Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion Technical Questions EP350 Trouble ????

I received my EP350 today, and hooked it up to my Yamaha HTR-5860 (RX-V657) using a half decent cable (Acoustic Research).

The cable runs from the pre-out RCA jack on the reciever, to the "Line Level In" RCA jack on the sub.

As per the Yamaha manual, I turned the X-Over Frequency control on the sub all of the way up (120hz), and adjusted the volume to 4 (out of 10). I then ran the automated YPAO calibration on the receiver. There was a little volume coming out of the sub during calibration, but not much.

I then put in The Eagles - Hell Freezes Over. Was the sub working? Yes, a little. I then decided to put in an action movie, and decided on The Transporter. Was the sub working? Yes, but again, only a little. I adjusted the volume control, but it really didn't make a difference. With the volume control set to zero, I couldn't hear anything, but when set from 1- 10, it didn't seem to make a difference.

If it means anything, the cooling fins on the back of the sub were still cool after an hour of use.

BTW, I love the QS8s, I had no problem hooking them up at all.

MORE INFO

I don't believe that the problem is the fuse as the green power light does indeed come on.

I went through the receiver menu settings. I made sure the crossover frequency was set to 80hz, and that LFE/BASS OUT signals were indeed going to the sub.

Maybe you need to adjust the subwoofer output level in your reveiver?

My Denon does this onscreen, my Pioneer does it on the receivers LCD readout, but I don't know about your Yamaha.

IMO, it makes sense to crank that sub output all the way up in order to maximize signal strength, but others may not agree.

I'm not a sub expert, but if you have your receiver controlling the sub at 80hz, the sub crossover should be set at 0 or bypass.

Simple question but... the pre-out that the sub cable's plugged into is labeled 'subwoofer'... correct? It can be a common mistake to have trouble finding the correct jack.

bigwill2 - I tried that, and it didn't work. I couldn't hear any tones coming through the sub at the time while I was increasing the volume.


HomeDad - I not a sub expert either (obviously). I just set everything as I was told.


Spoiler - Yes indeed, I did select the subwoofer jack.


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Don't worry some of the real experts will chime in soon.

Friend or neighbor nearby that would let you swap your sub into his system to see if it is the sub at fault?

Homedad, if there is a bypass option, then yes you want to use that....however, most subs don't have a bypass option, so you want to turn the sub x-over clockwise to the highest position to get it out of the way, and let the receiver setting manage the crossover.

I always left my 350 volume on about 11-12 o'clock position. I believe most people start around 10-11 o'clock, then run the calibration tests on the receiver OR use a Radio Shack SPL meter and calibrate to 75dB's or so for all speakers.

On the receiver try all speakers set to small, sub to Yes, and an 80hz crossover.

Keep in mind most CD music is not going to produce a lot of low LFE. Have you tried a good action movie with lots of LFE? Also, what is your dB level on your receiver for the sub channel. With my sub set to the 11 o'clock position, the Denon would be around 0dB's on the channel to achieve 75dB SPL.

ps: now that I have a 500, it is a whole new story.

Yeah, I was thinking of the 500, I forgot the rear of the 350 is a bit different.

Hi Moorthy,

Got your alert in my data base.

First, rotate the EP350's volume control halfway or a bit more through its rotation and set the sub's crossover to its maximum position. Disconnect the coax sub cable from your receiver and plug it into the left or right channel line audio output of any working CD player (or Dvd player) and play a CD that you know has lots of bass. Many CDs have excellent deep bass.

Are you hearing deep bass from the subwoofer? It will sound muffled and "bassy" but if it's working properly, then you'll hear deep bass frequencies.

Once you have it working, re-connect the coaxial cable to the Yamaha's Subwoofer output jack and to the EP350's RCA female line-level input jack. Do not use the Yamaha YPAO auto calibration. These are fraught with error, especially with subwoofers.

Go into the Yamaha menu and be sure you have set your main speakers to "Small" and the subwoofer to "On". Select an 80-Hz crossover frequency to start. Check the individual channel level settings one by one for each channel including the LFE (Subwoofer) channel. Raise it to at least the 0-dB setting or higher to make certain the EP350 is receiving a good voltage from the Yamaha.

Get a good calibration DVD (Avia or Sound &Vision Home Theater Tune-Up DVD) and the RAdio Shack sound level meter to do proper sub calibration.

If the 350 still doesn't produce deep bass output, call the Axiom toll-free number and have Axiom service manager Joe VAssallo call you and talk you through trouble shooting.

There is a troubleshooting guide for each subwoofer on the axiom site. Go to the on-line owner's manual and click "Troubleshooting". Follow those directions in addition to my suggestions.

Regards,

Thanks Alan.

The CD player test worked, so I knew you were on the right track.

I guess I can sum up all of the B.S. to Yamaha's proprietary YPAO calibration system.

Doing it yourself (calibrating) really isn't all that difficult, and the results are better

Thanks again,

Bill

Bill do you have an SPL meter from Radio Shack? In regards to the Auto Setup stuff, my Denon also has a similar technology. I use the setup as a starting point for my distances(delay), dB levels, and verify polarity of my speaker wire hookups. However, I do not use the built in EQ to adjust for room characteristics. I found it made my 60's sound worse. So I would say don't totally count out the YPAQ, just the EQ stuff. Many have found these starting points to be very accurate. Of course, it is best to verify with an SPL meter. Have fun..

I'm searching for a SPL meter on Ebay as we speak....

"I guess I can sum up all of the B.S. to Yamaha's proprietary YPAO calibration system.

Doing it yourself (calibrating) really isn't all that difficult, and the results are better"


Nobody ever doubted that, right, Alan?