# Subwoofer challenge : Experts need your help :(



## abk911 (Mar 21, 2012)

Problem: My subwoofer SAW 2500 seems to not work very effectively - as in if i put my ears close i can hear some functioning but not like if i am sitting on my couch i can hear specifics come out of there.

below is the set up:

receiver: Yamaha 371 BL
Front floor standing speakers: ssf6000: set to large (they have 2 6.5 inch sub in each?) (manual for 371bl says speaker with woofer size 6 1/4 and above to be set as large. ALso extra bass on which says bass to come from speakers and sub both.
cross over: 80hz
sub woofer: connected directly to receiver and vol set at half, crossover at 200 and phase as normal (both on receiver and on sub)
all other speakers are not there - only fronts and sub.

what am i doing wrong???   
for now i am sitting right next to the sub to hear low frequency outs ... lol...
(remember for above set up i do not have any center or surround)

*2nd issue: *due to size constraint i need to probably fix a sony sscr 3000 center channel (right now i have none) my preference was sony ss 5000 but i just have no place to put it but behind the tv. But before i buy it - the sony sscr3000 has 8ohm impedence which is like all my other speakers however it has a 150-20000 hz range. does this mean i now have to change my crossover from 80 hz to 150 in the receiver? instead of what i set for when i only had those ssf6000 connected? do you think this center channel will be enough if i do buy it?


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## drdoan (Aug 30, 2006)

Have you tried to set your speakers to "small", setting the receiver to LFE out, and 5.1, or whatever your settings to make the bass go to the sub?


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## abk911 (Mar 21, 2012)

i tried "small" does not make much difference. LFE Out setting - i am unable to find anything like that on my yamaha 371 bl  (correction - oh yes its definitely on 5.1) tried both 5.1 and 2.1: i know sub is working as i can hear faint stuff coming out of it - its just not bombing. 
also any idea on the second problem mentioned.


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## drdoan (Aug 30, 2006)

Make sure your sub is connected to the sub out, or similar output (usually an RCA single connection) on your receiver. Also, make sure your receiver is set to send the low frequency signals to the woofer. And, of course make sure you sub is set to the proper setting. Did the sub ever work ok?


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## abk911 (Mar 21, 2012)

its connected to the receiver through the sub cable it came with. Its a brand new sub. also not sure how to "send lfe to sub" that setting i am unable to find on the manual for yamaha 371. the entire set up is new.


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## 86eldel68-deactivated (Nov 30, 2010)

I skimmed through the owner's manual for the RX-V371. It doesn't have Yamaha's YPAO auto-calibration, which I was going to suggest you run first in order to set your speaker levels, distances, etc. It also doesn't have a "Direct" mode, which usually bypasses an AVR's audio processing and sends all the audio to the main speakers only...which might have explained the lack of subwoofering you're experiencing.

(It does have "Straight" and "Two-channel Stereo" modes, but there's nothing in the manual to indicate that either of those modes bypasses the sub.)

So:
- In the speaker set-up menu, make sure the sub is set to 'yes'. (According to pg. 42 of the owner's manual, that's the default setting, so it should already be set to that.)
- On page 43, under "Level", the default level for the main left and right speakers and for the subwoofer is 0dB. Are your levels still set to that default value? If 'yes', try bumping the level on the subwoofer channel (or dropping the levels on the L+R speaker channels) to a point where the sub and the L+R speakers blend well together.

Re. the SSCR3000: If it's rated down to only 150Hz, then you'll have to change your crossover (the RX-V371 has a single x-over for all speakers).


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
A 200hz Crossover is mighty high and all the more surprising that you are not getting satisfactory Bass from the Subwoofer as it is being tasked with frequencies where Subwoofers are truly not at their best, but should provide you with even more output. Then again, if you have the Subwoofer connected from the LFE Input on the Subwoofer, it overrides pretty much every control with the exception of Volume and Phase. I am not familiar with your Subwoofer. (the Brand would help), but there should be an RCA that is labeled LFE Input which should be directly connected to the Subwoofer/LFE Input on your AVR.

Once the Subwoofer is connected LFE/LFE, then you should set the Speakers on the Yamaha Setup Menu to Small or 80hz provided your Speakers are rated down to at least 80hz and ideally 60-70 at minimum.
Cheers,
J


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## 86eldel68-deactivated (Nov 30, 2010)

Jungle Jack said:


> A 200hz Crossover is mighty high ... I am not familiar with your Subwoofer. (the Brand would help) ...


FWIW:
- According to his original post he says he's cranked the x-over knob on the back of the sub to 200Hz since he has the sub connected to the subwoofer output on his AVR and he's using the AVR's bass management.
- He has the AVR's crossover set to 80Hz, and his mains set to "large". (In post #3, he explains that he also tried setting them to "small", but nothing changed.)
- The sub and the mains are Sony products.


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## bambino (Feb 21, 2010)

OK, may be a silly question but... where is your gain set on the sub?


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

eljay said:


> FWIW:
> - According to his original post he says he's cranked the x-over knob on the back of the sub to 200Hz since he has the sub connected to the subwoofer output on his AVR and he's using the AVR's bass management.
> - He has the AVR's crossover set to 80Hz, and his mains set to "large". (In post #3, he explains that he also tried setting them to "small", but nothing changed.)
> - The sub and the mains are Sony products.


Hello,
The thing is if he is not connected to the LFE Input on the Sony Subwoofer, the AVR's Bass Management is not really in control. Or worse there are cascading crossovers. I should have read the Posts more closely however and appreciate the information amigo.

After looking at the Back Panel of the Subwoofer, as there is only 1 RCA on it, it must be the LFE. However, it is a relatively modest Subwoofer and it simply might not be capable of providing sufficient Bass for the space. If still in the Return Period, upgrading to something like the Dayton Sub120 would be a substantial upgrade and it can usually be found for only about $50-70 more.
Cheers,
J


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## abk911 (Mar 21, 2012)

tried most of this and i guess the effect is just not there. Also cranking up the set up from odb to higher as recommended in one of the response above helps a bit but understand that yamaha 0db is not true 0db : yamaha receiver 371 bl has everything from a scale of -db to +db and 0 somewhere is almost half the vol. for instance the volume knob on yamaha is not 0 to lets say 30 it is something like -30 to + 16 db (so 0 is a substa ntially loud vol) which makes me assume that 0db on sub vol set up is also half way through as that is also -ve db to +ve db scale. The sub had over 100 positive reviews on net like 4.5 stars. I will try and fish a new cable and see if that makes a difference? will hit the store and see


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## RTS100x5 (Sep 12, 2009)

abk911 said:


> I will try and fish a new cable and see if that makes a difference? will hit the store and see


Before you fish a new wire. move the Sub next to your Yamaha and try a shorter cable DIRECTLY from your Yamaha to the Sub...


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## nova (Apr 30, 2006)

Just for a little clarification,... are your front L&R speakers hooked up to your sub or are they connected to the Yamaha? Second question, you said "subwoofer volume set at half", does this mean you have the subwoofer "Level" control knob on the back of the sub set at half? If so have you tried to turn this up?
Do you have an SPL meter? They are a great help for troubleshooting and for speaker level calibration.

As for your 2nd issue, I'd suggest you set all of your speakers to "small" and the receiver crossover to 80Hz or possibly 100Hz. While this may not be ideal for the speakers you are planning on getting, it should still be fine. The SS-CR3000's crossover, electrolytic capacitor or whatever this speaker uses should block the lower frequencies or allow those lower frequencies to roll off.


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## Jungle Jack (Jul 28, 2009)

Hello,
As I was not familiar with this model prior, I highly recommend those trying to help (if not already familiar) to check out the pictures of the Back Panel: http://www.crutchfield.com/S-gJX67vtnsow/p_158SAW2500/Sony-SA-W2500.html

It appears it can only be set at 50% and 100% in terms of volume. I really think more and more that the 2500 is not capable of producing a great deal of Bass. It is rated at 60 Watts when playing below 80hz and 100 Watts above it. I have never even come across a subwoofer that is rated like this.

As this is coming from a mainstream company and only retails for $99, it further reinforces my concerns. Many Posts ago I recommended returning it if possible and spending the $50-$80 to get the infinitely better Dayton Sub 120. The Dayton looks and sounds like a $500 Subwoofer, the Sony at least looks like a $99 Subwoofer. I am not meaning to come across harsh. It is just for a relatively small outlay, the OP can get a massively better subwoofer.
J


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## zieglj01 (Jun 20, 2011)

With all due respect, the Sony is a poor sub. I would look at other options. 
It will not get loud, and the bass is weak and distorted.


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