B&W DB4S very low output! Need help

[Loyo]

Hey all! So I am new to Hi-Fi and separate components. I finally bought a bowers and Wilkins bookshelf (front left and right), a center channel and rears. I also bought a Rotel 1580 as the amp and a B&W DB4S sub. All components have great output, but the sub sounds really really low. Hardly any output. I thought it was a bad sub so Best Buy changed it out and it has the same result. I’m assuming it’s in my settings. All speakers are at 80Hz for the cross over and set to small. Does anyone have any recommendations? I would really appreciate it.

 

[romy]

hi loyo... i have same problem too at first time. try to connect from XLR / balanced cable. rotel rca output impedance too high for db4s. that makes the subwoofer sound low.

 

[Loyo]

Thanks you for the reply Romy. What I don’t understand is that when playing certain movies it sounds great and a nice/responsive bass, but when listening to music it is not responsive at all. So what you recommend is not use the RCA? I bought a pretty high warily cable for it, but it’s not preforming very well. What XLR cable brand do you recommend and do y’all sell them?

 

[lovinthehd]

If its fine for movies, is it possible your music just doesn't have significant bass content? Sub on music can be more subtle than an in your face thing like some movies have....maybe just boost the sub trim up a few dB in your processor....

 

[Pogre]

There are a lot of reasons you might perceive a lack of bass, ranging from source material, sub placement, size of room and size of sub... the list goes on. For starters it looks like you have a fairly small sealed sub. You're just not going to get a lot of deep bass from it. How did you determine placement? That's pretty critical with subs also. Placement can make a huge difference.

 

[lovinthehd]

There are a lot of reasons you might perceive a lack of bass, ranging from source material, sub placement, size of room and size of sub... the list goes on. For starters it looks like you have a fairly small sealed sub. You're just not going to get a lot of deep bass from it. How did you determine placement? That's pretty critical with subs also. Placement can make a huge difference.

Claims some serious extension for its size, altho it doesn't mention at what spl.... https://www.bowerswilkins.com/sites/default/files/2018-08/DB4S Info Sheet.pdf

 

[Pogre]

Claims some serious extension for its size, altho it doesn't mention at what spl.... https://www.bowerswilkins.com/sites/default/files/2018-08/DB4S Info Sheet.pdf

Yeah I looked it up. Their specs are vague in general. I highly doubt that 10 hz spec is -3 dB. I'll also bet that 1000 watts is a pretty optimistic peak rating too...

 

[Loyo]

If its fine for movies, is it possible your music just doesn't have significant bass content? Sub on music can be more subtle than an in your face thing like some movies have....maybe just boost the sub trim up a few dB in your processor....

I have it at 4 dB. How high should I go?

 

[lovinthehd]

What was the calibrated trim level when you set up the sub? Some just raise a couple dB, some as much as 5 or 6 dB. Experiment.

 

[Pogre]

I have it at 4 dB. How high should I go?

Do you feel like answering the question I posed in my first post..? If you want advice we need a whole lot more info. How big is the room? Total area, including any rooms open to your listening room. How far do you sit from the speakers? How did you pick the current placement for the sub? How did you set everything up? Run any room correction? What music are you listening to? You're only giving us bare bones info and there area lot of things that can affect your bass response.

 

[Loyo]

Do you feel like answering the question I posed in my first post..? If you want advice we need a whole lot more info. How big is the room? Total area, including any rooms open to your listening room. How far do you sit from the speakers? How did you pick the current placement for the sub? How did you set everything up? Run any room correction? What music are you listening to? You're only giving us bare bones info and there area lot of things that can affect your bass response.

I really appreciate all of this help. I am still stuck at work and won’t be out until late. Let me take some measurements and send y’all as much info as I can for some solid advice. I am really new to High Fi and don’t know much about how to calibrate the equipment I have. I will send y’all the info by tomorrow. Thanks again

 

[romy]

i am using mogami 2549 balanced cable and neutrik connector. if it sound good with movies, it should good too for music. try higher LPF about 90-100hz. mine gain at 1-5db (depend on music). my room 5.2m x 4.2 m. need some time for me to find best setting. hope the best for you too.