|   Help needed with Marantz SR7000 and new subwoofer | Jonathan
Jan 11, 2002 10:56 AM | | Hi,
Ive just got a new Rega Vulcan subwoofer for my HT system but Im having trouble getting it working well with my Marantz SR7000. Im hoping someone here can offer me some advice!
The subwoofer can be set up in a number of ways, either fed directly through a Speakon connector from the LR speakers (so called "hi" mode), or from a pair of RCA/phono inputs ("lo" mode). Im currently just running the mono subwoofer out from the Marantz to one of the RCA inputs in "lo" mode.
All my speakers (Ruark Icons (front), Ruark Dialogue-R (centre), Ruark Epilogues (rears)) are set to "large".
Currently I get very inconsistent bass fed through from the receiver. I get NO bass from many inputs in certain modes (TV in dolby prologic / CD in stereo mode etc) - but in other modes (DTS) its great. I read a lot of similar comments in the SR7000/8000 reviews on this site too.
I can set the crossover point manually on the subwoofer (including FULL pass through) but that doesnt seem to make any difference. I guess the signal just isn't being fed through for certain sources and modes.
I think I could set my speaker size to "small" from some of the comments Ive read here but that seems like a waste as they can all produce some bass (although not enough - hence the subwoofer)! Could I use the "pre-outs" or something else wierd to get around the marantz bass handling oddness? Even if I worked "around" the receiver I wouldn't want to loose the LFE signal from DTS (etc) modes which does sound great with the subwoofer...
Help...any suggestions welcome! (apart from upgrade the receiver - not currently an option :-( ).
Thanks
Jonathan |
| re: Help needed with Marantz SR7000 and new subwoofer | Mockenrue
Jan 11, 2002 12:26 PM | | A few things:
For Dolby Digital/DTS, you should almost always set your individual speakers to Small and let the sub pick up the bass (in your case, "lo" mode for sure). Bypass your sub's cross-over (or set it to the highest level if you don't have a bypass).
For music (2 channel stereo), the SR-7000 *really* shines in Source Direct mode. If music is important to you, it is a must because it passes the pure signal through. Regular stereo does two unnecessary a/d d/a conversions. By definition, that means that Source Direct bypasses all bass management, so your Sub-out will not feed your sub. To use the sub, you need to feed it with the Left and Right pre-outs.
Here is what I do, though I'm sure there is a better way. I use an A/B switch that feeds my sub. The "A" position (music) sends the Left/Right signal to the sub. I feed the full signal to my Left and Right speakers and the sub (cross-over set to 50Hz). My L/R go down to about 50, and the sub fills out the bottom. Source direct automatically switches to Front: Large and Sub: No. The "B" position (home theater) feeds the sub-out to the sub. Front, Center, Rears are all set to Small, and Sub to Yes (with cut-off bypassed). This is the standard DD/DTS setup and it works great.
Anyone else have a good way to use a sub with Source Direct AND standard DD/DTS?
Thanks,
Chris |
| re: Help needed with Marantz SR7000 and new subwoofer | jotter
Jan 11, 2002 1:24 PM | | Chris,
Thanks for the info - although it does sound like there isnt an elegant solution! I hope you could clarify a couple of things and help me a little further.
Am I correct in thinking you feed the pre-L&R outs to the woofer in the "A" position? Do I need to set anything else up with the marantz? Ive never used pre-outs before so I thought Id check...
Are you sure that source direct actually sets the front to large even if you've set them up as small in the setup? Thats useful to know! (although my CD player does a digital out which Im using which sounds great too).
Oh, in the B position you have "Sub to Yes (with cut-off bypassed).". Bypassed where? The sub itself (which I can do)? Or there some option in the SR7000 setup Ive missed?
Could I emulate the A/B switch in your setup by setting my speakers to "small", running the same signal from the L&Rs to the subs speakon "hi" input (which would kick in in source direct mode - A position effectively), and wire the sub out from the marantz directly to the phono "lo" input on the subwoofer (B position effectively?).
Hmmm. Im not sure what input the subwoofer will switch to if both inputs have a signal (which would be the case in "B" although not in "A").
[sigh] and I used to love my Marantz until now...
Jonathan |
| Setup info and what I've been doing with my SR7000 | yogo
Jan 13, 2002 2:48 PM | | I have a SR7000 also. Love it but I've had the same problem. I know what it's capable of but have not found the correct setup to adjust the sub from. Check this link found elsewhere on this message board.
http://www.avsforum.com/ubb/Forum3/HTML/003524.html
Read Brain Florians input. Makes sense.
I've decided to set all my speakers to small and adjust the subs output accordingly. Was just auditioning with different signal sources and that seems to work OK. Any change needs time to adjust to so I'm gonna give my ears awhile with this setup. Yes, you get more bass with the front channels set to large but the sound AS A WHOLE seems too bassy.
I'm trying to see the whole picture, not just how red I can get the reds. My first impulse when I got this reciever was to crank the sub until I realized this wasn't accurate. In time I noticed that the mids and highs weren't promenent enough. Close your eyes and adjust the bass until everything sounds real as a whole. Listen to the whole freq responce at once, not just the bass.
My combo DVD/CD player presents a problem. I set it for AUTO for DVDs and Stereo for CDs. Provide good bass for both this way. At this point in time I like watching TV in dolby, movie effects are good and watching football I get the crowd noise in the rear speakers.
Good luck. The Marantz is my first surround reciever and using it's been a real learning experience. Mostly learned from these discussion boards.
e-mail me if ya like |
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