Audiophiles help needed!

[Walleye]

alright, i'm trying to help my dad out a little (he asked me for this before our argument, i aggreed, and i always pay up)

anyway, he asked me to find out what was wrong with the subwoofer of his system by any means necessary. so, i came here. (which may prove to be a mistake )

anyway, here's the setup we got.


Denon 3803 Reciever
Denon 2800 DVD progressive scan dvd player
Klipsch Reference 7 Front speakers
Klipsch Reference 3 center channel
Klipsch RSW 12 Subwoofer

and it's all wired together with monster cable, best stuff monster has... (i know, i know.. i had nothing to do with buying the monster cable, he bought it despite my reccomendation to buy something else)

and we have rear speakers too, but they arent hooked up yet, because we're still deciding on how we're gonna get wire to the other side of the room.

anyway, that's the setup.

here's the problem.


in watching anything, it's like the sub is ALWAYS ON. always putting out sound. even with just background noise, the sub is going. i'm thinking the crossover frequency is set too high, but i'm not sure... that's my best guess.

any ideas/suggestions?

 

[ElFenix]

you mean its going along with everything that happens on the screen? its not just humming?

 

[Walleye]

it's a constant hum, but it also goes along with everything on screen. the hum is controlled by the environment, though...


yes, it's actual sound that's supposed to be pumped through somewhere, but i dont think it's meant for the subwoofer.

EDIT: you're referring to a standard subwoofer hum caused by not so clean power.. no, it's not that.

 

[rudeguy]

on the back of the sub there should be a nob..set it for around 80-100(db) \

also I believe that receiver has a built in crossover for the sub...that is another way of fixing it

 

[EngenZerO]

make sure your subwoofer is getting the propper .1 signal. check your dvd player to make sure its sending a digital signal to your reciever, make sure your reciever is getting the digital signal and decoding to DTS or DD

check your reciever crossover set it to 100Hz or 80Hz, make sure your not boosting LFE signals, and make sure all your speakers are set to small

check your sub levels and disable any crossover on sub (let reciever do the work), set volume ( on sub ) to 1/2 mark and then calibrate with Ratshack SPL ( you may be running way your sub way to hot )

side note...I have heard Denon's tend to mess up on the LFE signals so you may have a faulty reciever or bad sub...

 

[richardycc]

disconnect your cable TV from your system and see if the humming noise is still there.

 

[TheeeChosenOne]

Ask your question here: Audiocircle.com

 

[h8red]

I would get a setup DVD like Video Essentials or Avia and a sound meter from radio shack. I have Sound And Vision Home Theater Tune-Up which is a little cheaper. This will tell you if youe speakers are properly calibrated as well as the sub. If you've already done this it may be a ground loop problem. I have no experience tracking this down or fixing it but some of the AV forums will be helpful

AVS Forums
Home Theater Forums
The Spot

 

[brxndxn]

I'm gonna throw out the ol' 'Subwoofer needs an RMA' card.. I've seen this problem before on subwoofers. They often skimp on parts here and there and end up with a sub that is inadequately shielded from the power input lines and surrounding fields.

Since the sub is responding to your TV screen movement, I am almost certain this is the case. Call the subwoofer company and ask about an RMA. No sub should hum. BTW, if you remove it from the receiver and any hookup, I bet it will still hum.

 

[MrChad]

Originally posted by: richardycc
disconnect your cable TV from your system and see if the humming noise is still there.

Yep, sounds like a ground loop. You also might want to try plugging the subwoofer power cable into a different outlet.

 

[rudeguy]

so did you try any of these things?