Does the LFE gain on rcvr introduce distortion? (1 Viewer)

[John_Bilbrey]

I'm wondering if the LFE gain on most receivers will introduce unecessary distortion into the signal going to the sub. There seems to be two differing thoughts on this around the forum:
1) Crank the LFE all the way up on the RECEIVER and then adjust the gain on the sub's amp until proper calibration is reached...
2) Crank the gain on the SUB up to about 3/4 and then use the LFE gain on the receiver to achieve proper calibration output...
My question is this: which setup yields the lowest distortion? I know that the amp on the sub itself will generally introduce more distortion as the gain is increased. What about the LFE signal from the receiver? The receiver just changes the voltage of the signal sent through the LFE output, correct? Or does it just send the same voltage with a bump in the dB? How do you guys have it set?

 

[John_Bilbrey]

Well, I did my own comparison over the weekend, using U-571 for a A/B comparison. Cranked up the depth charge scene with my original setup (receiver LFE up). Then I changed the setup to the second option (sub amp up). Results...I liked the sound of the LFE up moreso than having the amp on the sub up. Cranking the amp on the sub up added a bit of boominess to the sub, especially during dialogue passages. Perhaps a little crossover tweaking was in order, but for my purposes I am satisfied.