Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with subwoofer

How to splice heavy speaker wire?

Thorzdad — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 08:37:52 -0800

Car audio filter: How best to split/join thick speaker wire in a subwoofer install? We are installing a pair of 10" DVC subs. We will be powering them via a mono amp. The plan is to wire the speakers in series-parallel, to present a 4ohm load to the amp. This requires us to split and T both the pos and neg wires across the subs. What sort of connection would you suggest we use to accomplish the T? A wire nut? That's, basically, 3 12-gauge speaker wire ends coming together. That's a pretty huge wire nut.
Is there some sort of purpose-built junction piece we can use to wire the ends together?

For those unfamiliar with series-parallel wiring, please refer to this diagram. We need to know how best to accomplish the joins at the little red and black dots.

Monsoon amp replacement

Armitage Shanks — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 11:03:04 -0800

Can I replace the subwoofer/amp for my trusty old Monsoon external speakers? I have a Monsoon MM-1000 external speaker system for my Mac, like the one in this eBay listing. The amp died and I'd like to replace it but keep the speakers. All of the subwoofer/amps I've seen online show complicated hookups for home theater systems. All I need is something that can take input from the 1/8" headphone/digital jack on my Mac and let me hook up the speakers. Does anyone know of something that would work?

Subwoofer: To scrap or not to scrap?

Gordion Knott — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 03:14:19 -0800

Love my 5.1 sound system. Hate the subwoofer. Should I by a standalone subwoofer, or replace the whole system? Actually, I should amend "love" to "like," because the 5.1 audio system connected to my TV does the job with few hiccups, but is hardly top of the line. It's an entry-level Sharp system that I bought four years ago for about $250 US. (Disclaimer: I'm deep in newbie territory on all things audio, as you'll confirm from the following remarks.) The main speakers produce acceptable audio; I'm familiar with its quirks; and I'm not ready to invest the time and research into buying a higher-end system (not to mention ironing out acoustic problems in my TV room).

It may sound like I'm dissing my current system, but the fact of the matter is, the higher-end speakers I've listened to in showrooms don't seem to produce dramatically better sound, at least when the playback source is from a DVD. (Question: is this truly the case, or are my ears deceiving me?)

The problem with my system is the subwoofer. It appears to be a cheap model thrown in as an afterthought, and produces a continuous hum. (In fact, the user manual advises that a new subwoofer be purchased as an addon!) Yes, I've performed all the hum-alleviating workarounds recommended on MeFi and google, with no success.

My first choice would be to replace the subwoofer with a decent standalone model for under $150. Is this possible, and what should I buy?

If it's not a good idea to buy a standalone subwoofer, I'll scrap the system and buy a new one. My budget is $300 -- $400, and all I need is a 5.1 Dolby system with speakers to connect to my Pioneer plasma for watching DVDs. What systems give you the best bang-for-the-buck in this price range?

subwoofer dilemma

docpops — Wed, 05 Dec 2007 18:44:17 -0800

Home audio dilemma regarding an optical input for iTunes and subwoofer... I just connected an Airport Express base station to my Denon AV receiver, via the optical input. I have great sound through the main speakers (R and L) but am not able to discern any significant activity in the subwoofer. Am I deluded in thinking I should be able to direct the deeper bass from my iTunes music to the sub?

Help me fix my subwoofer

Gamblor — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 18:43:03 -0800

I have a passive NHT SW2 subwoofer being driven by an NHT SA-2 amplifier that is supposed to control the volume. Lately, however, the volume for the sub plays at full, irrespective of the actual volume setting on the knob. When it first started, tinkering with the volume control could sometimes get the correct volume, but now it's just at max all the time. It's not making any unusual sounds, it's just loud, vibrating, and completely disproportional to the sound coming out of the satellite speakers. This makes it unusable with the satellites, and the satellites are unusable without the sub, which makes my whole system unusable. Not fun.

So far:

-I replaced the cables connecting the amp to the subwoofer.
-I cleaned the volume control dial with electronic degreaser.
-I inspected the connecting wires around the volume control but see no physical problems.

I suspect that it's an amp problem, but since everything in my home stereo are separate components, it's hard for me to test this without disassembling all the parts and testing at a friends house piece by piece. That's something I would really like to avoid.

Has anyone had a similar problem? Any suggestions or directions on how to fix this would be greatly appreciated.

Barking Subwoofer Blues

I, Credulous — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 13:51:36 -0800

My mother-in-law plugged in her laptop via a docking station, hit the on switch on the powerstrip, and two disturbing things happened... 1) the external monitor's switch had been left in the "on" position, so there was a "bwong" noise from the monitor (sounded like a nasty de-gaussing, really)

2) the 2.1 speaker system started emitting this sound like "BWOooooom" every five seconds or so. It sounds kind of like bass feedback that builds relatively quickly in volume (not percussively, but a quick swell), then trails away (as if an electrical charge had been, well, discharged), and then it cycles up again.

By variously plugging and unplugging things, I narrowed it down to the subwoofer box itself. even with no input from the computer and the satellite speakers removed, powering up causes the feedback-y sound to start. It seems willing to continue forever, too.

My first thoughts were that perhaps some circuit or circuit protection in the subwoofer box had gone "poof" and the subwoofer was shot.

Any thoughts?

(BTW, if the subwoofer's toast, I'm definitely bringing it home to sample this sound -- it's killer!)

Stereo / amp question.

starman — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 13:47:51 -0800

Looking for advice on stereo speakers (and an amp setup). I have a 5.1 setup that I'm pretty happy with, but I recently came into posession of a 15-plus year-old Yamaha R-30 "Natural Sound" receiver that I'd like to use just for music (anyone else have one of these older Yamaha receivers, have any thoughts on them?)

Question is: what can you recommend for a decent set of speakers to plug into it? They don't have to be that powerful - maybe some bookshelf speakers that have a good range? Or if you have a suggestion for some floor speakers that are a "great find." Let's say the price range is $200-300 but don't hold back.

Part 2: I also have an unpowered, 80-watt subwoofer. Left and right stereo wire inputs. Any recommendations for cheap-ish amp for it? The amp output has to be a single RCA.

Please help me pick an appropriate set of speakers and a subwoofer.

sequential — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 20:58:11 -0800

Please help me pick an appropriate set of speakers and a subwoofer. My home theater is currently comprised of the following:

(1) Sony KD-34XBR960
(2) TiVo Series 2 (RCA)
(1) XBox (Component)
(1) PS2 (Component)
(1) NGC (Composite)
(1) Sony DVD (Composite)
(2) Sennheiser RS85 headphones
(1) Wooden stand

My overall goal is to build an entire system that suits my needs and lifestyle. As such, my speakers must meet a few ideals:

I'm not an audiophile. I can hear the difference between a $200 set of speakers, a $1,000 set of speakers and a $5,000+ set of speakers, but here's the rub: I am an apartment dweller for the forseeable future. The volume I listen to my system at must not disturb my neighbors. In other words, clarity at a low volume is of greater importance than wattage per channel.
I don't own DVD-A or SACD media. In fact, I hope to never own either.
I have no interest in THX certified anything.
I am a movie buff. My fiancee is a music buff.
I move every year or so. Wall mounted speakers are pretty much out of the question. Wireless speakers are an absolute no-no to my fiancee. Furthermore, I tend to rent small places (studios and lofts), so floor standing speakers are out of the questions. 500 sqare feet between two people is bad enough without six or eight speakers taking up floor space.
Looks are, in fact, important. Modern, sleek, and minimal are the best words to describe our tastes.

I'm considering either Yamaha's YSP-800, YSP-1000 (review), or Polk Audio's SoundBar (review). I'm leaning heavily toward the Yamaha system given that it delivers quality sound no matter the source. The Polk delivers something, according to reviews, between 180 and 270 degrees of sound. The benefit of the Polk system is that it is supposed to work no matter how your room is shaped or sized. However, having listened to it in two less than ideal set ups, I know it performs poorly in large rooms. Furthermore, the reviews I have read of the SoundBar have all panned how music sounds on it. Lastly, the looks of the Yamaha products are more up our alley. I'm open to other solutions: single speaker, multiple speaker, or something else. What I don't know a thing about is subwoofers. I'd like to move the LFE to something dedicated to the task, but the it's important that whatever I choose produces good sound at low volumes.

I'd particularly appreciate help quantifying the difference between the YSP-800 and the YSP-1000 and advice on a specific subwoofer to match the system. Thanks for any advice, thoughts, or comments you might have.

Please note that this is the first of what will be several questions about my home theater planning. Future questions will refer back to this question for background information, so please forgive the length.

I really don't know much about speakers

sueinnyc — Sun, 16 Apr 2006 10:29:11 -0800

Any danger in positioning a subwoofer directly behind a Cinema Display? I have an Apple Cinema Display (the 2001 22" version) and the JBL Creature speakers. I am trying to reconfigure my work space, and the most convenient spot for the subwoofer unit of the speakers is right behind the Cinema Display. Is there any reason not to do this? For instance, will there be any harmful interference ? (The Apple Store listing for the Creature II speakers says that the subwoofer is magnetically shielded, but I wonder if I have the earlier model.) Could the vibrations from the speakers harm the display? What else have I not considered?

How do I enjoy my new computer speakers without pissing off the downstairs neighbors?

softlord — Mon, 10 Apr 2006 02:26:23 -0800

I love my new 5.1 computer speakers, but my downstairs neighbors don't, which has let to occasionally angry banging coming from downstairs. It's not like I'm blasting sci-fi movies at 2 in the morning, but is there anything I can do with the subwoofer to minimize the impact to them but not emasculate the boom-boominess of my Quake 4 too much. Difficulty: no "turn down your subwoofer". It's already down.

Can anyone help me with a troublesome home theater problem?

bDiddy — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 07:41:39 -0800

I'm having some problems with my AV receiver and I'm hoping someone here can help. I'll post the details inside. In August I purchased a Yamaha Home Theater in a Box system. Specifically, I bought the YHT-760 system. It worked great for three months and then all of a sudden I'd get a lot of noise from my subwoofer. The way I decribe the noise is: imagine you're on stage and you have a microphone connected out to an am. Then you rub paper all of the microphone. I am getting a sound out of my subwoofer very similar to the sound the paper makes on the microphone as amplified by the sound system. Make sense?

So that's the sound in the sub. It's not always constant. sometimes it happens after a few hours of TV, but lately it happens whenever I have the sub plugged in. On top of that, the receiver has taken to turning itself off. I am told this is a circuit protection feature.

I have already brought the receiver in for repair and was told they fixed the problem by replacing a PCB. They tested it and returned it to me. Two days later, I got the sound from the subwoofer and then yesterday it started turning itself off again.

Yesterday I bought banana plugs to attach to the speaker wire into the sub. With those plagged in, I got the same sound. And, I bought one of these things to see if it was a problem with my outlet. The receiver still turns itself off (I have taken to keeping the sub unplugged.)

Can anyone give me an idea of what to do next? I am losing my mind with this problem!

Corollary: I seem to have a lot of static electricity in and around my living room. Can this have anything to do with the problem I am having?

I apologize for the length of this question. I just wanted to be thorough.

Subwoofer Power/Computer?

miss tea — Tue, 25 Oct 2005 10:35:53 -0800

Help me with my subwoofer power problem! I bought a cheap subwoofer and speakers to connect to my computer. It's a laptop, however, and lacks the power-in that the subwoofer requires. What do I do? Is there a power adapter or something I can buy? I don't want to spend much. BTW it's a PowerBook.

How do you determine crossover settings for home audio?

WinnipegDragon — Fri, 23 Sep 2005 14:11:37 -0800

I'm setting up my first home theatre system, and I keep hearing and reading about crossovers, which have me a bit confused... I guess I understand the basics, that each speaker has a range of frequencies that they can produce, and that the crossover is the range of frequencies that more than one speaker will be responsible for producing. So, what I need to know is do you want small ranges of crossover, large ranges, or is it all a matter of preference?

To be specific, I am running a Pioneer A/V receiver (model # escapes me at the moment), Boston Acoustics CR67 for the left and right channel, and a Velodyne DLS3500R subwoofer. Eventually, I'll add the center channel, move the CR67's to the surrounds, and buy something fancy for the left and right channel.

Small audio amp?

cccorlew — Sun, 08 May 2005 12:07:04 -0800

I have a small Soundworks subwoofer with satellite speakers I want to use with my Mac. I need a small, no frills amp just to, well, amplify. Is there such a beast at a reasonable price?

Subwoofer Recommendations

delmoi — Sun, 13 Feb 2005 17:13:48 -0800

stereofilter: I'm interested in replacing my subwoofer. I have some cheap RCA thing that really overemphasizes a single note. I'd like to replace it with something that has better frequency response, preferably a self-powered sub, and I don't want to pay a fortune for 'stereophile' stuff like so many people seem to do.

Can you help me find good satellite speakers with a subwoofer?

troutfishing — Sun, 02 May 2004 21:53:07 -0800

Speakers! - Any opinions about a good quality speaker system - unobtrusive satellite speakers combined with a subwoofer - in the $100-$300 price range?