# Forum Home Renovation Home Theatres  Mix and matching speakers and receiver - new sub required

## dabba

Hi 
Few months ago I acquired a new Sony STR-DN860 receiver for my existing home theater setup. Very pleased with the receiver, both functionality and output, but unfortunately I changed with my sub-woofer volume settings as the bass was too loud and since then the sub has constantly produced a rattling noise with the vibrations. 
I have played about with the various settings, cross fader and frequency but the noise is still their.
I've opened up the sub to see if anything has come loose but no joy there either. 
So I kind of assume the sub has gone (wasn't a top end spec and unsure of age, was bought second hand).
So the next question is what sub should I be looking at to be compatible with the new receiver? What minimum spec of sub should I be entertaining? 
Popped into the local JB and the rep didn't have a clue. I guess I want to understand the requirements of the sub woofer a little more before making a purchase and risk this rattling noise problem occurring again...!! 
Not privy to home theater systems at all really, and only really have the basics. So any advice is appreciated. 
Thanks
Dabba  
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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## METRIX

Sounds like the voice coil may be damaged, how much do you want to spend ?

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## PlatypusGardens

Is it a powered sub?
have you tried it with a different amp/receiver to see if it still makes the noise?

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## PlatypusGardens

For the record, my whole house is wired up with mis-matched speakers and amps.
Never had a problem.

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## dabba

> Sounds like the voice coil may be damaged, how much do you want to spend ?

  He's where a might upset some people... 
Unfortunately due to having a young family, my financial commitments elsewhere impact this.
Best guess, I can probably spare about $300-$500...
Should i not bother looking..??

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## dabba

> Is it a powered sub?
> have you tried it with a different amp/receiver to see if it still makes the noise?

  Yes it is powered.
Unfortunately I don't have a spare amp to try it.
Difficult trying to borrow one.

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## PlatypusGardens

> He's where a might upset some people... 
> Unfortunately due to having a young family, my financial commitments elsewhere impact this.
> Best guess, I can probably spare about $300-$500...
> Should i not bother looking..??

  maybe look for a second hand one? 
although $500 should get you something decent

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## METRIX

[QUOTE=PlatypusGardens;1013241 my whole house is wired up with mis-matched.[/QUOTE] 
It's not only the house   :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

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## PlatypusGardens

> It's not only the house

  
Matching stuff is for wimps

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## METRIX

As PP said, would be good to know if it's the amp or Sub, can you take the Sub to another place to test it out ? 
If your on a budget, you can pick up some entry level brand names for a decent price, some new, some refurbished, (waiting for the members who say you must spend $10000000 on your sub)  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  
Actually I'm interested in replies to this topic, I am also interested in a good quality sub for my own system, either one larger unit, or two smaller units.  Yamaha YST SW216 Subwoofer Black AUS Warranty YSTSW216 | eBay 
or new  Yamaha YST SW216 10&apos;&apos; Active Subwoofer Black 100W YSTSW216 | eBay   Wharfedale Brand NEW Achromatic WA 8SB 8" 100 Watt Powered Subwoofer RRP $599 | eBay

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## SilentButDeadly

Sub driver is buggered. The rattling is the sub 'motor'. If you can determine the basic specs of the driver then you can replace the driver itself with something similar that will match the box in which it sits. 
Otherwise...subs don't have to be matched with amps or other speakers but they do need to be spec'd to your room size and listening preferences. 
Personally, add on sub woofers are a WOFTAM. Decent properly designed speakers can produce the lows sufficiently well to not need a sub...in most situations.  
That said...one of the best speaker systems I've ever heard has two 20 inch powered subs in it but then they were designed to be there from the get go...and the main speakers had 15" woofers in them too.

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## Moondog55

Subs are very important in home theatre
One possible solution [ the one I use at the moment] is multiple small cheap units, small being 100 to 200 watts units with 10 or 12 inch drivers.
However if it's just the sub driver blown why not just replace the driver?
Pictures and details of the sub in question and we could probably recommend a simple replacement unit, from $80- to about $300- assuming the inboard amp is still OK.
I was lucky when Strathfield were shutting down and got 7 good subs for $99- each
A better solution is often a couple of good car subs in passive boxes and a decent cheap old stereo to drive them

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## woodbe

Agree with SBD. Decent speakers give you 95%. Then again, if you get it all sorted, the subs will shake the foundations and have your neighbours bashing on your front door... 
I guess the next question is what speaker setup have you got there dabba. Maybe you do need a sub.

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## Moondog55

> Agree with SBD. Decent speakers give you 95%. Then again, if you get it all sorted, the subs will shake the foundations and have your neighbours bashing on your front door... 
> I guess the next question is what speaker setup have you got there dabba. Maybe you do need a sub.

  While I do agree with SBD "Most" speakers; especially HT speakers simply aren't decent enough to give even reasonable bass for home theatre
While THX specs aren't the be-all and end-all it is a good place to start THX Reference Level Â« THX.com 
20dB is a LOT of headroom, especially when the bass is often mixed to be +6dB at around 30 Hz

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## woodbe

> *What is Reference Level?* 
> Manufacturing receivers and speakers that can achieve THX Reference  Level is no simple task. It requires a tremendous amount of power to  drive an audio system effortlessly without clipping or distorting. To  ensure the audio products can reach this peak performance, THX developed  a set of standards as part of its THX Ultra2, THX Select2 and I/S Plus certifications.   *Experience Studio Clarity:* THX Certified Receivers reproduce studio Reference Level, 85dB SPL with 20dB of headroom.*Reference Level for your Room:* THX Ultra2 Plus, THX  Select2 Plus and THX I/S Plus certification categories deliver  Reference Level performance in your specific room size.*Distortion-free Playback:* THX Certified Receivers and speakers are designed to recreate Reference Level with minimal distortion. *Listening Below Zero* Of course, there is a downside to watching all of your films at  Reference Level—it is often too loud for your neighbors. But, when you  lower the volume level, bass sounds, surround effects and other sound  elements can be lost or perceived differently. To correct this, THX  developed a technology called THX Loudness Plus, which lets you experience the rich details of a movie or game soundtrack without driving your neighbors crazy.

  Bottom line: THX reference level is not for suburban houses unless they are designed to insulate your neighbours from the racket. Even then, you will slowly go deaf and your co-inhabitants had better like LOUD. 
20db of headroom is great. We all need some headroom. THX Loudness Plus is just another con to get people to pay too much for too much gear they will probably never use at reference level. Yep, I'm over THX for homes.

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## Moondog55

THX is great, so long as you apply the correct template. 80dB is no different to your ears , it doesn't depend on the surroundings.
 80dB at your listening position is 80dB at your listening position
But at the commercial theatre they may need 3+ kilowatts of power to do it with that 20dB of headroom
Music I normally listen to at concert level, that's 90 to 95dB but you only need 6dB of headroom there. That 20dB of headroom in THX is mainly for the SFX
80dB plus 20dB for SFX is only 100dB, quite safe for small exposures even adding in the +6dB for the bass it is still not deafeningly loud for those small exposures.
Back to the OPs question
Pix and system description please
Jaycar could help with replacement woofer for the sub but I'm not enamoured with the current drivers available there

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## PlatypusGardens

The only thing better than lots of bass is more bass    :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:  :Biggrin:

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## Moondog55

http://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/...ifications.pdf  http://www.parts-express.com/pedocs/...ions-46179.pdf  Dayton Audio DCS450-4 18" Classic Subwoofer 4 Ohm Dayton Audio RSS460HO-4 18" Reference HO Subwoofer 4 ohm  
I so want to bring home 4 of each

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## Moondog55

Mind you that is only because they have sold out of the ones I want  Dayton Audio UM18-22 18" Ultimax DVC Subwoofer 2 ohms Per Coil
I've heard the big boys and they have real authority down below 40 Hz

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## PlatypusGardens

Drool

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## woodbe

> THX is great, so long as you apply the correct template. 80dB is no different to your ears , it doesn't depend on the surroundings.
>  80dB at your listening position is 80dB at your listening position
> But at the commercial theatre they may need 3+ kilowatts of power to do it with that 20dB of headroom
> Music I normally listen to at concert level, that's 90 to 95dB but you only need 6dB of headroom there. That 20dB of headroom in THX is mainly for the SFX
> 80dB plus 20dB for SFX is only 100dB, quite safe for small exposures even adding in the +6dB for the bass it is still not deafeningly loud for those small exposures.

  The reference is 85db. 
THX Reference level is based on pink noise. Unless your movie is only pink noise, you are going to expose your listeners to way more (and less) than 85db + 20db headroom in particular frequencies.     THX reference level explained - Acoustic Frontiers 
The best testing method is to play the most dramatic movies you enjoy and use a calibrated C weighted SPL meter with peak hold at your listening positions. Then take the meter readings down to your hearing specialist and ask if they approve and if you are likely to experience hearing loss.

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## dabba

> Subs are very important in home theatre
> One possible solution [ the one I use at the moment] is multiple small cheap units, small being 100 to 200 watts units with 10 or 12 inch drivers.
> However if it's just the sub driver blown why not just replace the driver?
> Pictures and details of the sub in question and we could probably recommend a simple replacement unit, from $80- to about $300- assuming the inboard amp is still OK.
> I was lucky when Strathfield were shutting down and got 7 good subs for $99- each
> A better solution is often a couple of good car subs in passive boxes and a decent cheap old stereo to drive them

  Hi 
I've added some photos: 
Now before people get upset, the sub and rest of the existing speakers are low end in terms of quality and probably budget, but I'm content with the speakers for now (apart from the issue with the sub). 
I have a 7.1 setup - front high, left, right and centre plus surround.
The brand is DB dynamics for sub, front high/L&R and centre. I've got studio acoustic for the surround. 
Sub spec: 
Stratos mk2.8 sw80
8ohms
100w RMS
Freq 40-100hz 
Let me know your thoughts if can be repaired or need to acquire a different one.
Kind of keen on the idea of making repairs if possible, guess that's what these forums are all about, providing help and support... 
Thanks

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## PlatypusGardens

Haha my surround "system" is made up of an old Sherwood receiver, 3 different pairs of 3-way speakers and some random powered sub   :Tongue:

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## dabba

> Haha my surround "system" is made up of an old Sherwood receiver, 3 different pairs of 3-way speakers and some random powered sub

  Yes no expense spared with this system.!!
So in your opinion, worth repairing or time to upgrade?

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## Moondog55

It's always time for an upgrade
Seriously tho if it is just the woofer voice coil gone then replacing the driver is going to be the cheapest option
Could you please measure the box and the driver diameter for me, even better if you could take the driver out and measure the actual cutout diameter too
If that plate amp is the normal nominal size it is an 8inch driver, which is a touch on the small side for a sub.
If you do decide to "Upgrade" keep in mind that the "best" sound will be if all the speakers in the system match as closely as possible
If you were closer I'd offer you a set very cheaply but freight from here to Sydney would wipe out any real saving
I just upgraded most of ours and I have 5 boxes here doing nothing

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## PlatypusGardens

> Yes no expense spared with this system.!!
> So in your opinion, worth repairing or time to upgrade?

  Well....as Moondog said, if it's just the driver, it's an easy and probably quite cheap fix.  
if you want to upgrade the WHOLE system......fix the sub, sell the whole lot as a working system and put the $$$ towards the upgrade?    :Smilie:

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## Moondog55

Pioneer Sub &#47; Woofer Parts 8 ohm 65 watts 6 inch | Speakers | Gumtree Australia Strathfield Area - Strathfield | 1101591052  Lanzar MAXP84 Max Pro 8-Inch 800 Watt Small Enclosure 4 Ohm Subwoofer | Other Audio | Gumtree Australia The Hills District - Bella Vista | 1108537560  8 Paper Cone Woofer | Component Speakers | Hi Fi Speakers & Accessories | Sight & Sound - Home | PRODUCTS | CW2196 | Jaycar Electronics 
If the volume of the existing box is around 20 litres the little Jaycar woofer is an excellent choice, it is better than the price and specifications would suggest and it is cheap, all you would need to do is get some fibreglass and stuff the box completely with loose FG and use that loose synthetic in the box at the moment to fill the port

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