[Hantra]

All:

I got a sub tonight that I am trying out.  It's a Piega sub, so it should match up to the speakers pretty well.  I just sat it down and plugged it in, and have been kind of fooling with it.  But it occurred to me that I have no idea how to setup a subwoofer, and dial it in. . .  

Any pointers / FAQ's?

Also, would you run speaker cable from the second set of binding posts over to the sub?  I read that this doesn't draw anything from the amp.  Is that right?  Or would you run interconnects from pre-out?

Thanks!

B

[Mad DOg]

B,

if you have a sub preout on your preamp, use that. run an IC from the preout to the low level sub in.

if you only have 1 set of preouts on your preamp, you can use a Y connector cable to run an IC to your amp and 1 IC to the low level inputs of the sub (although some say that this may degrade the signal)...

you can also run speaker cable from the amp out to the high level sub inputs as well...the way you have mentioned already.

hope you like it...

[rosconey]

place the sub in your seating position and crawl around on your hands and knees till you find the sweet spot

[Mad DOg]

place the sub in your seating position and crawl around on your hands and knees till you find the sweet spot

oh yeah...and once you've decided how you want to connect the sub, you' can do what rosconey says...hopefully the sweet spot happens to be in a corner or somewhere that doesn't already have furniture that can't be relocated...

[BikeWNC]

If the sub has both speaker level and line level imputs try the speaker level imputs first.  The theory is that the sub will get the flavor of the bass from the amp, same as the main speakers, and therefore have the same character.  

As far as placement, I have read that the sub should be placed within a few feet of one of the speakers for best integration.  After trying many different sub locations that has worked the best for me.  Luckily, that location also allows the sub to produce ample and articulate bass.  It's a trial and error thing.

There are many discussions over at AA about sub placement.

Andy

[Hantra]

Wow. . Fellas. . Put this in the Starting Block. . This is good. . .

http://www.digido.com/index/pmodule_id=11/pmdmode=fullscreen/pageadder_page_id=29/

[zybar]

B,

I use the speaker level inputs on my REL subs.  REL says that is much better than line level inputs for the reasons already mentioned above.

As for placement...each room is different, but I found that getting the subs out of the corner makes a big difference.  

Mine are very close to my main speakers and away from the side walls.  

Talk to you soon.

GW

[zybar]

Here is a cool thread on AVS Forum:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=323459

GW

[Tyson]

Get an SPL meter from Radioshack and a disk with some frequency sweeps. . .

[doug s.]

b, get yerself a second sub, & a quality outboard active x-over.  run i/c's from the pre to the x-over input, hi-pass to the main speakers' amps & lo-pass to the subs line (amp) inputs.  yust set the subs' x-over point to its highest setting, which should be quite a bit higher than yer active x-overs' setting.  this will take it out of the equation

one of the major adwantages to subwoofing, imo, is that the monitors will almost always sound better when relieved of having to play the lowest octaves.  and, an active a-over like a marchand, for example, will also likely be far more transparent than any x-over built in to even the most spendy powered subs.  also, it's been my experience that a single sub will almost always degrade the soundstaging, while a pair of subs will almost always *improve* it...  

if i had to run only one sub, i would set its x-over point as low as possible, & place it in the *exact* center of the monitors.  this will offer the least degradation to soundstaging, which i'd gladly take in trade over other locations that mite offer more bass output.  to maximize bass output, move the sub forward/backward along the line that's centered between the monitors.

ymmv,

doug s.

[ton1313]

Check out the latest issue of SGHT, there is a small black box called the SOS, The Subwoofer Optomizing System. You place it between your subwofer out put & the sub (Single Ended line level only). The box has a seperate microphone that you place at your lisening position. It then generates @ 2miniutes of test tones & then parametriclly equalizes your sub for your room . All that for only $300.

Check it out.

[ton1313]

here is the link to the distributor www.acei-ca.com

[jimbop]

What I learned recently is that my system sounds the most natural when I have the output level of the sub set very, very low. I experiemented with bass traps, subwoofer placement and various isolation footers, but I couldn't get rid of the bloat and boominess. One evening I turned the sub all the way down, and then, while kneeling in front of it with my ear near the speaker, I slowly turned up the volume just past the point where I could hear it.

The sub is a small Bob Carver Knight Shadow with a single 10" woofer.  My room is 13x20 with cathedral ceilings, and it opens into a large hall area.

If I turn it off, I can definitely tell that it's missing, but I only need a small amount of volume to get a totally natural sound. Low bass frequencies roll off pretty quickly, so it makes sense that a subwoofer should not be loud (unless it's in a home theater system and you need that adrenaline).

jd

[Cens]

I slowly turned up the volume just past the point where I could hear it.

Jimbop,

That's the way I do it, too.  When I can just barely hear the sub starting to kick in, it seems to present the best foundation and balance.  Turn it higher and the bass starts to hang over the mid.

Regards,

Chris

[StevieM]

try this link for tips on set-up
http://www.rel.net/setup.shtml
I would be interested to know if it works, as I am waiting for my IPL kit subwoofer to be delivered and I'm looking forwards to setting it up. The kit supplier told me the key to success was to keep the volume setting low, so that it is unobtrusive.
Good luck
Steve

[MaxCast]

jimbop and Cens,
Did you guys take readings before and after your way of blending your sub?  It would be interesting to know if you are prefering your subs with lower output level than your mains.

[jimbop]

I did not take any readings - it was just an experiment that had great results. I play bass guitar and listen to a lot of live music (as well as playing in bands), and I feel that I have a good sense of what sounds right regarding bass and drums.

I recently added a Bent Audio TVC to my system (in place of a Wright tube preamp) and the bass in my system sounds absolutely incredible! Very detailed, tight and natural.

I think that when a lot of people complain about their subwoofer sounding slow or bloated, they just have the level too high. With the level set low, the driver does not need to move very much to produce good bass. If the level is set high, the driver must move further to produce the volume, and thus it sounds slow because of the excessive driver and air movement.

[Cens]

Maxcast,

I'm not much of a measurements person.  (Thankfully -- it would just be one more thing for me to obsess about.)  I fiddle with position/output level until everything sounds right to me from my listening position, then fiddle some more until it seems right for as big a space around my listening position as I can get.  

Regards,

Chris

[MaxCast]

I agree that the ear is the final authority on sound quality and preference.  I was just wondering if the subs are currently set to be at the same output level as the mains.  Like running a frequencey sweep to set the subs output to match the mains.  The new pre may have a higher output than the previous pre also.??   I too have found that after I "calibrate" with a test cd, I prefer the sub turned down just a bit.

[Sa-dono]

Looks like Hantra couldn't properly implement his sub in his setup, as he's already selling it

Some nice advice here on setting up a sub though, and hopefully others will benefit from it.