hooking up a new sub (newbie), appreciate any advice.

[beerman1981]

Hello, I recently purchased a new sony receiver: It's STR-DH100 2 CHANNEL. I tried posting a link, but since I am new, I cannot post a link to the exact receiver.


As I said, It is a two channel, one hundred watts per channel, and powers the two 100 watt sony speakers I have very nice! I am looking for some deep bass however, and seeing this is a two channel set up, I know I need a subwoofer that has a built in amp. My question is, how do I go about doing this. I also should note, that my receiver has room for two sets of speakers (A and B) which can be run together or only "A" or "B." Obviously I have no sort of subwoofer input/ output on this receiver. Any help would be greatly valued! Also, if anybody knows of a certain subwoofer model that can do this, that would be appreciated. Thanks for any feedback from a rookie. Keep Rocking!

Joe

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum, Joe! Excellent screen name, btw.

I think that the easiest approach for you would be to get a subwoofer that has speaker-level inputs and outputs. A sub like that will let you connect the speaker wires from your receiver (that would normally go to your front left/right speakers) into it, it will then filter out the low frequencies (as dictated by you on the sub's back panel using the crossover frequency dial) to play itself, then send the higher frequencies on to the front left/right speakers. You wouldn't need to change a thing about how wires are connected to your receiver.

There are several models out there. An example of how those connections would look is shown below (where the speaker-level inputs are labeled "HIGH LEVEL INPUTS FROM AMPLIFIER"). As for recommendations, what is your budget for this new sub?

EDIT: Here's a well-reviewed subwoofer for under $200 that has those connections: the BIC F12.

 

[beerman1981]

re

Thanks for the speedy reply. That sheds a lot of light on my prediciment. My price range is anything under 400 dollars, preferably 200ish though. I see the crossover frequency, how do you figure the right frequency out? Once again, thanks for all of your help for a rookie like me!!!!

 

[Adam]

Happy to help!

For the crossover frequency, any frequency below that is played by the sub and anything above that is played by your speakers. Generally, you'd set that based upon how low your main speakers can play. A rule of thumb based upon the THX recommendation is to set that frequency at 80 Hz. Whether that's best for your system depends on the speakers and the sub. The best thing to do is adjust it until it sounds good to you.

As an example, my bookshelf speakers are rated down to 53 Hz at +/- 3dB, but my center channel can't go as low and is rated to 75 Hz at +/- 3dB. I can only set one crossover for my whole system (I do mine in my receiver, but you'll do it on the sub), and I don't want to go any lower than 80 Hz because of the center channel - so, I set mine at 80 Hz.

 

[beerman1981]

Hey,

I really appreciate the advice to a rookie like me. I found this on ebay. It has the in/outputs for speakers. I tried posting a direct link, but I'm new, so it won't let me. If you have a quick second here is the make/ model: PSW-10 400 Watt 10" Audiophile Series Powered Subwoofer. Like I said, I tried to put a direct link, but I couldn't. I just want to make sure what I buy will work. Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Adam]

Good morning, and sorry for the late response.

That Polk has gotten a lot of good reviews on Amazon. That always inspires confidence in me. Some people really like Polk subs, some people don't. My friend got a smaller one than what you're looking at for about $100 years ago, and he's really happy with it. It sounded surprisingly good to me when I heard it. Quite nice for $100.

One thing to notice is that the -3dB point is listed as 40 Hz. The output of subs will drop off as the sound goes either higher or lower in frequency (I put a graph below from a completely different sub just as an example, but the numbers are pretty hard to read), and the point at which it is 3 dB lower than the average output is a typical value to put in a spec. You mentioned that you want "deep bass." For us to help you better, think about and let us know what you mean by that. If you want that punch or kick that bass can give, my recollection is that is from frequencies around 50-60 Hz (I forget exactly). If you truly want to go low in frequency, that Polk might not be the answer. The BIC that I provided a link for is rated down to 25 Hz, but it doesn't give the +/- dB rating, so it's tough to say (but based on one of the reviews, I have the impression that it does go lower than that Polk).

To get into the 20 Hz and below range in a commercial sub is going to cost more. I don't know the least expensive one that will do it, but someone here might. I'm a fan of a company called SVS. I bought one of their subs back in 2007, and the customer service was outstanding - and so is the sub. They are an internet-direct company. They were recently purchased by another company, but people here still seem happy with them. Their least expensive offerings that go sub-20Hz are in the $750 range.

There are a number of threads on here related to the best sub for $X. I encourage you to peruse in the subwoofer forum here, or even post your own thread once you settle on a budget. I don't have much experience with subs out there these days, but people around here do.

Just let us know what else we can help with, and enjoy your shopping! It's always fun to get new gear.

 

[lsiberian]

Under 200 I've used the Dayton Sub-120 and it did a very good job.

Dayton SUB-120 12" 150 Watt Powered Subwoofer 300-635

 

[beerman1981]

Thanks for all the help: This is what I bought

I found a deal I could not pass up... Retail price, 499, I scored it for 129.99. I would send a direct link, or pic, but I don't have enough posts around here yet to do so. So, here are the specs:

New Acoustic Audio RWSUB-10

400 Watt 10" Home Audio Powered Subwoofer





Features:

Model: RWSUB-10

Cabinet Finish: Black Ash

Woofer: 10 Inch Down-Firing Long Throw Subwoofer

High Rigidity PVA Treated Cone

Linear Slot Port

Signal Sensing ON/OFF

Bass Level / Gain Control

Line-Level and Speaker-Level Inputs

Built-in Digital Drive High Efficiency Amplifier

Cabinet Design: Advanced RFL Bass Reflex

Cabinet Material: High-Density MDF



Specifications:

200 Watts RMS to 400 Watts Dynamic Power

Frequency Response: 24Hz - 200Hz

Variable Low Pass Frequency Crossover: 40 - 140 Hz

Efficiency / Sensitivity: 98dB @ 1 watt 1 meter

Dimensions (H x W x D): 12.4 × 11.4 × 12.4 Inches



Designed and Engineered in USA

Shipping Weight: 23 lbs

Suggested Retail Price: $499.99

2 Year Parts and Labor Warranty

 

[beerman1981]

Thanks again

Thanks again for all the help! What would be the best gauge speaker wire for hooking this beast up?

 

[Adam]

Congrats on the new sub! I just did a search to find some info on it and found it for $120 on Amazon - not trying to burst your bubble at all, but giving you a reference. I then looked at a thread over at the AVS forum and saw people mentioning that they'd had good luck with those subs.

My favorite speaker wire reference is this one here. There is a handy table if you scroll down a bit that gives recommended speaker wire gauge as a function of speaker impedance and length of wire. My guess is that 16-gauge wire will be just fine. Just remember - copper is copper. You don't need to spend a lot on speaker wire. Monoprice.com carries speaker wire, and (if you don't care about aesthetics) you can use electrical zip wire from places like Home Depot.

 

[timoteo]

Yeah unfortunately i have found that eBay isnt the deal it used to be. You can get decent prices there but the good deals seem to be few & far between. MSRP is another thing that bugs me. The company can suggest ANYTHING they want so as to make the actual sale price seem to be this kick@ss deal. What ive found common is for a company to take a product worth $100, give it an MSRP of $400 then have it "on sale" online for $150. You still end up paying $150 for something worth $100.

I am not in any way trying to say that this is what happened to the OP, but it is common these days which sucks!!!

Thats one reason i like these ID brands for subs & speakers. The 30ish day return policy gives you a chance to see, hear, even take apart (if they dont find out) to make sure your happy with where your $ has gone!!

Well i hope the OP is happy with the new sub!!! Lets us know what you think when you get it. I wish the sub he bought would print the F3.

Congrats & welcome!!