Acoustic problem, or reciever setting?

[tyhjaarpa]

As you are from Sweden I would suggest you either of these subs: http://www.bkelec.com/hifi/Sub_Woofers/XXLS400.htm or http://www.bkelec.com/HiFi/Sub_Woofers/MonolithDFandFF_plus.htm

Myself running the XXLS400 down firing in small apartment and it is doing great job.

 

[PENG]

I have tried different crossovers for the fronts but no matter what crossover i use i get aweful, if any, bass response when set to small. Only when I set the fronts as large i get a decent respons. Surround and center is always set to small 80hz : )

What is the maximum crossovers that the receiver allow you to set for your 5 speakers? One last attempt to prove something is to set them all to maximum, say 180 Hz if that is the maximum allowed. That is just to prove that the lack of bass from the subwoofer is not due to cancellation between the L/R and the sub. I know you tried 0 and 180, but I assume that sub does not allow you to set angles in between.

Again, I agree your Sony sub is not very good, but I have heard even weaker 10" subs that do very well relative to the kind of L/R speakers you have. So I still think there is something wrong in the receiver end.

You can also try resetting the receiver to factory default condition in case something happened to the bass management circuit such that it is not redirecting the low frequencies even when the speakers are set to small.

 

[Rasmus]

What is the maximum crossovers that the receiver allow you to set for your 5 speakers? One last attempt to prove something is to set them all to maximum, say 180 Hz if that is the maximum allowed. That is just to prove that the lack of bass from the subwoofer is not due to cancellation between the L/R and the sub. I know you tried 0 and 180, but I assume that sub does not allow you to set angles in between.

Again, I agree your Sony sub is not very good, but I have heard even weaker 10" subs that do very well relative to the kind of L/R speakers you have. So I still think there is something wrong in the receiver end.

You can also try resetting the receiver to factory default condition in case something happened to the bass management circuit such that it is not redirecting the low frequencies even when the speakers are set to small.

Highest setting is 200hz for each speaker. When i tried that i couldnt actually hear any signicant difference compared to 80 hz. Might just be my nooby ears but the sub was sent the low freqs but it does not sound good to me in the sofa. Especially when i turn on some House/Dance music it sounds like im using som cheap computerspeakers without a sub.

However im starting to think that it might be subwoofer location problem? So when i set the L&R to Large i get more speakers playing bass and it just fits my room better?

The Auto cal sets all my speakers to Large by the way....

 

[fuzz092888]

Highest setting is 200hz for each speaker. When i tried that i couldnt actually hear any signicant difference compared to 80 hz. Might just be my nooby ears but the sub was sent the low freqs but it does not sound good to me in the sofa. Especially when i turn on some House/Dance music it sounds like im using som cheap computerspeakers without a sub.

The cutoff frequency knob on the sub should be set to 200hz and the crossover controls on the receiver should probably be around 80hz.

However im starting to think that it might be subwoofer location problem? So when i set the L&R to Large i get more speakers playing bass and it just fits my room better?

In skimming through this thread I don't think anyone has suggested doing a sub crawl. If you haven't, you should.

The Auto cal sets all my speakers to Large by the way....

[/QUOTE]

If your sub is doing a crappy job of reproducing low frequencies, then the auto cal will set your speakers to large and basically use your sub to just help even out whatever frequency range it is actually playing in.

 

[PENG]

If your sub is doing a crappy job of reproducing low frequencies, then the auto cal will set your speakers to large and basically use your sub to just help even out whatever frequency range it is actually playing in.

That sounds logical and it could well be the case but more often than not receivers including Sony's tend to set the main speakers to small regardless so it is hard to tell if it is due to a crappy sub or not. That Sony is crappy but should still put out more bass than his mains. I think either his receiver has a problem, or the bass are cancelling between the sub and mains, or a combination of both. May be the receiver could not detect the sub at all!!

 

[PENG]

Highest setting is 200hz for each speaker. When i tried that i couldnt actually hear any signicant difference compared to 80 hz. Might just be my nooby ears but the sub was sent the low freqs but it does not sound good to me in the sofa. Especially when i turn on some House/Dance music it sounds like im using som cheap computerspeakers without a sub.

However im starting to think that it might be subwoofer location problem? So when i set the L&R to Large i get more speakers playing bass and it just fits my room better?

The Auto cal sets all my speakers to Large by the way....

Did you confirm that the sub is making any sound at all? Could it be that the receiver failed to detect the sub? I am not familiar with that Sony but normally you can see it on the screen display if the sub is detected or not. What did you set the sub's volume knob to?

 

[Rasmus]

It actually seems that the sub is more active when the L/R is set to Large. When i set them to Small and crossover at 80 the sub is not very active. Seems very very wierd even to me haha.

The reciever is detecting the sub so no problem there. I will try to do a factory reset on the reciever : )

Thanks for your replys btw : )

 

[Rasmus]

 

[PENG]

View attachment 17385

Resetting the processor is a good first step. After that, there is some good news in that picture. That sub allows you to run speaker wires from the receiver's L/R output to the speaker level input of the sub instead of the L/R; and then run speaker wires from the sub's speaker level outputs back to the L/R speakers. Then set the L/R to large, and sub to "no sub" and then sit back and listen to find out if bass improve. This is just one simple experiment, not necessarily your final solution.

 

[Rasmus]

Resetting the processor is a good first step. After that, there is some good news in that picture. That sub allows you to run speaker wires from the receiver's L/R output to the speaker level input of the sub instead of the L/R; and then run speaker wires from the sub's speaker level outputs back to the L/R speakers. Then set the L/R to large, and sub to "no sub" and then sit back and listen to find out if bass improve. This is just one simple experiment, not necessarily your final solution.

I just finished the resetting and it acutally made a difference, the sub is more active now when all speakers set to small. But I still prefer the sound when i set them to large, both to music and movies. I get more even bass through the room and it sounds "fuller" and delivers more impact. But I loose som detail and crisp and I find it a little "boomy" sometimes, maybe I can correct that in the bass/treble EQ?

Hmm okay, never seen that in any reciever manual : D But i will give it a shot as soon as possible. Whats the theory behind that suggestion? : )

 

[PENG]

I just finished the resetting and it acutally made a difference, the sub is more active now when all speakers set to small. But I still prefer the sound when i set them to large, both to music and movies. I get more even bass through the room and it sounds "fuller" and delivers more impact. But I loose som detail and crisp and I find it a little "boomy" sometimes, maybe I can correct that in the bass/treble EQ?

Hmm okay, never seen that in any reciever manual : D But i will give it a shot as soon as possible. Whats the theory behind that suggestion? : )

The method I described using the speaker level inputs works best with satellite speakers or any speakers that don't have much bass output. If after a reset your sub is more active, you are better off using the LFE input as you have been, because your L/R seems bass capable enough.

To get the best of it now, you can try moving the sub around within a say 12" radius (a few inches at a time) and see if you can get everything to sound better from your listening position. If you are still not satisfied, then next step is to upgrade the sub. The Sony you have is also a bottom entry level one. Since you may have to upgrade that too, to something like a Denon X3100W for a few hundred dollars.

 

[Rasmus]

I've tried to put it next to the L front but that was probably the worst place i could find since the bass sort of said good bye and dissappeard. The pictures shows current location. Ive tried to switch location with the computer but it didnt get any better.

 

[Rasmus]

I should mention that i am quite happy with the sound after the reciever resetting : ) I doubt i can improve the sound any more without relocate every bit of furniture or upgrade my reciever and sub?

 

[TheWarrior]

@Rasmus You may find a rug covering the first meter or two in front of the speaker, can further increase dialogue intelligibility.

Just remember, any change requires you to re-run the receiver's calibration setup!

 

[PENG]

I should mention that i am quite happy with the sound after the reciever resetting : ) I doubt i can improve the sound any more without relocate every bit of furniture or upgrade my reciever and sub?

Receivers has processors in them just like or PCs so sometimes things get messed up and not functioning right and a total reset can often help. It looks like that's what happened with yours. It seems that your sub is at least doing its part now though it won't help that much because it really is an entry level little sub and you do have fairly large floor standing speakers. As long as it is at least contributing, you can take your time to consider other options. So now you can focus on enjoying what you paid for and deserve.