Break in time: Pioneer SW-8MK2 Subwoofer?

Mt10425:
I started with a pair of the subs, which I found confusing, so in the interest of simplification, I unplugged one.

I've been trying to determine optimum placement and settings in my room, and so far have not found the sweet spots. :)

Where did you position your subs and what settings work best for you? 55 or 60 hz seems about right to me, with the volume knob about midway, depending on source material. With some acoustic jazz, the sub seems to fill the music out nicely without calling attention to itself. With material that is more bass heavy, such as reggae, r&b, and electronic, the sub often sounds too prominent. I've yet to experiment with large scale orchestral works.

I'm hoping I can eventually "set it and forget it," but this early in the game, I'm not sure the sub (s) are going to be an improvement.

Ps-

yes The REL is the best in the biz (when you are ready to step up)!

Now, back to your query- the Pioneer will start to break-in after 200 hrs. Keep me posted & Happy Listning!

Your room is small, and that makes it difficult to get a sub working properly. Try keeping it away from walls and corners. Start with low volumes relative to the main speakers and bring the subs up slowly. Some tweaks you may want to try are spiked feet, a separate crossover to filter out the lowest frequencies and stuff some kind of fabric into the port.

Thank you all for your responses.

I played the test frequencies on the Stereophile test CD and with the Pioneer, 40 hz is somewhat audible but actually more "felt" than heard. The Sonus Faber Liutos are producing the 50 hz tone on that CD but at greatly reduced volume compared to the higher frequencies. I've got an SPL meter which I'll be using as I proceed.

One thing I'm pretty certain of, is that the frequency adjustment knob on the back of the subwoofer is not accurate. With the dial set to 40hz, if I put my ear to the port I can hear higher frequencies. I hardly expect REL quality, but I do think the Pioneer has potential given enough experimentation. I've got lots of feet and spikes to play with, too.

While I try to get off the merry go round, and I always place primary emphasis on the music, rather than the gear, I'm beginning to think I could use a 12-step program tailored to audiophiles. :)

At least for the past few years, my audio obsessiveness is inexpensive or free tweaking.

"One thing I'm pretty certain of, is that the frequency adjustment knob on the back of the subwoofer is not accurate. With the dial set to 40hz, if I put my ear to the port I can hear higher frequencies. I hardly expect REL quality, but I do think the Pioneer has potential given enough experimentation. I've got lots of feet and spikes to play with, too. "

If you can, try the sub in a bigger room. Your current room is probably too small to reproduce very low sound waves.