My woofer won't stop barking...


I am using a new Earthquake SuperNova MKIV 10" subwoofer driven by the Sub Out from my H-K Signature 2.0 pre/pro. I am using a decent quality 25' RCA cable to connect from the pre/pro to the sub. My main speakers are Paradigm Studio 80s, fairly large floorstanders.

If I turn up the volume on the sub even a little bit (10% or more of total excursion of the pot) it constantly "growls". Changing the phase or cutoff freq. do not change this behavior. I can clearly hear the sub during quiet passages in music or movies, surely this is not right.

Is this indicative of a problem with the Sub Out on my pre/pro? Anybody know how to fix this problem?

Thx,

-RW-
rlwainwright
Try using the main outs with a "y" cable if neccesary. Set the sub's internal xover and run your mains full range and see what happens. If it stops growling, then it is your processor. You aren't using the processor xover and the sub xover at the same time are you?
>> Try using the main outs with a "y" cable if neccesary. <<

Okay, I'll check tonite to see if I have a spare Main Out to do this.

>> You aren't using the processor xover and the sub xover at the same time are you? <<

I'm not sure if this is true or not. The H-K allows me to specify the size of the main/center/surround speakers to Large or Small. The mains are set to Large and the rest are set to Small. There is also a setting for Subwoofer On/Off, obviously I have it set to On. In addition, there is a setting for Subwoofer Trim, specified in + or - db, I have it set to 0db.

The subwoofer allows me to set Level (from 8 o'clock to 4 o'clock), I have it set at approx. 10 o'clock. Phase is set at 0 deg., the other choice is 180 deg. The lowpass filter (24 db per octave) is variable from 40 - 160 Hz, I have it set at approx. 60 Hz.

-RW-
i have a barking sub when i use it with my HK,also center ch. makes a barking sound too,,i just figured my HK to blame,,will take it to get fixed sooner or later,im listening in 2ch mode now,,,
It could very well be RFI/EM noise being picked up by the long I/C. I would try a low noise shielded A/V cable made for subs along with the Y-adapter.
Rlwainwright, the "Y" cable is to be used if you don't have a spare main out. You can split the main outs and send one pair to the sub and the other to the amp. If you have a spare main out you don't need the "y" cables.
Try unhooking your CATV. If it is pluged into your VCR or TV or cable box it can affect any equipment in your system. If there is a grounding problem (which there often is) it will show up in your subwoofer. Mondial Magic will take care of this 95% of the time.

Good luck!
Thanks for all the responses, folks, they are greatly appreciated. Since I'm a cheap bastid, I will commence to un-plugging the cable tonite and see what that brings.

I am also wondering if not using a subwoofer-specific RCA cable could be part of the problem. Anyone have any thoughts on that?

Thx,

-RW-