New Sub Settings Recommendations

jb33

Good day everyone,

It has been a while since I last posted and since then I have picked up a PSW 303 from a Polk Ebay auction. It joins my modest system:

Onkyo 505
2 Polk RTi4s

I hooked it up the way that is recommended in the sub manual (speaker wire from receiver to sub, then speaker wire from sub to front left/right speakers) and ran Audyssey. Then I set the crossover on the receiver to 80 hz and told the receiver "no sub" (also recommended in the manual). I turned to "low pass" knob on the sub to roughly 1/3 (80hz) and the volume on the sub to 1/3. I have the phase at 0 degrees. The system sounds ok, but I am wondering if I need to do anything else; there is a lot about the audio world I don't know.

Thanks in advance,

PS. My Onkyo gets quite hot when I have the HDMI input in use...is this normal? I don't have it blocked or anything, I was just curious if this is something I should worry about.

Erik Tracy

I'm sure the veterans here are probably tired of seeing my posts, but sounds like your setup is close to what I have: RTI4s in front with a PSW303 and CSI3 center.

I've got my sub also hooked up of the speaker terminals and have set my Yamaha V1800 speaker settings to "large" and the LFE/Bass setting to "Front" (so, that means no sub as far as the avr is concerned and all LFE/bass gets sent to the fronts).

You didn't mention what you have set your front speakers to on the avr: large or small, or if the 505 has an option for this. If you have the sub hooked up the "Polk way" then I'm not sure if setting your sub crossover on the Onkyo will have any effect at all as the avr would be expecting and controlling the signal to the sub/lfe out - which you don't have connected.

On my setup I have the PSW303 low pass set up like you do at 80Hz, and the phase to 0, but I've got the volume turn up just past half way.

Volume is a personal preference.

Also, there are some here who would say that the RTI4s are not really 'large' speakers and for loud/dynamic LFE and bass you'd be better off hooking the sub up to the sub out on the avr and high pass limit the signal going to the RTI4s and send only the LFE and bass to the sub to let it do a better job of the bass and not tax the RTI4s with too much bass.

Again - personal preference here. Try experimenting and see what works best for you.

I will say for my setup, that the RTI4s do a very admirable job as "Large" speakers for both HT movies and CD/audio 2-channel listening when coupled with the PSW303.

It is, admittedly, a modest setup - but I'm very pleased with the sound!

Also, I have heard that most Onkyo's run hot - especially when using the HDMI as that is going thru the video chip used and they do run hot.

Cheers,
Erik

jb33

Thanks Erik, I do have the speakers set to "large". I suppose I'll try hooking the sub up using the line out on the receiver to see what works better. Perhaps one day I'll move on to surround sound, but for now this is fine. Good to see someone here who has something similar.

Erik Tracy

Keep us posted on what you find out what works best for you.

Erik

Ryder888

jb33 wrote: »

Thanks Erik, I do have the speakers set to "large".

1) Set them to "small". Setting your speakers to "large" sends more bass to your RTi4''s and less to your subwoofer. I did the same thing, until i sat down and read the manual.

2) Subwoofer:
a: turn the crossover all the way to max....Clockwise. Let the reciever handle the crossover.
b: volume knob at 1/2 way sounds about right.

3) Reciever:
a: crossover @ 60-80...80 sounds right to me. I have mine at 50, but with different speakers, reciever, etc.
b: On your "subwoofer speaker level", on the reciever....set it close to max. Now your sub will be controlled more by the reciever.
c: then play with the speaker level to your RTi4's, to get it where you want.

Hope this makes sense ?

Good luck !

Erik Tracy

Ryder888 wrote: »

jb33 wrote: »

Thanks Erik, I do have the speakers set to "large".

1) Set them to "small". Setting your speakers to "large" sends more bass to your RTi4''s and less to your subwoofer. I did the same thing, until i sat down and read the manual.

2) Subwoofer:
a: turn the crossover all the way to max....Clockwise. Let the reciever handle the crossover.
b: volume knob at 1/2 way sounds about right.

3) Reciever:
a: crossover @ 60-80...80 sounds right to me. I have mine at 50, but with different speakers, reciever, etc.
b: On your "subwoofer speaker level", on the reciever....set it close to max. Now your sub will be controlled more by the reciever.
c: then play with the speaker level to your RTi4's, to get it where you want.

Hope this makes sense ?

Good luck !

How does setting speakers to large send LESS bass to the sub?

My AVR manual says when LFE/Bass is set for BOTH (sub and Fronts=Large) all bass and LFE is sent to both the sub and the fronts).

Thanks,
Erik

Ryder888

Erik Tracy wrote: »

Ryder888 wrote: »

How does setting speakers to large send LESS bass to the sub?

My AVR manual says when LFE/Bass is set for BOTH (sub and Fronts=Large) all bass and LFE is sent to both the sub and the fronts).

Thanks,
Erik

My Yamaha manual actually said that. I have Monitor 60 fronts and set my reciever to large. Then i ran across that in the manual, and have since switch everything to small.

Small = bookshelf speakers=relying more on the subwoofer for bass. at least that was my interpretation of it.

Large = floorstanding speakers=relying more on the speakers and less on the sub for bass. Again that was my intrepretation from the Yamaha manual.

I read it as the setting is telling your reciever how to handle the bass.

My Pioneer reciever has the microphone and set my fronts to large and the center to small. Then i overrode it to were they were all small. I like it better and my reasoning for doing it was to keep my sub from shutting off so often. I want my reciever to lean as much bass as possible to the sub.

Maybe all the manuals are different ? It made sense to me, and did seem to help to a degree.

Try it both ways ? You can always change it back.

jb33

A couple days ago I hooked up the sub using the LFE input, set the speakers to small, cranked up the sub crossover, and left everything else the same. The sub sounds pretty good now. The first thing I watched was the Mines of Moria fight scene in Lord of the Rings and it sounded great; the sub gives movies a certain "umph".

Thanks for all the help.