Subwoofer settings

[evilkat]

I was wondering how you guys set the volume level on the sub. Since I live in an apartment, if there's an overly bassy movie (e.g. U-571, etc) I gotta go fiddle with the sub volume in order to keep the neighbors at bay
Because I listen to a wide variety of music and movies, I end up going to the receiver GUI to go mess with the sub level, which is a bit of a hassle.

What I ended up doing was to set the level for the sub near the max the receiver can give it. Then, depending on what was playing, I'd go to the back of the sub and mess with the volume knob there.

Do u think this is okay to do? I am not sure what the cons to this approach is. Is it better to allow the subwoofer to boost the signal itself using it's amp (which is what i assume the volume knob is for), or to let the receiver do it and for me to control the volume via the sub. I'm not even sure I"m making sense here, since I don't quite understand all the internal workings involved

Would appreciate any insight you guys can provide

 

[evilkat]

Help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Showww me the knowledge!

Please?

 

[annunaki]

I would suggest calibrating your sub the levels you desire with the receiver's output set to maximum. Then, when you need to lower the sub's volume, you simply lower the output on the receiver. That way you do not have to mess with the subwoofer's gain control all the time.

 

[tcarcio]

If your reciever allows you to save multiple settings then that would be the best way and then you can just switch between them depending on what you are listening to or watching.

 

[mike c]

If your reciever allows you to save multiple settings then that would be the best way and then you can just switch between them depending on what you are listening to or watching.

is there even a receiver that does that?

 

[tcarcio]

Yes there are many, I have a Pioneer Elite that allows me to have 6 different settings so I can set it up to just about any way I need.

 

[mike c]

Yes there are many, I have a Pioneer Elite that allows me to have 6 different settings so I can set it up to just about any way I need.

what kind of settings can you change in between the 6 choices?

lower subwoofer volume on one and higher on another?

 

[STRONGBADF1]

I would suggest calibrating your sub the levels you desire with the receiver's output set to maximum. Then, when you need to lower the sub's volume, you simply lower the output on the receiver. That way you do not have to mess with the subwoofer's gain control all the time.

Agreed. If you move the gain back and forth on the sub then you wont know where you're at and when should recalibrate after moving it back. The knob just isn't an accurate way. If your system is calibrated and you use the receiver to change volume you can accurately go back to the same setting.

SBF1

 

[Davemcc]

I would suggest calibrating your sub the levels you desire with the receiver's output set to maximum. Then, when you need to lower the sub's volume, you simply lower the output on the receiver. That way you do not have to mess with the subwoofer's gain control all the time.

The concern with doing this is that the receiver's low level output set on max could introduce distortion into the LFE signal that will then be amplified by the sub's amp. This is why SVS recommends setting the receiver's output to -5 and calibrating the sub's gain to the desired level.

Still, with most receivers having -10/+10db LFE adjustment, there should be no reason to fiddle with the gain on the sub if it's properly calibrated in the first place.

 

[tcarcio]

what kind of settings can you change in between the 6 choices?

lower subwoofer volume on one and higher on another?

I can make all settings to all speakers and lfe and save them so when I listen to music I can choose between 3 and the same for movies which makes 6 settings. I can set level,distance,eq,and sub level, bass peak, and crossover.

 

[mike c]

wow, nice touch for pioneer!

 

[mike c]

I was wondering how you guys set the volume level on the sub. Since I live in an apartment, if there's an overly bassy movie (e.g. U-571, etc) I gotta go fiddle with the sub volume in order to keep the neighbors at bay
Because I listen to a wide variety of music and movies, I end up going to the receiver GUI to go mess with the sub level, which is a bit of a hassle.

What I ended up doing was to set the level for the sub near the max the receiver can give it. Then, depending on what was playing, I'd go to the back of the sub and mess with the volume knob there.

Do u think this is okay to do? I am not sure what the cons to this approach is. Is it better to allow the subwoofer to boost the signal itself using it's amp (which is what i assume the volume knob is for), or to let the receiver do it and for me to control the volume via the sub. I'm not even sure I"m making sense here, since I don't quite understand all the internal workings involved

Would appreciate any insight you guys can provide

if you are willing to spend some money, the Velodyne SMS-1 can do the things you need ... (tons of settings) e.g. hot for movies, flat for music, night mode, or whatever you want.

remote volume control with led display will tell you at what volume you are

plus you get the bonus of EQ'ing your subwoofer.

 

[evilkat]

I would suggest calibrating your sub the levels you desire with the receiver's output set to maximum. Then, when you need to lower the sub's volume, you simply lower the output on the receiver. That way you do not have to mess with the subwoofer's gain control all the time.

Agreed. If you move the gain back and forth on the sub then you wont know where you're at and when should recalibrate after moving it back. The knob just isn't an accurate way. If your system is calibrated and you use the receiver to change volume you can accurately go back to the same setting.

The concern with doing this is that the receiver's low level output set on max could introduce distortion into the LFE signal that will then be amplified by the sub's amp. This is why SVS recommends setting the receiver's output to -5 and calibrating the sub's gain to the desired level.

Still, with most receivers having -10/+10db LFE adjustment, there should be no reason to fiddle with the gain on the sub if it's properly calibrated in the first place.

Thanks for the replies guys! Let me see if I have all of this straight then:


1. Set receiver's level for the sub very close to the max (not AT max, to reduce distortion from the receiver).

2. Calibrate the system.

3. Now if you lower the volume, the ratio of bass to other sound should be maintained at all volume levels?

4. Mike C, I saw the SMS you posted on another thread, but I don't think I'm ready to plop down cash for something like that just yet


My question is, during the calibration process, what should the sub's gain be set at? It seems to me that this should be set at or near the max in order to take advantage of it's amplifier. Wouldn't you want to place as much a load on the sub's amplifier instead of the receiver's amp, since the receiver needs to drive other channels as well? Seems like the dedicated sub amp should be able to handle everything thrown at it, with plenty of headroom to spare since that's the only channel it drives. Maybe I'm understanding all of this wrong?

 

[Davemcc]

Seems like the dedicated sub amp should be able to handle everything thrown at it, with plenty of headroom to spare since that's the only channel it drives. Maybe I'm understanding all of this wrong?

You are understanding this correctly. The sub's amp can amplify the signal just fine without pushing the low level output of the receiver into distortion. This is why I'm saying that the receiver should not be placed anywhere near max while calibrating your sub. As I said, SVS recommends that the receiver LFE be set at -5db, then adjust the gain on the back of the amp to the desired level. Any changes on the fly once the sub's gain is set can be done with the receiver.

 

[evilkat]

You are understanding this correctly. The sub's amp can amplify the signal just fine without pushing the low level output of the receiver into distortion. This is why I'm saying that the receiver should not be placed anywhere near max while calibrating your sub. As I said, SVS recommends that the receiver LFE be set at -5db, then adjust the gain on the back of the amp to the desired level. Any changes on the fly once the sub's gain is set can be done with the receiver.

Thanks for the suggestion. I will try this out and see