DrWho

does your amp (or is it a reciever?) have any "pre-outs" or "record outs" or anything like that? you could hook your sub to those.

don't speaker levels peak around 18v +/- ??? im pretty sure they go as high as 9v, but i could be mistaken...

putting it blunty, mackie sucks. however, they've got really nice studio monitors. if you're looking for a nice board, check out allen and heath (they're the same price range too). (i may sound harsh, but i've been mixing with mackie for 8 years and so i've gotten to know their boards really well...they're so limiting and harsh) i've heard a lot of good things about the event studio monitors and they're not too expensive. i've even mixed and done some recording with them and they were decent. (that's if u like a really really dry sound...but i guess it's more revealing that way). and while im on my soapbox (hehe)...i don't like the JBL pro speakers either! they've got this wierd sound to their low end, dunno how to describe it, but i can pick out jbl speakers wherever i go just by their sound. i very much prefer the klipsch pro line...much better low end. (i do have to say jbl has warmer mids though). ok, im off my soapbox...in the end, all that matters is how it sounds to you, so try out some studio monitors and find which ones sound best...you're not gonna be able to mix well if u can't get it to sound right first (and the speakers are where your sound is coming out in the end!)

if the sub works on your computer, then something else upstream is most likely causing your problem... what's the difference in the way u connect the sub to the recievers vs. the computer? (different wall outlets? different cables? different volumes? different anything?) if possible, try using different combinations of varying components to try and isolate the problem. I really can't see it being a speaker problem if it works when plugged into your computer. another thing that might help...what has changed in your system since the last 3 years that could be related to this issue? how bout other things like lamps being plugged into the same electrical circuit? (it may be a different socket, but could still be on the same circuit breaker...) the best advice would be to play around with it all and try to test possible issues (cables, power sources, other components, etc etc). let us know if u isolate anything! oh, and good luck and speedy recovery! (kinda hard to enjoy a broken sound)

very nice so how do they sound? is it as good as it looks?

yikes...them feathers be fishes!!! (didn't catch that till the reply)

http://www.rathergood.com

any more thoughts? pictures would be cool (once u got it built of course) i've been interested in a similar idea, so im eager to hear positive results

just a question to spur thought... why minimize box vibrations when/if you could use them to your advantage? i think it'd be really cool to construct a cabinet that resonates at a chosen frequency (like maybe inside the dip usually/easily created with crossovers)...and if u play the resonations of the box right, i believe u'd get results very similar to porting the speakers or even like a passive radiator!

nah, no worries with the metal poles...it's just magnetism btw, what's running through the poles?

did it "crackle" while u turned the dial up? because it's prob a lil dust or something in your reciever (on the inside parts of your volume knob). the RF-5's should be able to handle plenty of volume without strain (it's klipsch's trademark)

"Have two separate speakers producing the exact same audio is not a good thing." wat's the physics behind that? cuz the vast majority of recorded music in mono most of the time...does that mean having 2 speakers during mono playback is also a bad thing? so why would you add a 3rd center channel? hehe, im just harping on ya a bit because even PWK felt a center channel helped a lot.. now back to some phsyics: the center channel is a mono signal, so 2 or 100 speakers they're all recieving the same signal. all that to say, having 2 speakers for a center is fine if you're sitting in the sweet spot (cuz it will sound mono to the person there...equal volume to each ear). the problems you start running into occur off axis where the waves start to interact with each other. this same thing happens though with 2 channel listening, but can be resolved by toeing in the speakers (waves at a 90 degree angle don't affect each other). so if the center speakers were alone, you could toe them in and solve that problem. HOWEVER, it's a center channel and you've got volume pumping out the LEFT and RIGHT too! toeing in the center would narrow that part of the stage as well as create the combing effect with the mains (yuck). the same thing happens when you toe it out so i guess you're left with pointing straight out then...but here's the problem with that: as mentioned before, you've got 2 point sources for the center channel. on axis, you prob won't be able to notice it, but as you move side to side, you're now getting the comb effect that would normally be fixed by toeing in the speakers. end result? by filling in the sound stage you are going to be muddying up the sound...audio is full of comprimises and you just gotta pick which problems don't bother you as much. i personally would have the mains toed in at 90 degrees and the centers at 45 if you end up with 2 centers. that way the muddy sound is more uniform throughout and then it's possible to make it sound clearer by over EQ'ing and stuff like that. OR, you could go for 1 center channel and work hard to obtain the timbre match and wide dispersion with enough output to get away from all these issues. however, that requires plenty of work and just another thing to note...these "problems" aren't really that audible. yes, just about every1 can hear the difference, but the difference in sound between 2 centers and 1 center doesn't really distract away from the enjoyment (unless you're anal rententive and dwell on every minor flaw in your system...but if that was the case, you'd need better speakers) lastly, with the 2 center deal...placement would become a huge factor and it's quite possible that the "muddying" sound which usually comes from the combing effect...aka waves interacting with each other) could be unnoticable at the listening positions. (remember, on axis or in the very center you won't notice a difference) sorry i rambled so much and just a word of caution: everything i say is my own understanding of how it all works...i might be wrong. also, i've never AB tested between 1 and 2 centers so im not speaking from my own experience. oh one more thing...i dunno if it'd be worth all the work to build a custom center IF you're mostly satisfied with the results of two centers...and yet again, i've never heard either so i shouldn't be talking

is it at louder or softer volumes? aka, is it distortion or is something actually rattling? cuz sometimes they can sound the same...

it prob wouldn't hurt for you to run some tests for yourself...pick a song u love and one u hate (both need to be recorded well) and then listen to them encoded at varying bit rates and all that. And then i would pick the bitrate that sounds the best. and if u really wanna be unbiased with yourself, have some1 else make the files for u and then u wouldn't know wat bitrate you're listening at. the funny thing with audio is we often want to hear differences and so claim to hear them (even when we don't). i personally listen to mp3's all day long recorded at the variable bit rate set for smallest size...because it's casual background noise, i can never tell the difference. but if it was for dedicated listening, then i'd prob go with a better bitrate, or a different encoding that isn't as lossy

the tiger...one swipe with his claws would dice up the dogs. also, i don't think the dogs would be able to do any real damage to the tiger whereas that 700 pound beast could prob bite each dogs head off!

have any of you guys A/B tested this, or you just talking about how it sounds better after 15 minutes? The Anstendig Institute check out that site! Mr. Anstendig talks a lot about the huge role our ears play in our listening capabilities. When y'all mention how 15 minutes later after a long day at work you begin to notice it sounding better, it makes me think that your ears are clearing up and your body is becoming more relaxed (which makes it more enjoyable). that said, has any1 warmed up one amp and left another one cold and simply blind A/B tested between the two? the reason i say blind is because ppl want to hear a difference when they try something. only then will i be not so skeptical but that's ok, there prob is some truth behind it, but i think other things make much larger differences . even in the best of the best systems...there's plenty of things that could be fixed to make it more accurate (but more accurate doesn't mean better sounding...just compare the different sounds between a studio monitor and a top of the line "music?" speaker). i don't mean to smash any1 either because there probably is some amount of truth to what you say. (heck, for the longest time i thought dirty AC power was a crock until i discovered that fixed one of my very annoying problems!) audio is just one of those things that it is so hard to describe what you're experiencing...especially when there are so many constantly changing factors involved.

The Hz you are referring to is the frequency that the signal is being sent over...the way I understand it, the frequency is the carrier tone and any modulations done to that tone create the audio signal. thus, FM radio meaning frequency modulation radio. the 200Hz bandwidth you referred to is the frequency range that the modulation takes place in. (as a side note, AM radio is amplification modulation which creates the audio signal via changes in amplitude of a selected signal). all that to say, i have no idea how XM works, but the Hz you refer to is the frequency being sent that carries the audio signal. This number has no effect on the actual bandwidth of the audio. a CD runs at 24kb/s and I'm fairly certain that the XM signal is a digitally encoded signal that probably runs very close to 24kb/s...the reason it is so much better than normal radio is because (correct me if im wrong) normal radio is an analog signal hidden inside a radio wave. on the other hand, XM is a digital signal hidden inside a similar wave. Also, because of the nature of the signal being carried, the range at which this frequency modulation occurs can be smaller (is XM a digital signal? someone help me out here) anyways, my second paragraph is mostly guessing...i wouldn't claim any of it as fact, but it seems to make sense to me. i have personally heard XM radio in a couple of different settings and was pleased with what i heard. i don't think any1 could say it sounds bad. if at all possible, let your own ears decide for you (by borrowing equipment or even demo'ing it somewhere...lots of car audio places are big into XM)

no need to wire them out of phase...if you end up doing one on the side wall and one on the back wall, then phase will have no effect at all (waves traveling at 90 degress to each other don't suffer from it) if it's 7.1 then you will need the 4 surround speakers, but if it's 5.1 then it'd prob sound better with just the two surround (as the others have suggested)

a vertical dispersion won't help with a lower placement because the point source is still at the height of the couch in both setups...as scooter says, try to mount them higher. But if they sound fine that low, then I would suggest horizontal. In the end, let your own ears decide.

are you sure it isn't your ears? some1 else posted about people who listen in cars while they drive and since the left channel is closer than the right, the driver becomes accustomed to a soundstage shifted to the left. though this is just one example of how some1's ears can get confused, other stuff could happen too...

could it be your ears?

this is purely something i've been thinking about and it relates so i'll ask all y'all while we're at it ppl have mentioned equipment picking up radio stations and other things like that...is it possible that white noise could also come from a radio signal that is inbetween stations? it just doesn't sit right to claim SS equipment is the only cause for white nosie and i've got multiple situations of my own where i just have to ignore large amounts of this white noise. based on my similar circumstances though, i would have to agree that your power source may be the largest factor. and if not that, then your gain structure is off.

cable cables cables... i've recently been trying to teach a fellow m8 the few skills i've acquired in mixing for live bands (in hopes he might take my place). in doing so, i've tried to share with him some trouble shooting tips just like lynnm is talking about...figured i'd take the opportunity to share a funny story: instead of waiting for stuff to "break" i would try to recreate situations that i've run into and let him practice troubleshooting. so one day while he was taking a poddy break i simply unplugged the cable going between the board and the amps...upon his return he noticed something was wrong. because i had cranked the monitors, his reaction was that it sounded muffled for some reason. so of course i had to lead him on and suggested maybe his ears were messed up or something. 30 minutes later he tells me he's certain that it sounded muffled. "ok then, so how you gonna unmuffle it?". he then proceeded to take 20 minutes to determine that no sound was coming from the mains and then he spent another 3 hours trying to fix it! he checked things i've never in my life even thought of checking and slowly was convinced that either the amps or speakers were blown...he then proceeded to try and replace the fuses (which involves taking the speakers and amps apart...obviously a no no with this guy). so i gave him my word the fuses weren't blown, but that the solution was actually quite simple...15 minutes later he reconnected the cable going between the board and the amp and nearly blew the speakers for real (he had the board cranked, oops...i shoulda caught that). good thing they were klipsch; practically impossible to break! needless to say, he was rather ticked off, but more importantly he now checks the cables first all i gotta say is it was entertaining, and gotta thank the band for letting me play with my trainee well that's my story, hope it didn't bore any of those that bothered reading it. and thank you lynnm for the reminder!

crap that's a butt load of work...was an interesting read though!

i think the realtime chat is an awesome idea...just imagine how many ppl would benefit from recieving help in real time instead of waiting for like a week waiting for their solution to pop up.