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Any special considerations for hooking up the Klipsch Reference RW-12d 12" Powered Subwoofer

5348 Views 11 Replies 3 Participants Last post by cel4145, Jun 17, 2012

blackrain

Discussion Starter · Jun 17, 2012

I currently have a Pioneer VSX-521. I picked it up for dirt cheap in January because I was waiting for the xx13 Denon lineup. Just a temporary way to get my home theater going. Anyway, I just bought the Klipsch Reference RW-12d 12" Powered Subwoofer. Haven't gotten my Denon yet. But want to test out my subwoofer (while I am within the exchange period). Before I hook this subwoofer up, any special considerations???

I see a single output for "subwoofer" on the receiver. But I don't think that either the receiver or the subwoofer came with a subwoofer plug. I guess I need to buy the cable separately. What cable do I need? I have a radio shack 2 mins up the street.

The picture of the subwoofer preout is here:
http://a248.e.akamai.net/pix.crutchfield.com/products/2011/16/130/x130VSX521-B.jpeg
http://www.crutchfield.com/S-p8VbNpP6TVl/p_130VSX521/Pioneer-VSX-521-K.html#details-tab

There are "high level" and "line in" connectors on the sub:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16882780078

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mungee

· #2 · Jun 17, 2012

There are two ways to test a sub IMO:

1) Use the RCA left/right connectors (red and white) and play MP3 test tones.

2) Connect the sub (Left/LFE) to a dedicated LFE/subwoofer channel of an AVR.

Refer to Figure 3 of the manual.

To do Method 1 you need 1) Test Tones 2) iPod or any other digital player 3) 3.5mm to RCA jack for the iPod/digital player. You can download Test Tones from the internet, I use Bass Mechanic. CAUTION: Please turn the volume on the sub all the way down, before you hit play on your iPod and slowly raise the volume to a comfortable level.

Method 1 will only show that the sub is working, you will see/feel the cone move. Some test tone have an intro voice that tells you what tone is about to play, you will NOT hear (or it would be very muffled) this when you connect directly to a sub (you will hear it when you play the MP3 file on your computer). The RW-12D is rated on paper for 24-120Hz....so theoretically you would hear/feel 20-30hz tone and beyond but not hear/feel anything from a 10-20hz tone even at max volume.

Method 2 is what you would actually use the sub as, so you either need to beg/borrow an AVR and set it up in your place or haul your 49lb sub to a friend's house who has at least a 5.1 set up and plug in your sub instead of his/her sub and play your favorite demo track like War of the Worlds/Tron etc. CAUTION: Please turn the volume on the sub all the way down, before you hit play on your demo clip.

This is what I have done in the past...others might have more creative solutions.

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cel4145

· #3 · Jun 17, 2012

To add to option 1, I've seen smart phone apps that can play frequency sweeps. Just be sure to use a sweep (might be described as a sine wave) and not a constant test tone at a certain frequency (which can be bad for a sub driver).

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blackrain

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jun 17, 2012

Quote:
Originally Posted by mungee /t/1416127/any-special-consideratio...nce-rw-12d-12-powered-subwoofer#post_22140716

There are two ways to test a sub IMO:

1) Use the RCA left/right connectors (red and white) and play MP3 test tones.

2) Connect the sub (Left/LFE) to a dedicated LFE/subwoofer channel of an AVR.

Refer to Figure 3 of the manual.

To do Method 1 you need 1) Test Tones 2) iPod or any other digital player 3) 3.5mm to RCA jack for the iPod/digital player. You can download Test Tones from the internet, I use Bass Mechanic. CAUTION: Please turn the volume on the sub all the way down, before you hit play on your iPod and slowly raise the volume to a comfortable level.

Method 1 will only show that the sub is working, you will see/feel the cone move. Some test tone have an intro voice that tells you what tone is about to play, you will NOT hear (or it would be very muffled) this when you connect directly to a sub (you will hear it when you play the MP3 file on your computer). The RW-12D is rated on paper for 24-120Hz....so theoretically you would hear/feel 20-30hz tone and beyond but not hear/feel anything from a 10-20hz tone even at max volume.

Method 2 is what you would actually use the sub as, so you either need to beg/borrow an AVR and set it up in your place or haul your 49lb sub to a friend's house who has at least a 5.1 set up and plug in your sub instead of his/her sub and play your favorite demo track like War of the Worlds/Tron etc. CAUTION: Please turn the volume on the sub all the way down, before you hit play on your demo clip.

This is what I have done in the past...others might have more creative solutions.

For test mode 1, can I use an ipod connector to red/white RCA connector?

Something like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Cables-Unlimited-iPod-Connector-Cable/dp/B000CBFVXS

I have one, but it is a full length cable (not the retractable junk)

If I go with method 2, it looks like I need a cable that connects to the "subwoofer" connector on the avr and only the LFE "L" of the subwoofer. So what cable do I need to get at the store for that?

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mungee

· #5 · Jun 17, 2012

For Method 1, you need this:

Instead of plugging in your headphones to your ipod you plug in the above cable and the red and black to your sub to play the test tone.

For Method 2, you will eventually need a decent subwoofer cable for your sub when you set it up in your house (and that means you need to figure out what LENGTH of cable you need). If the sub is right next to the AVR then 6 ft cable would be fine...if you plan to do place your sub right next to your couch and you want to route the cable around your walls it could be 25ft ++.

http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2683&seq=1&format=2

If you are inpatient then your local RadioShack will sell you both at a premium. If you can wait then a place like monoprice or amazon can ship you both for a lot less.

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blackrain

Discussion Starter · #6 · Jun 17, 2012

Quote:
Originally Posted by mungee /t/1416127/any-special-consideratio...nce-rw-12d-12-powered-subwoofer#post_22140986

For Method 1, you need this:

Instead of plugging in your headphones to your ipod you plug in the above cable and the red and black to your sub to play the test tone.

For Method 2, you will eventually need a decent subwoofer cable for your sub when you set it up in your house (and that means you need to figure out what LENGTH of cable you need). If the sub is right next to the AVR then 6 ft cable would be fine...if you plan to do place your sub right next to your couch and you want to route the cable around your walls it could be 25ft ++.
http://www.monoprice.com/products/product.asp?c_id=102&cp_id=10236&cs_id=1023603&p_id=2683&seq=1&format=2

If you are inpatient then your local RadioShack will sell you both at a premium. If you can wait then a place like monoprice or amazon can ship you both for a lot less.

Looks like I have that cable and a good RCA gold plated composite cable. I guess I might as well go with method 2 since I have the composite RCA gold plated cable.

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blackrain

Discussion Starter · #7 · Jun 17, 2012

Quote:
Originally Posted by mungee /t/1416127/any-special-consideratio...nce-rw-12d-12-powered-subwoofer#post_22140716

There are two ways to test a sub IMO:

1) Use the RCA left/right connectors (red and white) and play MP3 test tones.

2) Connect the sub (Left/LFE) to a dedicated LFE/subwoofer channel of an AVR.

Refer to Figure 3 of the manual.

To do Method 1 you need 1) Test Tones 2) iPod or any other digital player 3) 3.5mm to RCA jack for the iPod/digital player. You can download Test Tones from the internet, I use Bass Mechanic. CAUTION: Please turn the volume on the sub all the way down, before you hit play on your iPod and slowly raise the volume to a comfortable level.

Method 1 will only show that the sub is working, you will see/feel the cone move. Some test tone have an intro voice that tells you what tone is about to play, you will NOT hear (or it would be very muffled) this when you connect directly to a sub (you will hear it when you play the MP3 file on your computer). The RW-12D is rated on paper for 24-120Hz....so theoretically you would hear/feel 20-30hz tone and beyond but not hear/feel anything from a 10-20hz tone even at max volume.

Method 2 is what you would actually use the sub as, so you either need to beg/borrow an AVR and set it up in your place or haul your 49lb sub to a friend's house who has at least a 5.1 set up and plug in your sub instead of his/her sub and play your favorite demo track like War of the Worlds/Tron etc. CAUTION: Please turn the volume on the sub all the way down, before you hit play on your demo clip.

This is what I have done in the past...others might have more creative solutions.

So how do I know how many dBs to raise this to get close to an ideal effect?? I realize this is a person preference, but since I am a novice, can someone just give me a range of dBs to play around with. Also, the manual says something about matching it to the volume on the receiver. Does that sound right? is that just the number that the volume is set to on the receiver (I believe it is around 45 right now)

Right now, I have the subwoofer at about 8 dB because I don't know how high I should go without going too far.

Edit: It looks like 11 dB is the highest it goes.

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cel4145

· #8 · Jun 17, 2012

When configuring your sub with your setup, most people recommend setting the gain (volume) on your subwoofer such that your room correction software (use the microphone and follow instructions for MCAAC) determines a channel level close to 0 db. That best optimizes the sensitivity of the amp for the signal coming from the receiver.

Then you can bump that channel level on your receiver up 2 or 3 db if you want the bass emphasized a little heavier.

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mungee

· #9 · Jun 17, 2012

Wait I am confused now.

If your VSX-521 is fully functional then you should be using Method 2 as soon as you got the sub. Method 1 assumes there is no AVR and I thought you were waiting for your Denon so I assumed the VSX-521 was not up and running.

By fully functional I am assuming you have:

1) a left, center, right, right&left surround speakers already hooked up

2) also have a DVD or a Blu Ray player that is "appropriately connected". By that I mean either via HDMI for your Blu Ray or via Digital Coaxial/Optical cable for your DVD.

3) I am also assuming that the appropriate menu options are enabled in the player to ensure DD/DTS or TrueHD/DTS-MA passthrough.

If you have all this set up then its simply a matter of getting a subwoofer cable from Radio Shack.

Your VSX-521 has a MCACC microphone that should help you auto-setup your speaker system (including your sub). You will need to fine tune to your personal liking later.

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blackrain

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jun 17, 2012

Quote:
Originally Posted by cel4145 /t/1416127/any-special-consideratio...nce-rw-12d-12-powered-subwoofer#post_22141330

When configuring your sub with your setup, most people recommend setting the gain (volume) on your subwoofer such that your room correction software (use the microphone and follow instructions for MCAAC) determines a channel level close to 0 db. That best optimizes the sensitivity of the amp for the signal coming from the receiver.

Then you can bump that channel level on your receiver up 2 or 3 db if you want the bass emphasized a little heavier.

yikes. Hope I did not do any damage at 8dB.

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blackrain

Discussion Starter · #11 · Jun 17, 2012

Quote:
Originally Posted by mungee /t/1416127/any-special-consideratio...nce-rw-12d-12-powered-subwoofer#post_22141412

Wait I am confused now.

If your VSX-521 is fully functional then you should be using Method 2 as soon as you got the sub. Method 1 assumes there is no AVR and I thought you were waiting for your Denon so I assumed the VSX-521 was not up and running.

By fully functional I am assuming you have:

1) a left, center, right, right&left surround speakers already hooked up

2) also have a DVD or a Blu Ray player that is "appropriately connected". By that I mean either via HDMI for your Blu Ray or via Digital Coaxial/Optical cable for your DVD.

3) I am also assuming that the appropriate menu options are enabled in the player to ensure DD/DTS or TrueHD/DTS-MA passthrough.

If you have all this set up then its simply a matter of getting a subwoofer cable from Radio Shack.

Your VSX-521 has a MCACC microphone that should help you auto-setup your speaker system (including your sub). You will need to fine tune to your personal liking later.

Sorry about the confusion. VSX-521 is running (has been running since January). I just got the sub.

I had a 12 ft gold plated composite/RCA cable so I am just using that for now. I just hope that 8 dB wasn't too much and didn't damage the sub somehow. I had no idea what I was doing.

I ran transformers 3 for about an hour or 2 before I turned it down to 0 dB

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cel4145

· #12 · Jun 17, 2012

Quote:
Originally Posted by blackrain /t/1416127/any-special-consideratio...nce-rw-12d-12-powered-subwoofer#post_22141415

yikes. Hope I did not do any damage at 8dB.

Probably won't damage it, but it might not sound as good as if you get it well optimized.

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