Rti 150 subwoofers

[KarenD]

Please forgive my ignorance, I’m not on the same level as most of you audio lovers, but I have a question about the RTi 150.

My 20 year old “stereo” system finally gave out. I wanted a medium level replacement, mostly for music and some DVD watching. Got a good deal at CC on the Polk RTi 150s and purchased a Yamaha HTR-5550 receiver online. Picked up some RCA center and surround speakers for the “theater” effects.

Had my friend help me hook up the system and we’re a bit confused as to how the Rti 150 speaker units work regarding the subwoofer section, the manual sucks! There are two sets of inputs for speaker wire. We’ve got the bottom inputs hooked to the main speaker input on the back of the Yahama. When doing the surround test everything works but the subwoofer. Is that what the second set of inputs is for? Do the subwoofers on these speakers have to be powered?

Also, the Yahama only has output terminals for the five speaker units. The subwoofer hookup is one of those coaxial cable jobs. Am I screwed?

Any information would be appreciated (and remember, I'm at the "Audio Setup for Dummies" level!)
Karen

[RuSsMaN]

Top posts are for the midbass and tweeter. Bottom posts are for the 3-6.5 inch woofers.

Is the factory jumper still in place (between the top and bottom posts? In the Yamaha speaker setup menu, are the mains set to 'large'?

Cheers,
Russ

[KarenD]

Hi, this is her friend.

Yes, the gold plated jumpers are in place.

When you ask about "Large" setup, do you mean about adjusting the Yamaha Receiver for a particular kind of speaker set ? I.E. "Large" for full dynamic range speakers, (3 ways), as compared to "Small" speaker sets usually with only midrange and high speakers ?

I thought about this, and ideally to me, the enclosed subwoofer at the bottom should be discretely hooked up to her subwoofer RCA plug on back of Yamaha reciever. (to eliminate mid freq cancellation on the (3) lower 6" woofers. But, I'm not an expert. Unless of course the Yamaha receiver is handling all this crossover flawlessly ? But how without being bi-amped hooked up?

Now, here's the catcher, when testing with XMEN 1.5 and THX optimizer , the FULL dynamic range is heard flawlessly on the Crossover Test, meaning to me that the Yamaha Receiver must be working correctly (and handling the crossover somehow) and that we she doesn't need a SEPARATE powered subwoofer at all?

[RuSsMaN]

The 150 has the bottom woofs low passed at 80Hz internally (and the midbass high passed at 80Hz) There is no need for any additional filtering.

You cannot use the RCA LFE out on the receiver to power the woofers unless you buy a separate amp to then power the low-level LFE (sub out) signal.

With the jumper in place, and a set of speaker wires run to either the top or bottom posts, and the mains set to 'large', you should here a full range signal through the 150's.

Did it sound good only through the optimizer, and not on other media? How does a music cd sound.

Granted, without a separate amp you will never reap the full potential of the woofs in the 150, but nevertheless, you should still hear a full range, full bodied sound.

Cheers,
Russ

[RuSsMaN]

On another note, I'm not familar with your receiver, what 'sub' settings does it have?

Simple yes/no or does it offer a re-direct like main/both?

[KarenD]

Thanks so much for all the info.

So, one more thing - in Dobly Digital 5.1, will I miss out on the .1? (i.e. low-freq subwoofer) Or, since I read it correctly on the THX optimizer, it's working?

I want to know is if the signal for the .1 channel on the Dobly Digital wil be missed, or will it be routed through the mains correctly?

Thanks!

[KarenD]

>On another note, I'm not familar with your receiver, what 'sub' settings does it have?<

I'm still struggling through the Yamaha manual. In the old days it was "on/off" and conncect your record player :)

Here's an online copy of the manual in Adobe:

http://images.amazon.com/media/i3d/0...L000003317.pdf

[KarenD]

We read the receiver manual and with your info, figured out the answer. The large setting for the mains support full dynamic range. The speakers play everything just fine!

Thanks again,
Karen

[RuSsMaN]

Good deal, sit back and enjoy!