Setting up a sub correctly? (1 Viewer)

[Gambino915]

Recently purchased a set of klipsch icon series. All speakers are just fine loud enough. My issue is setting the subwoofer up correctly. I'm running a denon 1912 with a klipsch sw-450 I bought a rocket fish sub cable ( only one available at purchase). I'm just curious as to the adjustments for the he settings and volume for the receiver and unit itself. I'm really looking to rattle my walls but still have correct sound throughout. I'm also curious what I could do to blow the sub just so I can avoid it. I have warranties so its not a big deal if I do just have to drive an hour if I do so I want to avoid that. Also curious about music via tv or ps3/ blu ray verses movie are there settings I should be bouncing back and forth with. I have heard surround settings can be bad while listening to music especially loudly. Any info would be greatly appreciated thanks Gambino915

 

[BrennanOSD]

I'd recommend getting the front speakers to your liking and then modifying the sub to best accommodate them. I don't think you'll have any problem with giving it too much, but I'd use LFE if your receiver has it and shape it to match your needs. - Brennan, OSD Audio

 

[Robert_J]

I'm really looking to rattle my walls but still have correct sound throughout.

It's a 10" sub so lower your expectations. These are the kinds of subs that rattle the walls (and foundation). http://www.seaton-sound.com/mark/Terraform-XL/TrFm-54-empty+Mark.jpg

I'm also curious what I could do to blow the sub just so I can avoid it. I have warranties so its not a big deal

It is a big deal. Blown subs are usually a sign of abuse and not covered under warranty. Klipsch designed this sub so that it will rarely get to the abuse point. It's like driving a car with a speed limiter on it so it never goes faster than 60.

Also curious about music via tv or ps3/ blu ray verses movie are there settings I should be bouncing back and forth with.

The sub is part of a system that should accurately reproduce whatever signal is fed into it. It doesn't care if it is music or TV or music via the TV.

I have heard surround settings can be bad while listening to music especially loudly.

Some people here are purists and will only listen to music in the format it was recorded in. Stereo recording = stereo playback. Multi-channel recording = multi-channel playback.

I'm just curious as to the adjustments for the he settings and volume for the receiver and unit itself.

That depends entirely on your room and other speakers. Your Denon has Audyssey which will automatically set up your system better than any one of us can recommend. If you want fine tune your sub's response then I'm helping in another thread and you can follow along there.

 

[Gambino915]

Expectations= Lowered! lol Honestly the sub appears to be doing just fine as it is for a home setup. Just looking to dial it in alittle better. Good to hear that it is designed not to be blown that can prevent me from my own stupitdity. When I talked warranties I bought the extended warantie from best buy, if I screw it up or anything happenes to the unit little bit of paperwork n i get sent a new one. at least for the next 5 years. Thanks for clearing up the music vrs tv deal. I feel a bit better about cranking it a bit if im listening to music. I do agree with switching it to stereo sounds alot punchier. I do have a thing with the audessey option, however great that may be when ever it is done all of the setting are ridiculously low. Low enough i could find times with the volume up all of the way that i would still want to turn it up louder. So I set it up using the settings i just set everything 10 levels more then what audessey had it set for. "That depends entirely on your room and other speakers. Your Denon has Audyssey which will automatically set up your system better than any one of us can recommend. If you want fine tune your sub's response then I'm helping in another thread and you can follow along there." What thread are you refering to I would definately love to mess with the sub and get it fine tuned. Right now I have the hrz setting 120 volume at 9 (3/4 to full). I have heard in a perfect setup you shouldnt be able to tell when the sub is working. I'm not there yet looking for a bit of direction. FYI my room is roughly 800sq ft 8 ft high ceilings. The sub is sitting in a corner that is a bit smaller than 90 degrees. Another question I have is while I was at Best buy I bought there rocket fish cable to connect the sub. Nobody even tried to push me into the direction of something better or even explain if there was anything better or worth the pursuit. Is there a better option or are they not hugely important. Just surprising cause they were definately pushing the bananna plugs. One more question This set up I have is from a previously home theater in a box. By that i mean all that is remaining is the 18 gauge wires i had ran through the floor for the surround speakers. How much of an improvment would I get from installing the reccomended 16 gauge?

 

[Al.Anderson]

So I set it up using the settings i just set everything 10 levels more then what audessey had it set for.

If you set everything up the same aount, all you've done is effectively turn up the volume. There's no "reserve" that increasing the gain taps into. Those settings are meant to account for spacing and room acoustics.

Another question I have is while I was at Best buy I bought there rocket fish cable to connect the sub. Nobody even tried to push me into the direction of something better or even explain if there was anything better or worth the pursuit. Is there a better option or are they not hugely important. Just surprising cause they were definately pushing the bananna plugs.

Rocketfish is a manufacturer. You need a sub cable, which is to say a shoielded RCA. Banana plugs, if you use them, are for the main speakers, not the sub. As long as you have a decent sub cable you don't have to worry about the brand or anything else.

This set up I have is from a previously home theater in a box. By that i mean all that is remaining is the 18 gauge wires i had ran through the floor for the surround speakers. How much of an improvment would I get from installing the reccomended 16 gauge?

. The wire guage mostly affects the volume; at the extreme it reduces sound quality. It really depends on run length, if the wire is 10 ft 18g won't be that big of a deal. But 18g is a bit small. I'm not as much of proponent of larger cable than many on the forum, but you could easily go to 16g, and if you're going to replace it you might as well go to 14g. If you run through the walll, you need to use the appropriate grade wire (to prevent fires from spreading more rapidly).

 

[Robert_J]

What thread are you refering to I would definately love to mess with the sub and get it fine tuned.

Do you have an analog Radio Shack SPL meter? Or are you willing to spend about $100 on a good sound microphone?

 

[Gambino915]

No I don't have a radio shack sound meter. I rather avoid the 100 dollar mic cost, but the sound meter might be doable. Looks to be around 50 bucks for that one but there appear to be a bunch of options if I looked around. If I was to purchase one other than to see what decibels I'm getting where how do I start the fine tuning or is there a thread that explains it out there.

 

[Robert_J]

http://www.hometheaterforum.com/t/327127/lava-lsp-12-and-bic-pl-200-specs-arent-the-final-word-are-they#post_4029508