Velodyne VRP-1200

[josh_parsons626]

Hey all, today I was at Circuit City and was playing the new guitar game for PS2, but anyways they had a little Infinity kinda like a HTIB like subwoofer. Well of course it wasn't fantastic at all but I think it sounded better than my sub. And I was wondering do I have mine setup wrong?

Currently my settings are:
Onkyo TX-SR503 receiver with +12 (xover on receiver 100 hz)
Crossover on sub at 80 hz
Sub volume - max
And I also have the monster cable y-splitter for my monster subwoofer cable. And that BS infinity subwoofer was hitting harder for that video game than my sub does. Can anybody tell me what I've done wrong and lead me in the right direction of how I can get the best sound out of an alright subwoofer?

[ohskigod]

I can say that with your reciever's sub output at +12 db's and your sub at max, something is DEFINITLY wrong somewhere.

try a different cable? try running speakerwire to the sub, then from the sub to the sattelites (the high power speaker inputs) just to see if the output on the sub increases. if not, problem is the sub, if yes, problem is back in the chain.

[Sherardp]

SSSSShhhhhhhh............. you hear that? Something is telling me you need a SVS PB12 Plus 2. ;)

[TheReaper]

Currently my settings are:
Onkyo TX-SR503 receiver with +12 (xover on receiver 100 hz)
Crossover on sub at 80 hz

You might have a bass hole there. Try setting your reciever's xover to 80, and your sub-woofer's xover to max. And then adjust the subwoofer volume to blend in.

[MADGSF]

Are the speakers set to large/ful range or small? Do you have alternate placement options for the sub in your room.

[josh_parsons626]

SSSSShhhhhhhh............. you hear that? Something is telling me you need a SVS PB12 Plus 2. ;)

LOL I think you're right. But just because I haven't heard them, I think I'm gonna go with the PB10-NSD. And then go from there. Hell, just that little 10" has to be better than my Velodyne, right?

[josh_parsons626]

Are the speakers set to large/ful range or small? Do you have alternate placement options for the sub in your room.

All my speakers are set to small. I have my sub right now to the left of my entertainment center. Do you think I should try it with my sub beside my couch, and see what happens?

[josh_parsons626]

Now mind you I just live in an apartment so maybe it's not supposed to sound as good as I want it to. Plus I have no carpet, and I have my computer desk and my bookcase in the same room that has 2 openings: one is 4' W and 7.25' H and the other is 3' W and 8' H. Could it also be the room acoustics?

[Ron Temple]

You haven't said how large your room is which is very important, but off the top of my head, I'd say you have the sub up waaayyy too high. You need to calibrate to balance the sub with your speakers with an SPL meter using the receiver test tones or with a disk like Avia. Generally...

Speakers set to small
Crossover (depending on the range of your fronts) 80 or 100
Receiver trim -5
Sub crossover - turned all the way up (or disabled)
Sub gain ~ 1/3

...depending on your room this should put you pretty close to your speakers calibrated at 75 or 85db all the way around. You can adjust to taste within a few db with the receiver trim or sub gain, but you don't want it too hot or you'll get boomy and undefined bass rather than hard hitting impact.

That Velo can sound darned good if you set it up right. It's not in the class of the SVS PB10, but it should exceed the smaller Infinity sub.

[josh_parsons626]

You see I'm doing the calibrations with my SPL meter just like I'm suppose to. I dont have a tripod but I sit my meter on a 31" speaker stand, right in the middle of my room. I just dont think I really know how to properly calibrate my system. Plus I dont have an Avia disc, could that be what I'm missing? Honestly I just think my Onkyo 503 is just a total piece of junk too.

Right now my settings are:
L - 0
C - -3
R - 0
SR - +3
SL - +3
Sub - +7

xover 80
Sub volume - mark after halfway xover all the way, phase 0

Please tell me what I'm doing wrong!