Do I need new Sub?

OK this is the thread we are going to work in... Aries, kill the duplicate like I explained how to over there. Ain’t going to flame you, you have posted a well, constructed question… you just did it twice…;) besides we’re not allowed to flame newbies anymore (see the 10 commandments)

Originally posted by aries7
Just found this forum and new to all this so don't be to hard on me! Decided to upgrade my home audio & video system, purchased a Toshiba 42HDX82 TV and a Toshiba HD4800 DVD! To tie all this together with my dish I decided on the HK AVR225! My speakers are Polk Audio RM3000 and thats 2 front speakers and a Sub which is a RM1000 and then I have 2 M series M1's as rear speakers, these speakers are about 8 or 10 years old and the sub is not a powered sub, it is connected to the front speakers! My center speaker is a Carver(got a deal on it), anyway this is what I have!

First, nice TV there give us a review of it when we’ve helped you out… as for the rest of your system, others know more than I about the Polks you have, so I won’t comment on them, I’ll just skip to your questions and offer some other alternatives for you to consider.

Originally posted by aries7
Now for my problem, the HK AVR225 has a single pre out jack for a connection to line in/sub/LFE on the sub woofer and my old sub is not powered and does not have this tye of connection, so what do I do , keep my old sub and leave it hooked up to the front speakers the way it is or get a new powered sub so I can hook it into my new AVR225 using the LFE connection?

Yes, set up the way you were with your old AVR. See how you like it vs. the AVR your HK replaced. If you are happy, you are done. If you are not happy, there is an intermediate step you can take before you spend hundreds on a new powered sub.

Look for an inexpensive power amp on ebay for your sub. Since you already know Carver I’d suggest a M100 cube or similar early model, M200, etc. These can be had dirt-cheap, $80 or less, if you catch a couple listed at one time. Then you can get a y-adapter for your HK’s LFE out, run that to the Carver amp inputs and run two speaker wires to the sub. Whala… powered sub for <$100. ebay’s a little light on the 100 and 200’s now, but there are two 400’s listed. Here are the links:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3009428609&category=14973
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3010531412&category=14973
These will go a little higher (maybe $200, the one’s BIN price is way high), but the lower powered models will come along sooner or later.

The right one for you depends on your RM1000’s power handling capability and your budget. The Carver’s protection circuitry will keep you from over driving your sub on a continuous basis, but could over extend it on a transient, so don’t go too far beyond the sub’s rating. There is another option that involves bridging the Carver amp to mono, but if you go this route we’ll cover that then…

Not comfortable with the used market? Try this: http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?webpage_id=3&SO=2&&DID=7&CATID=43&ObjectGroup_ID=505
Many in the Club use partsexpress for plate amps for subs they build. There are other suppliers others may recommend as well.

Note that if you do purchase an amp for your sub, you will need to change your AVR set up and sub’s filter point just like if you buy the powered sub below.

Originally posted by aries7
Thats something else I need to know , I was looking at the new polk PSW202 and it does not have this LFE jack, it has a line in L/R, so how would I hook this to my receiver? Would I have to hook anything to subwoofer jack on the receiver for the system to work properly or would it work just fine with my old sub hooked just through the front speakers the way it is??

Again I can’t comment on the value of this upgrade, others more familiar with the Polk line can, but Polk does bill the PSW202 as a starter sub, and you’re not just starting out.

You can wire it as you did your older sub, but to take better advantage of your HK and yield some improved bass management, you can run the HK’s LFE out to one of the L/R inputs, or insert a Y-adapter at the sub and split the signal into both inputs. I believe the latter does yield a slight output gain of 3 db or so, but when you balance out your system you’ll find that you negate this for the most part.

In either case, either with the 202 or adding an amp to drive your RM1000, when you use the LFE output for your sub, you set all speakers to “small”, set your HK’s crossover at 80 HZ and turn the sub’s filter to its highest setting.

For more on sub and HT set-up see:
http://clubpolk.polkaudio.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=7987
or any one of a dozen other threads on this topic.

Hope this makes sense… little late and I’m a little tired. If more questions pop into your head, ask away…
… and welcome to the Club…