Polk subwoofer with Denon receiver -- can you help me hear the subwoofer?

[eurjon]

Hello, I am trying to run a mini-to-RCA adapter cable from the headphone jack in my laptop to the front left and front right speaker jacks in the Denon AVR-588 receiver. So that sounds I play on my laptop can be produced in the speakers connected to the receiver.

I have been able to get this far, and the sound is playing on the front left and right speakers just fine. However, I've tried to add a Polk subwoofer and I can't hear anything from it. I am running a Corrosion-resistant gold-plated RCA connector subwoofer cable from the Pre-Out subwoofer jack in the Denon AVR-588 receiver to the Line in L jack in the Polk subwoofer. When I do this, I still hear music on the front left and right speakers, but nothing on the subwoofer.

I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer. I have tried myself already, for several hours, and I cannot find anywhere in the forum where somebody else has asked this. Thank you.

 

[everettT]

Are your speakers set to small in the avr menu?

 

[Leemix]

Hello, I am trying to run a mini-to-RCA adapter cable from the headphone jack in my laptop to the front left and front right speaker jacks in the Denon AVR-588 receiver. So that sounds I play on my laptop can be produced in the speakers connected to the receiver.

I have been able to get this far, and the sound is playing on the front left and right speakers just fine. However, I've tried to add a Polk subwoofer and I can't hear anything from it. I am running a Corrosion-resistant gold-plated RCA connector subwoofer cable from the Pre-Out subwoofer jack in the Denon AVR-588 receiver to the Line in L jack in the Polk subwoofer. When I do this, I still hear music on the front left and right speakers, but nothing on the subwoofer.

I would greatly appreciate any help you can offer. I have tried myself already, for several hours, and I cannot find anywhere in the forum where somebody else has asked this. Thank you.

Is suboofer set to on in the denon?
Make sure the speakers are set to small and not large. (Large = no bass management which means no sound to sub).
Depending on your left and right speakers check/set crossover to 80hz (or higher if speakers dont go low, lower if they are large and do. The crossover is gradual so 80 works well if the speakers are rated down to lets say 35, but when you have some sound try a bit different to see what works well)



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[eurjon]

Are your speakers set to small in the avr menu?

Yes. Front speakers are set to small, and subwoofer is set to Yes, and it is also set to +Main.

I noticed that if I take out an rca audio cable either from the front left or front right jack in the receiver, and plug it instead into the SW (subwoofer) jack -- not the "pre-out" subwoofer jack, but the other subwoofer jack marked "SW" -- I start hearing the subwoofer, but then only one speaker works instead of both. (The one that works is whichever one whose rca audio cable I didn't unplug and redirect to the SW jack.) I still have the single RCA subwoofer cable in the Pre-out subwoofer jack as well.

 

[Leemix]

Have you tried the audyssey setup, is there sound when it checks subwoofer levels?



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[everettT]

Not knowing all the models numbers, set all to small only, make sure direct or pure direct isnt engaged and let us now.

Also plug a source directly into the sub to confirm working operations.

 

[eurjon]

Not knowing all the models numbers, set all to small only,

Done.

make sure direct or pure direct isnt engaged and let us now.

Can you advise on this? What is direct/pure direct? And how do I make sure they are not engaged?

Also plug a source directly into the sub to confirm working operations.

Confirmed it works. Just not when I try to use it with the receiver. I am guessing I'm not running the cables right? Or something else. Not sure.

Thank you.

 

[eurjon]

Is suboofer set to on in the denon?
Make sure the speakers are set to small and not large. (Large = no bass management which means no sound to sub).
Depending on your left and right speakers check/set crossover to 80hz (or higher if speakers dont go low, lower if they are large and do. The crossover is gradual so 80 works well if the speakers are rated down to lets say 35, but when you have some sound try a bit different to see what works well)



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Done. Still no luck. What am I missing? Do I have the cables in the correct jacks?

 

[everettT]

Done. Still no luck. What am I missing? Do I have the cables in the correct jacks?

Pics? Direct or pure is a sound mode. Cycle thru your sound modes to check them.

 

[Leemix]

Also if there are more then one sub out on reciever connect sub to sub output 1.
If you use RCA then it should be from sub out 1 on reciever and into lfe in on sub(or left or right with cutoff at max on sub if no lfe in)

Edit: Knowing which reciever you have can make it easier to give more specific help. And have you run the audyssey setup?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[eurjon]

Also if there are more then one sub out on reciever connect sub to sub output 1.
If you use RCA then it should be from sub out 1 on reciever and into lfe in on sub(or left or right with cutoff at max on sub if no lfe in)

Edit: Knowing which reciever you have can make it easier to give more specific help. And have you run the audyssey setup?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

It is a Denon AVR-588 receiver. I put an RCA from sub out 1 on receiver and into the lfe on the sub, but NOW how do I get it to play on BOTH the front-left and the front-right speakers, along with the sub?

 

[lovinthehd]

Did you plug the L/R into the Ext In L/R? Believe that will bypass the dsp for processing a sub. If so try the CD or Aux inputs for L/R, and use the subwoofer pre-out.

PS I'd also change from LFE+main to just LFE (LFE+Main is for using speakers set to large)

 

[Kvn_Walker]

Did you plug the L/R into the Ext In L/R? Believe that will bypass the dsp for processing a sub. If so try the CD or Aux inputs for L/R, and use the subwoofer pre-out.

PS I'd also change from LFE+main to just LFE (LFE+Main is for using speakers set to large)

I second this. Instead of the front RCA's try the ones on the rear. I'm looking through the 588 manual right now. If I see something you might have missed I will post back.

Also, which Polk sub do you have? Some subs have line in and line out. If that's the case you can connect your laptop to the sub line-in, then run RCA from the sub's line-out to the receiver. The only catch is that you'd be controlling the volume with the laptop and just have to set and leave the receiver volume at a level that would be on par with the sub output. (I hope that makes sense)

 

[Kvn_Walker]

I think I found the culprit. You said you're running a cable from "sub out 1". Your receiver doesn't have that... you're probably looking at " SBL" on the back under the "EXT int" section. Look down to the right of that jack and you'll see the "pre out subwoofer" connector. That's the one you want to run to the sub.