2011 Kansas City Subwoofer Meet Results - Page 3

The Yamaha was at it's limits on some of the clips. As to whether it was artificial limits because I got too greedy on the American DJ V3000 amp gain (maybe) or because the input signal was too hot at + 3.5 dB (prolly not). I don't know. I just got the sub and didn't even know I could find it's limits, with my equipment and crossovers I was using, my amp is well below it's max power handling, and thought the Yamaha had a built in crossover ( I just talked to Yamaha support and found out it does NOT have a built in crossover - they recommended an external EQ before the signal gets to the amp to eliminate sub 30hz frequencies. He also said ideally the top end signal would be 90hz) and I did have the high cut crossover set on my V3000 amp for 30hz (though we even tried 50hz high cut crossover in the John Mayer clip to no real advantage). Maybe the amp just isn't that good. At any rate we did find its limits. In hindsight I wish I wouldn't have cranked the amp's gain so hard (or at all) before we listened to any of the clips. For the music calibration all subs were matched to 75db with the test tone. My amp gain was on like 1/5 or 1/4 for the music. 1 of five lights was barely illuminating. For the movie section, I had complete control of everything and knowing I'd played it at 2/3's amp gain before the meet with a +0 dB sub level on the receiver and didn't hear any distortion, on a couple of the movie clips I immediately cranked the gain on the V3000 amp to about 3/4 gain before we started the Yamaha section. I was looking to impress with SPL! The combination of the additional +6dB on the Subwoofer level and the huge amount of gain turn up on the amp didn't work in the Yammy's favor. Just now, today, Monday -- I got off a tech support call with Yamaha, the guy said the American DJ amp is underpowered for that sub, but should be adequate in a small room like mine, because these subs are made for gymnasiums and clubs. He said they can't take much power down that low and you don't need that much power down low. He said the subs would be very agressive for a home theatre room, and while they wouldn't have as much sub sonic frequency reproduction as a specifically home theatre built sub, he chuckled and said they've tested these subs down to 15 and 20 hz in their testing facility and it'll make people's digestives systems have issues, throughout the building --- his words - not mine. He seemed amused I bought one for home theatre purposes. From my perspective during the testing I didn't hear much of anything going on with this sub down low, but I know I did hear a couple distortion pops in the first Knowing movie scene with the configuration I used for the testing well before Yamaha's max claimed SPL capabilities!!!


Knowing - That was pretty much it I think as I heard the sub make a odd popping noise or two.
Master & Commander - ship battle in fog - I didn't heard any distortion, but I had turned it down a couple ticks from the last settings on the AVR.
John Mayer - live recording of concert - I pushed it for all it was worth. I pushed it till the kick drums started not sounding accurate and backed off a couple ticks. As I mentioned before the Epik Empire handled this clip better than my Yamaha's to my utter surprise!
Ironman - suiting up and sonic boom - I'd heard Chirpie's SVS bottom out harder than any sub bottoming I'd ever heard and so I turned it way down on this clip and didn't even try for max SPL to save my subs from grenading.
Orphanage - erie house creaking, I turned it up decently, perhaps not max spl - I heard no distortion, but again - worried to save subs as this point because I'd already lost the Jamo and heard some other subs nearly give in.
THX Amazing Life clip - Didn't push it, that mushroom drum is LOW hz on this clip and I didn't push it at all. Too fearful.
Kung Fu Panda - skadoosh scene - Didn't even try. That skadooosh is just a sub killer and there's no point to try to do something the Yammy isn't going to do.
Tron - club entrace scene - turned it up until I heard a bit of an unclean edge - so I think that one is prolly max SPL. Perhaps there is a LOT of low going on in that note.

I was not nearly as daring on either the Jamo, nor this sub as many of the other guys were on theirs. My money tree died and since then I'm a bit more cautious with my equipment.

The mains were NEVER going for the FR graphs and groundplane measurements. The mains were active during the actual music and movie testing only. carp was not there during this time, he came later in the day. carp would you please delete or edit that post to avoid confusion. We made a mistake one time and went back and redid it immediately. Counsil was comparing the charts each time he was taking them and immediately saw that one error before we even started the music demo. All the measurements should be sub only on counsil's graphs.

I've heard 117, 118 or 119SPL in Luke's room with my two Jamo's and his HSU all going at the same time, according to his omnimic software. Luke do you remember exactly how high it went? My ears did not really hurt the next day.

What I heard on Saturday night was quite a bit louder than what I heard at Luke's place according to my body's vibrations and the way my ears feel both today and yesterday!!! Obviously that isn't scientific and is subjective, but that Cap was playing WAY louder than anything I've personally ever heard before.