Subwoofer clipping question

Discussion in 'Audio Hardware' started by Oatsdad, Oct 27, 2004.

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  1. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I use my home system almost exclusively for movie-watching. I use a Kenwood 1050SW sub that can get a bit rough with some DVDs that pump out heavy bass. It's a 150-watt sub, and I don't play it all that loudly - it's not like I really crank the system and push it.

    So what causes the clipping and roughness? My receiver's a Sony ES model I got back in 1999 - it's rated at 80 watts/channel. Do I have a receiver problem or a sub problem? I wouldn't mind getting a new one of either - I just want something that pumps out smooth bass without distortion and/or clipping!
     
  2. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Anybody???
     
  3. -=Rudy=-

    -=Rudy=- ♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪ Staff

    Location:
    US
    Colin--what exactly are you hearing? IOW, are you sure it's the sub that is distorting, or are you hearing distortion in your main speakers during heavy bass passages?

    In a subwoofer, the amp can clip a little without any detrimental effects since you don't hear any high frequencies from a sub. (Clipping in the main amp can harm the tweeters, and it's clearly audible.) But that doesn't mean the sub wouldn't benefit from more power. If you feel the sub is clipping, see if you can borrow a more powerful sub and see if it cures the problem.
     
  4. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    It's the sub. The audio is loud and "poppy" during heavy bass for some movies. Some of this clearly relates to the source material - some movies are more bass-intense than others, and some (like "Fellowship of the Ring" or "Underworld") went too bonkers with low-end. But I don't think I should get as much popping as I do - the question is WHY this occurs.

    I don't think there's popping in the other channels, but they don't have to work the same load...
     
  5. -=Rudy=-

    -=Rudy=- ♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪ Staff

    Location:
    US
    Popping...almost sounds like the woofer might be bottoming out too. Depends on the popping. If it is a sharp "mechanical" type of pop, then it's the woofer bottoming out. If it's not, then it is probably the amplifier overworking itself and running out of current.

    I know if you have your main speakers on "full range" then you may hear popping in those, but I'm going to guess that whatever bass management you have in your ES receiver is directing all the heavy stuff to the subwoofer.
     
  6. Uncle Al

    Uncle Al Senior Member

    Location:
    Long Island, NY
    I get that sometimes with my Yamaha sub, but only on certain DVD's that are usually "punched up" (or is that down?). I just lower the volume a bit when I hear it bottom out. I have found that since the track is usually so "tweaked" I am not really losing any low end effect. Happens on the newer Star Wars film to me (Episodes 1 and 2 - haven't run the original trilogy through the whole system yet).
     
  7. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I've never noticed popping the main speakers, but it's always possible the popping from the sub drowns it out! I'm not entirely sure I'm even describing the problem correctly. Let's just say the sub sometimes sounds overwhelmed. Again, I know some of this is program-specific, but it happens enough to make me wonder if there's another problem involved...
     
  8. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever Thread Starter

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I'm always loathe to tamper with any settings - I feel like I should keep them constant for review comparison purposes. After all, DVD "X" may not have bass response as good as DVD "Y", but if I muck with the EQ, I can change that. This leads to invalid comparisons, obviously, so I keep everything absolutely constant to attempt to ensure accuracy...
     
  9. -=Rudy=-

    -=Rudy=- ♪♫♪♫♫♪♪♫♪♪ Staff

    Location:
    US
    That could be. You may also notice it sounds a bit compressed and doesn't really push out the full dynamics of the speaker. I have never had a home sub, but I did have a home-built one in my Accord, powered with about 250 watts. Same principle though. When the thing ran out of juice*, it would start sounding a little compressed and muddy, and clip off things like bass drum beats. Or in cases where there should have been a very deep, low note, it would sound kind of vague and dull, even "doubling" the frequency of the low note (which is actually 2nd-order harmonic distortion).

    Or IOW, it just doesn't sound as clean as it should. With movie effects, it is probably not as noticeable as if you'd played pure music through it. But you may notice it doesn't sound dynamic like it should. Maybe it sounds more like a "bubbling" sound than a popping...?

    (* The problem with my power was that I really needed a stiffening capacitor--the run of wiring to the trunk caused a sag in voltage when the bass got loud which robbed it of power.)
     
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