Need help with old powered sub - little/no output

RutgersFTW

I have an Acoustic Research ARS-P108 sub claiming 100W RMS @ 4ohms to an 8" driver with a couple very minor tears (like, razor incision) in its surround that I wouldn't think would affect short-term performance. Paired up to my receiver and RTi8s, however, it disappears unless cranked up/+10 to the LFE channel through receiver, and when it is cranked up the quality of the bass is... garbage. Just sloppy and a little distorted. I have a couple of questions:

1 - Is it possible the sub is working fine, and is just a POS?

2 - Is it possible the sub is working fine, but the RTi8s are providing enough bass in the 40-60hz area that an 8" sub won't help much?

3 - Is it possible the sub is not working properly, and a replacement driver should be installed/tested before writing it off?

4 - Is it possible it's not working, is and has always been a POS, and needs to be thrown into the nearest electronics recycling bin and forgotten?

The price was right on this (FREE!) so I was hoping it would hold me over until I graduate college next year. I'm in a smallish apartment with a smallish 16 X 13 listening room. Would one of the Dayton subs be a good place to look? Would the 8" help me out and be apartment-friendly? How about the Polk PSW110 - Amazon has some customer returns for $105, but I haven't seen any favorable reviews outside of their product page and no one here seems to be using one. Are there any other $100ish sub solutions that could do justice to the RTi8s?

In 2-channel stereo, I'm 95% happy with the RTi8s basscabilities. Every now and then I don't hear something I know is there and it bothers me, but for the most part I can't complain and, after all, I AM in an apartment and bass leads to eviction much more quickly than midrange.

So - Simple fix on the AR, Dayton, or Polk?

powers20

Get a velodyne. I've had a 10" velodyne since 95. Still slams!

VXR8

Try hooking it up the "Polk" way and see if that makes a difference (bypass the sub out on the AVR and go into the sub from your AVR front left and right channels with speaker lead and out of the sub to the speakers).

I recently picked up a new Denon 3808 and tried the sub out on it, but I have reverted back to the "Polk" way as it is noticeably better. I have the PSW505, so size doesn't matter. Your sub will also kick in a very low volume on 2 channel as well. Give it a try and let us know how you go.

RutgersFTW

I hooked it up with speaker line input, and the output is definitely much higher than even the LFE channel at +12db. However, it sounds like the sub is trying to output full-range sound regardless of where I have it crossed. It's very strange to hear male voices and slide guitars coming out of a sub. I think this thing might be toast.

VXR8

RutgersFTW wrote: »

I hooked it up with speaker line input, and the output is definitely much higher than even the LFE channel at +12db. However, it sounds like the sub is trying to output full-range sound regardless of where I have it crossed. It's very strange to hear male voices and slide guitars coming out of a sub. I think this thing might be toast.

Sorry - forgot to mention to set the speakers to large and no sub in the AVR menu :rolleyes:

tcrossma

Does the sub have a variable crossover dial? If so, it shouldn't matter what the AVR is sending to it, assuming you have the low-pass crossover set correctly on the sub it shouldn't be outputting sound much above the crossover point. If you have the crossover set correctly on the sub and you're hearing voices it's possible something is wrong with it.

RutgersFTW

VXR8 wrote: »

Sorry - forgot to mention to set the speakers to large and no sub in the AVR menu :rolleyes:

I'm already running them large since the sub is MIA most of the time.

Interestingly, the Audyssey set-up (whose settings I didn't use anyway) didn't hear the sub during setup. I also noticed that if I pause a DVD it will auto power-off and not come back on whether hooked up line-in or LFE. Is this the fault of the sub or the receiver?

RutgersFTW

tcrossma wrote: »

Does the sub have a variable crossover dial? If so, it shouldn't matter what the AVR is sending to it, assuming you have the low-pass crossover set correctly on the sub it shouldn't be outputting sound much above the crossover point. If you have the crossover set correctly on the sub and you're hearing voices it's possible something is wrong with it.

Yeah, the sub was crossed at 80 but I dropped it all the way to 50hz after hearing the strangeness and there was no change. Maybe the amp's flaked out.

I looked at buying replacement parts through Parts Express but it will cost more than replacing it with a new Dayton sub. If I were to take the plunge on one of the Daytons, should I get the regular I see recommended all over AVS, eCoustics, and the like, or spend a little more for the 8" Hsu? The return policy at Parts Express isn't as friendly as Costco or Amazon so I really want to get it right the first time.