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View Full Version : VTF 3-HO for a Newbie


davisp3
October 31st, 2006, 7:07 AM
Unlike a lot of the posters on the forum, I'm pretty much an SW newbie. I just received my first ever sub yesterday, which happens to be the new VTF 3-HO without the turbo. It rounds out my 5.1 system comprised of the Denon AVR-2807 receiver, Polk Audio LC65i inwall speakers (Front and Rear) and the Polk Audio LSiC center. I set my system up last spring and have waited patiently for the subwoofer. First impression?...well, I'm very glad I waited! (It's kind of ironic that I went in-wall with all the speakers to avoid the clutter, but then purchased this behemoth!)

Anyhow, as I said I'm a newbie. I had an hour or so to get it operating last night...and as luck would have it, I have to go out of town for a week, so I was hoping to get some "fine tuning" tips and other advice from the more seasoned SW-philes. I've positioned the sub in a corner of my room and haven't changed any of the settings (other than the volume). One of the ports is plugged, crossover is set to 90, phase is set to 0, and I have changed all of the speaker settings to small through my receiver.

Some of the general questions I have: Whether to keep the port plugged or unplugged? If I unplug it, should I adjust any of the other settings?

Should the side-mounted woofer face the wall or face the room? Does it matter? Can the woofer face the side of a leather sofa?

My floor is carpeted...should the rubber feet be removed and the unit set directly on the carpet?

Obviously, I had very little time with it last night, but it limited testing I found out that I had a lot of "rattles" and "vibrations" in the house that I'll need to somehow dampen. One issue in particular is that one of the main walls that I have positioned the sub on has a 4-window "picture window" in close proximity. You can hear the springs in the storm windows rattling on the really low base. Any tips here?

I'll be checking in and out until I can get back home and work with it some more, but I as well as other newbies would really appreciate any input the experts could provide. Like I said, I'm really new at this, so any and all recommendations/assistance is really appreciated. I'll let you know how things go. Thanks.

Pete_Hsu
October 31st, 2006, 8:10 PM
Welcome to the forum davisp3!

Feel free to experiment with maximum output (22Hz, both ports open) and extended bass (16Hz, one port plugged) modes. Your tastes and preferences will dictate what mode works best for you!

When using maximum output mode, keep both ports open, and set the amplifier to 22Hz mode. Please do not run the subwoofer with both ports open and amp in 16Hz mode, as this could damage the sub.

When using extended bass mode, plug one port, and set the amplifier to 16Hz mode.

Another setting you could try, which poses no danger to the subwoofer, is one port plugged and 22Hz mode set on the amplifier. This will result in an overdamped response, which some people feel sounds better in their room.

It doesn't matter too much if the driver faces towards or away from the wall, but try both configurations and you may find one that works better for you. Try to give the woofer at least 2-3 inches of space between any side or back wall. It's not a problem facing a leather sofa, as long as you have two or three inches of space in between.

No need to remove the rubber feet, just set them on the carpet, and you are good to go!

Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

davisp3
November 1st, 2006, 3:39 AM
Peter,

Thanks for the quick response! I'll give your suggestions a try. One other question: Do you have any crossover setting suggestions? Thanks,

davisp3

Pete_Hsu
November 1st, 2006, 9:08 PM
My pleasure davisp3! Probably a good place to start would be somewhere in the 80-100Hz area.

Sincerely,