Rather than post in the A3-350 thread, I thought I'd put my impressions in a new post specifically for the A2-300. I ordered my A2-300 on August 16, and it arrived on September 26. The delay was longer than expected due to issues with the paint booth, and the folks at Elemental Designs were very helpful in keeping me up to date on the progress. They even called on delivery day to check to make sure there were no problems, and reminded me of their "free tech support for life" policy.

The package arrived in perfect condition, and the FedEx delivery driver helped me carry it up the stairs into my house. He only asked in return that he be allowed to see what was inside it, as he had trouble believing a single HT subwoofer could be so large :o.

http://lh3.google.com/dspencer/Rvpl4JbkMSI/AAAAAAAAAJc/g26XW1E3lgY/s400/IMG_1236.JPG

The subwoofer came with large spikes on the bottom, with 4 metal discs to place under them if desired, and four felt pads which could be placed presumably under the discs. This was going on carpet so I left the spikes on.

Visually, the finish is what everyone says it is -- a bit spongey-looking, not quite like a truck bed liner, not quite like a cottage-cheese ceiling, a bit rubbery. Some excess finish bits flaked off as I was moving it, but nothing really bad.

http://lh6.google.com/dspencer/Rvpjo5bkMQI/AAAAAAAAAI0/6F7anwu29zM/s400/IMG_1239.JPG

This is my first real subwoofer, so I cannot really compare it to others. I apologize.

My room is ~250 sq feet, ~2100 cu feet. It opens into a similarly sized kitchen through an 8-foot wide opening.

Hookup

The unit does not come with a manual, but there's plenty of information online. I plugged the unit into the wall, and took my LFE channel hookup and placed it in the left "in" RCA input in the back of the unit. I placed it in the only location the wife approves of, and started tinkering.

My receiver, the Yamaha RX-V530, has a set crossover for the LFE channel of 90 Hz. I set my speakers to Small, and made sure the LFE output was subwoofer only. On the unit itself, I cranked the subwoofer crossover all the way up, so it would play all signals it received (otherwise, some sound gets dropped, as I understand it). I set the power to half, and began playing test tones.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm ... nice. The room rumbles a little.

Sounds good to me! I can't really calibrate it at this point; I have no specialized equipment or programs. So I'm doing this by ear.

Terminator 2
My first test is with Terminator 2, which is playing on one of the HD movie channels. I pull up the motorcycle chase scene, and sit back. At first, it sounds too aggressive. I don't know much about bass management, but I know that this is almost distractingly bassy. I turn the power down a little on the unit, and am pretty happy with the result. I'd say it's probably at about 40% right now.

I continue some tests with movies I know well (LOTR) and some HDTV programming (Heroes, Narnia). I make some minor adjustments on the power level but honestly have no idea if it's having a huge effect.

300
The next test is the 300 DVD. As I get more comfortable with the sound, I crank the volume a bit on the receiver. The subwoofer feels pretty natural at this point, integrated well with the overall sound coming from the system. I still find the bass a little distracting at the very bass-heavy moments (the sliding Rhino corpse, for example) but I'm beginning to realize that this might not be a bad thing. Bass is good, right? If you're at the movies, those moments punch you in the chest.

Pulse
As I sipped my morning coffee and got ready for my workday, I put in Pulse, which I recorded on my DVR strictly to test out this subwoofer. The movie is mediocre (better than I expected) but it brings me great joy to hear the way it puts the subwoofer through its paces. Lots of mood-sounds, and it really works -- the bass rumbles and I feel it in my chest, just like I wanted to.

Then, I'm blown away. The scene where Mattie steps into the computer lab near the end of the movie completely comes to life. I grin like a little kid -- and then frown as something in my closet vibrates as the bass hits certain frequencies. Ah well, I'll try and figure that out later. For now, I sit back and enjoy.

This movie, and this moment in particular, tell me I made the right choice in upgrading my HT setup.

http://lh6.google.com/dspencer/Rvpmc5bkMTI/AAAAAAAAAJk/nT4KDAekwn0/s400/IMG_1244.JPG

Overall Impressions
I don't know enough about the other options in the price range to really compare it to others. All I can say is it sounds great. I spent $300 on this bad boy (discounted from usual price by using the eD HT package builder -- got their MTM units for fronts as well [center is in the cabinet, and yes that means I have to open up the cabinet to enjoy my sound]), and it was money well spent. I feel like I have theater sound in my living room. I look forward to playing with it more, figuring out what I should do differently from a calibration standpoint, and enjoying lots of movies in new ways, both on my own and showing it off to friends and family.

I welcome any feedback on how, given my current equipment, I should calibrate it further.

As my wife said to me this morning, "Either that's a really powerful subwoofer, or the other one was really weak." Maybe both, dear.

http://lh6.google.com/dspencer/RvpkO5bkMRI/AAAAAAAAAI8/P9mT4VyQop4/s400/IMG_1242.JPG

I can't imagine the cat will be too comfortable on that thing when it's going :)

It would seem yesterday was a good day to get a new sub and watch T2 as I know a few others did just that.

Im glad to see your happy with it. :)

Is it possible that the "excess" of the finish was really pieces of the foam corners that became damaged in shipping?

What are your thoughts on the 5t5's?

Good morning,

I'm not an expert or anything but it seems to me that you have your crossover set too high on the sub itself. To my understanding, if you are using the "RCA in or Line in" on the sub then its going to bypass the 90Hz crossover point on your receiver. If you have your crossover all the way up on your sub then I would think you are "overdriving" the sub because you are sending it frequencies it was never really intended to handle. I could be wrong here but hopefully someone with a little more knowledge could chime in here. Hope this helps.:)

The sub can't bypass a setting from the receiver as it is only being fed 90Hz and down.

All the way up on the sub + 90Hz on the receiver = the correct way to use Line In when there is no LFE. Turning the crossover all the way up is much like defeating it, which is what the LT/350 and up do when you use the LFE input. Technically, if there was a 1kHz tone coming through the LFE channel and you were using an LFE input on an amp, that would come through the sub.

Good morning,

I'm not an expert or anything but it seems to me that you have your crossover set too high on the sub itself. To my understanding, if you are using the "RCA in or Line in" on the sub then its going to bypass the 90Hz crossover point on your receiver. If you have your crossover all the way up on your sub then I would think you are "overdriving" the sub because you are sending it frequencies it was never really intended to handle. I could be wrong here but hopefully someone with a little more knowledge could chime in here. Hope this helps.:)

Nope. Other way around. Turning the sub's crossover dial all the way up defeats the sub's internal crossover (in the absense of an actual toggle switch to select between internal/external x-over). This is generally the best way to do it. If the x-over on the receiver isn't adjustable though....it might be worth doing some experimentation using the sub's x-over to keep the bass from becoming too localized.

As for calibration, go and get yourself a SPL meter from Radio Shack and calibrate (generally, to 75db) using the receiver's internal test tones. It's the best $40 you'll spend on your HT.


Scott

SnowDog,

I am patiently waiting for my eD A3-300(w/ 13Ov2 driver upgrade). I have the Yamaha HTR 5930 receiver. I called Yamaha two days ago to find out what the crossover point was on the unit. After the tech had me on hold for what seemed like a decade he finally came back and told me 90Hz. I think this is a little high for this sub so I plan on bypassing it and using the sub's crossover point. I think I'm going to set the sub's crossover to around 60-70Hz and leave my front left and right speakers set to "Large". They are Infinity Primus 250's and can go down to around 55-60Hz. This should hopefully compensate for the gap in frequency response. Keep in mind these are just my plans right now. Not sure how its going to work out. Won't know until the sub arrives. Chris, Alex, Oh how sweet it would be if my sub shipped out next week......just kidding and wishful thinking, know you guys are busy:D!! Anyway, I welcome any thoughts on my initial plans or SnowDog's setup. Thanks in advance.

Thanks Chris and ssteelo1. I posted my previous before reading your last post. I see I had it backwards. Thanks for chiming in!

Im glad to see your happy with it. :)

Is it possible that the "excess" of the finish was really pieces of the foam corners that became damaged in shipping?

What are your thoughts on the 5t5's?

Until you said this, Alex, I hadn't considered it -- but that's quite likely. The packing foam was very dark in color.

The speakers are great, too -- I replaced my 3 fronts and left my surrounds with the cambridge soundworks bookshelves I was using for all 5 speakers before. Again, without much to compare it to, all I can say is that it was a big improvement and makes me happy. They sound "fuller" than the bookshelves, and maybe it's just my improved placement on them but I feel like I'm hearing more surround in my surround sound, if that makes sense. When an effect moves, it flows naturally and really sounds like it's moving around the room. It's not like I can say "Oh, that speaker is on, now" it's more just the sound moving. As, well, it should be.

I did have to crank the volume on my center a little, but that's not the speaker's fault. I have very few options for placement (as you see in the picture above) so my center is well below the television inside that cabinet (I open the doors, obviously). It needs a bit more power to match up well with the R/L speakers, because the R/L speakers are at ear level basically, and the center is almost on the floor.

I'm gonna have to see about getting an SPL meter. Get it all nice and well-calibrated before I show it off to anybody else ;).

Until you said this, Alex, I hadn't considered it -- but that's quite likely. The packing foam was very dark in color.

The speakers are great, too -- I replaced my 3 fronts and left my surrounds with the cambridge soundworks bookshelves I was using for all 5 speakers before. Again, without much to compare it to, all I can say is that it was a big improvement and makes me happy. They sound "fuller" than the bookshelves, and maybe it's just my improved placement on them but I feel like I'm hearing more surround in my surround sound, if that makes sense. When an effect moves, it flows naturally and really sounds like it's moving around the room. It's not like I can say "Oh, that speaker is on, now" it's more just the sound moving. As, well, it should be.

I did have to crank the volume on my center a little, but that's not the speaker's fault. I have very few options for placement (as you see in the picture above) so my center is well below the television inside that cabinet (I open the doors, obviously). It needs a bit more power to match up well with the R/L speakers, because the R/L speakers are at ear level basically, and the center is almost on the floor.

I'm gonna have to see about getting an SPL meter. Get it all nice and well-calibrated before I show it off to anybody else ;).

You might get a better blending of the center if you just sit it on the cabinet surface in front of the TV (from the pic it looks like the speaker won't protrude above the "non-screen" part of the TV. Just a suggestion...

Well, grubavs, looks are deceiving :(. The speaker doesn't fit there, or rather, it blocks off some of the TV.

In any case, my wife was out shopping and just happened to be near a Radio Shack. So she brought home a meter and I just spent a quick 15 minutes tinkering with the system using the pink noise tones from my receiver.

I ended up leaving the sub dialed in pretty close to where I had it -- less than halfway up. What I found interesting was the degree to which things measured differently from the two usual seats in the room -- in "my" seat, the subwoofer registers a good 5 db higher than "her" seat, while her seat has the left speaker a little louder than the right.

I'll tinker with it some more, read up on tips on how to use it. We'll see what I find....

Thanks for the info OP. I placed my order on Sept 13th for the a2-300 and can't for it to come in so I can hear it firsthand.

Nice concise layman's review.:)
No graphs.
Just, it sounds good to me.
But...... you would be surprised what a pro can do with even a simple set up.
Glad you are happy.

Question for snowdog or any others that have received yours as i just noticed that a2-300 is in the paintroom, meaning shipping might not be too far away.

I'm not used to large items being shipped to me, so...Did you have any ability to specify when Fedex delivered your sub? I don't want to have to worry about it sitting outside my door till I get home from work.

SnowDog73,

I am glad to see another person enjoying their A2-300 as much I do. Your system looks like it needs calibration. I hope you bought the right RS SPL meter. Once calibrated, your "low" center problem should go away. You'll be surprise at the different settings after it's calibrated. On my system, since I am using the big A6-6T6 with the 5T5 center, I had to boost the center a few dB in order to balance out the front 3 mains. One little tip I can tell you is you should leave your speakers to "Small" and lower the x-over on your sub to 80 Hz. From what you said, I agree with skilfulDIESEL that your current x-over of 90 Hz is what causing you to feel the bass is too aggressive. Such high x-over is creating localization and thus you can more easily tell the sound is coming from the sub and it can be a little annoying. I wouldn't go lower than 80 Hz simply because your front mains are bookshelves and you may have a big gap if you lower anymore than 80 Hz. Once you lowered the x-over to 80 Hz and recalibrate your system, it will be much better and more enjoyable.

Regarding calibration, you should sit at your usual "sweet spot" when you hold the RS meter. Since you noticed 5 dB differences between your spot and your wife's spot, then I would find a place in between those spot to calibrate your system. That way, you and your wife can enjoy optimal sound when watching movies. Also, make you leave the sub level on your receiver to -5 (or somewhere in the negative) before calibrating your sub to ensure the receiver is sending upclipping signals to your sub at reference volume.

in "my" seat, the subwoofer registers a good 5 db higher than "her" seat, while her seat has the left speaker a little louder than the right.

Keeps her from complaining as much if you like a lot of bass :D

I'm not used to large items being shipped to me, so...Did you have any ability to specify when Fedex delivered your sub?

No, I didn't. I wouldn't have expected them to leave it on my porch, but I guess they might have. They didn't need a signature when they handed it off to me, which surprised me.

Once calibrated, your "low" center problem should go away.
It has, mostly. I found that my 3 fronts were within a decibel or two of each other (after adjusting my center, which I had done previously).

My concern with lowering the crossover on the sub is that the receiver has a hard crossover of 90, that can't be changed. So if I set the sub to crossover at 80, then the sound from 80 to 90 will not be reproduced at all by my system, unless I set my speakers to large.

Maybe that small of a gap is no big deal. I'll have to tinker with it more and see what comes of it. Right now I'm pretty happy -- the bass isn't overpowering in most cases. But I have no doubt there is room for improvement and when I sit down to tinker with it and the SPL meter again, I will do so with your advice in mind!

Thanks for the detailed info.

Mine was left on my front porch. Luckily I got it inside, into the basement, set up and hid the boxes before my wife could see any evidence I had sunk more money into the man cave. Since she knew I replaced my surrounds recently she doesn't even question why I've had a few demo nights. :)

Mine replaced a Polk sub that came with my first surround set up almost 10 years ago. Its night and day. It not only sounds better all around but it also provides the wow factor that the Polk never had. I've heard one of the more affordable SVS subs and this compares pretty well, though I have only my memory to back that up. I can't recommend it any more highly to anyone on a tight budget looking to step up from a low cost or bundled sub.

My concern with lowering the crossover on the sub is that the receiver has a hard crossover of 90, that can't be changed. So if I set the sub to crossover at 80, then the sound from 80 to 90 will not be reproduced at all by my system, unless I set my speakers to large.


I definitely understand your concern, but I doubt you'll miss much sound from 80-90 Hz. Also, depending on the steepness of your x-over slope on the receiver, your sub will still receives some (80-90 Hz) sound. Remember x-over slope is not a straight cutoff of sound, but a gradual decrease, or increase in this case, until it reaches the x-over point. The best way is to try it and see. Listen to some music to see if you notice any gap in the bass reproduction in that area of 80-90 hz. If you calibrate your system correctly, you should able to blend the subwoofer with your fronts and the bass sound should seem to come from those speakers instead of the sub.

the a2-300 that I have coming soon will be my first sub. Based on where I plan to put it, when running the sub cable along the walls to the sub, I will need more than 25ft of cable (looks like next size available is 50ft). Do I just want a regular RCA cable or should I use something like this cable from monoprice for $11?:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023602&p_id=2684&seq=1&format=2

I chose the cl2 rated as it is only $2 more than non-cl2 rated and who knows, maybe someday I will run it thru the wall. Thanks!

the a2-300 that I have coming soon will be my first sub. Based on where I plan to put it, when running the sub cable along the walls to the sub, I will need more than 25ft of cable (looks like next size available is 50ft). Do I just want a regular RCA cable or should I use something like this cable from monoprice for $11?:

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023602&p_id=2684&seq=1&format=2

I chose the cl2 rated as it is only $2 more than non-cl2 rated and who knows, maybe someday I will run it thru the wall. Thanks!

The price looks great! As long as the cable you're getting is shielded (looks like this one is), it should be fine. Don't spend more than you have to.

You can use pretty much any old RCA cable.

Where can you get a really think yet long sub cable? I to need to move my sub to the other side of the room but I need a small, thin cable to run under my bass boards.

something like this and just rip one cable off and use it. Try to keep it away from power wires as the shielding isn't going to be much. http://cgi.*********/50FT-Stereo-Dual-RCA-MM-x2-Audio-Cable-New-50-VHS-DVD_W0QQitemZ180162420440QQihZ008QQcategoryZ64591QQssPageNam eZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem (ebay)

My $.02 cents is too set your receivers' X-over @ 60Hz. Let your towers in small or large handle the 80-90hz range.
-jmo

i didnt know there was a thread for the a2-300, but im glad. i have 2 of them. i set sub in place of my chair, and walk, no crawled the room, noted the two best spots, and placed the subs. i set xo on rec to 80, subs xo all the way up. speakers asend 340se, set at 60. using rat shack spl set subs to 82 db, fronts to 75, surrounds to 77. sound is awesome. now movies are an experience.

i didnt know there was a thread for the a2-300, but im glad. i have 2 of them. i set sub in place of my chair, and walk, no crawled the room, noted the two best spots, and placed the subs.

My favorite quick and easy method.

Of course if the SO is watching, it's a quick and easy method to get called stupid or worse :)

My favorite quick and easy method.

Of course if the SO is watching, it's a quick and easy method to get called stupid or worse :)

she is from central america, and doesnt understand any of this, but the look i got was priceless.

My concern with lowering the crossover on the sub is that the receiver has a hard crossover of 90, that can't be changed. So if I set the sub to crossover at 80, then the sound from 80 to 90 will not be reproduced at all by my system, unless I set my speakers to large.

What is the tuning point of your mains?

Ian

My favorite quick and easy method.

Of course if the SO is watching, it's a quick and easy method to get called stupid or worse :)


I hate when that happens :D

i seen on the thread for the a5-350 they were saying if sub set on heavy shag carpet, that sound doesnt flow properly. they recommended piggy-backing the spikes to raise it up. would this apply to the a2-300 also? when i was having trouble with sub rocking, i put packing corners under sub, and i noticed a difference. base seemed louder. anyone have input on this? also im not to proud to have subs sitting on the big stryo corners, anything for better sound... ?

This movie, and this moment in particular, tell me I made the right choice in upgrading my HT setup.

http://lh6.google.com/dspencer/Rvpmc5bkMTI/AAAAAAAAAJk/nT4KDAekwn0/s400/IMG_1244.JPG



Watch that Cat. My cats are forever trying to climb into the ports of my subs.

One of my cats is small and I came into the room only to see 2 back legs and a tail sticking out of the port of one of my subs. :-)

Splotto

Watch that Cat. My cats are forever trying to climb into the ports of my subs.

One of my cats is small and I came into the room only to see 2 back legs and a tail sticking out of the port of one of my subs. :-)

Splotto

ok, now that's funny :D

What is the tuning point of your mains?

Ian

Sorry, what I meant was, how do you know what the tuning point is? If it's what you claim, then 90hz should be fine. Normally the optimal cross over point is about 1.5 times the tuning point, so if you have that right, you shouldn't be having problems with your cross. Other calibrations and placement need to be considered, if you feel you're not quite getting enough bass.


Watch that Cat. My cats are forever trying to climb into the ports of my subs.

Luckily my cat is fairly large, (15.5 lbs.) He hasn't been de-clawed. I just have to worry about my speaker grills which are covered with plywood when I'm not around.


Ian :)

Thanks for the tips on finer tuning. I've done a lot of listening in the past couple days, a few movies, lots of TV, some sports, etc. I've done some minor adjusting and am very happy with the results right now.

I have not modified the crossover on the sub, and probably won't until I get bored one day and have time to kill on experimenting. That day will come, but right now I'm enjoying what I have and don't feel like there's something missing.

It's great to have this really nice flow of sound, doesn't sound localized, it just nicely fills out the bottom of what I'm hearing. But when the scene calls for it, the rumbles hit and people's eyes light up around the room. It's a good feeling :).

have 2 a2-300 subs. one is perfect,the other didnt want to sit flat, rocking, so i put it on the foam corners that it shipped with. that solved that problem. other problem is that it rattles. not good for blending sub, because it localizes the bass. i really dont want to have to tear it open to find the problem, and i dont want to send it back. i know ill have to tear it open so does anyone know best way to do this, and what should i look for?

i really dont want to have to tear it open to find the problem, and i dont want to send it back. i know ill have to tear it open so does anyone know best way to do this, and what should i look for?

Call eD they will be happy to help ya!

have 2 a2-300 subs. one is perfect,the other didnt want to sit flat, rocking, so i put it on the foam corners that it shipped with. that solved that problem. other problem is that it rattles. not good for blending sub, because it localizes the bass. i really dont want to have to tear it open to find the problem, and i dont want to send it back. i know ill have to tear it open so does anyone know best way to do this, and what should i look for?

Remove the plate amp or driver. With either of those gone you should have easy access.

bump

i seen on the thread for the a5-350 they were saying if sub set on heavy shag carpet, that sound doesnt flow properly. they recommended piggy-backing the spikes to raise it up. would this apply to the a2-300 also? when i was having trouble with sub rocking, i put packing corners under sub, and i noticed a difference. base seemed louder. anyone have input on this? also im not to proud to have subs sitting on the big stryo corners, anything for better sound... ?

This is the same problem I have been having. I got my A2-300 last wednesday and after numerous playing with the settings, im still not getting the output I was hoping for. Right now my crossover is at 80hz but the sub gain is at 3 oclock and the receiver setting is at +5 which I know is prob too high. I have carpet also and was wondering if this is having an effect and what I can do the help this?

This is the same problem I have been having. I got my A2-300 last wednesday and after numerous playing with the settings, im still not getting the output I was hoping for. Right now my crossover is at 80hz but the sub gain is at 3 oclock and the receiver setting is at +5 which I know is prob too high. I have carpet also and was wondering if this is having an effect and what I can do the help this?

Receiver setting at +5 is too high. Start with -5 and adjust sub gain. Get an SPL meter to properly match speakers and sub.

Walk around and see if your getting the output you were looking for SOMEPLACE in your room. Chances are, you just need to move the sub to a new location.

Thank you for the suggestions, I definitely need to get a meter to better calibrate it. As far as location, I did the crawl test and found that the spot its in sounded the best so far. I apologize if I wasnt specific enough in my post earlier, on movies (pixar stuff especially) I get very clean and balanced extension with great output that blends very well, but when I switch back to music, the kick bass doesnt seem to be there. I will fully admit also my ears are being retrained at the moment to understand that shaking, fluttering booming and rattling isnt bass :D. I was mostly wondering if the carpet and low spikes were affecting the output and if it would be worth it to buy their houglass spikes that would give another 1-2 inches of height.

have 2 a2-300 subs. one is perfect,the other didnt want to sit flat, rocking, so i put it on the foam corners that it shipped with. that solved that problem. other problem is that it rattles. not good for blending sub, because it localizes the bass. i really dont want to have to tear it open to find the problem, and i dont want to send it back. i know ill have to tear it open so does anyone know best way to do this, and what should i look for?

couldnt find anything wrong with sub when i took it apart. tryed to see if it still rattled, but now other one is rattleing. spikes are loose again. 2 piece spikes, both parts were loose again. i wouldnt be happy if this was hd-player and i had to work on it every 2 weeks, take it apart etc. is this normal? are other subs like this? i know these werent the most expensive, but they did get good rateings. i could, and will get loctite for spikes, but should i have too? im thinking ed a2-300, 0 for 2. total wait for both 2 months+ price. right now both are sitting on styro packing corners so they wont rattle. nice look,not!

Receiver setting at +5 is too high.

Unlikely. The receiver should be outputting as high a voltage as it can cleanly do to improve SNR, and also leaving any adjustment room you may want in the future.

Unlikely. The receiver should be outputting as high a voltage as it can cleanly do to improve SNR, and also leaving any adjustment room you may want in the future.

It introduces distortion. What are your receiver level settings for sub. On most receivers it will be -10 to +10. It has been recommended to stay 0 or less db
level setting for sub.

From svs website:

"Make sure your receiver/processor master volume is set at "00 dB" or other easy to remember level, it will become your "reference level", one very close to that intended for home theaters by Dolby Labs. And finally, set your subwoofer amp’s volume control. Note here, if you have a "PC-type" subwoofer put the volume/gain knob to no more than 1/4th to 1/3rd of the way up. If it's a separate pro-type amp (like the Samson amps we sell) for a CS-type subwoofer, run the gain FULL UP (it's a different sort of amp design after all and expects to be set up this way). It’s a good idea to check the subwoofer level control of your receiver before you begin the test tones. Keep the receiver's subwoofer output control to about 25% up or lower than "0 dB" (or say -6dB given a typical receiver channel limits of –12 dB to +12 dB) . This will allow your amp to work with the cleanest signal possible from your receiver, while still leaving plenty of downward adjustment you can use from your viewing position"

Good that you're backing up your claim, but you're doing it with a baseless claim that was made for people who think that just keeping everything at max will give you the full power output and that things scale down from there. There is absolutely no reason for a subwoofer signal to be the "cleanest" at 0dB gain. It's going through the processing of the receiver in any case.

The higher the output of a pre-amp without clipping, the better the SNR (generally). Any noise picked up along the way (in the cable or in the sub amp) are going to be of the same magnitude or lower, making it lower in comparison to the signal. In addition, the sub amp will have to amplify less and it may even add slightly less noise to the final signal.

Just because something is said by a company doesn't make it right. Aside from the possibility of it being downright incorrect (which I don't believe is true here), such statements are often aimed at Joe Six-pack to try and prevent him from doing something too stupid (which I DO believe is the case here).

Good that you're backing up your claim, but you're doing it with a baseless claim that was made for people who think that just keeping everything at max will give you the full power output and that things scale down from there. There is absolutely no reason for a subwoofer signal to be the "cleanest" at 0dB gain. It's going through the processing of the receiver in any case.

The higher the output of a pre-amp without clipping, the better the SNR (generally). Any noise picked up along the way (in the cable or in the sub amp) are going to be of the same magnitude or lower, making it lower in comparison to the signal. In addition, the sub amp will have to amplify less and it may even add slightly less noise to the final signal.

Just because something is said by a company doesn't make it right. Aside from the possibility of it being downright incorrect (which I don't believe is true here), such statements are often aimed at Joe Six-pack to try and prevent him from doing something too stupid (which I DO believe is the case here).

As you wish but it worked very well for me:-)

hello,

i have an a2-300 place in the corner of my living room right behind the dlp tv, is this setup ok because i read somewhere that the sub is not magnetically shielded. if not, then how far apart should it be.

Thanks

hello,

i have an a2-300 place in the corner of my living room right behind the dlp tv, is this setup ok because i read somewhere that the sub is not magnetically shielded. if not, then how far apart should it be.

Thanks

Shouldnt be a problem, my A2-300 is in the front left corner about 5-7 feet from my 48 inch Mitsu tv with no issues.

It introduces distortion. What are your receiver level settings for sub. On most receivers it will be -10 to +10. It has been recommended to stay 0 or less db
level setting for sub.

From svs website:

"Make sure your receiver/processor master volume is set at "00 dB" or other easy to remember level, it will become your "reference level", one very close to that intended for home theaters by Dolby Labs. And finally, set your subwoofer amp’s volume control. Note here, if you have a "PC-type" subwoofer put the volume/gain knob to no more than 1/4th to 1/3rd of the way up. If it's a separate pro-type amp (like the Samson amps we sell) for a CS-type subwoofer, run the gain FULL UP (it's a different sort of amp design after all and expects to be set up this way). It’s a good idea to check the subwoofer level control of your receiver before you begin the test tones. Keep the receiver's subwoofer output control to about 25% up or lower than "0 dB" (or say -6dB given a typical receiver channel limits of –12 dB to +12 dB) . This will allow your amp to work with the cleanest signal possible from your receiver, while still leaving plenty of downward adjustment you can use from your viewing position"

So if im reading this correct, its recommended to have the subs gain higher and receiver sub settings lower rather than both at mid level? ex: 80-85% gain on sub and -6 on sub channel rather than 50-60% gain on sub and +3or4 on the sub channel??

Yes. With my bic H-100 receiver setting at -5 and sub gain is at 10 o clock position and it blends very well . I haved used SPL meter to dial in and this has been working very well for me. Based on the readings in this forum its better to keep receiver setting for sub less than 0 and use sub gain to get the desired output. I am no expert on this one so you have to experiment it.

hello,

i have an a2-300 place in the corner of my living room right behind the dlp tv, is this setup ok because i read somewhere that the sub is not magnetically shielded. if not, then how far apart should it be.

Thanks

If you are atleast 3 feet away from the TV it should not be an issue

I can vouch for the A2-300. Excellent performer.:cool:

I can vouch for the A2-300. Excellent performer.:cool:

How big is your room?

I can vouch for the A2-300. Excellent performer.:cool:

am i the only one thats not thrilled with mine? both a2-300s...everything in my system is new, all researched,all good reviews. panny 58pz700u,onkyo 705, ascend 340se, sammy bdp1200. only regrets i have are the ed subs. i just feel that once placed and dialed in i shouldnt have to turn over and tighten spikes, every week, or take apart to see if somethings loose. remember these are less than 2 mnts. old. if i bought disk player for $350, i wouldnt even dream id have to take apart to check to see if something is loose. is this just me?

am i the only one thats not thrilled with mine? both a2-300s...everything in my system is new, all researched,all good reviews. panny 58pz700u,onkyo 705, ascend 340se, sammy bdp1200. only regrets i have are the ed subs. i just feel that once placed and dialed in i shouldnt have to turn over and tighten spikes, every week, or take apart to see if somethings loose. remember these are less than 2 mnts. old. if i bought disk player for $350, i wouldnt even dream id have to take apart to check to see if something is loose. is this just me?
Try Loc-Tite on the threads of the spikes

Warlord, I've seen numerous replys on threads with your issues, yet, I haven't seen or read if you've actually called eD to see what they have to say about all your problems? They have a great warranty, why not use it, instead of complain, and do it yourself?

i dont have a lot of experience with other subs? i do know that the ed subs do sound wonderful. i was just wondering if these little problems are normal for subs.? i know subs do get a lot of pounding, and things could rattle loose. ive loctited spikes, they wont be coming loose again. conserning the rocking sub, i did call ed and they told me to put the little disks under the spikes even if on the carpet. this didnt work though.

Then call them back. The way you make it sound....you've have numerous issues, that can't be fixed.....if you REALLY want them fixed, you would be on the phone with them, instead of complaining and not doing anything about it. The rocking thing is pretty minor in my mind, as it could be your floor!

How big is your room?

14X22X7.5.

the rocking thing is in all floors, because the bottom is not square. and it makes a fluttering sound with bass. i am not complaining, ive called them and tried to fix these things myself, all short of sending back. this thread is a2-300 impressions thread. i am just giving my impressions. i have two neither is perfect. i dont know enough about other subs to know if for this price i am expecting too much. i also said when working properly they sound fine. one is now good, loctite,. the other stil has rattle, i am trying to isolate problem, and if i cant fix myself with the help of ed, i will send it back. these forums are for research to make informed decsions on good products to buy etc. how come everyone wants to only hear the positive, but never the neg. in, or about a product?the name of the thread should be changed to only praise for ed subs, what is the point of these forums then anyway? i was hoping that when i posted others would have had similar problems, and would share with me their knowledge of how they were fixed. any fool can just send it back.

Rotate the sub that rocks 90 degrees. If it still rocks in the same direction, then the problem is your floor not the sub. The other problem, loose spikes, is a very minor problem. As you said put loctite on it.

Rotate the sub that rocks 90 degrees. If it still rocks in the same direction, then the problem is your floor not the sub. The other problem, loose spikes, is a very minor problem. As you said put loctite on it.

i put a straight edge on bottom of sub, its not flat. first noticed when unpacking in garage and set on concrete floor. oh well, it still sounds nice, just sitting on the styro corners. at least they are black and blend rather well. with the corners it sits up a little higher, and i think it actually helps out put.

Honestly, I'm not trying to give you grief for your impressions, just trying to figure out, if these problems are so annoying, why not get them fixed the right way? Call eD, and send it back. It's that simple. Your making it too hard! It sounds like the box isn't square, and since it is causing issues, they won't have a problem fixing it for you. Why not let eD fix the problem for you. Every company will have some issues, it's how they address them that is key, and since your trying to fix it yourself, which is admirable, but in this case, impossible, then let them take care of it.

I just recently received my sub last Thursday. I'm hoping to pick up a RS Meter so i can actually calibrate everything since i have new towers and center from eD as well. So far it shakes my house pretty good, but my positioning isn't the greatest.

[QUOTE=rickneuropa;12129677] Call eD, and send it back. It's that simple. Your making it too hard! QUOTE]you think sending one of these back is simple? i couldnt even imagine trying to get this stupid thing back in the box with the corners,load it in the truck and send it. and this is the small one. man you guys must be strong. could you imagine the big ones, theyre like 430lbs., they must have the in home warr.

anyway this is why i was trying to fix the rattleing, etc. like i said not that big of a deal, vs. above. if it didnt power-up or something, that would be a completely different deal.

Just put the A2-300 in my theater today fresh from Fedex. My wife walked in and gave the obligatory 'WTF is that thing, we can't have that in here!!'. I told her to leave and then started playing some of my favorites. WAF is not a concern here - the theater/game room is my area and the kids playing the PS3 on 100" makes it worth it.

Thanks for the recommendations.

Just received mine today too and plugged it in. Great sound so far and I have not noticed anything not square on mine. It is so heavy I had a hard time pulling it out of the box. The black residue I believe is indeed from the foam corners of the packaging. It is paired with an Onkyo 2808CI and a 5.1 setup from JBL L series. I am going to have some fun...

i couldnt take it any more, had to unplug to one. boxed it up, its going back. its unbearable. both are set to 75db using spl meter. level on subabout 65%, rec. at -5,volume on rec. at -20 ref. the one keeps bottoming out, then the rattle. if there both set the same both should be having problems, thats not the case. its to the point were its not enjoyable to watch movies. spent too much money on all new everything for this to be happening.to me its caused too much problems,and effort, that exceeds the purchase price. im thinking i just got a lemon, it happens with all things every so often.

i couldnt take it any more, had to unplug to one. boxed it up, its going back. its unbearable. both are set to 75db using spl meter. level on subabout 65%, rec. at -5,volume on rec. at -20 ref. the one keeps bottoming out, then the rattle. if there both set the same both should be having problems, thats not the case. its to the point were its not enjoyable to watch movies. spent too much money on all new everything for this to be happening.to me its caused too much problems,and effort, that exceeds the purchase price. im thinking i just got a lemon, it happens with all things every so often.

You could have saved yourself all this grief and emotional aguish a long time ago......:D Sorry, had to pick on you!

How long does it take to get one of these subs say if I ordered it tomorrow? On average I guess since I am sure everyone has a slightly different experience....

i think it's between 3-4 weeks mombox

ah not so bad. for some reason I thought it was like 2 months. I think I will order me some then anyone else able to confirm this time frame?

best way to find out for sure is for you to chat with eD (or email, or call)

ya.....ugh looking through that website has me re-thinking my HT purchase I am gonna make a new thread though since this one is for talk about the A2-300 which I cant wait to hear...... :P

anybody have pics of the included foam for the spikes? (the ones you put on the spikes if you don't have carpet)

anybody have pics of the included foam for the spikes? (the ones you put on the spikes if you don't have carpet)

They are little metal disks about the size of a dime. They send a small piece of felt to attach to the bottom of the disk. The disk has a small indentation on the top side to "seat" the spike. I did not use the spike or disk. I purchased a 1 inch high by 1.6 inch diameter rubber foot and replaced the metal spike. This give you the same clearance you would have with the spike on carpet. It also keeps the sub in place on a hardwood floor with no worries. Here is where I got them http://www.dblittle.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=26. It is the F1686/25. I secured them with a 30mm M6 socket head bolt. I just got my A3-300 11/12 and it sounds excellent. Had Transformers cranked and it did not move with the rubber feet. They are non marking.

thanks a lot. my audio rack has those dime things.

hey guys, anybody want to share pics of the amp on the A2?

I didnt see an answer earlier, I was wondering if the height of the sub can affect the output? I have the a2-300 and a carpeted room and I felt the output was kinda weak and i was curious if clearance may be the issue? I have done the crawl test and my settings for sub are 3oclock on the gain, +5 on the receiver. Room is 12X14X9 with a small hallway.
Thanks

I didnt see an answer earlier, I was wondering if the height of the sub can affect the output? I have the a2-300 and a carpeted room and I felt the output was kinda weak and i was curious if clearance may be the issue? I have done the crawl test and my settings for sub are 3oclock on the gain, +5 on the receiver. Room is 12X14X9 with a small hallway.
Thanks
ive asked this same question before. ive noticed ed now sells hourglass spikes so i was wondering if the added clearance would help. i have put my sub on the foam packing corners and output seems greater, extra 1.5 in.

Mine, a3-300, is sitting on hw floor. I replaced the standard spike with a 1 inch rubber foot. Output is outstanding. Sub gain at 2 o'clock and lfe out at -3db. I needed the 1/4 inch less height anyway to get my sub into its home. My guess would be to get it a little higher off the rug might not be a bad thing especially if you have a thick carpet and pad. Remember also where your port is facing since that also gives output. If it is facing soft padded furniture or heavy drapes they could be absorbing the output a well.

hey guys, anybody want to share pics of the amp on the A2?

Heres some pics of mine.

http://www.layddly.com/gallery/d/20058-2/DSC_2016.JPG
http://www.layddly.com/gallery/d/20073-2/DSC_2020.JPG
http://www.layddly.com/gallery/d/20068-2/DSC_2019.JPG

thanks a lot for sharing pics!

what sub is that? A2 or A3? if it's the A2:

why doesn't the amp look the same as the website pic?

why doesn't it have a 110-220v switch?

It is an A2, port is in the front or an A3-250. I have a A3-300 and the port is in the back.

It is an A2, port is in the front or an A3-250. I have a A3-300 and the port is in the back.

Yup its an A2-300, and yes the amp is different than the pic on the web.

thanks for the info guys. talked to eD online. the A2 amp was revamped.

wow there is alot of inputs on the back of that.....all the subwoofers i have looked at didnt look that complicated.....im excited :P Even more so when I learn how to work it.

wow there is alot of inputs on the back of that.....all the subwoofers i have looked at didnt look that complicated.....im excited :P Even more so when I learn how to work it.

Yup its Got Left/Right Speaker In and Outs as well as Left/Right RCA In and Outs

After several months of researching this and other forums, I just placed an order for an A2-300. I have both a Blu-Ray player as well as an HD DVD player and cannot wait to replace my crappy Polk subwoofer (PS10).

I cannot believe how much bang for the buck this subwoofer offers. I was planning on spending several hundred dollars more on a subwoofer that could hit in the 20hz and below range effectively.

Can't wait :) I will post my impressions here and offer a breakdown versus my Polk.