Hello guys,

I am having some trouble figuring out how to hook up my subwoofer correctly. I have read many informative articles, but I still don't think I'm hooking up my subwoofer right. I guess some information you might want to know is that I have the Polk RM10 (5-pack) satellite speakers and the PSW505 subwoofer. I have the Harman/Kardon AVR-145 receiver and I just don't know how to hook up my subwoofer. I want to avoid using more speaker wire (even though that seems to be the recommended solution) because I've run out and don't want to buy more (not that I'm lazy, its mostly because I'm only 16 and running myself in debt). And I guess I'm just confused because the H/K doesn't have a sub-out, but a "Subwoofer Pre-Out" which is just one Purple jack. I though pre-outs were 2 seperate jacks. Maybe I'm just overlooking things and they are the same thing... but I thought if I ask the pros here at the avsforum, I'll get better results.

I hope I gave enough information without rambling on, but I'm just looking to get the best out of my personal home theatre. (Yes, please don't flame my set-up, like I said, I'm 16 and stumbled upon good deals... I'm no audiophile, but I know good audio when I hear it, either way its just for my small bedroom!).

Okay, now I rambled on, I'm sorry, but I thank you for reading this far, and any help will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks ahead,
TBone

Connect that subwoofer pre-out to the LFE input on the sub with an RCA-RCA interconnect. Connect the others with regular speaker cable.

Alright, that sounds kind of like what I did. All my speakers are connected with speaker wire into my reciever and I have a single Monster THX Subwoofer cable connecting my sub to the "Subwoofer Pre-Out" of my reciever to the LFE input of my subwoofer.

But it just doesn't seem powerful. That's not to say that its a bad subwoofer, I just highly doubt I'm getting its full potential, because I know a powerful subwoofer when I "feel" it.

Thanks for the help and I'm hoping some more comments will help me to figure this out better.

TBone,
Did you set-up your speakers , as noted on pgs. 26,27....... ?
I would set all my speakers to Small. , and
my Crossover to 100Hz. That way all freqs. below 100Hz. will go thru the 'LFE' channel to your sub.
Your Sub is only rated at 65W., so don't expect to much from them.
http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/specs/rm10/

John

According to the OP, he has a PSW505 (http://www.polkaudio.com/homeaudio/products/psw505/) which is a 300W sub.

You do need to calibrate your system before coming to any conclusions on its performance.

I'm too lazy to find it, so maybe someone will post a link to one of the many helpful setup instructions.

PSW505............ Ok! I missed that. I thought he was using the sub that came with that package.
He should get plenty of BASS [B]then.

John

Thanks for the help so far guys! I've made good progress... I think.

I set each speaker to a crossover of 120Hz so that more Hz would go to the sub. This might be a bad thing, I'm not sure though. All my speakers are set to "Small" aswell.

I also think placement of the sub might be a problem. I have it set in the left-front corner of my bedroom, with a wall to its left, back, and a cabinet to it right, exposing only the front. Not sure if that is good or not.

My family is already hating the sub, but I'm still convinced its not getting its full potential and can still put out more power.

By the way, most of my tests are coming through a PS3 playing music and Resistance: Fall of Man. The game is fairing much better than the music by far (although, I expected this with its dedicated LFE channel). All I know is I also have these speakers (http://www.logitech.com/index.cfm/speakers_audio/home_pc_speakers/devices/231&cl=us,en) for my computer, and THE SUB sounds better (more thump) with MUSIC than my Home Theatre does. That is why I think my sub is not getting it full potential.

Well, thats a bit of an update, in hope some more replies might come in and help me with my problem.

Thanks again for help that has been given,
TBone

Try lowering the crossover. 120 is pretty high, but your mains look to be only 4" drivers and may not allow you to set the XO to 80. Also try moving the sub out from the corner.