Sub. Music & Cinema

[RobinKidderminster]

My cinema benefits greatly from my sub but its far too heavy for music. I can turn the sub down for music but really I need to go into the receiver settings, switch off the sub and set fronts to large. A bit of a fiddle.

Is this a common issue or does it suggest a poorely setup system? Is this an AV receiver shortcoming?

Dispute llarge fronts (MS Mezzo 8) the bass always feels light when the sub is off in 'no-sub' mode but too heavy when using the sub. Suggestions welcome.

I use 80hz crossover and 'Pure Direct' for minimum processing since any DSP tends to colour the sound too much particularly with music.

Cheers

 

[Leeps]

I'm not familiar with the different sound modes on your Yammy AVR, but is there one that would make this change automatically?

With my AVR, if I use Direct or Pure Direct, it'll simply use the channels it's fed. So if it's receiving a stereo signal, it'll use the front speakers full range without using the sub, but if it's receiving a multi-channel signal, the sub will engage.

If I want to engage my sub when using a stereo signal, I have to change sound modes to "Extended Stereo" which engages all speakers available.

When swapping between the above modes I don't need to faff about with speaker settings (small to large) or with crossovers. I just select the particular mode I want and the rest is sorted. I was just wondering whether your Yammy had an equivalent? It might call it something different to Pioneer, but it might do the same job. Maybe it's worth playing about with your sound modes to see if there's an equivalent?

 

[michael hoy]

Direct should keep the sub in play, Pure direct will not output to the sub.

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Thanks Leeps

I recon Jr experience/explaination is spot on. However, in PureDirect, my AVR seems to use the sub with a stereo input. Maybe its a Yamaha foible? Thanks - I will have a fiddle again but it maybe I am stuck with it?

 

[Leeps]

Another possible way round it: do you use different inputs generally for music & movies?

Again this is a very Pioneer-centric response, but some of it might apply to your AVR. On my main input menu I can decide whether the 12v trigger (for the sub) is engaged or not. So if for example you tended to only want your sub for the HDMI output from your Bluray, but used another input for stereo music, would you be able to engage or disengage the sub that way?

There must be a solution, it's just finding the right one for you. AVR's are complicated and do hide their answers away in their many sub-menus at times, so it's worth delving into them.

 

[Anderson]

I've seen people discuss ported and sealed subs for movies and music. Apparently sealed subs are best for music but I have no idea why this is said to be so.

 

[ellisdj]

So are you wiring up high level to the sub? If you are using Pure direct you must be.

This could be the reason for it

 

[chrisup]

Robin,

My Onkyo 905 has a Pure mode which switches off the display and processing so it is ideal for stereo music using my front B&W 685s and disabling my B&W ASW610 sub and my B&W 686s as well. I liked the Yamaha recieiver I heard in Brum last year at Superfi but as my Onkyo is still a delight (touch wood!) no need to change. Still have my parents Rotel, Garrard 86SB and Rank speakers bought in 1974 and it still works!

Best wishes

Chris

PS hello from Kidder

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Robin,

My Onkyo 905 has a Pure mode which switches off the display and processing so it is ideal for stereo music using my front B&W 685s and disabling my B&W ASW610 sub and my B&W 686s as well. I liked the Yamaha recieiver I heard in Brum last year at Superfi but as my Onkyo is still a delight (touch wood!) no need to change. Still have my parents Rotel, Garrard 86SB and Rank speakers bought in 1974 and it still works!

Best wishes

Chris

PS hello from Kidder

Hi again Chris.

My 86SB still spins occasionally. Works fine but I'd love to try my old DIY 3'x2'x18" speakers with non matching 12" woofers - great fun back in the 70's when my ears worked better.

Interesting that Jr Onkyo in pure direct cuts out the sub. I can't find a setting to do the same with my Yamaha. The only way I can knock it off is by setup/no sub option. A pain to do when I need a quick Dire Straits fix.

 

[chrisup]

Robin,

I know how you feel too many concerts in Brum, Kent and London god they were loud! We saw Alarm, Inexis, Status Quo & Queen at the old Wembley and my wife was 8 months pregnant and my daughter kicked up a storm. Still love my Rega Planar 3 Nytech reciver and Mordaunt Pageant 2s and it goes loud. My daughter loves festivals and now likes some of the old stuff I like as its now cool!!

Best wishes

Chris

 

[RobinKidderminster]

Thanks for the earlier heads up Chris. Having a senior moment maybe. I was wrong about Pure Direct - you were right that the sub switches off. However it has always sounded like my big beefy fronts were missing their bass drivers - until today. Encouraged by your post I had a tinker and suddenly my music has become magical - all my bass drivers reconnected themselves by fairies over night.

I still need to understand what I did but its the first time in years that music sounds right in Pure Direct. I feel rather silly to have missed a setting somewhere when I consider myself quite familiar with my gear. Someone in another thread suggested few people are really capable of setting up their AVs properly - well count me in.

Amused me when Currys set up a friends system. Charged him too but managed to plug the optical into the wrong ports and his 5.1 sound was 2.0 - just a simple all-in-one system.

I was going to dust behind my system today. Wow I must've had some brains when I wired that kilo of spaghetti. Hey ho - enjoyin' some Muzak ....

Cheers