Need some insight on subwoofer settings. (1 Viewer)

[vulie504]

Hello, i have a Vizio VSB200 sound bar paired with a Polk Audio PSW 110 subwoofer. I've managed to hook it up and both are working ,but i lack the knowledge on how to fine tune my subwoofer. The subwoofer has a Volume Knob, Low Pass Knob (90-120 and LFE), and a Phase Switch (0 or 180). If ya'll don't mind, can you tell me what each one actually does or effects ,besides the volume knob of course. Also, the soundbar has a RCA subout and the subwoofer itself has White and Red socket and i hooked both of them up via rca cable with a Y splitter going into the soundbar. Is the way i hooked it up fine? Thank You

 

[gene c]

The Low Pass Knob does the same thing as the crossover in the receiver. Set the knob to it's highest position (160). The Phase Switch is used to keep the bass between the fronts and subwoofer in phase. You can try it in either position and see which sounds the best (if either) but it's usually just left in the 0 position. You can use the red/white connection on the sub as long as the Low Pass Knob is in the highest position but it's better to connect the receiver to the subwoofers LFE connection. This would bypass the subwoofers internal crossover (the Low Pass Knob). To summerize, remove the Y splitter, connect the receivers subwoofer output to the subwoofers LFE input, set the Phase Switch to 0 and the volume control to about the 12 O:Clock position (use the receivers subwoofer volume control to fine-tune the volume).

 

[vulie504]

My subwoofer doesn't have a dedicated LFE input ,but it has a Left (white) Right(red)/ LFE input. Here's how the back of my subwoofer looks like To use LFE on my subwoofer would i use a subwoofer cable to my soundbar then to one of the colored inputs? Would one of these cables do? Unfortunately, my soundbar doesn't have any subwoofer volume control ,so my only option is to use the subs own volume control .

 

[vulie504]

My subwoofer doesn't have a dedicated LFE input ,however it does have a L (white) R (red) / LFE in. Here's a picture of the backside of my subwoofer. Would i use a basic subwoofer cable and connect it into one of the colored inputs to use LFE? Would this do? Unforttunatly, my soundbar doesn't have a subwoofer volume control, so i guess i can only asjust it on the sub itself .

 

[Al.Anderson]

Many subs provide both L/R RCA connection but only require a connection to one of them for LFE. Based on the writing on the back of that sub, you only have to connect to the right (red) rca jack. I've never heard of a receiver/amp (or soundbar) with active sub volume control. (Although they have it as part of the set-up configuration.) So it's not unusual at all to have to control the volume from the sub. It's typically not something you continually adjust - you set it once to be in sync with your receiver (soundbar) level and you leave it there.

 

[Martino]

I looked up your sound-bar - it has a volume control and a sub output. The signal strength on the sub output will vary with the volume. Any signal that the sub receives will be amplified by it's internal amplifier - but it will vary based on the input signal.... What I am trying to say - when the volume on the soundbar is changed - the volume of the sub will change as well. You set it once so that it blends in, and it should maintain that ratio with the volume changes....

 

[vulie504]

I really appreciate all of the comments from everyone. I'm going to use the LFE setting after work and see how it sounds. One more thing, as of now I'm using a wire with a red and white on both ends. Would it be fine to buy 2 y splitters or would it be better to buy a specific subwoofer cable. I'm asking because I already have 1 Y splitter and the cable.

 

[Martino]

If you want to spend the money - you can get a new single RCA cable to hook up the sub. If you want to use the cable you have - either connect both the red ends or both the white ends - it doesn' t matter as long as you are using the same color. If you are getting a lot of hum or are not happy with the performance, go ahead and upgrade the cable to a better shielded sub cable. There is no need to use any Y splitter - you have a mono low frequency sub signal coming out of the receiver and going to the sub. If the signal is to low and the auto-on function is not working - increase the sub output on the receiver side and decrease the volume a little on the sub side. The splitter will not buy you anything. You only have to hook up 1 of the RCA connections to the back of your sub.

 

[gene c]

My subwoofer doesn't have a dedicated LFE input ,however it does have a L (white) R (red) / LFE in. Here's a picture of the backside of my subwoofer. Would i use a basic subwoofer cable and connect it into one of the colored inputs to use LFE? Would this do? Unforttunatly, my soundbar doesn't have a subwoofer volume control, so i guess i can only asjust it on the sub itself .

Sorry for suggesting your sub had the LFE input. The picture of the PSW111 on Crutchfields website and the manual and technical specs on Polks site suggested that it did. Maybe a it was removed recently in a cost-cutting effort. Anyway, There's nothing I could add to what Al and Martino have said. If you have a Y splitter you can use it but it isn't necessary. I never have.