Home Theatre Subwoofer Advice

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#2425175 21-Feb-2020 20:45

YPAO is the room correction you're using.

You're correct to switch the speakers to 'small', but try the crossover at the fronts to sit at 80Hz and maybe 60Hz for the centre, then have another look.

The rear speakers may well need to be much higher depending on what they are, you're just setting the point at which the subwoofer will kick in - it's not a definitive science, but a good starting point.

When you look at the YPAO settings what are the levels that have shown up?

Front Left: +2

Centre: -1

Front Right +3... etc etc?

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#2425176 21-Feb-2020 20:49

Dunnersfella:

Re: looking at how deep a subwoofer can go.

Be aware that a 20Hz bass frequency needs 56.5 feet to propagate.

In other words, in most homes it's the people in other rooms who will get the silly deep bass, oooorrrrrr standing waves mean you may end up sitting right in the middle of a node and get virtually nothing at certain frequencies due to the bass bouncing off the walls, back to where you're sitting.

Re: the options you're looking at, the new 2000 pro series SVS has everything a modern user would like. The ability to put the port plugs in to change the characteristics of the sub - want a sealed sub (or close to it), put in the port plugs! Want to EQ it from your chair, use the app on your phone or tablet! I prefer the grill too...

The difficulty will be finding a well setup demo, what part of the country are you in?

heh i had this problem, bought a HSU sub that went down to teen figures but i couldn't feel the bass. what frequency should we look for?

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#2425189 21-Feb-2020 22:06

Batman:

heh i had this problem, bought a HSU sub that went down to teen figures but i couldn't feel the bass. what frequency should we look for?

From whence did you source said HSU? I really wanted to get one instead of the SVS but I couldn't find them in NZ.

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#2425190 21-Feb-2020 22:08

Things are much better after changing the settings according to SVS support in chat this PM. I am not sure it's as mind-blowing as I had expected from a 1700 sub, but apparently, they can take a week to sort themselves out, and I haven't really pushed it yet as it's late at night :)

@dunnersfella the floorstanders I set to 60Hz, the Center I set to 80hz, the rears are currently still showing as "large.

The distance measurements seem really off though. The distance from where I sit to the sub is showing as 3.1m and there is nowhere near that distance, it might be 2m :)

Quick question, the menu that comes up when I plug in the YPAO microphone, that has every setting in the onscreen area, how do I get to that without plugging in the YPAO menu?

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#2425222 22-Feb-2020 07:39

networkn:

Batman:

heh i had this problem, bought a HSU sub that went down to teen figures but i couldn't feel the bass. what frequency should we look for?

From whence did you source said HSU? I really wanted to get one instead of the SVS but I couldn't find them in NZ.

some dude listed on trademe. i recommend svs. and don't get a sealed sub - the HSU ULS-15 (mk 1) was a sealed 2000W (max, 600W continuous) system and it gave me little impact. but hey I can say I've owned an HSU ULS 15! lol. ported FTW

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#2425260 22-Feb-2020 09:06

networkn:

Things are much better after changing the settings according to SVS support in chat this PM. I am not sure it's as mind-blowing as I had expected from a 1700 sub, but apparently, they can take a week to sort themselves out, and I haven't really pushed it yet as it's late at night :)

You elected to purchase a sealed sub so, as highlighted in earlier posts, you're simply not going to get the same wallop and extension from this versus a ported sub at a similar price point (eg, the PB2000 that I've got); I understand the choice from a space-saving angle, but if the use is going to be primarily HT vs music then it's unlikely to deliver the same experience. I'm ok with the size of our ported sub as it functions perfectly as a coffee table!

dunnersfella the floorstanders I set to 60Hz, the Center I set to 80hz, the rears are currently still showing as "large.

I don't quite get why the Yamaha is setting the rears to large, as I imagine very few rears will have the bass extension to justify this! As with the distance measurements, I'm pretty sure you can simply override what the auto-calibration software sets, so perhaps experiment with that. Auto-calibration can sometimes be just the start point to find the best settings...

Dunnersfella

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#2425309 22-Feb-2020 10:49

The AVR can run up to 8 measurements, how many did you run with?

When an AVR shows up 'large' over 'small', it's largely because it's reading the bass output in that part of the room relative to where you're sitting / measuring from.

Many people make the mistake of putting their calibration microphone on the couch cushion which gives the microphone a buffer (the back of the seat) where it doesn't have clear air between it and the rear speakers.

You want to get the microphone at ear height for all 8 measurement positions.

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#2425313 22-Feb-2020 10:59

jonathan18:
I don't quite get why the Yamaha is setting the rears to large, as I imagine very few rears will have the bass extension to justify this! As with the distance measurements, I'm pretty sure you can simply override what the auto-calibration software sets, so perhaps experiment with that. Auto-calibration can sometimes be just the start point to find the best settings...

Auto calibration doesn't magically turn the acoustics into a purpose built acoustic treated million dollar theatre. It's part marketing, some r&d, and mainly mass market oriented.

It just averages everything to make the best chicken soup out of chicken sheet, according to the algorithm built in. Thankfully you can change the speaker size (ie low pass filter) so change the speaker size to suit.

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#2425418 22-Feb-2020 13:30

Dunnersfella:

Many people make the mistake of putting their calibration microphone on the couch cushion which gives the microphone a buffer (the back of the seat) where it doesn't have clear air between it and the rear speakers.

You want to get the microphone at ear height for all 8 measurement positions.

I find the best way to deal with this is to use a camera tripod: the mics for both my AVRs (and one is a Yamaha, so should apply to the OP's as well) have the screw fitting for this on the base, so it's really easy to ensure the mic is at head height and free from any surrounding material.

Even one of those cruddy Ali Express light-weight iPad tripods would do the job, given the mic is so light, and they don't need to be that tall (given it' usually can be placed on a couch/seat, given that's when you'll tend to be measuring from).

Dunnersfella

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#2425515 22-Feb-2020 16:55

I use the tripod method too, very handy and it's easy to position things where they need to go.

Here's a handy link for positioning...

https://simpleonline.blog/2017/05/23/yamaha-ypao-configuration-the-right-way/

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#2426152 24-Feb-2020 09:28

I hurt my back over the weekend so wasn't up to trying the multi-positional thing and wasn't able to look for my tripod, however, having played with it generally over the weekend, I am very underwhelmed. I am getting WAY more bass from my center speaker, than the subwoofer even with it set nearly at max volume (-10 to -15). The sub is working, and I can hear it making some sound (I can feel it if I touch the cover). If I play something bass heavy-ish, and then alternate between sub on or sub off, I can barely tell the difference. My wife said the same thing.

One thing I am not sure on, is what my down-firing speakers and my surrounds, (on the back wall) are supposed to be set to, should it be small and what hz cross over? They are set to large now. (I understand this has nothing to do with the subwoofer).

sen8or

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#2426186 24-Feb-2020 10:11

THX recommends all speakers be set to small, cross-over at around 80hz, this lets your sub do all the work for bass.

I remember reading on AVS somewhere about SVS subs and using either the line in or the sub in input causes a drop in bass from the sub, I can't remember which one or which way around it is, but a search of their forums should yield some results.

There is also the theory that once set using various software from your AVR for volume and location settings of each component, that you boost your sub.

Extensive how to here

https://www.avsforum.com/forum/113-subwoofers-bass-transducers/2958528-guide-subwoofer-calibration-bass-preferences.html

Dunnersfella

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#2426196 24-Feb-2020 10:31

If a sub like the Pro2000 is hardly moving - then you either have a connection issue / a setup issue or your sub is bung.

Post pics when your back is better.

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#2426208 24-Feb-2020 11:15

Dunnersfella:

If a sub like the Pro2000 is hardly moving - then you either have a connection issue / a setup issue or your sub is bung.

Post pics when your back is better.

Thanks, I can move a lot better now, I'll get some photos tonight and post them. What specifically would be useful to see?

I am using the Y cable from the old Sub (No cables were included at all with my SVS). I imagine it's pretty hard to connect wrong?

jonathan18

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#2426215 24-Feb-2020 11:33

I'm just wondering if it's actually necessary to use the Y cable from your old sub? If you're using the LFE out from your amp/receiver, then typically a single RCA is all that's needed, as confirmed in the manual for the sub you have bought: "The most common way to connect your SB-2000 Pro is with a single RCA interconnect cable going from the LFE or SUB1 Output of your AV receiver or preamplifier to the LFE Input on your SB-2000 Pro'. Not saying this will be the cause of your problems, but can't see the need to add additional cabling to the mix...

When you say there's more bass from your centre than sub then clearly something's wrong! I assume you've followed the suggestion from many of us in earlier posts in setting of ALL speakers including the centre - and quite possibly your fronts - to 'small', even if this is overriding the auto calibration if necessary? As mentioned earlier, this auto stuff should be only taken as a start point. Senator above also quotes the THX recommendation of a crossover of 80Hz; Dunnersfella has suggested possibly 60Hz for the centre, and "the rear speakers may well need to be much higher depending on what they are, you're just setting the point at which the subwoofer will kick in - it's not a definitive science, but a good starting point."

If you're not having much luck with getting any decent output out from the sub then one thing to try is to set everything to the extreme - high cross-over, all speakers to small, sub output turned up... At least you can then be sure things are connected ok, and then dial things back to an appropriate balance.

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