Connecting sub to AV Amp - Low/High level ?

[admin_exported]

Hello folks... I'm afraid I need some suggestions/advice again please! Particularly if you have a Yamaha RX-V amp.

I've connected my BK XLS200 sub to my Yamaha RX-V3900 amp via the low level Sub's LFE Pre-Out and this gives a grrreat sound with DVD's and music on DVD (i.e. the THX music demos on DVD). But no matter what subwoofer-settings I use on the amp, I don't seem to get anything from the sub when I'm listening to music... even MTV Dance doesn't seem to provoke any response!!

Should I experiment with connecting the sub using high-level inputs in addition to the low-level? The sub is capable of being connected both ways simultaneously and is supplied with a Neutrik Speakon lead for 'piggybacking' onto the + and - of one channel and + of the other. There are seperate gain controls for high and low level inputs on the sub, and a frequency contour that looks like it acts on both.

Does anyone have any thoughts?

 

[Messiah]

I would assume you are listening to the music in stereo?

If so, you normally need to change the subwoofer setting on the amp so that it knows to use the sub for stereo as well. I will try and find the setting......

 

[Anonymous]

Hi, and thanks for the reply.

It looks to me as though the amp only send low frequencies to the sub if the front pair are classed as 'small'... maybe I should try this, but set the crossover to the lowest possible (40Hz), though this seems a shame when the speakers are 'recognised' as large by the amp during the setup. I suppose the answer is to try it and see!

I would have liked separate options for how the subwoofer is 'fed' depending on the source playing... picky aren't I ?!!

 

[Messiah]

I would have thought the Yammy would have an option somewhere for it. On the Pioneers I have used I had the option to set the sub as 'plus' so it would work in addition to my normal speakers.

Hmmm....

 

[Anonymous]

I appreciate your help here... There is an option like the Pioneer's to set the 'Bass Out' to one of the following;

Front+SWFR

SWFR

Front

... my preference was for the top option, which outputs LFE effects (ie the .1 from x.1 mixes) to the Sub and to the Front speakers, and also the low frequency sounds (from any mix incl.stereo presumably) should go to the sub, but this doesn't seem to work as you'd think... it seems that, unless the input is digital, then the sub is not supplied with a signal. I'm using an analogue input from a CD player, and analogue audio from Sky+ also seems not to send out anything to the sub. Configuring the front speakers as small, but with a low cross-over might feed the sub... Once the kids have finished their homework, I'm off to experiment (sine-wave CD at the ready!)

Of course it could be my ears... having got 'adapted' to a rather heavy-duty LFE output from films?! Or maybe that gig I went to last night has really done something bad to my ears!

 

[Anonymous]

OK, I'm posting this just in case someone else sometime has the same issues with the Yamaha amp and subwoofers.

Basically, from what I can work-out from testing the unit, the Yamaha only outputs low frequency sounds to the LFE pre-out if the source is digital. So you'll get lovely LFE (effects) sent out to the sub from a Bluray movie, an XBox through HDMI etc., but feed the amp with an analogue signal and you'll not get a quiver from your sub*.

The answer is to feed the sub with low-level inputs too... thankfully my BK XLS200 can accept both simultaneously, which is what I'm about to do right now...

*I'm prepared to be proved wrong... in fact I'd rather like it as it would cut-down on the extra cabling!