Upgrading Subwoofers

Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I told the fedex guy they were subwoofers. He paused, looked at me and shook his head. lol
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
It's telling me my files are too large. I can't crop them any more.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I'm not messing with it right now. I have pics. I'll figure it out later. I'm moving on to setup.
 
Bucknekked

Bucknekked

Audioholic Samurai
I'm not messing with it right now. I have pics. I'll figure it out later. I'm moving on to setup.
congratulations. delivery. its a great day in your neighborhood. hope all your setup issues evaporate when the first bass chord is struck
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
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Unfortunately I'm solo on this one. They actually weren't as bad as it thought they'd be. I throw around 80 lb boxes of meat all day at work.

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Just following instructions... Good thing I have my supervisor there to lend a hand!

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Oops. Upside down. I opened it from the side that said "Open This Side". Oh well, no biggie. Like I said, they weren't that bad.

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First look! I was a little surprised at the metal housing, but it doesn't look bad. All the components in my system are black, so they fit right in.

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I cropped the crap out of these before I discovered a resizing app in the marketplace. That's why the edges are cut off. I edited in some better pics of the setup. They're not as big and overbearing as I thought they'd be. They actually fit pretty nice. They don't stick out past the tv stand, which is good.

I have them all set up and am listening now. I have the gain set on the first notch, well below 12 o'clock. I had it one notch below 12 o'clock the first time and audyssey trimmed them back to -12. lol. Turning the gain down remedied that. Right now Audyssey has them trimmed to -5. I bumped it up to -2. They're not perfect yet, I haven't even level matched yet, but my fears of them blending with my Ultras has been assuaged. My main speakers don't "disappear".

What I need to do now is get an spl meter (don't beat me up Buck, I still have to get one), a measuring mic, REW, minidsp, and really get them dialed in. I'll prolly be making posts on how to use everything correctly and understand my readings. I sure hope where they are right now is a good spot because there really isn't much room for them anywhere else.

I have yet to throw anything in with thunderous bass, but I can definitely tell the difference. Fuller. They can actually fill my room and I'm glad I took everyone's advice and didn't go through 2 or 3 more upgrades to get the right one. They're not "too big", which I was afraid of also. They fill my room, but it's not ridiculous. As long as they're blended right, bigger is better.
 
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Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I got them level matched using that app I have for my tablet. I cranked 1 up to 73db, shut it off and dialed the other one in. They were actually really close already. We'll see how hey compare to an actual spl meter. I'll post up results.

I've been playing with the tuning as far as the various port configurations and eq 1 and 2. So far I like them with both ports plugged with eq 1. I haven't messed with the Q setting much... well, at all. I'm gonna have to do some homework on that. All I know is, lower q = tighter bass and higher q = more headroom? I have them set at .5 right now.

So far, so good. They sound great even at low volume. They're pretty fast and musical and they're not rattling the neighbors windows even at my listening levels with music. I really thought they were going to be too much. I don't think they are. Balance is key. I know I can open them up for a favorite song once in a while and I'm not going to be afraid to. That is as long as it's not the middle of the night!

*Edit: I just turned it up to -5. WOW! My system just woke up!
 
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S

shadyJ

Speaker of the House
Staff member
If you are getting a measurement microphone, you don't need an SPL meter. The microphone can tell you the SPL in REW. REW has a SPL meter function. I would just coast it on your smart phone SPL meter app for now until you get the mic. But for now, it is time to let the subs loosen up, so crank up the volume because you are going to need to rock:
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
If you are getting a measurement microphone, you don't need an SPL meter. The microphone can tell you the SPL in REW. REW has a SPL meter function. I would just coast it on your smart phone SPL meter app for now until you get the mic. But for now, it is time to let the subs loosen up, so crank up the volume because you are going to need to rock:
Always liked this song. My subs do too. Those guys are insane. Good call shady.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
If you are getting a measurement microphone, you don't need an SPL meter. The microphone can tell you the SPL in REW. REW has a SPL meter function. I would just coast it on your smart phone SPL meter app for now until you get the mic. But for now, it is time to let the subs loosen up, so crank up the volume because you are going to need to rock:
That was fun to listen to. Did the sub crawl when I got home from work and played around with positioning them. I moved the one on the right a little further out, on the other side of the speaker. That improved things a bit. Going by the sub crawl they're pretty much in the best spots, and that's up front so it makes me a happy camper. I'm dreading and looking forward to getting a measuring mic and really dialing them in.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Complete shocker to me, but I think they actually blend better than the 1000's did. I'll say it again, I'm glad I took the advice and just went for it. I know I resisted, but in the end I listened to reason and experience. The more I listen, the more I'm warming up to them. I don't have them any louder than the old ones, but there's just more there and I don't think I lost anything. All gains. I really see (hear) how the 1000's were struggling to fill the room now. These big ass subs are almost as big a step up as going from Klipsch to SVS.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
Now when you step up to 18"s or better.... :) Blending is usually an overstated issue IMO. Glad you're having some fun. Did you give 'em a nice test with something like War of the Worlds pod scene or the opening/closing of Live Die Repeat or Interstellar's black hole riding?
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
Now when you step up to 18"s or better.... :)
:eek: Don't even... My wife will kill me, cut me into pieces and bury me in the back yard. I can't believe I got her on board with these. We picked out new carpet today and I'm still getting dirty looks. I've pushed this as far as I possibly can. No more big purchases for a long, long time. This has to be it.

And thanks. I am having a lot of fun. You played more than a minor role in my final decision. I was stuck on going sealed and smaller, though I am running them sealed right now. But that's the beauty of it. I have a choice. I'm very impressed with these speakers. I only have the gain set 1 notch above min and it's plenty. I have some work to do with eq'ing and placement still. I know I have some nulls. That'll get me buying that mic sooner than later. I'll need some guidance and help getting started and understanding those charts, but I'm a quick study. I'm confident I'll get it figured out.

I don't have any of those movies, but I'm gonna rent some. I'd like to see interstellar again anyway. Do you know of anything on Netflix that I can have some fun with?
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I just stream. I'll look through that list (thanks) and see if I can find any on Netflix. Might have to run to Redbox and at least rent Interstellar and 1 or 2 more in the next couple days.
 
William Lemmerhirt

William Lemmerhirt

Audioholic Overlord
One of my favorites still is master and commander. Ch4 "under attack". The cannon shots are awesome, super low and super loud. The dts track is razor sharp and clear. Use the DVD and not the BD. Sounds dumb, but the BD version has a 30hz filter on it. It's stupid. Lots of stuff in world war Z. Teenage mutant ninja turtles has a lot of different textures and nuances bass.
 
Pogre

Pogre

Audioholic Slumlord
I did have a question about the surrounds. They look like they're foam. Is that gonna be an issue in a few years? I've seen rotted surrounds before.

Oh! I have a mic picked out. The one HD suggested. What about the minidsp? I have no clue and not a lot to spend on one at the moment, but would like to get one asap. I'm sure you guys have some good suggestions.
 
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