Question about loss of subwoofer output

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Mike Eagle

Audiophyte
Hi, new here, have question about my receiver which is not outputting signal via digital subwoofer port. My equipment: 4 Polk monitor 50 towers, Polk csi25 center channel, 2 Polk psw10 subwoofers, Yamaha rx-v477 receiver. (all audio is being processed through HDMI with the exception of ipod hookup through stereo) My subwoofers are split off of the digital output on the Yamaha, in the last week or 2 I have noticed subwoofers not outputting. Have worked before, just didn't notice much because the towers do offer a range down to 57hz. Is it a receiver setting? Tried hooking up one sub then the other straight to the receiver, same problem. Replaced both subwoofer cables, no change. I have tried all available sound modes. Now I may have changed a setting (I do play around with them a bit) that has caused this but I cannot figure it out.. Help?
 
WaynePflughaupt

WaynePflughaupt

Audioholic Samurai

Sounds like the sub output got turned off in the receiver’s audio menu.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt
 
M

Mike Eagle

Audiophyte
Thanks for the reply.. Under my configuration it says subwoofer (use), where my options are use or none..
 
M

Mike Eagle

Audiophyte
Tried speaker test, get a rumble from subs when it gets to it.. So I know the cables are good and it is hooked up properly. But no matter which input used no sub output.. No matter if I am on standard (Dolby digital) 5 channel stereo, or any other sound mode
 
Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
Hi, Mike. Check to see if you've set your speakers to "Large." If you have your speakers set to "Large," then the subs will only output audio from a dedicated LFE channel (e.g. the .1 in a 5.1 audio track). That can make it difficult to tell if they are being used on a lot of audio tracks.
 
M

Mike Eagle

Audiophyte
Thanks Adam! They were set to large, I did because they are towers. Reset back to factory defaults, it reset speakers back to small, everything is working great now. I think by resetting to small I might be losing some range or power, not sure, but hey, everything is running now, thanks!
 
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herbu

Audioholic Samurai
I think by resetting to small I might be losing some range or power, not sure, but hey, everything is running now, thanks!
Actually, it's quite the opposite. By setting your towers to Small, you increase your range by adding the low frequencies below your tower capabilities. And you increase your power because the lion's share of power to your towers is used for the low bass. By removing that low bass signal from the towers, they have more power to use for the mids/highs.

Check your Crossover setting in the Yamaha. Most people start at 80Hz. With your speakers, I suspect that's a good number for you. Keep in mind your PSW10s only go down to 40Hz, so you're still missing quite a lot of bass. You may want to begin thinking about, (and saving for), a sub upgrade.
 
M

Mike Eagle

Audiophyte
Thanks for the info herbu, I had no idea.. Crossover is set to 80Hz for towers, then under 80 for subwoofers. I do also have a speakercraft 12" subwoofer that goes down to 28Hz, but using the pair of polks mostly for aesthetics. I have the woodgrain Polk towers and subs, and with grills removed has a nice silver finish. So it was for matching purposes more than anything. And looks pretty good with one on each side of my cabinet.
 
Adam

Adam

Audioholic Jedi
Nice setup, Mike!

Two big screens? Jealousy...engaged. :D
 
M

Mike Eagle

Audiophyte
Well of course! How else would I play ps3 while my son plays ps4? 60" sharp led and 46" Sony lcd. All controlled by android tablet running custom programming by On Control. (although I am switching to Complete Control with MRX-2 for more reliability)
 

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herbu

Audioholic Samurai
Very nice, Mike. I suspect you will soon hear from somebody who suggests you pull the towers in from the corners/walls a bit, and angle them in to point more directly at your seating position.

And some here will say nothing is more aesthetically pleasing than a huge honkin sub or subs in your HT. ;)
 
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