I don't have a clue!

[DipsyChick]

Last year, my husband and I got a good deal at a local pawn shop on a set of 6 100W bookshelf type surround sound speakers. Later on, we bought a new RCA STAV-4180 receiver. We didn't use the sub we had because it wasn't a powered sub. This year, I found a 120W KLH powered sub on eBay at a good price so I bought it. I got it in today. I went to Radio Shack and bought a cable so I could see what I was missing all this time. I used the SUB OUT jack on the back of my receiver and connected it to the R mono jack on the back of the sub. I made sure I had my receiver set up to acknowledge the sub, plugged it in, and nothing. I checked the fuse, it was good. I moved cables around, switched some switches, and still nothing. The only noise I got was the amp turning on. Since I don't have a manual for the sub, I have no idea what I am doing. There is a phase switch on the back of the sub. You can set it on REV or NOR. I have no idea what this is for and it didn't make a difference on either setting. I understand that I can do away with the SUB OUT jack all together and connect my front speakers to the sub and then run wire to the front speakers from there. But, would I get as good of a sound from my sub by connecting it that way? I don't think the sub is bad. I believe I am doing something wrong. Is there any way I can check the sub to see if it's bad by bypassing the receiver? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Leprkon]

I understand that I can do away with the SUB OUT jack all together and connect my front speakers to the sub and then run wire to the front speakers from there. Thanks

hey Dips.. welcome to A/H.

let's run through the easy stuff first...
does your receiver have a test tone that you can turn on to see if the speakers are working ?
you might check the KLH website and see if they post their instruction manuals on it.
did you try using the L input instead of the right ?
are you using a source that puts out a subwoofer signal ? a good choice would be a DVD like U571
next. are there switches on the back of the sub ? specifically look for a volume switch and a crossover switch. turn the volume up to just past the 1/2 point. set the crossover to 80 or 90.
you might think about trying a different cable.. the one you got might be bad...
you don't want to power it from your speakers if you can avoid it.. most of the DVD's are mixed so that the sub sound is a seperate channel (the point 1 in 5.1 or 6.1 or 7.1) and you may lose all that signal information unless you use your sub output...
try these ideas and get back to us...if you can give the model number on the sub that might help us give you better ideas.

 

[DipsyChick]

More Dipsy Stuff!

Yep, the receiver has the test tone. I didn't think about that. I'll have to try that and see what I get.
I checked the KLH website earlier and no manuals there. That's where I got the info about connecting the front speakers to the sub and then the sub to the receiver. I figured connecting it that way would compromise sound quality.
I did try the L input. I tried every input/output on the thing! I switched this switch and that switch. Turned every knob...I did it all.
I tried a DVD. Still nothing. U571 is a great movie by the way! But, I threw Twister in there. I thought that would produce enough bass for me to get the full effect.
One of the switches on the back is a PHASE switch. You can choose between REV & NOR and I haven't got a clue what either one is or does.

The model number of the sub is KSUB-10. Here's the low down:

Finish: Black
Front-Firing, Ported Design
10" Dynamic Long-Throw Woofer
Built-In Amplifier: 120 Watts
Controls: Power, Volume, Auto Shut-Off, Crossover Frequency, Phase
Frequency Response: 30 to 50-150 Hz
Crossover Frequency: 40-180 Hz (Adjustable)
Input Options: Speaker Level and Line Level
Black Cabinet with Black Cloth Removable Grill
Dimensions: 19"H x 8.13"W x 20.38"D
Warranty: 1 Year Limited Parts/Labor
Weight: 43.0 Lbs.
UPC No.: #048331-00004-7
No. of Speakers: 1 Each
MSRP: $149.99/Ea.
----------------------------------------------------------
I have also attatched 2 pics (front & back).

 

[MDS]

DipsyChick,
Did you try the things Leprkon suggested? I assume you took the picture before hooking it up, because the gain and freq knobs are at 0 in the picture.

To reiterate Leprkon's suggestions:

Gain - Sub volume. Turn it up to at least halfway.

Freq - The crossover frequency. Turn it all the way up if you connect the cable from the receiver's subwoofer pre-out jack and set the crossover frequency to 80Hz in the receiver's setup menu.

Phase: I assume Norm=0 degrees and REV=180 degrees. The phase switch is used to help integrate the sub with the mains. On 0, the sub driver will be pulling in/out at the same time as the mains. At 180 degrees, the sub will be pulling in when the main speakers are pushing out (sometimes helpful when the sub is behind you). In most cases, you won't really notice a difference - leave it at zero(Norm).

Low Level Input: Connect the subwoofer cable from the receiver's sub pre-out to the L low level input. Usually you can use either L or R, but some sub's say specifically to use the L.

Auto on: This is 'standby' mode. When set to On, the sub should turn itself on when it senses a signal (naturally the Power switch must be on) and will go back to standby after a period of time when no signal is present. Set it to On.

Make sure sub='yes' or 'on' in the receiver's setup menu.

 

[DipsyChick]

It's working!

Thanks for all the info. I really appreciate it. I don't know what happened, but it started working on it's own. Maybe since it hadn't been used in a while the amp needed time to warm up or something. But, it's working great and I am so pleased with the sound. If I ever need any more help, I know where to come to get it. Thanks again everyone.