 Watts, @ < 0.08% THD, 20Hz–20kHz into 8 ohms

Surround channels (this is where I'll connect the Polk R150's):
40 Watts per channel,
@ < 0.08% THD, 20Hz–20kHz into 8 ohms

Input Sensitivity/Impedance
Linear (High Level) 250mV/47k ohms

Signal-to-Noise Ratio (IHF-A) 90dB

Surround System Adjacent Channel Separation
Analog Decoding 40dB
(Pro Logic, etc.)
Dolby Digital (AC-3) 55dB
Frequency Response
@ 1W (+0dB, –3dB) 10Hz–100kHz
High Instantaneous
Current Capability (HCC) ±30 Amps
Transient Intermodulation
Distortion (TIM) 0.08%
(20Hz – 20kHz)
Rise Time 16 μsec
Slew Rate 40V/μsec

OK, so some of the above I understand, and some I don't -- that's why I'm here.

1) Will my new speakers work with this receiver?
2) How should I setup my sub? There's two knobs in the back: one for volume, and the other is labelled 80-160 hz.
3) How should I plug in my mains -- to the receiver, or the sub (with the sub connected to the FR and FL on the receiver)? Currently, I'm using the sub-out port on the receiver, which seems to work fine.
4) If I use the sub-out port, I should set all the speakers to "small", right?
5) If I connect the R50's to the sub, how do I set the hz knob on the sub? If I use the sub cable (and the R50's to the receiver), THEN how would I set the hz knob on the sub?

Sorry for all the dumb questions! I just don't want to damage any of my new speakers. I will buy a new receiver if I need to... (it's been causing the cheapo sats I was using to pop really bad, so I don't know if it's damaged or not).

Thanks a ton in advance!

Florida_Gator

Thanks Keiko!

Please elaborate on the following:

"I manage my bass at 100hz. This may be to high for you since you can manage your bass at an even lower response of 80hz or even to low. I wouldn't recommend higher than 120hz though but again this is a personal pref so you can play around with those settings until you have it tweaked to your liking."

What do you mean by "manage my bass..."? Are you suggesting I adjust the "hz" knob on the back of my sub (not really sure exactly what that does) to around 100? As I recall, the knob goes from 80 to 160 hz...

I like the idea of using my sub-out port, and the cable I have for it. In that case, I should set all other speakers to "small" (even the R50 fronts), right?

Thanks again!

cfrizz

You're more than welcome! Enjoy your new speakers!:)

Florida_Gator wrote: »

Hi gang,
After listening to several different speakers, and speaker sets, and thanks to some good advice here (thanks cfrizz), I've decided to pass on the "satellite" plan, and get some "real" speakers! QUOTE]

Florida_Gator

Really appreciate the help, guys!

I think, for starters at least, I'll use the sub-out on my receiver to feed the sub (I have a y-cable), and connect the fronts & surrounds to the receiver. I'll then set my sub to "yes", and all other speakers to "small".

The only thing I'm not sure about is how to set the "hz" knob on the back of my Polk sub. I'll start with it at the middle (120 I guess, since it goes from 80 to 160), and adjust from there.

Based on what I've read here, the speakers I've selected are all "voice matched", so I'm looking forward to some good sound. I know the R series is Polk's lower end, but based on what I heard at the store, they're still better than say, the speakers that come with decent HTiB systems (such as the Onkyo 800, which was pretty dern good). So hopefully I'll be able to use my old sub and receiver with no problems... but even if I have to change the receiver (say, to an Onkyo 505 for around $250), I'm not spending too much more than a good HTiB, and it will be quite a bit better!

John K.

Gator, turn the filter frequency control on your sub all the way up to 160Hz to get it as far away as possible from the crossover frequency that your receiver will be doing, to minimize any interference between the two.

Florida_Gator

John, thanks... that knob on the back of the sub is what has me most confused.

Let me see if I understand how it works...

Whatever I set that knob to on the sub, tells the sub to play all sounds BELOW that frequency, and nothing above (even if sent to it from the receiver)?

Therefore, if say, my receiver sends 120 and below to my sub (and 121 and above to my mains), but I've got the knob set at 80, then I'm "missing" all sounds from 81-120 hz, right?

As far as I know, I can't manually adjust this on my receiver (I'll double-check that). So if I understand how it works, setting the "filter" to 160, in the scenerio above, will allow the sub to play all sounds being sent to it... zat right?

(this is why HTiB systems sell so well, heh heh)...

seeclear

Florida_Gator wrote: »

John, thanks... that knob on the back of the sub is what has me most confused.

Let me see if I understand how it works...

Whatever I set that knob to on the sub, tells the sub to play all sounds BELOW that frequency, and nothing above (even if sent to it from the receiver)?

Therefore, if say, my receiver sends 120 and below to my sub (and 121 and above to my mains), but I've got the knob set at 80, then I'm "missing" all sounds from 81-120 hz, right?

As far as I know, I can't manually adjust this on my receiver (I'll double-check that). So if I understand how it works, setting the "filter" to 160, in the scenerio above, will allow the sub to play all sounds being sent to it... zat right?

(this is why HTiB systems sell so well, heh heh)...

I'll give you my 2 cents (hopefully it will be helpful ;-) ) even though I'm a Buckeye and you're, well, you know.

How you adjust the knob on your sub depends whether you can manage your crossover in your receiver settings or not. If you can set the sub crossover in your receiver, I would crank the setting on the sub all the way up to 160 and adjust the sub cutoff on your receiver. If your receiver doesn't have that option, then mess with the knob on your sub 'til you like the sound.

And GO BUCKS!!:D

Florida_Gator

Thanks seeclear.

I found out last night (found my receiver's manual online at Harmon Kardon's website) that it has an unadjustable crossover of 100hz. What I'll do, is set the sub's setting to above that, so that it will handle everything from 100hz on down.

Just received the rest of my speakers today, and can't wait to try them out!

Florida_Gator

Hi gang.

Well, I hooked up the brand new front sound-stage tonight:

Front Left and Right: Polk R50s (set to "small")
Center: Polk CSR (set to "small")
Sub: Polk 8" (set to 140 hz -- receiver crossover is 100 hz)

Unfortunately, my receiver (old Harmon Kardon AVR100) is still not sending hardly any sound to the FL and FR, and when I turn it up just to medium, the front channel (L and R) pops, just like it did with the other speakers I tested.

Also, I noticed that when I do the test-tone on the receiver, the front right and left are much quieter than the center... so does this prove my theory that the front channel (L&R) on the receiver is shot?

The reason I bought the new speakers was because my old crappy sats from my old HTiB system were popping (on front left and right)... now that it's doing the exact same thing with the R50's... must be the receiver, right?

Thanks all!

So I guess my receiver has something wrong with the front channel?

I was afraid of this...

cfrizz

Sorry to hear that Gator!

Well the receiver served you well & it's time to get a new one. You have an endless amount of choices. Whatever receiver you get, make sure it has preamp outputs for future upgrades.

Florida_Gator

Hi guys.

Keiko -- yeah, double-checked the speaker connections at both ends -- they're good. I also (just this evening) tested the new speakers with a different (stereo, not HT) receiver, and they work fine (they sound great, as a matter of fact!). So now I know: it's the center channel (L and R) that's dead on my Harman Kardon AVR100. I'll call around to see if it's worth having looked at.

cfrizz -- you're probably right -- receivers have come a LONG way in the past 8-9 years, especially recently, with HDMI, the new digital coding, etc.

I figure if I can get it fixed for $100 or less, I might go that route short-term.

Thanks again all -- I'm just happy I've finally determined the cause of my troubles (but now I'm REALLY looking forward to hearing the new Polks!).

Florida_Gator

Hey guys -- wanted to give you an update!

I bought a new reciver (Onkyo TX-SR505), and got it hooked up last night (to the fronts, center, and sub -- still have to run the wire for the rears).

Sounds GREAT! We LOVE the new speakers! So much better than a HTiB system, or the sat/sub kits I was looking at. I can't believe what a difference matched speakers make! Should have done this a long time ago!

Thanks,

cfrizz

Congrats! Enjoy.

duksbak

Congrats!!

...and another satisfied polk customer!