Deadman31

Ive had my HT setup for a while now, but lately Ive noticed few things that led me to following questions(I have a Sony 845 reciever).
1.Subwoofer-My subwoofer came from a ht in a box. I think it is a passive subwoofer. What is the difference btwn active and passive?

2.LFE mix-What exactly is this? Should I only use it with DTS?

3.Settings-should I set the SW to a negative setting(-10) or should it be positive?

any help is greatly appreciated

Kenshin

The difference is:

passive is powered by the receiver

active is powered by its own amp

palebluedot

1. A passive subwoofer has no built in amplifier. Either your receiver must power the sub or you need an external amplifier. An active subwoofer has it's own built in amp and all you need is a RC connection from the LFE output on your receiver.

2. LFE stands for low frequency effects. It's the .1 in 5.1 for DD5.1 and DTS. In DD5.1 and DTS each channel is discrete. So 5.1 means left, center, right, right rear, left rear and sub. So the LFE channel is the subwoofer channel. The LFE is on in DD5.1 and DTS.

3. I can't answer your question about where to set the LFE to because I don't know your equipment. Your manual would probably give you an "optimal settings" section and I would follow that. You definitely don't want to push your sub.

Centurion

1. Already answered.
2. If I'm not mistaken, an LFE mix means an audio signal sent to the subwoofer from your L/R main channels because of the low frequency of the signal. If you're familiar with what a 'crossover' does then this is basically the same thing. The best way to determine if you should use it with DTS is to play any DTS soundtrack and perform an A/B test. Let your ears be your guide.
3. I'm not sure what you're describing here, but I'm assuming you're referring to the decibel level (or volume) of the subwoofer output. This is a necessary adjustment to ensure you're not flooding the entire room with bass. Again, let your ears decide. Remember to keep in mind the more negative (-) the setting the lower the volume. The closer you get to a zero decibel level, the louder the volume.

palebluedot

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Centurion

Quote:

2. If I'm not mistaken, an LFE mix means an audio signal sent to the subwoofer from your L/R main channels because of the low frequency of the signal. If you're familiar with what a 'crossover' does then this is basically the same thing. The best way to determine if you should use it with DTS is to play any DTS soundtrack and perform an A/B test. Let your ears be your guide.

The LFE mix in DD5.1 and DTS is a discrete channel, not a sumation of the lower frequencies going to the L/R mains. The amount of bass that goes to the mains is determined in the receiver setup for "small" or "large" speakers. Now in 2 channel stereo mode the LEF channel is a sumation of the L/R mains.