newby in home theater needs help

[raypasote]

Hello. I am a newby in home theater and I need some help. After much research I bought a Klipsch RF52 home theater system (2 X RF 52 floorstanders, an RC 52 center, 2 X RS 42 surrounds, and an RW10D sub). I am still setting everything up in my family room and I am confused with placement and hooking up of the sub (and everything else for that matter). I know that it depends on the acoustics of my living room but where is generally the best place for the sub? The diagrams I have from Klipsch says that the best place is upper and to the left of the front RF 52s. I can put it there against the wall, but there is a doorway about 1 foot away to the left. Will that affect the sound from the sub? If I move it, Does the length of run of the cable to the sub from the A/V receiver affect the quality of the sound of the sub in terms of ambient noise such as buzzes and hums,etc,? That is, should I get a 12 ft or a 20ft cable? Also, I have Left and right line inputs to my sub to connect to my A/V receiver, but I only have one output from my A/V receiver.Do I have to use the Y-splitter that comes with the sub cable or do I just choose right or left input on the sub? Thanks for your help, I need it!

 

[just-some-guy]

hello

i had to use a Y splitter to run both channels on my old sub, a DAYTON SUB120.

put the sub where you are going to sit, and crank it up. then get on your hand and knees and crawl around. find the spots where it sounds the loudest. then put the sub in one of those spots. sub placement is a work in progress.find what works for you.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the forum!

According to the manual for the RW-10D, you'd connect the single subwoofer output on your receiver to the LEFT line-level input. You don't need a y-splitter.

To get a bit more detail on the "sub crawl" that Jesse discussed, check out this article from the main Audioholics site. They have a number of tips and tricks on getting good bass.

 

[raypasote]

thank you

Thank you both for your help. Reading in between the lines, I have to assume that the 20 ft cable would be a wiser choice because I would be severely limited by the 12 ft cable. What about the noise factor in the longer cable? Is that really a factor or just some seller hype to sell me a longer cable? I don't suppose that the doorway matters at all.

 

[raypasote]

Thank You Continued

Just a note. I did not mean to say that the seller wanted to sell me a "longer" cable, just a "thicker" one (i.e. Monster M1000 sw).
Thanks,
Ray

 

[Adam]

I wouldn't worry about noise in a 20-foot versus a 12-foot cable.

In regards to Monster cable - it works just fine, but you can buy stuff that works just as well for much less money (unless the seller is giving you a deal). Monoprice.com is popular with members of this forum. I'd suggest that you check out the cable here and see what you think (they come in various lengths). You can also use just about any RCA cable that you have around the house and it'll probably work just fine.

 

[Davemcc]

Just say no to Monster brand cables.

Two thumbs up for Monoprice. I use them for everything now. Personally, I like to use a decent shielded cable for subs to eliminate any unwanted noise on a long run but any old cable will work until you get settled and have a chance to order some new cables. I did have a sub hum once when using an el cheapo cable that stopped humming when I used a better shielded cable.

 

[raypasote]

Thanks Dave and Adam and everyone

Thanks Dave and Adam and everyone for your inputs. They have been very helpful to this newby.
Sincerely,
Ray