DSW Pro 1000 not sounding right

ikolbyi

Setup:
Polk sub: DSW micro-pro 1000
Polk speakers: RM 85 (5.1 setup)
Receiver: Denon AVR-2809

Subwoofer volume set to level 14
crossover on receiver set to 100 Hz
crossover on sub set to max >200 Hz (letting receiver handle crossover, using LFE)

Issue, music (tuner/CD) sounds ok, movies (DVD/BlueRay)- the sub "walks" across the floor - way too much base - windows vibrate way too much.

The receiver is set to auto config sound levels and has the sub setting to -1 or +1 db depending on the movie or music. I manually configured the speakers during setup, because Denon had a hard time recognizing the speakers properly. I have another setup: Denon AVR-1909 with PSW350 + RMS2000 speakers (12 years old Polk setup) that sound and operate great in a much smaller room, again the Denon receiver didn't recognize the speakers at setup so I manually configured them.

Why is the sub so jumpy even when I lowered the volume to level 14 (level 20 is 50%)?

Room is hardwood floors with cathedral ceilings, 20'x24' size.

leroyjr1

It's jumpy because of the Passive Radiator on the bottom. Try putting a piece of carpet under it.

dorokusai

It's a highly motivated subwoofer.

danger boy

just lower the volume on the sub till it stops jumping. I think if it's jumping.. it's turned up to high.
Or put something heavy on top of the subwoofer so it stays in place.

ikolbyi

leroyjr1 wrote: »

It's jumpy because of the Passive Radiator on the bottom. Try putting a piece of carpet under it.

That seemed to work, but now it sounds as if their is less-base in the sound. I actually turned up the volume which did help, but it still sounds a little hollow.

With no carpet, the sub is too bass-ey and if you turn the volume down, then movies sound great but not music. If I place a 12"x12" piece of carpet as you suggested, I need to turn the volume up but it does not have the same sound quality. Ho-hum. Any recommendations at this point? (fix one problem but create another.)

Thank you for the suggestion.

leroyjr1

Try raising the sub off the carpet some by unscrewing the feet a little. This should give you more room between the carpet and the bottom of the sub and the bass should sound better

Serendipity

Place something under the sub. That should help.

ikolbyi

leroyjr1 wrote: »

Try raising the sub off the carpet some by unscrewing the feet a little. This should give you more room between the carpet and the bottom of the sub and the bass should sound better

I raised them which game me about 3/4 of an inch. No difference.

Would messing around with the cross over frequencies of all the speakers in the room make a difference in an attempt to compensate?

Right now I have the following settings:

Fronts (Polk RM 8) 100 Hz
Center (Polk RM 85) 120 Hz
Rears (Polk RM 7) 120 Hz
Sub (Polk DSW micro-pro 1000) 100 Hz

leroyjr1

Try dropping everything to 80 hz and see if that helps any. Other micropro owners with hardwood floors have tried adding some weight to the top of the sub to prevent it from jumping. I'm running dual micropro 4000's set at 80hz on carpet without any walking issues. Setting it up properly is the key to achieving good bass at the listening position. Play around with placement if that's an option.

treitz3

^^^Good advice^^^

How close is the sub to a wall or corner?

ikolbyi

4 feet. It's near (plus in front of) the main listening location.

megasat16

I usually use DSW Micropro subs as foot rest or ottoman in the HT room. but sometimes, they jump. However, I found that no PSW micropro subs jumping after I put my 200+LBs **** on it.

treitz3

kolbtod wrote: »

4 feet. It's near (plus in front of) the main listening location.

Well, that's not the issue. Let me ask you this......are you using any tone controls or does the auto calibration [or manual] boost the bass frequencies at all?

ikolbyi

Auto calibration.

I attempted to override the settings and manually set that up when I originally installed the unit, but Denon loves to reset it back to auto when you power off the receiver. Basically forcing you to always use auto unless you don't mind adjusting the settings every time you want to watch TV, etc.....

treitz3

You've GOT to be kidding me. There's has to be a way to set it and forget it. Man, if not, I feel for you. Wait a little bit. Maybe someone with knowledge of your AVR can offer a suggestion or two. In the meantime, see if you can't pull out the manual and see if there is something you can do about this. That particular sub does not need any boost of the lower registers.

Oh, my manners......Welcome to Club Polk!

treitz3

What model AVR are you using for the sub?

ikolbyi

treitz3 wrote: »

What model AVR are you using for the sub?

In the original (top) post: Denon AVR-2809

Auto sets the sub at -1 or +1 db depending on the show/movie. I read on another similar post the individual solved their problem by placing rubber suction cups under the feet of their DSW micro instead of carpet. I will try that....stay tuned.

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions so far.

rallyshark

You can:
1. put small squares of two sided tape under the feet(scotch command can be removed without damage) <$5

2. get a Auralex Subdude(about $50)

3. build your own interpretation of the subdude for less

4. not suction cups, they are just little cups that the feet can fin into which will make it harder for the sub to walk, but they are stuck to the floor .

You are likely misinterpreting the vibrations for loudness. I did at first. Those things really send them on hardwood floors. See:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94172

The sub will get better after break in as well. Also, try the different settings on the remote like corner/mid wall/ mid room/ cabinet etc. You may want to play with the phase settings to. Moving it around to different locations may help some to. But the fact is, unfortunately, that that passive on the bottom will send a lot of vibrations on a hardwood floor. Any thing you can do to get it off the floor or put something under it will help. The carpet will only help with the "walking" for the most part. It being too loud shouldn't be that big of an issue in a room that size. Don't give up on the sub. It's a great little sub after you finally get it set up right, but sometimes it's just harder to get right:) I think you would be a good candidate for a subdude IMO. I hope this helps:)

dorokusai

I'm not sure how severe it is but some Blue Tac adhesive for leveling pictures may work as well.

dabo

these are the rubber cups that I placed under my microPRO
on my tile floor, available in Home Depot for $2
another option instead of carpet would be a rubber mat, like
a yoga mat type of material

ikolbyi

rallyshark wrote: »

You can:
1. put small squares of two sided tape under the feet(scotch command can be removed without damage) <$5

2. get a Auralex Subdude(about $50)

3. build your own interpretation of the subdude for less

4. not suction cups, they are just little cups that the feet can fin into which will make it harder for the sub to walk, but they are stuck to the floor .

You are likely misinterpreting the vibrations for loudness. I did at first. Those things really send them on hardwood floors. See:
http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?t=94172

The sub will get better after break in as well. Also, try the different settings on the remote like corner/mid wall/ mid room/ cabinet etc. You may want to play with the phase settings to. Moving it around to different locations may help some to. But the fact is, unfortunately, that that passive on the bottom will send a lot of vibrations on a hardwood floor. Any thing you can do to get it off the floor or put something under it will help. The carpet will only help with the "walking" for the most part. It being too loud shouldn't be that big of an issue in a room that size. Don't give up on the sub. It's a great little sub after you finally get it set up right, but sometimes it's just harder to get right:) I think you would be a good candidate for a subdude IMO. I hope this helps:)

I had some small rubber pads/feet from an old computer that I didn't install. They are 1 inch in diameter and seemed to do the trick. I also raised the feet on the sub to max height lifting it a good 1.5 inches off the ground. Sound is good (back to normal) and distortion from vibration only occurred once during my demo when the base exposition was severe (very loud right in front of the viewer - Demo/trailer for Valkyrie)

Thanks everyone for the help, problem solved.

Note to self: If you plan on installing this sub in a room with carpet, purchase model 3000 (10") and not the 1000/2000 (8") since the carpet
seems to absorb the sound and you will need the extra to compensate.