Help with Subwoofer (1 Viewer)

Hi all,
I feel like I'm not getting the most out of my subwoofer. Currently using a Paradigm PDR10, linked to Marantz SR4200. To be honest I'm not even sure what I should be listening for. I've tried a few approaches, but always find myself tuning the volume (either on the sub or reciever) up or down, especially when I switch from Movies to Music...The volume control is currently set to around 10 oclock, whereas the crossover is around 80hz. On the reciever I'm switching from +2db for movies and -2db for music. Furthermore when I do a tone test on the reciever, sound omits from all the 5 speakers, but the sound from the sub is so faint u can't even hear it...unless I max out the volume..How am I suppose to callibrate when this is the case??
Hope one of u gurus can help me......

You've got the basics.

You need to rent/buy a copy of Avia or Video Essentials that will send separate sounds to each speaker in sequence. Get all your speakers to produce 75 db, then crank the sub volume to produce 80-83 db for the subwoofer test tones. Use a combination of the internal subwoofer level (on your receiver) and dont be afraid to turn the subwoofer level up to 80-90% of it's max value.

You might also consider corner-loading the sub to get maximum wall reflections. While not totally accurate for music, it can give you an artifical enhancement that is great for action movies.

Some rooms work better with the sub pulled along the longest wall a few feet.

Search the Speakers and Subwoofer fourm for "Subwoofer Placement" to find some techniques.

One thing that Bob implied was 'Buy an SPL meter'! This (along with internal test tones or the DVDs mentioned above) will help you calibrate your system. FWIW, I use the exact calibration for my CD input and set the sub a few dB hot for movies. I can have a different setting for each input so it's a one time adjustment. Radio Shack makes a good SPL meter but you will need to add a compensation factor at lower frequencies. Do a search for calibration or look in the FAQ for more info.

Summary: Calibrate all speaker outputs with the SPL meter and (if not a purist) adjust the sub level to taste.

Thanks for the advice guys...I'll give it a shot as soon as I can.