Polk 404...what wiring for best setup?

DannyV

Hello Polkies,


I have a Polk 404 Sub, which is a 10" 200w RMS. My room is 13x14x7 with the basic 5 channel setup. My Tv is in the corner of the room, along with the 2 main speakers and center.

1) I wanted to know how I should wire this sub to get the most bass out of it.

2) What is some really good wire to buy? like brand names..type?


thanks,

Dr. Spec

Speaks to small, filter point to 80 Hz at the AVR, LFE volume to -3 (on a scale of -10 to +10) at the AVR, sub cable from pre-out to LFE in (unfiltered) at sub, adjust volume at sub plate amp to match with other speaks.

Cable? Any RCA cable will do - I use Monster Cable because it's shielded and will be more resitant to picking up stray hum, and also seems very well built. Whether it offers a sonic benefit, I don't know - the shielding and the build quality were enough to sell me.

TonyPTX

Doc...
Remind me again why it's better to set the sub at -3db and adjust at the sub plate amp rather than leaving it at 0 and pulling back a bit on the sub volume control.

What concerns me is that if I do the -3db setting, i've got to significantly raise the volume over the 12 - 1 o'clock position to get the bass that I want out of the sub. and from what I hear, others have bottomed out their 404's from cranking past 12-1 o'clock.

Dr. Spec

http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8234

Last post.

Remember - the two settings (receiver and plate amp) are relative. If your receiver is set lower, you can run the plate amp higher. Don't worry about where the plate amp is set - it really means very little as long as the system is calibrated properly.

Believe me - it is possible to nuke a sub with the plate amp at 9 o'clock - it's the combination of the input and the plate amp together that matters.

pjdami

The reason I suggest a little less than midpoint (-3) is to give the user a little upward adjustability (maybe to 0 or even +1) for music (which is generally less powerful than HT with the sub output) and still leave plenty of breathing room for the LFE pre-amp to not distort the signal via clipping.

Okay Doc. I can understand this now. I have my Yamaha RX-V1300 receiver at 0 db for the sub. I use the LFE out. Yes, this is fine for music listening but the sub can get a little overpowering during some passages in watching movies. So this is why you recommend the -3 for watching movies.

Let me throw another "wrench" in the works. My Yammie has a 4.0 volt LFE preout. The other preouts are 1.0 volts (mains, surrounds, center). The Integra 6.3 receiver that I auditioned prior to my Yamaha purchase had a 1.0 volt preout for the sub. Currently I have the plate amp on my PSW350 set at about 9 - 10 oclock position. Had to set it at 12 o'clock with the Integra. I've thought the 9 o'clock position is a little low (due to the 4.0 volt preout from my receiver). I don't know too much about the amplifiers that Polk uses in their subs but from my experience amps tend to have some distortion on the low end and obviously on the high end. Finding the "sweet" spot is important. I'm guessing that perhaps I would benefit also from a -3 db setting on my receiver for the sub preout so that I can increase the plate amp gain "in the sweet spot" at 12 o'clock.

Which leaves the million dollar question "why did Yamaha put a 4.0 volt preout for the sub?" Cleaner preout signal I'm sure but this also tends for the user to turn the gain down at the plate amp. I'm wondering if this affects performance any. Also I'm not sure if the 9 o'clock position is "in the sweet spot". I have never heard my sub distort though which is encouraging.

bensontm

I have set my Onkyo 600 to all speakers small and the subwoofer to -3. I can turn the volume up to six o'clock and still have the auto on/off light stay at red.

I have to turn the AV receiver on a -12 to +12 scale to a subwoofer setting of +10 and the volume on the receiver to 20 to 24 for digital satellite television. The subwoofer volume know is turned to 12 o'clock. I have not tried the -3 with DVDs and my 303 Polk subwoofer although I have to turn the AV receiver's volume up to 40 to 50 for DVDs to get the same volume as the digital cable television stations. ????????????????????????????Bensontm