Audio

[prager]

I have the Denon AVR-991 surround receiver hooked up with I have the Energy 10" Subwoofer (ESW-C10). The front speakers are the Energy Connoisseur Floor Standing Speaker (CF-50).

My issue is the loudless of the sub. Or rather the lack of much sound from it. I have confirmed that it's hooked up correctly and turned on. It is working, I can feel the vibration from it, however it just seems to be extremely little. My previous sub (harman/kardon surround set) was MUCH louder. I only had it on 1/3 and it would still be incredibly powerful.

I have tried to set the front speakers to "small" on the receiver settings but that still has no effect on the sub, it still hardly makes any noise. I have turned up the volume on the sub and even on the loudest setting it's what I would call "very quiet". I'd love for some more power, so at least on the loudest setting it would "pound" some more in the chest.

Any suggestions, I am not really sure what to do at this point?

Thanks

[cxz]

what is the size of your listening area (WxHxL=cu ft), including open spaces (i.e. such as a family room that opens up to a kitchen)?

[Essi]

This may be a silly question, but have you checked through all the amplifier's settings for subwoofer control? i.e. menus and such?

[larry777]

Do you have your Sub in a corner which usually gives the best performance ? Also in your Reveiver,make sure your crossover setting to the Sub is set at 120Hz or possibly 80Hz. You can also increase your +db output using your Receiver at the same time ( +3db or +5db as an example ). Your auto calibration may have reduced your Sub into the -db output setting ,so that your Mid and High range output seems to be more in your face than the Lows from the Sub.

[mark_o]

Good things to check: Larry777. Changing out a whole system can leave one with some questions...

I have found that some auto-cal receivers can be "tricked" into setting sub levels very low in terms of level and x-over point. I would suggest you may have been used to the sub doing a lot more of the heavy lifting in your sub-sat system, where the sats rolled off above 80Hz.  Your Energy CF-50 towers look to your Denon's microphone and set-up software like a full range speaker, that needs little enhancement from a sub, so it likely sets crossover point below 40-50Hz and at a fairly low level. Solution: Manually set speakers to small, crossover point to 80Hz as suggested by THX standards, and do a manual setup using tape measure and an SPL meter (Sound Pressure Level Metre: set to "C weighting" and "Slow" response) Even the free app for iPhone works well enough, remembering that you are simply looking for the same relative output from all speakers. Start with the sub's xover point at bypass or highest point as the receiver will do the bass management, and sub's gain/vol. control at around 12 o'clock so you have somewhere to go with your final adjustments. Set the phase switch by ear after you are done, choosing the best position for strong bass at the listening chair.  Corner placement of your sub will help with overall acoustic output: usually best in front of you, but not always. Rooms vary, so experiment with placement.  And, given that inexpensive microphones can't measure bass very well, do the final tweaking by ear with music you know. Check it with a good vocal track to make sure you haven't muddied the mix by engaging too much bass. The right blend will preserve the midrange and treble clarity, while extending the bass into the lowest frequencies.

Optional on some receivers: set the Left and Right to "large + sub" . That will allow you to have the sub overlap with the main speakers for additional bass output. You will want your sub close to the main speakers for this to work without bass cancellation problems interfering.

[slimmer1972]

^what mark o said, except the part about the iPhone SPL app - I used it and it was off by 5dB compared to an actual SPL meter. Invest in a real one for +\-$50 and do a sub crawl.

[slimmer1972]

Also: although this sub is front-firing, look into an isolation pad or riser

[Evan_H]

Your flloor standing speakers can handle much lower frequences than the tiny satellite speakers of your old set. Therefore some frequencies that you used to hear out of your subwoofer may now be directed to your floor standing speakers instead.

What are the cross-over frequency and levels that your receiver calculated through it's auto-calibration? If you post them, we could see if they are reasonable.

Also, if you still have your old subwoofer, hook it up your system, run the receiver's auto-calibration, and see how it compares.