Receiver and Sub Incompatibility

[yiotta]

I am hooking up my first real surround system this weekend:

Yamaha HTR-5560, RB-5's, RC-3, RS-3's.

Sub is an older infinity BU-2.

Now I have a mismatch of connections...

The receiver has a single subwoofer jack, the subwoofer does not.

This model of receiver uses the "yamaha active servo processing subwoofer system" (ASPSS).

According to the manual:

"connect the input jack of the subwoofer system to the Yamaha ASPSS.

Low bass signals distributed from the main, center and/or rear channels

are directed to this jack in accordance with your SPEAKER SET

selections. The LFE (low-frequency effect) signals generated when Dolby

Digital or DTS is decoded are also directed to this jack in accordance

with your SPEAKER SET selections."

"Notes: the cut-off frequency of the subwoofer jack is 90Hz"

"If you do not use a subwoofer, designate the signals to the main left

and right speakers by changing the setting of the SPEAKER SET item "1E

BASS" on the SET MENU to MAIN."

Whew, what a pain to type that out.

Anyway gang, the subwoofer does not have that single jack plug.

That must be a newer technology then this subs production date.

The sub has high level regular connections and low level RCA style plugs.

HELP PLEASE!!

[Speedball]

My receiver does not have a single LFE subwoofer jack so I run my sub using the regular speaker binding posts, it works very well.

Not sure if this was of any help but ......Hey! at least I tried.......[]

[DrWho]

Connect the "subwoofer preout" from the back of your receiver into one

of the "low level RCA style plugs" on your subwoofer. You don't have to

connect to both inputs because they just get summed anyway.

If you want 6dB more gain, then you can go ahead and use a Y-splitter

(one female split to two male) - you can get them for like $3 at radio

shack. What you do is connect the single output from your reciever into

the female part of the adapter, and then plug the two male parts of the

adapter directly into the two inputs on your subwoofer.

[WolfsBane]

I highly recommend that you use the splitter approach.

I have an HTR 5660. According to the manual, if you designate your main speakers as "Large", and set LFE to "Both", (sending low frequency information to both the subwoofer and the main speakers), the amp will send the full range of frequencies to the main speakers. Also, according to the manual, the amp will only send low frequency signals, (90 hz and below), to the subwoofer, (only), if you set your speakers as "small". Also be aware that if you set your LFE as "Main", (send your low frequencies and LFEs to the main speakers), the amp will do so even if your main speakers are set as small.... great way to blow your mains if they are of the bookshelf kind. Most, if not all, speaker manufacturers highly recommend that we set bookself speakers as "small"

[oldbuckster]

If you use a single like Doc Who states you can run your volume control on the sub higher; If you use a splitter like Wolfs states turn your volume control on the sub lower. I have tried both ways, and if you leave the sub's volume turned up with the splitter, it's too muddy.

I like the mains on Large; center, and surrounds on small. I have been playing with my sub for two months now, and this is what serves me best. You have to keep playing with it, and move your sub around for best sound......Damn stereo's it never stops........Does it?

[yiotta]

Thanks for the great help guys, I will try the splitter method.

I am using RB-5's as my mains for now, just got the room finished (not

totally, I dont have the rears mounted and hooked up yet). But looks

like I will have room for floor standers after all, that makes me smile

I have experienced Klipsch quality (I have only heard the Synergy series prior to today) for the first time this morning....

Listened to Mozart, Alanis Morissette, and then Manhattan

Transfer. A pretty good spread of music styles and sounds... I

was absolutely floored...

I cranked it up higher than I can recall listening to music since I was

in college and absolutely no distortion, crystal clear sounds, every

instrument clearly separated.... I am in heaven.

I am a lifeling Klipsch fan, I can't imagine how this would sound with

floor standing fronts and a better receiver, I have a nice NAD

pre-amp/amp (C162/272) that I was going to use for the surround sound,

but I unpacked em and discovered they are for music only, no

surround/DTS movie capabilities... lol duh...

So, I guess will use the NAD setup to run the house and deck speakers.

I can't imagine what this is going to sound like with the rear

surrounds (RS-3's) and the Subwoofer connected to the system. I am so

impressed by the RC-3.... amazing

[yiotta]

Well, I just took connected the subwoofer with the single line into on

of the RCA jacks and put on the opening Omaha Beach scene for Saving

Private Ryan, wow!!

System works great, sure enough I had the subwoofer off in the receiver

setup, so I turned off the rear surrounds and rear center channel as

they aren't connected yet, I turned the center to Large and the fronts

to small, then turned on the subwoofer.

System sounds great, I will pick up a Y splitter next time I am out and hook that up