Lack of Bass in Subwoofer/LFE through the Onkyo TX-NR6100

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

The sub was rather boomy at where the Auto-Cal set it as. It was registering about 89-90 dbs at reference. May have been a bit too loud for that. Although a less than reference levels, it might work. Not sure though.

That subwoofer's going to be boomy at decent volume, regardless.

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

That subwoofer's going to be boomy at decent volume, regardless.

That's true. But with the older AVR I had, the bass seemed louder when I set the subwoofer to 75 db vs the newer AVR. I'm wondering if maybe since the newer receiver has the crossovers more specific that it divided the bass out differently than my older AVR, which only had 1 crossover setting for the whole thing??

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

That's true. But with the older AVR I had, the bass seemed louder when I set the subwoofer to 75 db vs the newer AVR. I'm wondering if maybe since the newer receiver has the crossovers more specific that it divided the bass out differently than my older AVR, which only had 1 crossover setting for the whole thing??

I'd just get a new subwoofer, my man.

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

I'd just get a new subwoofer, my man.

One day perhaps. For now, I'll have to make do with what I have, haha!

[PUsokrJosh305]

I think I finally figured out where my speaker crossovers need to be. As most of you said, my satellites (fronts and surrounds) are set at 120 Hz. My center on the other hand (since it goes down to 95 Hz, is set to 90Hz, I could always set it at 100 Hz. And then my subwoofer is set to 120 Hz. I'll probably recalibrate it one more time and then adjust from there.

It occurred to me that this newer receiver probably distributes the bass better across the speakers than my old Yamaha receiver since it only had 1 crossover frequency setting. None the less, I have a feeling it's going to sound much better now!

Thanks for all of your help guys! I will say this, the Onkyo TX-NR6100 is awesome! One you get your speakers set, it is fantastically easy to use. Highly recommend it for anyone getting a newer receiver. Plus, it has 3 HDMI 2.1 inputs!!

[oddbox83]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

My center on the other hand (since it goes down to 95 Hz, is set to 90Hz, I could always set it at 100 Hz.

Yep. As we've been saying, always go slightly higher than the speaker, not lower.

[CreasyBear]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

I think I finally figured out where my speaker crossovers need to be. As most of you said, my satellites (fronts and surrounds) are set at 120 Hz. My center on the other hand (since it goes down to 95 Hz, is set to 90Hz, I could always set it at 100 Hz. And then my subwoofer is set to 120 Hz. I'll probably recalibrate it one more time and then adjust from there.

It occurred to me that this newer receiver probably distributes the bass better across the speakers than my old Yamaha receiver since it only had 1 crossover frequency setting. None the less, I have a feeling it's going to sound much better now!

Thanks for all of your help guys! I will say this, the Onkyo TX-NR6100 is awesome! One you get your speakers set, it is fantastically easy to use. Highly recommend it for anyone getting a newer receiver. Plus, it has 3 HDMI 2.1 inputs!!

Congrats on the receiver. I'm not sure how big your room is, but it's always wise to invest most of your HT audio budget into speakers and subwoofers as they will last the longest and not require replacement unless damaged. Good speakers will last you decades. A new receiver will likely need replaced every 5-10 years as new features and specs roll out.

But yeah, definitely set that center crossover to at least 100hz and play around with setting it at 120 too to see how it sounds.

[PUsokrJosh305]

Originally Posted by oddbox83

Yep. As we've been saying, always go slightly higher than the speaker, not lower.

Originally Posted by CreasyBear

Congrats on the receiver. I'm not sure how big your room is, but it's always wise to invest most of your HT audio budget into speakers and subwoofers as they will last the longest and not require replacement unless damaged. Good speakers will last you decades. A new receiver will likely need replaced every 5-10 years as new features and specs roll out.

But yeah, definitely set that center crossover to at least 100hz and play around with setting it at 120 too to see how it sounds.

I will definitely set the center channel at 100 Hz then. I'm sure it will sound good at that range. It has a bit deeper bass in it than the satellite speakers. I also didn't realize that the settings are roll offs and that they will still play at Hz lower than the setting but just not as loud.

Again, thanks to both of you! Really appreciate it!

[PUsokrJosh305]

So, I was finally able to calibrate my speakers today again. The bass is now a lot better since I adjusted it a bit. It sounds so much better!

One thing I did notice though is that my SPL Meter from Radioshack that I have had since 2010 is a little off compared to the SPL Meter on my phone. I was wondering if these SPL meters over time get less accurate and if anyone has gotten a more up to date SPL meter recently??

[quickdraw]

Originally Posted by PUsokrJosh305

So, I was finally able to calibrate my speakers today again. The bass is now a lot better since I adjusted it a bit. It sounds so much better!

One thing I did notice though is that my SPL Meter from Radioshack that I have had since 2010 is a little off compared to the SPL Meter on my phone. I was wondering if these SPL meters over time get less accurate and if anyone has gotten a more up to date SPL meter recently??

I would trust the Radioshack SPL meter compared to the phone, that is, unless the meter was dropped or needed fresh batteries. The phone's microphone will not be as sensitive as a dedicated SPL meter. Make sure when you calibrate, the meter is at ear level, positioned where you would be listening and there are no obstructions between the meter and speakers. I attach my meter to a tripod at the proper height and position and stand behind the meter or far off to the side when conducting any sound tests.

[oddbox83]

It depends on the phone. I’ve had an expert tell me iPhone meters are surprising accurate.