Subwoofer Broken?

Hi everybody, I was hoping you could help me with a problem I have.
This afternoon, I went to a local pawn shop and picked up a Philips
SW-090 Powered Subwoofer for $20. From what I've researched, this is a
90-watt speaker. I brought it home, placed it on the floor (but on a
piece of wood, not right on the carpet) backed up directly against a
wall. I connected it to the output labeled "Subwoofer Pre Out" on the
back of my receiver (an old Kenwood VR-405 Dolby Digital Receiver) with
a generic 75 ohm RCA video cable. My problem is this, even with the
volume turned all the way up on the sub, and the subwoofer adjusted to
+10 dB on the reciever, I am getting less than satisfactory low-end
response, far less than I would expect from a 90-watt Subwoofer at
least. What I would like to know is this:

1.) Is the amp in my subwoofer broken or not working properly?

2.) Is the cable I used insufficient for carrying the signal to my sub?

3.) Is it possible that the output on the reciever is broken or not
working properly?

Thanks in advance,
-Hukuis

....and pull it a couple feet off the wall.

More than likely, Stan's right. The reciever won't send the proper
signal out to the sub if it thinks your front speakers are handling the
bass. You have to set your fronts to "small" so the lower frequencies
will be cut off and redirected to the sub.

In article .com,
wrote:

Hi everybody, I was hoping you could help me with a problem I have.
This afternoon, I went to a local pawn shop and picked up a Philips
SW-090 Powered Subwoofer for $20. From what I've researched, this is a
90-watt speaker. I brought it home, placed it on the floor (but on a
piece of wood, not right on the carpet) backed up directly against a
wall. I connected it to the output labeled "Subwoofer Pre Out" on the
back of my receiver (an old Kenwood VR-405 Dolby Digital Receiver) with
a generic 75 ohm RCA video cable.

Try a regular audio RCA cable.

My problem is this, even with the
volume turned all the way up on the sub, and the subwoofer adjusted to
+10 dB on the reciever, I am getting less than satisfactory low-end
response, far less than I would expect from a 90-watt Subwoofer at
least. What I would like to know is this:

1.) Is the amp in my subwoofer broken or not working properly?

If its on and making sounds, its working. Therefore an installation
problem.


2.) Is the cable I used insufficient for carrying the signal to my sub?


Possibly, read above.

3.) Is it possible that the output on the reciever is broken or not
working properly?


If its on and making sounds, its working. Therefore an installation
problem.

Thanks in advance,
-Hukuis


And/or maybe its time for an upgrade already.

hth,

--
Cyrus

*coughcasaucedoprodigynetcough*

I've checked the pre out level on my reciever, it's set to +10 dB, so
there should be no problem there, and I have my front speakers set to
"Normal" because my reciever does not have a "Small" setting. I guess
if it's certain it's an installation problem, it's probably my cable,
but I didn't realize that a "Subwoofer Cable" is that much different
from a standard 75 ohm RCA cable. What do you mean by time for an
upgrade? Do you mean my reciever? If so, I can't really afford it at
the moment, and although it isn't the most current or powerful model on
the market, it has always done what I've needed it to.

Thanks for the help,
-Hukuis

Any rca cable will carry the signal, it's just that the ones designed
for subwoofers have the right impedence for the audio signal. Try any
other rca cable just to make sure your cable isn't the issue.

Not sure where you're located but our local forsale newsgroup
(hfx.forsale) often has postings for used gear. I've bought both of my
subs online (A PSB 10 and a PSB 12) with no problems at all. Might be
worth checking to see if there's a group for your area and watching for
a different sub. Mine were both very affordable, $100 and $150
respectively.

Hope you get this figured out!

"Cyrus" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
wrote:

Hi everybody, I was hoping you could help me with a problem I have.
This afternoon, I went to a local pawn shop and picked up a Philips
SW-090 Powered Subwoofer for $20. From what I've researched, this is a
90-watt speaker. I brought it home, placed it on the floor (but on a
piece of wood, not right on the carpet) backed up directly against a
wall. I connected it to the output labeled "Subwoofer Pre Out" on the
back of my receiver (an old Kenwood VR-405 Dolby Digital Receiver) with
a generic 75 ohm RCA video cable.

Try a regular audio RCA cable.

You can try another cable just to verify that yours is ok. The coax is fine
to use, but the cable may be defective for some reason.


My problem is this, even with the
volume turned all the way up on the sub, and the subwoofer adjusted to
+10 dB on the reciever, I am getting less than satisfactory low-end
response, far less than I would expect from a 90-watt Subwoofer at
least. What I would like to know is this:

1.) Is the amp in my subwoofer broken or not working properly?

If its on and making sounds, its working. Therefore an installation
problem.


2.) Is the cable I used insufficient for carrying the signal to my sub?


Possibly, read above.

3.) Is it possible that the output on the reciever is broken or not
working properly?


If its on and making sounds, its working. Therefore an installation
problem.

Not so. It may produce sound but the amp could still be broken.

wrote:
I've checked the pre out level on my reciever, it's set to +10 dB, so
there should be no problem there, and I have my front speakers set to
"Normal" because my reciever does not have a "Small" setting. I guess
if it's certain it's an installation problem, it's probably my cable,
but I didn't realize that a "Subwoofer Cable" is that much different
from a standard 75 ohm RCA cable. What do you mean by time for an
upgrade? Do you mean my reciever? If so, I can't really afford it at
the moment, and although it isn't the most current or powerful model on
the market, it has always done what I've needed it to.

There should also be a subwoofer yes/no setting. It's possible that if
it's set to "no," you can't change the speaker setting to small
(because that would be telling it to direct the bass to a subwoofer
that isn't there).

RichC

On 9 Nov 2005 04:56:05 -0800, "Fyrman" wrote:

Any rca cable will carry the signal, it's just that the ones designed
for subwoofers have the right impedence for the audio signal. Try any
other rca cable just to make sure your cable isn't the issue.

Any audio cable will work as long as it is not defective. There is no
defined impedance for RCA audio cables.

Kal

He's right.... I'm a victim of "Sales Sensationalism"!! I believed what
I heard.

In article ,
"C what I mean" no wrote:

"Cyrus" wrote in message
...
In article .com,
wrote:

Hi everybody, I was hoping you could help me with a problem I have.
This afternoon, I went to a local pawn shop and picked up a Philips
SW-090 Powered Subwoofer for $20. From what I've researched, this is a
90-watt speaker. I brought it home, placed it on the floor (but on a
piece of wood, not right on the carpet) backed up directly against a
wall. I connected it to the output labeled "Subwoofer Pre Out" on the
back of my receiver (an old Kenwood VR-405 Dolby Digital Receiver) with
a generic 75 ohm RCA video cable.

Try a regular audio RCA cable.

You can try another cable just to verify that yours is ok. The coax is fine
to use, but the cable may be defective for some reason.



Impedance can and is an issue.

My problem is this, even with the
volume turned all the way up on the sub, and the subwoofer adjusted to
+10 dB on the reciever, I am getting less than satisfactory low-end
response, far less than I would expect from a 90-watt Subwoofer at
least. What I would like to know is this:

1.) Is the amp in my subwoofer broken or not working properly?

If its on and making sounds, its working. Therefore an installation
problem.


2.) Is the cable I used insufficient for carrying the signal to my sub?


Possibly, read above.

3.) Is it possible that the output on the reciever is broken or not
working properly?


If its on and making sounds, its working. Therefore an installation
problem.

Not so. It may produce sound but the amp could still be broken.



Broken in what way?

If undistorted sound is being produced, an amp is working and
installation is the issue.

--
Cyrus

*coughcasaucedoprodigynetcough*