How loud should my subwoofer be?

[Romulus]

Alright, I just received my Harmon Kardon speakers this week and finally set up everything. I popped in Kingdom of Heaven and flipped to the siege scene and left my subwoofer fairly low. I didn't really hear anything coming out of the subwoofer so I then turn it from approx 1/4 to 3/4. I replayed the scene and literally the entire floor was shaking. I thought that was good enough so I just left on that. Then when I played one the battle scenes from The Patriot, whenever a gun would fire I could feel a thump in the floor. It seemed abnormal to me so I turned it back down again afraid that I am going to ruin my subwoofer. So my question is how loud should I have my subwoofer? Obviously you can't tell me exactly how far to the right the knob should be turned, so if you could tell me when I should hear the subwoofer kick in, that would be great. I'm just afraid if I have it too high all the time I might ruin too soon.

If you need to know any specifications for some reason:
Receiver: Onkyo 605
Speakers: Harmon Kardon HKTS-18 5.1Speaker System

Also, if you have any other tips for "Do's and Dont's", it would be greatly appreciated.

[Canada]

I have my sub at 1/4 approx (on sub) receiver +1. You can probably turn it up a little more maybe half way between 1/4 and 1/2.

[olds403]

Ideally you should calibrate your subwoofer to be the same level as all the other channels in your system. Calibration discs like DVE or avia have calibration test tones to use with a sound meter to set them to the same level.

[My_Two_Cents]

Doesn't the 605 have Audyssey? My 705 does, and I used it to calibrate all of my speakers with the sub set to 50-60% power. If not, then buy a sound meter and calibrate with Avia or DVE.

[musicman1999]

Your sub should be just loud enough that you cannot tell where it is in the room with the lights out, it should blend perfectly with the other speakers and not sit in the corner calling attention to itself.

bill

[Romulus]

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'll have to buy DVE or AVIA, as I couldn't find a disc that came with speakers.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by Romulus

Thanks for the replies. Looks like I'll have to buy DVE or AVIA, as I couldn't find a disc that came with speakers.

Your 605 should have come with the Audyssey mic for setting up your speakers. Have you not used this yet? It will give you much better results than using DVE and Avia.

[Doc_Stew]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

Your 605 should have come with the Audyssey mic for setting up your speakers. Have you not used this yet? It will give you much better results than using DVE and Avia.

Agreed, but one caveat. It set all my speakers at levels of 0 or +2, and my sub at -16 when it was on 1/2 volume. FYI, I have the BIC H-100. So I had to go into setup and manually turn it up so I could hear it.

But Audyssey's EQ is excellent.

[Ranger-R]

I have the elite 94thx and I run the macc whatever? it turns my sub down to -7 and I only have it 1/2 up. I just let it run and then turn it to -3.5, I like a little more bass. So what i'm saying is go with what you like.

[Romulus]

Originally Posted by Ricshoe

Your 605 should have come with the Audyssey mic for setting up your speakers. Have you not used this yet? It will give you much better results than using DVE and Avia.

I checked all my stuff that came with it and didn't find one.

[buckshot]

is "oh my god my eardrums are hemorrhaging" an option? i'd pick that one. or "neighbors complaining"

[Downhere]

The best option is to use a sound meter and a disc like AVIA to set the level. The calibration stuff on receivers usually aren't as accurate with lower frequencies.

[dad2erin]

Originally Posted by Romulus

afraid that I am going to ruin my subwoofer.

You should not worry, I don't believe you can hurt it gust by turning up the vol.

Where are crossed over on the sub. Response is usually between 60-80.

[Squozen]

I use the calibration mic that came with my Yamaha, then tweak by hand with a sound meter, first with the amp's built in test tone then with test discs to confirm that the sources aren't misconfigured.

[My_Two_Cents]

Originally Posted by Doc_Stew

Agreed, but one caveat. It set all my speakers at levels of 0 or +2, and my sub at -16 when it was on 1/2 volume. FYI, I have the BIC H-100. So I had to go into setup and manually turn it up so I could hear it.

But Audyssey's EQ is excellent.

I've got the same sub and a 705. I don't recal the exact Audyssey settings, but with my sub set to 1/2, it was somewhere around -6. I like a little more base (as others have commented), so I manually bumped it up to around 0 and it sounds just right.

[dad2erin]

Make sure the phase is set at 0.

[Big Daddy]

Read the following threads. They can help you calibrate your speakers.

Calibrating Your Audio With an SPL Meter

and

A Guide to Subwoofers

[Lucy Diamond]

With respect to standardized calibration (which has it's place and IS necessary) I believe things like this are best left to taste.

When setting the levels of your sub, A/B repeat (a feature lacking on blu ray players) is most helpful, but not necessary.

I'd say get it to where you liked it for kingdom of heaven and then back off a touch a little bit at a time.

You should HEAR the sub, but it should blend in with everything else and add to the overall experience and not be it's own experience.

Definitely keep at it and tweak, but don't get caught up in all the RULES you are going to read about.

It's all about what you like and what you want to experience. As long as you are not blowing anything up (unless you can afford that) you are not doing anything wrong if you like what you are hearing.

Roll with it and have fun.

Enjoy your new rig,

[yellowblanket]

you could ask the guy that built these 2 tower subs right here to see how loud your sub should be.

[rrios28]

Originally Posted by yellowblanket

you could ask the guy that built these 2 tower subs right here to see how loud your sub should be.

Dam.!