Meridian Unplugged - Powered by MrTechGuy.co.uk Forums Discussion Meridian - Systems Help with sub output(lack of!!)

OK-here is my problem (one of them) - I have the 861 4.2- calibrated all speakers to 75- Boosted the sub up +6-Reset the crossovers to default- I have 2 different subs- One is the Danley "Tower of Power" run throught the Crown K2 amp- The other is my ATC C6- Both VERY powerful subs-My plans were to use the Danley for movies and the C6 for music till I figured out what works best-
Anyway I tried the ball breaking thx scene from star wars- I set the RS meter at 80- slow- c weight-OK - so much for the background- I cannot get the meter past reading 90DB on either sub( tried each sub by itself)--It is almost like the 861 is not sending a full signal to the sub- The crown actually started clipping(meaning to much power,yet very little output) These subs should rock the room and yet I get almost nothing- What am I doing wrong???Thanks for all your help as usual!!! Gary

Are there any sub speaker protection settings with a 861 which might be limiting the output?

Thanks- I have them set to max- I thought the same thing but that is not it- gary

Hey Gary,

If a Crown K2 is on the verge of clipping then the problem sounds an awful lot like a placement issue. If its near clipping then the amplifier is being driven to its full output by a low frequency signal and your hybrid horn sub should be crackin' concrete! My guess would be that either the sub(s) or the measuring device is located in a deep acoustic null. Try moving the (smaller) ATC sub around to other locations particularly the room corners behind your main speakers and see what happens. Some rooms can be real tough to get abn even power response from. You have a lot of dough tied up in great gear. Hiring an acoustician to measure and assist in setup could be a real boon.

Happy Trails!
Vince@freewheelcycle.com

Hey vince- thanks for the help- I did have someone come in and do the whole room including sub placement before I got the 861- I will try to get ahold of the company and see what they think- I just thought maybe I am doing something wrong - I moved around the room and the RS meter still came up short - also in the EAR(listening dept) it just sounds flat- both subs are in different parts of the room so it seems strange that it would happen to both-I was thinking thee is something in the 861 which iset up wrong??- thanks for all the hep guys-

Gary,

This maybe a dumb question but what's driving the 861?

My 598 always seemed low on lfe when decoding Dolby Digital and OK on DTS. I didn't know if this was caused by its decoding or the encoding on the disc - although some experiments with video essentials seemed to indicate it was the player. My 800 is much better in this respect with both DD and DTS giving similar levels.

regards

Chris

HEY CHRIS -I am using the 800 to drive it-gary

Gary,
I agree with Vince. I would suggest you run the test tones and you test what the SPL is a few inches away from the drivers- you might want to wear ear protection for this- and then write those numbers down and then test what the SPL is at your listening position and write that down (I assume its around 75). Do the same for the subs. If there is a dramatic roll off in output from a few inches from the driver to your listening position relative to the other speakers then you have a placement issue. I suggest this method only because you dont have to move or adjust anything.

other wise the tried and true method is to put the sub as close to your listening position as possible and let it play something- the test tone or bass heavy music- turn the other channels off- and walk around the room and see where the sub output seems the loudest- you can use your spl meter for this too. where you find the loudest spl= where you should locate your sub. But you've got to move the sub to your listening position! or you can try walking around with it where it is now and then where ever the loudest location is= where to move your listening position.

best regards,
Jerry

Gary,

OK - the signal going in from the 800 is probably good.

Another couple of "off the wall" suggestions:

Have you set the low pass below 120Hz? For some reason I did this (60Hz I think) and then wondered where all the bass had gone as the sub now wasn't getting anything above 60Hz just the stuff below. A lot of effects have bass quite high up the frequency range.

Also I seem to recall some people remarking that room correction seemed to remove the bass they'd previously had - have you tried with MRC bypassed?

good luck,

Chris

Really OT but, Bebop, I use what is basically the ATC Active C6 system but without the sub in a 5.0 setup. What's your opinion on the C6 as I was considering it now I have moved house?

hey malcolm- would love to discuss the system-
you can contact me at -gjk6228 at gmail dot com-