XLS200 -What Settings should I use?

D

dando

Guest
Just took delivery of one today hooked it up via one RCA lead (Mono) to Denon 1906 AV Amp Sub Out. But it sounds all too lumpy, if that makes sense, and not that loud. I am after a more detailed tight sound, so what settings do other owners have and what type of sound are you getting?
Any tips please?
PS It does look very nice though!
 
Have you set all speakers to small on the amp?

What's the sub crossover on the amp?

Does the amp have a sub volume control, if so set it to the mid point hence you'll be able to set sub volume once calibrated using the amp r/c rather than fiddling with the gain on the back of the sub.

What are you sitting the sub on? And what location?

Sorry for all the questions but it will help us help you...PJ
 
Yes the speakers are set to small. The crossover is pointing at 12oclock on back of amp and set to 100 on amp. The sub volume on amp is the defualt +15Hz. The Sub is on the rubber feet it came with on a wooden floor.
 
There are plenty of ways to tweak the unit to suit your arrangement which will probably take many weeks so don't get disheartened. :thumbsup:

For starting out I'd recommend setting all of your speakers to small and crossover to 80Hz on your amp. Click the subwoofer crossover into it's bypass mode and leave the phase set to zero. Now run through the test tones manually and try to balance the volume for each speaker - an SPL meter really is worth several times it's weight in gold for this purpose. If you're doing it by ear I would then recommend turning the sub down by about 5dB on your amp or if you're doing it with an SPL meter turn it down by about 3dB.

Others will no doubt suggest other settings but I've found that to be a very good starting point - don't be afraid to tweak every setting beyond that to tune your system to taste. The final stage should always be playing some music that you like for fine tuning - I have my own favourite test track for this but anything that you like with some semblance of low frequency notes will be just fine. :)
 
Thanks eviljohn2 and pj for advice. I will spend some time tweaking it over the weekend. Its just that I'm a bit scared that the sub is too heavy sounding for the sats. But I suppose it will take a few tweaks here and there to get it right. What about using the high and low on the sub? Do I use both of these to get a good sound?
 
If you're using sats with an AV amp then don't worry about the high level NL4 input.

Don't be afraid to turn it down if you think it's too loud and boomy - it almost certainly is! The biggest difference will be gleaned by different placement, try in a corner, out of a corner and anywhere else you could feasibly put it. Similarly adjustments to the phase might help a bit. I would still start by turning it down though. :)
 
Also remember you are not supposed to be able to hear the sub, only feel it's presence! As ej says, it can be a fairly long process to get it the way you want it....PJ
 
WOW! Now Ive had a chance to mess with it, it sounds great! Watched I, Robot last night and the bass was awesome! I would reccommend this sub!
By the way my settings are on the back of the sub: High-0 Low-10oclock Crossover 120hz Phase-9oclock. Crossover on Amp 100Hz. Sub Volume on Amp +15db. Does this sound about right? Please let me know what you think.
Only annoying thing, No standby button!
 
dando said:
Only annoying thing, No standby button!

I think some people leave it on all the time. I can reach behind the back no problem and switch it off but I do agree ergonomically they could place the on/off switch more conveniently...PJ
 
I am not to familiar with the xls200 controls as I do not own one but I would make the following point.

The setting on the Denon of +15db on the sub output is way to high in my view,I would have said that 0db would be better as a starting point as this would reduce any distortion from the receivers amplifier.

If this is not loud enough turn the gain (volume) up on the sub,using the subs own amp to increase the volume.

You can tweak the Denon's sub output from the 0db point if you want, but I would recommend using somewhere between -5db to +5db as being the range you should use.

I own subs by SVS,Paradigm and Atlantic Technology and all subs are set at less than 0db at the receiver.SVS recommend initial setting of sub output from the amp at -5db and tweak from there.
 
kbfern said:
I am not to familiar with the xls200 controls as I do not own one but I would make the following point.

The setting on the Denon of +15db on the sub output is way to high in my view,I would have said that 0db would be better as a starting point as this would reduce any distortion from the receivers amplifier.

Is +15 the mid point or the high end? As per my earlier post the best bet is to set the amp at the mid point and calibrate the gain on the sub from there, this gives volume flexibility via the amps' r/c rather then fiddling with the sub back panel...PJ
 
0db is the mid point on all amps as they usually have an adjustment of + or - 15db or so.
 
Hi there
Very interested to hear how you are getting on with this sub.

Have you tried it with music yet?

Cheers Holo
 
Hi, yeah its okay with music, but better with films I'd say. Its hard to describe how I feel about this sub. I mean its replaced an Elac Sub which came with the 5.1 set up Ive got, so you'd think I'd be blown away by the xls200, but to be honest it hasnt done that yet.
Although saying that, there is a definite mark up in quality and the sound from the xls sounds quite 'classy'.
For me its weird with a sub, because you're not supposed to notice it, so they say. But I've paid good money for it so I want to hear it! But as PJ pointed out to me in an earlier post is that you should feel the sub and not hear it. When I tested it with DVD films the sub came into its own, it roared!
In conclusion, this sub is very very classy, well made, and the bass from it is warm and deep. With films it will blow you away and its okay with music but not ideal. But I have only had this sub for two days and it has not been set up properly using any meters etc, so dont take what I say as gospel.
I would be interested if someone who has had this sub for a long time could give a mini review of what they thought about the sub.
 
dando said:
I would be interested if someone who has had this sub for a long time could give a mini review of what they thought about the sub.

There are loads of "mini reviews" here already which are quite easy to find.
 
You may find that the sub warms up to music soon. When I first got an XLS200 sub I was impressed with the sheer power, but it seemed too 'tight' and over controlled for music (im not sure how to describe it). However once it had run in a bit the sound really did improve.
 
Forgot to mention. Does anyone have experience of replacing the rubber feet on the sub for the spikes instead? Any differences with sound etc? By the way the sub is on a wooden floor.
 
You might bear in mind +15 may not be a good place to have your amplifier subwoofer level on.

It has been discovered by some that some AV receivers can clip there subwoofer output when the main volume is at reference levels (usually 00) and the subwoofer level is at 0db or above.

This is why to reduce the chance of clipping outputs near reference levels some knock the subwoofer level on the receiver down 1/4 or more and then use a bit more gain on the subwoofer amplifier.

+15 could mean you are adding clipping distortion the from the pre output.
 
dando said:
But I have only had this sub for two days and it has not been set up properly using any meters etc, so dont take what I say as gospel.

Amen :) . To my experience fine-tuning a system (by ear) takes a lot more time than you've had with the sub so far. I spent a week if not two (on and off, of course) listening to a lot of music and tweaking the settings before I was happy with the way my subs and speakers integrated. Although it may be noted that I have two subs (meaning at least twice the hassle) and my main speakers were new to me as well.
 
Just wanted to say that I have now found the settings I like and I am 100% pleased with this little beauty! And I take back my comments that this sub may not be great with music, i was a bit hasty! This sub is just class with music and movies! :thumbsup:
 
Hi there

This is good news as I will be buying a new sub in the next 2 -3 weeks. The XLS200 was on my list, and as you have the same amp as me looks like I could be getting one.

Cheers Holo
 
dando said:
Just wanted to say that I have now found the settings I like and I am 100% pleased with this little beauty! And I take back my comments that this sub may not be great with music, i was a bit hasty! This sub is just class with music and movies! :thumbsup:

I'm glad you're happy. I think condemning a sub is very easily done if it's not appropriately set up (this also makes sub comparisons quite challenging). Some people might even think that subs in general are not their thing after hearing such setups. A system with a sub usually sounds sluggish if the sub's set too loud, for instance. But it's rewarding to finally get it right, isn't it? :)
 
I mean I've just watched Gladiator (DTS Superbit Version) and this sub just took my head clean off! It was very loud but so crisp and tight, I'm not joking, but it is as close to the cinema sound as I've heard. You know when its right when its very very loud, but you dont need to turn down because its not hurting your ears, everything is being handled properly by the equipment! I thought this sub would not make a difference to my set-up but I was wrong!
 

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