Polk Audio RMSERIES RM7500 Switchable Phase Alignment Toggle Subwoofer Volume Control

ADJUSTING THE POWERED

SUBWOOFER

The specially finished PSW650 Powered Subwoofer included in your RM7500 System features two 10-inch direct radiating drivers, 250-watt power amplifier, and dual Power Port bass ports. It offers a wide range of setting options. To perfectly optimize this subwoofer we recommend the following settings as starting points, but the option that is best for you depends on your electronics, main speakers and per- sonal taste. After you have become familiar with what the settings do, experiment with alternate options to find the method that works best for your system.

SUBWOOFER SETTINGS (Figure 9)

On the back of the subwoofer, you will see the following controls:

•Variable Low Pass Crossover Control

•+3dB Switchable Bass Boost Switch (to boost output of low output subwoofer output jacks)

•High Pass Crossover Toggle

The “80 Hz” setting provides extra bass filtering for front satellites. The “Full Range” setting provides best performance in most cases.

•Switchable Phase Alignment Toggle

•The Subwoofer Volume Control

is found under the logo pod on the front of the subwoofer.

These controls allow you to optimize perfor- mance of the powered subwoofer to match your audio system, room acoustics, and program material.

VARIABLE LOW PASS CROSSOVER (Figure 9)

This control adjusts the frequency range over which the subwoofer operates. It only affects signals that are sent through the line level, subwoofer and speaker level inputs. It has no effect on signals fed into the LFE input.

RECOMMENDED CROSSOVER SETTINGS — ON WALL & OFF WALL

Mounting your right and left front satellites on the wall tends to increase their bass. Mounting them on stands away from the sides of the room tends to decrease their bass. If you mount the satellites on the wall, we recommend setting your variable crossover control at a lower setting. (Figure 10) If you mount the satellites on stands, we recommend setting your variable crossover control at a higher setting.

(Figure 11)

FIGURE 10 FIGURE 11

Generally, turning the knob “up” (clockwise) will add more “warmth” to the bass and lower midrange, possibly at the sacrifice of bass “tightness” and midrange clarity. Conversely, turning the knob “down” (counter clockwise) will make the bass and lower midrange sound “thinner.”

FIGURE 9a

5

SUBWOOFER LEVEL CONTROL (Figure 9a)

Subwoofer level is adjusted via the knob

on the front of the subwoofer under the logo pod. Play a piece of music that has an aver- age amount of bass content. Start with the knob set to “5” and the Phase switch set to “normal.” Adjust by ear using a wide variety of CDs and video sources. Adjust for deep, powerful bass without “boominess.”

SWITCHABLE PHASE ALIGNMENT (Figure 9)

Changing the phase of your subwoofer can affect its bass “attack.” If the bass sounds muddy or unclear, try toggling the phase control. Have someone else switch between the two settings while you sit in your favorite listening position. Use music with good bass (preferably “plucked” string bass) and a deep male vocal. When you hear the best balance of deep bass and natural lower octaves of the male voice, you have achieved optimum phase tuning.

FIGURE 9

+3dB BASS BOOST (Figure 9)

In most cases, this switch should be set to “0.” If you have hooked up your subwoofer from a subwoofer output or pre-out jacks and cannot get enough bass output even with the subwoofer level control turned all the way up, switch to the +3dB position. In typical systems where the 3dB boost is not needed, this switch can be useful for providing a quick boost for bass-shy program material. Most people prefer more bass out- put for movies than music so you can use this switch as a handy way to adjust bass levels as you switch between movie

to music sources.

HIGH PASS CROSSOVER—

SPEAKER LEVEL (Figure 9)

Most systems will sound best with the toggle set to “Full Range.” The “80 Hz” setting is recommended only if you frequently play your system at extremely high levels and prefer hook-up options 2 (a & b). Adjust variable low pass upward if you make use of this feature.

12 13