Micro Pro 1000

TECHNOKID

CA_Bill wrote: »

Yes, you are correct and that is what happened during the automatic setup. Maybe I misunderstood the procedure. I thought the cross-over should be set around 80 Hz in order to divert the low frequencies to the subwoofer.

Bill

It depens, if you are using the LFE, indeed it should divert the lower frequencies to the sub and I believe setting your fronts too low might interfere with the process. On the opposite, if you do not use the LFE it would allow you to set the desired speakers to large and hopefully provide you a better blend between speakers that are capable of lower frequencies and the subwoofer (should be quite beneficial during music listening too!). IE: it seems to be the reason why Polk would suggest not to use the LFE with a SurroundBar as it would provide better blending of the bar/sub. However, during movie watching I am worried the subsonic frequencies experience could be missed?

Cheers!

opusx100

TECHNOKID wrote: »

Question, don't you feel this sub is over killed for the small speakers of a SurroundBar? Just a question, when you look at the Polk site, they recommend the DSW400 and further more, it is mainly sold with the PSW10 and most people use the SurroundBar with the PSW line. Dum question, but do you actually hear the baby speakers of the SurroundBar whit this humungous (power wise) sub cranked up as loud

Cheers

I tell you, I was wanting more bass in the beginning but now, I think MicroPro 1000 is more than enough for my set up. I even turn down the volume to 16/40 past week or so.

Laminate flooring + larger room + large opening to Livingroom = concern for not enough bass, but it is all good!

Wife is very happy about wiring and she lets me crank it up now and then.:D

cnh

Those MicroPros are pretty good subs, I'm not surprised and as someone said in another thread/post...you can 'never' have too much bass....yeah..

cnh

mak99

mak99 wrote: »

I'm out of town on biz this week, and haven't unboxed #2 yet. I'll report back when I can...

Well, after a long hiatus from this Forum, I’m now getting around to reporting on my findings of running dual microPro 1000s in my system. I hope that any previously-interested parties are still out there!

As you can see from my recent pic, the subs are located on either side of my AV rack between the rack and front L+R speakers. The subs are about equidistance to the main listening position on the couch. Speaker levels have been re-calibrated using Audyssey Multi-Eq and my Onkyo 805 receiver, with fine tuning with my digital RatShack meter. Final Audyssey-adjusted values noted below from Onkyo on-screen menu:

Left: -1.5 dB (Polk RTi70)
Center: -3.5 dB (Polk CSi40)
Right: -2.5 dB
Surround Right: 0.0 dB (Polk RCi80)
Surround Left: -1.0 dB
Subwoofer: -1.0 dB (sub volumes set at 18/40)

L+C+R levels were calibrated to 75 dB, surrounds at 77 dB, and subs at 76-77 dB (best guess from fluctuating readings during final calibration).

I demo’ed this new dual-sub setup about a month ago, using same two Blu-ray discs that I used to evaluate the single microPro setup – Casino Royale and Master and Commander. All other system configurations were the same –Samsung BD-P1500 (though since replaced with Pioneer BDP-51FD) connected to Onkyo 805 via HDMI. The only change I made was adding an AudioQuest Y splitter at the Onkyo’s sub out connection so that I could connect both subs. The second sub cable was another BJC LC-1 analog cable, same length as other sub’s cable…yep, I’m anal…

Casino Royale was my first demo, using the same two scenes from before – the opening chase scene thru the construction site and embassy, and the closing scene with the house tumbling into the water. Both scenes had pleasingly more bass, and frequencies seemed to dip lower compared to a single microPro. I also felt that the bass was tight and not boomy by any means, as I felt my old PSW505 had been.

I also demo’ed the chase scene thru the airport as I felt like there should have been more low bass with all the airplanes flying around. With my old PSW505, I assumed I must be missing something, after reading some online reviews regarding sound quality and low bass during this scene. With the dual microPro’s, there was a definite improvement in low bass extension. I felt the pressure in my ears and during the fly-overs – it was nothing short of incredible! At that moment, I knew I made a great decision by adding the second sub.

I then demo’ed the initial battle scene from Master and Commander. I was already happy with the increased bass performance with my first microPro compared to the PSW505. With both microPro subs now working, the thundering cannons had a bit more low end range, and definite more “thump” felt in my chest as the cannonballs roared between the ships. I felt like I should be ducking to avoid all the chaos and action that was happening onscreen. This scene will now be one of my top choices to demo to guests who want to see what my system can do.

The scary thing is that I only turned up the Onkyo’s volume to -10 dB and it was freaking loud - and the Onkyo can go up to +18.0 dB… :eek:

I cannot tell you how impressed I am with these microPros and their performance, especially since they are so much smaller compared to my PSW505. I also feel that the two subs help equalize the bass throughout the AV side of our Media Room, which is approx 13’W x 8’H x 30’ D (one end of room is AV system, the other end has a pool table).

And since I noticed that the price has crept back lately (if you can find them in stock), I am very happy that I paid about $400 ea for these bad boys…

My only minor complaints about the microPros are that I wish the front blue LED could be permanently turned off. They default to “on” every time the sub comes out of standby. I suppose I could just leave the subs on 24/7 and turn the light off, but I’m not sure if this would affect the lifespan. Anyhoo, I added a “Sub LED on/off” to my Harmony One remote, so that’s good enough for now. I also wish the microPros came with the same feet used on the DSW Pro series, which have removable rubber nubs to expose carpet spikes. I talked to Polk CS about this, and apparently both subs use the same threaded insert – so I could just order some and replace them…

mak99

xcapri79 wrote: »

Thank you for your review. You have a very nice looking neat setup.
Those cherry RTi70's look good. I wish I had them instead of the black RTi100's (my second pair of Polks that I still have). Glad to see the dual Micropro 1000's worked out well for you.

Thanks for the compliment on my system, have been building and upgrading over the years. The RTi70s were a great score off eBay about a year ago, in absolutely mint condition. They were an upgrade from my cherry RTi28s. I still prefer the look of these to the later RTi series (w/ the silver fronts), though the current RTiA series sure look great with the all-cherry fronts!

BTW - four 505s in the bedroom??? Where the heck do you fit your bed??

opusx100

Thanks for the very detailed review! Someday I'll have couple of subs in my family room.
Enjoy your setup!!!

mak99

xcapri79 wrote: »

...There is more stuff in there that I won't name.:)

Thanks - from all of us!

opusx100 wrote: »

Thanks for the very detailed review! Someday I'll have couple of subs in my family room.
Enjoy your setup!!!

Thanks, I will! I hope you get a second sub soon, you won't regret it!

Polkitup2

Where did you find the Micropro 1000 for $400? The cheapest I could find was newegg and J&R at $499?

mak99

Polkitup2 wrote: »

Where did you find the Micropro 1000 for $400? The cheapest I could find was newegg and J&R at $499?

Amazon, via WholeSaleAV. The price at that time seemed to vary almost daily, so I was lucky and just happened to catch it at the right time. FWIW, my first order (1/15/09) was $406 shipped, the second one (1/31/09) was $396.19 shipped. I see today it's listed for $486 and change...

Though I haven't been on these Forums in a while, I hope that you were able to get a microPro for a great price!

Polkitup2

I got a decent deal through newegg.com $429 shipped. Thanks.