User's Manual
17
Troubleshooting
The Sunfire Subwoofer is expertly
designed and built to provide years of
trouble-free performance. Most
problems that occur can usually be
solved by checking your setup or
making sure that the components
connected to the amplifier are on and
fully operational.
The following information will help you
deal with common problems you may
experience during normal use. If a
problem still persists, please contact
your Sunfire Dealer for assistance.
Not enough bass
• Check that the input connections are
going to the input terminals and not the
output terminals. In other words, the
connections from your preamplifier
must go to the subwoofer’s line level
inputs instead of the line level high
pass outputs. If they are connected to
the outputs by mistake, the bass will be
weak but the subwoofer will still
function.
• If your preamplifier has a single
subwoofer/LFE output jack, make sure
it connects to the subwoofer’s Left
(Mono) input. If the bass is still not
enough after checking all the remaining
points, use a Y cable to connect the
preamplifier’s single subwoofer/LFE
output to the subwoofer’s right and left
inputs.
• Make certain the woofer is in a corner
location, firing at 45 degrees into the
walls formed by the corner. This is not
absolutely essential, but will maximize
the bass output and give the smoothest
possible response. If you place the unit
so one of the drivers is firing into one of
the walls, leave three inches of
clearance between the driver and the
wall.
• Home theater preamplifiers usually
have a way of adjusting the level of the
subwoofer/LFE output, either using a
remote control or with a small volume
knob on the back panel. Make sure that
this is adjusted correctly.
• If the preamplifier’s subwoofer/LFE
output has an adjustable crossover
frequency, make sure that the
subwoofer’s own crossover point is set
higher or part of the bass range will be
missing.
Not enough bass in a 5.1
system
• 5.1 home theater preamplifiers usually
have a bass management system which
allows the bass to be redirected among
your speakers. For example, the bass
normally present in the front speakers
can be redirected to play in the
subwoofer, or the subwoofer can play
the bass from all the speakers, in
addition to its dedicated LFE (low
frequency effects) channel. Make sure
that all of the bass management options
are correctly set. The preamplifier may
have a way of turning the subwoofer
output off entirely, so check that it is
always on.
• Check that the preamplifier calibration
procedure is correctly adjusted. Usually,
the preamp will send a test tone through
all the speakers in your system,
allowing you to adjust (trim) the volume
of each channel until they are all playing
at the same level.
• If the bass is weak only when playing
5.1 surround sources, check that your
preamplifier is correctly set to decode
the 5.1 surround modes, such as Dolby
Digital or DTS.
• Some DVD discs have a menu which
allows you to select which soundtrack to
play. Check that the correct 5.1
surround audio soundtrack is selected,
otherwise it may just play stereo into
your preamp and you won’t get the true
LFE signal into the subwoofer.