Onkyo 607 + PSW111 Hookup

jwm2

Ok well i just wanted to see what others think i should do as far as hookup concerns on my Onkyo 607 and PSW111 subwoofer. The sub just came in yesterday and before then i had a sub from the RM6750 5.1 speaker setup i bought about a month or so ago. I've since upgraded the front speakers and center channel to Rti4 (fronts) Csi3 (center channel) and am still running the 6750 satellite speakers for the rears. My question is i have a stereo monster audio cable going from my L/R sub outputs on my AVR going to the L/R ports on the sub. But as i read the manuals it states you only need 1 connected. What i notice when playing games and watching tv is that the power is abit weak when using only 1 connection and seems to be just about right when i have 2. Now what i need to know is should i leave it as is with a stereo connection (L & R) or take one off (L channel) and just have one rca connection and then recalibrate my system through the audessy setup procedure? It does seem alittle overpowering right now as the speaker gets broke in, but personally i like alot of bass. My concern would be the amp in the subwoofer burning out quicker, if thats possible. Basically would you do it differently or leave it as is and just adjust things as i feel its needed? Any help is greatly appreciated

Btw: I love this subwoofer, i found a good deal on ebay for $160 shipping included (new in the box) and couldn't ask for a better sub. The first time i hooked it up i thought about packing it back up and just keeping my old sub as it sounded bassier, but now that its getting broke in, it sounds 10x better than the other sub. The sound is deeper, has more punch, etc. I did not think an 8" sub could perform this well, but am pleasantly suprised with the outcome. If you are thinking of getting this sub, don't even think twice, its well worth it and is tiny. I can't believe the sound this little thing produces, its half the size of my older 8" rm6750 subwoofer and puts out alot more sound.

PS: I've been a long time lurker and have searched the forums many times looking for answers, this is just the first time i've had the inkling to register and participate. Nice forum you've got here, its full of great info.

priince

I have ordered similar combination and can't be more excited every time i read good things about it . This will be my first component HT system.

Will you be kind enough to list the cables required to connect the sub to receiver?

Thanks,
Prince

jwm2

I used a set of monster interlink 100 cables from menards. Its a pretty hefty cable, even though its not the top of the line monster audio cable available, but for the short run i have it works perfectly. I also have monster banana clips for the front speakers and monster speaker wire for all 5 speakers with terminals for the rears as well. I know i've spent too much on the speaker wires and terminals but i like them and they serve my setup well.

wutadumsn23

Does your AVR have a subwoofer pre out? If it does try hooking it up via LFE, with a subwoofer cable. That is the way I do it, and IMHO it is the best way of hooking up a sub.

-Jeff

comfortablycurt

wutadumsn23 wrote: »

Does your AVR have a subwoofer pre out? If it does try hooking it up via LFE, with a subwoofer cable. That is the way I do it, and IMHO it is the best way of hooking up a sub.

-Jeff

+1

That's the most common way to hook it up.

Run a subwoofer(coaxial) RCA cable from the 607's subwoofer pre-out to the LFE input on the PSW111. Then you'll want to run Audyssey again.

When you run the setup, you're going to want the volume level on the sub itself at about the halfway point. You may still need to adjust the level a little after the calibration, to adjust it to your personal tastes. You'd be best off using the subs volume control to adjust it further IMO.

Also, make sure you turn the subs crossover control as high as it will go. When you're using the subs LFE input, the internal crossover is disabled, and the crossover point is set in the AVR. You want to set the subs internal crossover to its highest point, to avoid double filtering the signal.

Hope this helps...and welcome to Club Polk!:)

jwm2

Well of course it has preouts, in fact it has 2 a left and right preout. The subwoofer has a left and right input, so right now i've got it connected to both. If i ran 2 subs i could run 1 to each but right now i'm not so i've decided to run them both to the same sub. Most AVRs don't support 7.2 so they only have 1 preout, but the 607 does support 7.2 so it has 2. I guess i'll just keep it as is right now and adjust it as i see fit.

wutadumsn23

My bad, I didn't look at the title close enough to see what AVR you were running. Not all AVR's have pre outs for subs, granted they are older models, but they do exist.

-Jeff

jwm2

Oh no biggie, sorry if it sounded like i was being rude, i didn't mean it to sound that way. I've only had the AVR for about a month now, but i love everything about it. If i had to do it all over again i might go with the 707 instead but for $200 more i can't really justify the added expense just for thx certification + alittle better audessy eq. Either way i'm more than thrilled with the receiver and i will be an onkyo customer for a long time to come. I also love my polk speakers, you can't beat the quality at any price.

comfortablycurt

jwm2 wrote: »

Oh no biggie, sorry if it sounded like i was being rude, i didn't mean it to sound that way. I've only had the AVR for about a month now, but i love everything about it. If i had to do it all over again i might go with the 707 instead but for $200 more i can't really justify the added expense just for thx certification + alittle better audessy eq. Either way i'm more than thrilled with the receiver and i will be an onkyo customer for a long time to come. I also love my polk speakers, you can't beat the quality at any price.

Remember that the extra $200 for the 707 also would have gotten you pre-amp outputs, and the ability to connect an external amp. Sadly, the 607 doesn't have that ability.



It sounds like you'd be better off just using one of the sub pre-outs. The second output is meant for connecting a second sub. Connecting the second pre-out to the sub shouldn't really even make a difference.

Does the PSW111 have a dedicated LFE input? If it does, try hooking up one of the sub pre-outs to that. Then rerun audyssey and see how it sounds.

jwm2

Yeah but i wouldn't use a seperate amp, i'm more than happy with the setup as it is. The 707 is really just more money for what i'd use, so its really over the top for what i need. The psw111 does have a dedicated LFE input, well sorta. The right(or left) input is also marked as LFE. I'll probably just leave it as is unless i ever decide to hook up another sub, which i doubt will ever happen.

Uilleann

I'm gonna stick my neck out here and really show off my ignorance (and hopefully learn a thing or two in the process if I may do so in hopping into the discussion here). When I did car audio installs, almost all of our head units, DSP's, EQ's or other sources with a dedicated sub out only produced a monaural signal - even if there were two line level outs clearly marked L & R. Each of the lines (not in every case mind you, but probably something close to 98% of the time?) was a mirror of the other, and was not stereo. The thinking being that at sub bass frequencies, stereo separation ceases to be audible to most human ears. Further, upon opening most of these units up, it was easy to see that while there may have been two physical connections externally, internally they were often just a single output source, split off into two on the outside. Like a wall plug adapter splits a single power outlet in your home to two, three or more outlets...no more power, just spread out over more connections.

I would also be interested to know if the inputs on the sub might do the same thing - but in reverse. Meaning that they might take the signal of the L & R jacks on the back of the sub, and combine them on the other side of the MDF. If that is indeed the case, then one cable vs. two really should make little indeed if any difference to your signal and overall sound quality. This of course assumes you have both a good cable in and of itself, as well as the assumption that both sets of terminals from your amp and the sub are working properly as well.

Now as I said, my work was all in car audio, and not in home audio settings. I will be the first to concede that these are two very different animals, and all of my "experience" from the past may count for exactly diddly here now! Since you stated that you felt the sound definitely increased with you used two cables to each of the inputs, my first suspicion would be a bad cable, or output/input terminal. I would suggest a little trial and error with different cables (if possible) on different connectors of both sub and amp. It seems like it could be something simple. Then again, I could be completely out of my league here and talking out of my.......well, yeah.

Let us know how it goes ok?

Best!

Brian~

comfortablycurt

jwm2 wrote: »

Yeah but i wouldn't use a seperate amp, i'm more than happy with the setup as it is. The 707 is really just more money for what i'd use, so its really over the top for what i need. The psw111 does have a dedicated LFE input, well sorta. The right(or left) input is also marked as LFE. I'll probably just leave it as is unless i ever decide to hook up another sub, which i doubt will ever happen.

Never say never. When I got my first AVR, it didn't have pre-outs(a 606 actually). I figured I'd never need them.

I've since then passed my 606 off as being completely worthless for my needs, completely done away with my HT setup, and put together a dedicated 2 channel rig. Like I said...never say never.

Give it a little time(especially if you stick around here), and you could be cursing yourself for getting an AVR with no pre-outs.

I'd seriously try just using one cable to connect your sub. The intended connection method of an LFE signal is only by one cable. This is how I'm seeing things...

You're basically feeding your sub a stereo signal right now. Even though it's from dual LFE outputs, the sub itself is seeing it as a stereo signal. Generally, a subs internal crossover is only bypassed when it's connected with an LFE cable(mono). When a sub only has a pair of stereo inputs(and not a separate LFE input), one of the stereo inputs(used by itself) generally serves as the LFE input. By connecting a cable to each of the inputs, you could be effectively engaging the subs internal crossover, because it thinks it's receiving a signal from a stereo source(not LFE).

The AVR is still crossing the signal over either way, but by connecting your sub through its stereo inputs, you're essentially double filtering the signal. I may be reading into this too much, but I really think you'd get better sound by connecting the sub with one cable.

Regardless, having it connected with two cables definitely isn't doing anything to improve the sound, and could hypothetically be degrading the sound simply because it's another connection point. Since the second cable is serving absolutely no purpose anyway, I'd remove it.

Just my $.02...take it for whatever it's worth.

wutadumsn23

Good advice Curt, I'm with him on this one. Never say never, when I joined this forum I didn't even know what a pre out was, luckily for me I bought an AVR that had them and don't have to go back and buy another one a year later.

-Jeff

jwm2

I see what you are saying but due to the performace of it so far, i'm more than happy with it, so i'll probably just leave it as is. I may tinker with it later on, or whenever i get the urge to run the audessy setup again. The thing is i've lived just fine without any surround sound system for the past 10 years without really feeling the need to go out and buy one, i think this setup will serve me just fine for the next few years. In fact i forgot i had a sony dobly digital AVR downstairs connected to my stereo, and only noticed it after i needed some speaker wire to hook up my HT upstairs. Once i noticed i already had a 5.1 AVR i was even thinking about returning the Onkyo 607 because to me the DD Sony AVR would probably serve my purpose just fine, i just didn't realize i had it. Of course it was bought about 10 years ago and was never used for surround sound, it was used for a 2 speaker stereo setup in the gameroom downstairs. But anyhow i don't think the subwoofer at this point is being overly filtered, if it is then i'm more than happy with how its running right now. I get plenty of deep bass and my front speakers do a great job with the mids and highs. When playing ps3 or xbox 360 i'm getting more immersed in the action than ever before and am just now noticing i was missing 1/2 the equasion by having a hdtv but no HT setup. In the next few months i hope to be upgrading the HDTV Directv, so that should help as the SDTV dtv is only broadcast in stereo sound, so most of my TV watching is done with no real surround sound effects. The one thing i do notice is it seems sometimes i get too much bass on certain commercials and games, but it'll just take alittle time to adjust the setup to get the performance i'm looking for. Either way i'm really happy with the psw111 sub and the onkyo 607 is just perfect for my living room. I'm glad i went with polk audio speakers, and this is a great community to get input and help. I really appreciate all the help you guys have given me

wutadumsn23

If you are happy with the way it sounds, then that is all that matters. Keep in mind though that even when you get the HD box, you will only get 5.1 from the HD channels that are broadcast in that format. Even then the surround effects, IMHO, are not much to envy compared to a Blu Ray or DVD formatted in Dolby Digital.

-Jeff

Gulfstrings

jwm2 -

I have the SR707 powering two PSW111s. They are each connected to the AVR with a good sub cable in to the "sorta" LFE with the crossover setting on each at 100% and the volumes at just past half.

Both subs are sitting several feet outside the A7 towers (bi-amped) and I couldn't be happier with their presentation. True, both are being fed the same output but there is an added (to my ears) dimension having them to both my left and right and nearly opposite, front to back, from the FXi A6 surrounds.

With the center, my system's a 5.2 with the .2 offering just a little more dimension.

jwm2

I get local channels in HD with an OTA antenna so i know its not great but better than stereo. I've kept it hooked up the same as before and have been happy with it. As the woofer breaks in its getting louder and louder, so i have had to tone it down abit for my tastes. But all in all its a great woofer and i can't believe the deep sound it produces. I have grown up with 12" woofers and always thought you needed ig speakers to get deep sound, but that doesn't seem to be the case with the psw111, an 8" speaker is producing plenty of deep bass, much more than i anticipated

bsl

Hi!,

Just got myself a JBL MX-100/Harman MS-100 all in one system. The highs and mids are excellent. Did'nt find the lows good enough.

Frequency Response:
System: (+-3db) 65hz-20khz
Speakers: (+-3db) 80hz-20khz
Total Power: 60W RMS

Am planning to hook up the PSW110 to the subwoofer-out of the system. Any suggestions?

bsl

Hi!,

Just got myself a JBL MX-100/Harman MS-100 all in one system. The highs and mids are excellent. Did'nt find the lows good enough.

Frequency Response:
System: (+-3db) 65hz-20khz
Speakers: (+-3db) 80hz-20khz
Total Power: 60W RMS

Am planning to hook up the PSW110 to the subwoofer-out of the system. PSW110 vs PSW 111. Any suggestions?

wutadumsn23

bsl,

Either one will work fine, get yourself a subwoofer cable and hook it up via LFE and call it a day. Welcome to Club Polk.

-Jeff