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Subwoofer low volumes in 5.1

#1
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11/10/08 at 7:32am
  • Joined: November 2008
  • Post Count: 8
Hello,

I recently purchased a Sony BDP-350 Blu-ray player, that I have hooked up via HDMI to a Sony STR-910 receiver. When I play either blu-ray or DVD's in 5.1 I notice my subwoofer almost has no volume to it. When I switch to dolby 2ch it has lots of bass. I didn't think there would be such a drop in bass when going to 2ch to 5.1.

I watch a lot of music concerts where I would like for some bass to come through, but it seems like it barely even there.

Any suggestions as to why this is happening?
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#2
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11/10/08 at 9:20am
  • Joined: January 2004
  • Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
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Re: Subwoofer low volumes in 5.1

It could be a number of things, but we will need more information....

Have you calibrated your system? An SPL meter and Avia or DVE will do wonders.

How do you have your sub plugged in? Is it connected directly to the sub out on your Sony?

How about your speaker setup.... Do you have speakers set as "large" or "small"?

And, what speakers are you using?
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#3
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11/10/08 at 10:15am
  • Joined: November 2008
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Re: Subwoofer low volumes in 5.1

Hello,

I have used the Mic that comes with my receiver to do the auto calibration which seemed to work ok.

My sub is a klipsch RPW-10, its powered

I have all my speakers set to large

2 Klipsch sinergy F-2 floor speakers, Klipsch RC-52 centre

2 Bose bookshelf speakers for rears

My sub volume is usually set to +2 on the amp, which is fine for music and 2CH applications. In 5.1 I've cranked it to +10 with a little difference, but not as much as I expect
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#4
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11/10/08 at 12:10pm
  • Joined: December 2006
  • Location: Spring, TX
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Re: Subwoofer low volumes in 5.1

All speakers should be set to "small." Unless a speaker is full range, which few are (less than 20H to 20kHz), then almost always use small. Even if a person has full range speakers, most would recommend setting them as "small" for several reasons.

With all speakers set to large, nothing but the .1/LFE channel is going to the subwoofer. The way you have your system set now most of the bass is being sent to speakers that are not designed for it.

Samsung HL-S6188 TV
Onkyo 805 AVR
Samsung P1400 Blu-ray & Oppo 971 DVD Players
DTV HR22 DVR
Infinity Beta 50's Front Speakers, C360 Center Speaker, and Beta 20's Surrounds, Hsu VTF MK 2 Subwoofer w/Turbo, & APC J15 UPS & Power Conditioner

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#5
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11/10/08 at 1:26pm
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Re: Subwoofer low volumes in 5.1

That worked! Thanks! I had my centre channel and surrounds set to Large, I set them to small and my bass came back very strong. Thanks again
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#6
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11/10/08 at 1:40pm
  • Joined: January 2004
  • Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
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Re: Subwoofer low volumes in 5.1

Plus, and I know this will sound hypocritical from me since I like Audyssey so much, don't trust the auto setup. Get a SPL meter and use it to balance your speakers.
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#7
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11/10/08 at 2:34pm
  • Joined: December 2006
  • Location: Spring, TX
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Re: Subwoofer low volumes in 5.1

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Willow
Plus, and I know this will sound hypocritical from me since I like Audyssey so much, don't trust the auto setup. Get a SPL meter and use it to balance your speakers.

Agreed, I did the same thing. However, when I was using my cheap Radio Shack SLP Meter I was wondering why I thought it was more accurate than the automatic setup

OP, I would not change the subwoofer level based on the SPL reading. The level will jump all over the place by just moving the meter a few inches.

Samsung HL-S6188 TV
Onkyo 805 AVR
Samsung P1400 Blu-ray & Oppo 971 DVD Players
DTV HR22 DVR
Infinity Beta 50's Front Speakers, C360 Center Speaker, and Beta 20's Surrounds, Hsu VTF MK 2 Subwoofer w/Turbo, & APC J15 UPS & Power Conditioner

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#8
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11/10/08 at 8:20pm
  • Joined: January 2004
  • Location: Mechanicsburg, PA
  • Post Count: 1,116

Re: Subwoofer low volumes in 5.1

Quote:
Originally Posted by sptrout
Agreed, I did the same thing. However, when I was using my cheap Radio Shack SLP Meter I was wondering why I thought it was more accurate than the automatic setup

OP, I would not change the subwoofer level based on the SPL reading. The level will jump all over the place by just moving the meter a few inches.

Yes, those are the problems with bass. It will be the same if you use the mic in the Sony setup. That is why I like Audyssey so much. Up to 8 positions measured for a much better result.

Sony82,

Glad you got your problem solved. Stick around and join the fun.
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