RSP-1069 Bass Management

[Ken49r]

I just purchased a JL Audio F110 sub and want to set this up correctly with my RSP-1069 and B&W 805s.


Is it better to use the bass management from the RSP1069 or the separate controls on the F110?

So far, on the RSP1069 I set crossover at 80 and sub level in the test tone menu at 0 like the F110 manual suggests.

On the contour menu is there anything I need to set?

Default:
ALL speakers are set to Defeat:Off and HF/0 - LF/0.
Individual speakers are set to Defeat:On and HF/0 - LF/0.

I'm not familiar how the contour menu works and didn't bother to mess with it in the past but now I want to get this sub blending in correctly?

Any advise would be helpful?

[Ken49r]

Maybe this will be easier to answer:

I'm trying to understand why there are 3 seperate settings for sub use and how they work in relation to the sub.

1. Test tone menu.

2. Subwoofer setup menu.

3. Contour setup menu.

Hope this gets a few more response than my 1st question did.

Thanks,
Ken

[JRachwalski]

contour is the same as Bass and Treble adjustments. Leave these at 0.
Set the crossover in the Rotel, and set the JL to either max or bypass.

You are best to use a SPL meter to balance the output with your mains. You can either use the test tone menu adjustments or the level control on the JL.

[Ken49r]

contour is the same as Bass and Treble adjustments.

Thanks for replying.

OK, Good to know the contour is only bass and treble. I might have over thought this in my readings elsewhere and wasn't quite sure. So better to be safe, and ask.

Set the crossover in the Rotel, and set the JL to either max or bypass.

That I did @ 80hz on the Rotel and the JL is set to reference. Versus variable, so I am using the bass management in the Rotel.

The reason I am asking these questions is because when I had initially hooked up the JL to the Rotel, the JL just did not produce much sound except in the extreme lower frequencies. Even when increasing bass management levels the sound level didn't seem to rise or fall. It just seemed like it was in a neutral mode.
I live in an apartment and did not run the demo mode or the A.R.O. (automatic room optimization) until today because I didn't know how loud the sub would be in these modes.
Come to find out the tones are not that loud at all and now the sub works and sounds better and louder when using bass management controls in the Rotel.

The other question I have that you didn't comment on is the subwoofer setup menu in the Rotel. Increasing those levels is different from the test tone levels how?

[Kevin D]

Sub levels in the sub menu apply +/-'s to the level in the test-tone menu based on different surround modes.

If you don't have an SPL meter (sounds like you don't) you really need to pick one up. Much better results are to be had by not trusting your ears.

Kevin D.

[Ken49r]

I have the radio shack analogue meter but when I use it for the sub it max's out at really low levels. Is there a better meter to use for the sub?

[peepaj]

Hi Ken49r,
I had the same problem with my 1069 also. The way that I worked around it was to use a dvd that has the THX optimizer. The movie Cars and The Incredibles has it. I used that to set sub level, it's a pain in the butt, but it worked.

[Ken49r]

I will give it a try tonight. Thanks peepaj.

[jorgen68]

here is one simple rule.just use one filter.if you use the 1069 filter you should set the cut of filter as high as possible or deactivate it.and set the volume on the sub somewere in the middle.and if you use the subs filter set 1069 filter as high as possible and set the subs cut of were you want it.the use of two filters can result in bad bass 8) but i think its best to use the 1069 filter and set the subs as high as possible or maybe if you have a direct input bypassing the subs filters 8)

[Ken49r]

Hi Ken49r,
I had the same problem with my 1069 also. The way that I worked around it was to use a dvd that has the THX optimizer. The movie Cars and The Incredibles has it. I used that to set sub level, it's a pain in the butt, but it worked.

Rented "Cars" on BD and didn't find any THX optimizer on there. I guess it's only avaiable on the DVD?

I did get time to research other Fathom user forums over the weekend and play with the F110, and it seems to be sounding much better. Understanding how the front panel controls on the F110 and bass management on the RSP-1069 works made a big difference.

I came across an article on Audioholics using the Rives Audio Test CD 2.

Subwoofer Calibration Using Rives Audio Test CD 2

I'm going to order this CD and give it a shot. I have the SPL meter and hopefully I don't need an equalizer since the F110 has A.R.O. / Phase / E.L.P. settings.