Setting up my home theater for some "bump"

[holmes1135]

Hey guys,

I would like to get some "bump" out of my home theater system for movies and games but I'm not sure what is needed to get more out of it.

I have an old 5.1 Pioneer sound system with a Pioneer 70 Watt woofer...

The system is a VSX-305 system
Specifications:

Power Output - 60 rms watts at 8 ohms x 5
5.1 Dolby Surround Pro Logic
AM/FM Stereo Tuner
Audio Inputs - phono, tape 1, tape 2, LD/DVD, CD
Audio Outputs - tape 1, tape 2
Video Inputs - tape 1, LD/DVD
Video Out and Monitor Out
Super Bass and SFC Mode
Source Selector - Phono, Tuner, LD/DVD, CD, VCR/Tape 1, Tape 2/Monitor
Controls - Volume, Bass, Treble, Balance

Do I need a stronger Woofer or a stronger receiver?

The woofer itself is connected to the system by connecting the front left and right speakers to the woofer and then the woofer to the left and right speaker spots on the receiver.

Any help would be appreciated, I am really ignorant when it comes to sound system stuff...

-Thanks
Andy

 

[j_garcia]

To get more "bump" your subwoofer is where you start. Since a sub generally has a dedicated amp, your receiver is not so much a factor in how much bump it can produce.

Do you know if the receiver have a subwoofer preamp output? (RCA) Or if you have speaker outptus only to go to the sub? Even of the Prologic era, they should still have a preamp output. That can be a factor in what you purchase, as there are a few subs that do not accept speaker level input.

 

[holmes1135]

No other inputs except speakers...
What should I look for in a woofer to get bump...Watt?

thanks!

 

[holmes1135]

bump
bump
bump

 

[murl]

No other inputs except speakers...
What should I look for in a woofer to get bump...Watt?

thanks!

I think you misunderstood what he was asking. On the back of your receiver is there a sub preout? It will look like a single RCA output, it is not an input.

 

[Highbar]

From what I cold gather from a quick google search there's no sub out on that receiver. So you would either need to look for a sub with speaker level inputs or start looking for a new receiver. If the google results were right it's a Dolby Prologic unit, not Digital?

As everyone has already said what you are looking for is going to come from a good sub woofer. If you are running this with DVD's since it's a PL receiver you are only getting ProLogic and therefore you aren't getting the 5.1 Dolby Digital which gives you the sub woofer channel.

If I were you I would be looking into a new receiver and sub. More money but a much better setup.

 

[murl]

From what I cold gather from a quick google search there's no sub out on that receiver. So you would either need to look for a sub with speaker level inputs or start looking for a new receiver. If the google results were right it's a Dolby Prologic unit, not Digital?

As everyone has already said what you are looking for is going to come from a good sub woofer. If you are running this with DVD's since it's a PL receiver you are only getting ProLogic and therefore you aren't getting the 5.1 Dolby Digital which gives you the sub woofer channel.

If I were you I would be looking into a new receiver and sub. More money but a much better setup.

Agreed 100%, I would look at something like an Onkyo TX-SR606 or above, you get alot of bang for the buck. Then buy a sub, then upgrade the speakers, then you have the disease the rest of us have.

 

[j_garcia]

You can add some bump to your setup just with a better sub. Many prologic receivers had preamp sub outputs, since prologic did utilize a .1 aspect, though not every receiver had this. I didn't look up the receiver to see if it did. If your receiver does not have this, then the next thing I would be looking to upgrade would be the receiver for sure.

 

[MatthewB.]

Another solution is to buy a pair of speakers with built in subwoofers like the Def Tech 700# series. Set them to Large in the reciever and just run single speaker wire, the built in subs would then give you more bump with the gear your currently using.