subwoofer?

[Wellh]

Hey guys how should the bass actually sound.When i was watching saving private ryan for example,the open scene on the beach the bass sounds,"for lack of a better term" sounds like rumbling on an on,no kinda no break in between explosions,is this the way its supposed to sound?Its the same on
other movies to,some not like that at all.Is it just a matter of to much volume
on the sub or to close to the wall,or freq setting on the sub or receiver?Well
could be all the above i guess.This is my first subwoofer just not sure this is the way it should sound,thanks.

[Zaphod]

Throw out any conceptions you have about what a sub should sound like for movies based on what subs sound like with music. I can't technologically give you the difference and why, but perhaps someone here could elaborate.

[tommyboy81]

I think it depends on your Reciever to. I bought a HK AVR247 late last year and the bass seems to be much deeper than when I had my Panasonic SA-HE200. I gave a cheap Yamaha 50 watt sub. I'll admit with certain movies I can make walls shake. I got it set half way. Didn't know 25watts of bass can do so much damage.

[Big Daddy]

Originally Posted by Wellh

Hey guys how should the bass actually sound.When i was watching saving private ryan for example,the open scene on the beach the bass sounds,"for lack of a better term" sounds like rumbling on an on,no kinda no break in between explosions,is this the way its supposed to sound?Its the same on
other movies to,some not like that at all.Is it just a matter of to much volume
on the sub or to close to the wall,or freq setting on the sub or receiver?Well
could be all the above i guess.This is my first subwoofer just not sure this is the way it should sound,thanks.

Go to the following thread on "Calibrating Your Audio with an SPL Meter". Scroll down 3 quarters and read the section on subwoofers, their positioning, and interaction with the main speakers.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=38765

[clyon]

It has been about a year since I have seen Saving Private Ryan but the opening when there storming the beach it is loud & boomy. Also at the end of the movie when the german tanks enters the town, that will make the sub shake a wall.

Ever shoot a shot gun or .44 Magnum it is loud!!!! time that by 1000 when 120mm or 75mm goes off.

[krazeyeyez]

well i got a ultracube 12 and although it sounds less boomy then most subs i have had, i think i am just not a fan of bass, or at least not in my present acoustics. my room has rattles everywhere, and some movie tracks go from fine one second to me hopping out of my chair to turn down my sub the next, it seems that to get the "tight" bass i want i have to get that rumble bass i don't! some movies "i robot" if i set my volumes for those crazy levels in like 2 scenes the whole movie i miss out on what i feel i should be getting for the other 98% of the bass in the flick. plus like every second im either thinking i should be getting more bass.....or im worrying about to much bass and the safety of my speaker.

i don't think i have ever gotten a subwoofer that i have been instantly pleased with or thought sounded great on everything that was not mounted in my cars trunk

[MacDaddyOJack]

Wellh,

My guess is that you have a small sub that tends to be very boomy instead of going deep like it was designed to do. What kind of sub is it? If it is a small sub (6-8") that has been placed in a band-pass style box(you can't see the speaker, only the port), then unfortunately you will only get boomy bass from it. The only other thing you can try is to turn the crossover frequency down, I prefer 80Hz which is what THX instructs as well. Post your setup, it may just be something dealing with configuration.

[Wellh]

Originally Posted by MacDaddyOJack

Wellh,

My guess is that you have a small sub that tends to be very boomy instead of going deep like it was designed to do. What kind of sub is it? If it is a small sub (6-8") that has been placed in a band-pass style box(you can't see the speaker, only the port), then unfortunately you will only get boomy bass from it. The only other thing you can try is to turn the crossover frequency down, I prefer 80Hz which is what THX instructs as well. Post your setup, it may just be something dealing with configuration.

Ok thanks for the replies.My sub is an Energy S8.3 8"speaker the speaker is visible on the front.Has crossover & phase control,x-over mode & power mode.Crossover set around 100hz.
2 large tower speakers
2 rear rc-mini's speakers
receiver is an Yamaha htr-5840

I set the bass out to the sub on the receiver and set the front towers to small on the receiver also.

[Blu-Dog]

Originally Posted by Wellh

Ok thanks for the replies.My sub is an Energy S8.3 8"speaker the speaker is visible on the front.Has crossover & phase control,x-over mode & power mode.Crossover set around 100hz.
2 large tower speakers
2 rear rc-mini's speakers
receiver is an Yamaha htr-5840

I set the bass out to the sub on the receiver and set the front towers to small on the receiver also.

There's a couple of ways to set this up - don't know if your Yamaha has an adjustment for the crossover level of the sub tones, but it may default to 80 Hz. If so, set your sub to "B" (crossover bypassed) and let the receiver's output control the sub. That's probably your best option anyway.

Start out by setting the volume very low for auditioning the sound. Test the sound by gradually increasing it, listening to music or sections of film you're familiar with. It's a 100 watt amp, quite sufficient for moderate listening levels, but taking it up past midpoint may cause distortion. You want clean sound.

Listen to loud passages, and quiet passages. If you hear any snapping noises in the loud passages, you're clipping; turn in down. If you hear rumbling in the quiet passages, something is wrong.

You can also try it with the crossover enabled on the sub, which will allow you to use the controls on the sub itself. You will find that the higher the frequency setting, the louder the volume will get - but the deep tones you want will get muddier.

Just keep fooling with it, let us know what is working for you.