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Hello, a while ago I got an ancient home cinema set for next to nothing from a relative that needed to clear out their storage. It's a JVC RX-ES1SL 5.1 receiver and is old enough to have SCART connectors. The speakers and sub sound great using optical out from my TV, but I can only get stereo that way and there's a 100ish ms lag that I can compensate for on the TV settings, but that really fucks up video games. I'm thinking of replacing just the receiver with something a bit more up to speed and was looking at the Denon AVR-S660H. Are there any red flags with that one? I just need 5.1 output and it seems relatively future-proof with 8k and VRR capabilities.
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Nov 26, 2023 15:58
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Fozzy The Bear posted:For those with the budget, Ascend is having a sale on their shiny black speakers: How would the bookshelfs do with a Sonos amp? I'm debating getting these or the KEFs on sale with a Sonos amp or just saying gently caress it and getting Sonos speakers. I already have a few of the Sonos 1s that I like for the convenience. Need more sound in the basement though.
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Nov 26, 2023 18:20
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Google Butt posted:Would the tritrix mtm TL tower kit be a significant upgrade over my old rear end pioneer sp-52's in a home theater and music listening scenario? This is a 3.1 setup, but music in 2.1. It might be an upgrade, but probably not. Especially not a significant upgrade. I don't think I would bother unless you can identify something specific that you dislike about the Pioneers that the tower kit solves. Geemer posted:Hello, a while ago I got an ancient home cinema set for next to nothing from a relative that needed to clear out their storage. Seems like a good choice for your requirements. I haven't heard anything bad about the S660H. CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK fucked around with this message at 18:49 on Nov 26, 2023 |
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Nov 26, 2023 18:40
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Lowness 72 posted:How would the bookshelfs do with a Sonos amp? Are you able to plug regular speakers into Sonos amps? I don't know anything about Sonos.
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Nov 26, 2023 21:19
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CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK posted:It might be an upgrade, but probably not. Especially not a significant upgrade. I don't think I would bother unless you can identify something specific that you dislike about the Pioneers that the tower kit solves. Gotcha, would that also apply to the amiga mt's?
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Nov 26, 2023 21:31
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The Sonos amp would give you more flexibility, you can’t really add more inputs to the speakers on their own.
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Nov 26, 2023 21:51
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CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK posted:Seems like a good choice for your requirements. I haven't heard anything bad about the S660H. Thanks. Guess I'll look around for a good price next paycheck.
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Nov 26, 2023 21:55
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Google Butt posted:Gotcha, would that also apply to the amiga mt's? Hmm. Looks like you get a more bass extension(35hz for the Amiga, mid 50hz for the Pioneer), and the top end(10khz+) of the Amiga is be tuned a more neutral compared to the Pioneer. This is just based on the description and specs for the Amiga. I couldn't find any measurements for them. Though if you have a subwoofer, then the bass extension part doesn't really matter. Both appear to be aiming for a neutral tuning. I don't think the Amiga MTs will disappoint, but after the initial wow phase wears off and you compare them directly against the Pioneers, the difference may not be as big as you first thought. And that's not because the Amiga's are bad, but because the Pioneers were really good performers for their price. imo when looking for upgrades, identify one or maybe two things that you want to see improved from your current set up and work from there. Whether it's more SPL output, lower bass extension, different tuning, wider soundstage, etc and then see what you can find. CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Nov 26, 2023 |
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Nov 26, 2023 22:04
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Ended up grabbing an Arylic B50 and a pair of Q150's. It sounds great to me! eArc just worked so far, no hiccups in setup so far though I'm always suspicious of hdmi stuff just dying for no reason because of weird negotiation issues. Fingers crossed.. PC HDMI to TV, eArc to the B50, and optical on the B50 to a pi I already had setup (with a board that gives it optical) as a streambox for music off the NAS or wherever. Thanks, thread!
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Nov 27, 2023 00:31
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What's the thread's opinion on DefTech's ProCinema line of speakers? I'm looking at this bundle, and I easily see myself using the 5.1 set-up until I can spring for a couple Sierra Towers and then make it a full 7.1 set-up. But if DefTech's procinema line are generally crap or overpriced to begin with, I'll look elsewhere. https://www.accessories4less.com/ma...-package/1.html AlternateNu fucked around with this message at 02:18 on Nov 27, 2023 |
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Nov 27, 2023 02:11
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Those have 3” woofers, I’d avoid them. I had a 3.1 with the Promonitor 1000 bookshelves and 2000 center, it was ok but didn’t flip my wig. At higher volumes the tweeter sounded bright or sibilant in my room and since they’re sealed there’s not much bass. I’d say they’re ok for their size but they’re priced the same as what I think are better speakers.
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Nov 27, 2023 03:08
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I bought the KEF LS50 Metas. Nobody had shipping options less than two weeks out though so now I gotta wait.
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Nov 27, 2023 14:09
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Just wanted to let yall know that the Pioneer VSX-LX305 is currently on sale for $649 which is an absurd steal imo. Dirac Live, 9.2, HDMI 2.1 receiver. Definitely make sure the features are there that you want- notably the pre-out is limited, but woof. What a deal. I own one of these and they're fantastic. Just Dirac alone would be hard to live without at this point. https://www.adorama.com/pivsxlx305.html?sdtid=17073196&emailprice=t
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Nov 27, 2023 15:42
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Taima posted:Just wanted to let yall know that the Pioneer VSX-LX305 is currently on sale for $649 which is an absurd steal imo. The funny part is if you go into the Adorama website cold and look the LX305 up, it's listed for $750. You need to go through the email link Taima posted to get the extra $100 off. So....thanks for that! 
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Nov 27, 2023 22:44
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So, this is kind of an rear end in a top hat short fuse ask, but can anyone give me a recommendation for a 7.1 setup for under $2,500? Tower speakers for the front two preferred. Smaller, wall-mountable (wireless?) preferred for the rear speakers. I'm not huge on asthetics as long as the colors are fairly neutral and works with the above Pioneer LX305.
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Nov 27, 2023 23:01
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AlternateNu posted:So, this is kind of an rear end in a top hat short fuse ask, but can anyone give me a recommendation for a 7.1 setup for under $2,500? Tower speakers for the front two preferred. Smaller, wall-mountable (wireless?) preferred for the rear speakers. I'm not huge on asthetics as long as the colors are fairly neutral and works with the above Pioneer LX305. Taking advantage of the SVS outlet sale could get you a solid 7.1 a bit over budget (they don't have prime centers in black ash, only the upcharged gloss, so you might as well bump up to the ultra since they're all timbre matched anyway):  5.0.2 option for $1900 or 5.1.2 for $2600 - would not jump on this unless you know you like Klipsch sound though: https://slickdeals.net/f/17098180-klipsch-reference-premiere-speakers-2x-rp-8060fa-ii-rp-504c-ii-2x-rp-502s-ii-1899-more-free-s-h
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Nov 27, 2023 23:43
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The RP series is both good and less uhhh Klipschy sounding Also man that seems like a good price I got my 8000F no atmos for more, on a good sale at the time I got em, dang.
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Nov 28, 2023 00:02
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One more suggestion, you could also grab some cheaper in-wall speakers for your sides/rears and drop more on the L/R/Center/Sub. 4 of these for instance: https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=34199 for $200 would help you spend more where it matters.
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Nov 28, 2023 00:26
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bird with big dick posted:I bought the KEF LS50 Metas. Nobody had shipping options less than two weeks out though so now I gotta wait. I hope these don't look too stupid on my desk. I think with a little toe in the positioning should be okay but they're pretty deep. I measured a little and don't think they'll be too bad, we'll see. I'm justifying these since they're along the side of my "great room" they'll get used for music a lot rather than the sound bar hooked to the TV.
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Nov 28, 2023 19:11
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bird with big dick posted:I hope these don't look too stupid on my desk. I think with a little toe in the positioning should be okay but they're pretty deep. I measured a little and don't think they'll be too bad, we'll see. put a yoga block (or two, if they’re that deep) or wood block/etc under them for better sound. Bookshelf speakers generally do fine on a desk but you might find that there’s too much bass reflection/etc from the tabletop. Also ideally you wanna have the tweeters at ear level for best results when sitting at the desk also what color did you get? I hope it was blue (the correct color)
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Nov 28, 2023 19:57
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09H8N3L9W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1 I got some of these angled silicone stands to point my near field bookshelves at my head.
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Nov 28, 2023 20:43
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 https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=43241 quote:50 Watts per Speaker Designed to be desktop nearfield monitors, though they're kind big for that duty at 6"x14"x8". Not even close to as nice as the LS50 metas, but they were on sale for $215 during cyberblack frimonday. Today they're $20 cheaper so I pulled the trigger and plan to use them in my garage. I currently have a tiny powered 2.1 with built-in bluetooth that was <$50 on sale from a noname brand on newegg years ago. Even if this isn't audiophile tier stuff it should be a big upgrade - each of these is individually bigger than the current "sub" in the 2.1.
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Nov 28, 2023 21:25
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So, do I have to pay $350 for a license to use Dirac Live calibration with my new receiver? Also, the only Pioneer Elite model they have license for is VSX-LX805 when I ordered the LX305. Is that going to be an issue?
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Nov 29, 2023 01:35
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Ok Comboomer posted:put a yoga block (or two, if they’re that deep) or wood block/etc under them for better sound. Bookshelf speakers generally do fine on a desk but you might find that there’s too much bass reflection/etc from the tabletop. Also ideally you wanna have the tweeters at ear level for best results when sitting at the desk I bought some fancy stands that should be about right. At first I wanted blue and then I was going to get the gray because I like the red drivers but then I decided to get white. White desk, white stands, white speaker, white sub, white user.
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Nov 29, 2023 01:44
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AlternateNu posted:So, do I have to pay $350 for a license to use Dirac Live calibration with my new receiver? iirc you should have a one time licence with the LX305 when it arrives.
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Nov 29, 2023 02:04
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There’s levels of Dirac you can add on for managing multiple subwoofers and the like but it has a good version out of the box.
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Nov 29, 2023 03:11
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The soundbar keeps dropping signal when the AppleTV wants the VRR to kick in. Been an issue since I bought the thing but with these BF deals it’s getting harder not to pull the trigger on actual speakers. My cart currently has KEF 150s, a denon AVR-S960H and a Klipsch R-100SW subwoofer at under $900 before taxes. Assuming I can’t talk myself out of this, any red flags? The receiver seems like overkill but it’s only $50 more than the S660H.
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Nov 29, 2023 07:33
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Well Played Mauer posted:The soundbar keeps dropping signal when the AppleTV wants the VRR to kick in. Been an issue since I bought the thing but with these BF deals it’s getting harder not to pull the trigger on actual speakers. Seems like a nice set up, unless your room is huge and or you want to listen at really high volumes. Then you may want to step up to the Q350s or even some towers for more output. And paying 50 bux more for that receiver is a good call. A receiver will be with you for a while and some day you may want to add some extra channels. I would do the same.
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Nov 29, 2023 19:12
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Well Played Mauer posted:The soundbar keeps dropping signal when the AppleTV wants the VRR to kick in. Been an issue since I bought the thing but with these BF deals it’s getting harder not to pull the trigger on actual speakers. I would make sure it's the soundbar having trouble before replacing it. Is it hooked up via HDMI? Optical/headphone out? Something else? Try a different cable, if you have any devices that you can hook to the TV to test, you should do that too.
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Nov 29, 2023 19:47
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Me again, I've been watching things and also introduced my wife to a surround system at a friend's house. I'm trying to put together a budget 5.0 system, possibly adding a subwoofer down the road. Still not sure if I convince her to stretch the spend, but if I can, does this seem like a good deal? Denon AVR-S570B - $299 KEF Q150 pair - $350 KEF Q250c - $460 Polk Signature S10e pair - $120 Full setup ~$1200 Will be used with a LG C3 TV and PS5. No room to put surrounds more than a few inches behind the couch, so really want to go small on the surrounds.
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Nov 30, 2023 01:41
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Oryp posted:Me again, I've been watching things and also introduced my wife to a surround system at a friend's house. I'm trying to put together a budget 5.0 system, possibly adding a subwoofer down the road. Still not sure if I convince her to stretch the spend, but if I can, does this seem like a good deal? gently caress the surrounds (and center) and invest in bigger/better R+L or/and a sub IMO Surround is hella overrated unless you can fully invest in 5.1, etc. Good two channel, ideally with a decent sub is gonna get you way more mileage, especially in a space where you can’t really fit a ton of speaker or properly fit surrounds, etc. Two speakers and a sub will also probably keep your partner happier than trying to stick some wimpy surrounds around the couch and occupying the space on the entertainment unit with an admittedly good-sized center channel. your AVR seems solid enough, you can always add a center + surrounds in a year or two if you change your mind but good, bassy stereo will get you 90% of the way to “cinematic” Edit- If you want to keep the budget and make it easy: Keep the Q150, dump the center channel and the polks (ew). Put the $600 into an SVS SB 1000 Pro, maybe spend a bit more for one of the gloss finishes. You could also spend a bit more in the outlet and pick up a 3000 Micro for $750. Done. There are cheaper subs, but IDK what people recommend these days, whereas SVS is a safe top shelf pick for 99% of people IMO. I actually have one of the nicer Polk 8” subs, but an older one, that I bought from Craigslist for like $60 a decade ago that I use in occasional compact setups and like. I think the current iteration is like $399 normally or something ($199 on Accessories4Less). I’m sure that one’s prolly okay enough, but I’d wait for more knowledgeable goons to chime in. trilobite terror fucked around with this message at 02:20 on Nov 30, 2023 |
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Nov 30, 2023 02:06
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For sub recommendations: RSL Speedwoofer 10s for 450 USD Something from the SVS outlet store / Monoprice Monolith subwoofer that fits your budget. The SVS SB 1000 Pro isn't really worth it at 600 USD / full price. Polk Audio PSW 10 for 200 USD If you still want a center channel later, you can grab a single Kef Q350 from accessories4less and lay it sideways. The Q250C is overpriced for what it offers.
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Nov 30, 2023 03:16
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CAPTAIN CAPSLOCK posted:
☝️ or a 150 if you want to keep the drivers all the same size, but agreed
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Nov 30, 2023 03:26
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Dogen posted:The RP series is both good and less uhhh Klipschy sounding So, I ended up getting the RP II series set including the new 8060Fs w/ atmos. Something I didn't quite realize at the time was the Atmos upfires take up another channel, don't they? So, the pair of these things take up 4 channels already. This is what the back of it looks. And I guess while I'm here, I should ask about bi-amping. I'm assuming this means I can remove the bridging cables on the bottom two sets of jacks, and set up separate amps to cover the lows and the highs if I want to truly drive myself insane? (The top set of jacks, I'm assuming go to the upfires?)  Oh, and are there any cables you folks recommend? Or can I just use whatever RCA I have lying around?
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Nov 30, 2023 03:45
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AlternateNu posted:So, I ended up getting the RP II series set including the new 8060Fs w/ atmos. Something I didn't quite realize at the time was the Atmos upfires take up another channel, don't they? So, the pair of these things take up 4 channels already. Bi-amping is for dorks But yeah, atmos channels are their own channels, and require their own amplification separate from the front channels for obvious reasons Nice cables are nice but don’t spend more than like $20, monoprice built their brand on top-quality cables for fair prices if you don’t need them to look super fancy
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Nov 30, 2023 03:47
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LRADIKAL posted:I would make sure it's the soundbar having trouble before replacing it. Is it hooked up via HDMI? Optical/headphone out? Something else? Try a different cable, if you have any devices that you can hook to the TV to test, you should do that too. It’s been two Apple TVs, a Roku Ultra, and even does it with a Shield from time to time. Different cables, too. It’s always been an issue that unplugging and restarting the bar solves. Plugging stuff into the TV directly doesn’t cause the problem but creates sync issues with the bar. I should also mention both the TV and the bar are made by LG so you’d think this wouldn’t be a thing but maybe I just got a dud. Thanks for the feedback everyone. If I pull the trigger it’ll be with confidence!
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Nov 30, 2023 03:53
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dolby Atomos
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Nov 30, 2023 04:02
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AlternateNu posted:Oh, and are there any cables you folks recommend? Or can I just use whatever RCA I have lying around? Just to be clear: you want speaker cable to connect your AVR to your speakers. Do not use RCA cables(and you kinda can't anyways). 16 or 14 gauge is thick enough, unless you have like 50+ feet to cover then you may want to get 12 gauge. Even something like a roll of Amazon Basics speaker cable is fine. Copper is copper.
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Nov 30, 2023 04:10
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Ok Comboomer posted:Bi-amping is for dorks Yep it’s like another speaker inside your speaker, because they heard you like speakers (make sure you plug the atmos speakers in the appropriate place on your receiver and tell your receiver you have front atmos) Also yes bi amp/wire is dumb I bought a bunch of copper wire at home depot or Lowe’s or somewhere and terminated it myself ain’t gotta be fancy. But it does at least need to be speaker wire (RCA is low voltage).
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Nov 30, 2023 04:21
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Got my system in and installed it last night. New 65" coming tomorrow. Will recenter the bracket. Dirac live setup was pretty painless. Sounds loving awesome. Discovered one weird quirk with Pioneer AVRs. If your front L/Rs are powerful enough/cover enough range, it'll automatically shift all the bass to them, leaving the sub to languish. You actually have to go into the hardware settings and change your front speakers to "Small" for it to engage the sub. 
AlternateNu fucked around with this message at 14:42 on Dec 2, 2023 |
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Dec 2, 2023 14:38
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