I found this link to SVS that shows how to compensate for the bass rolloff in Radio Shack meters. While it doesn't deal with your general problem, it might help your tuning.

http://www.svsubwoofers.com/faq_rscomp.htm

Hey, all. It looks like it was a combination of too low a crossover setting, and the speaker needing to break in. I also stuffed the box with 2lb of poly-fill, and re-sealed the driver. D'Arbingal was over this weekend, and we listened to some music and screened the Two Towers.

As if for confirmation, while watching the scene where the Nazgul is flying over the swamp on the dragon, a friend of mine walked in. It was his first time to my house. He had parked a block away because he didn't know where the house was. He said he just followed the bass.

-Joe



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Remember the Intellivision?
http://www.gotmaille.com/nostalgia/

Appreciate the feedback.

Glad to hear you're up and running.

Nostalgia,
Two Towers is a good DVD to test your sub. Just curious, what kind of IC cable are you using for your Shiva? In the past, I was told about lower frequency signals being less susceptible to EMI so I didn’t worry much about using my budget priced ($12) A.R. subwoofer cable and my Shiva sounded fine. At least that’s what I thought until I stumbled into higher grade subwoofer cables. Recently, out of a curiosity, I looked up some consumer reviews on IC cables and was drawn to a subwoofer cable by Analysis Plus. People say it really makes the difference so I decided to give it a try with a plan to return it if the improvement wasn’t big enough to justify the price tag ($79 for 9 foot cable from Audio Advisor).
If you haven’t, I’ll say Analysis Plus sub cable is definitely worth a consideration. If I own a $99 subwoofer, I doubt that a cable like this would make that much of a difference but for a fine driver like Shiva, higher quality cable will make it even better. Right out of the box, it made the bass smoother and more defined. They say it gets better once broken in. I can’t wait! In Two Towers, when that dragon flies over the marsh land, the whole floor of my apartment was shaking each time it flaps the wings and the sound was so clean! Good news for the tenant below me, I’m moving out in a month. I’m keeping my Analysis Plus cable.


[This message has been edited by Spiker (edited September 23, 2003).]

Spiker,

I'm using a cable I built. It's twisted pair cable with Neutrik Pro-Fi ends on it. Besides that, my cables have a whopping 3' run, so I don't think spending ludicrous amounts of money on them will buy me anything.

So, someone claims a cable will sound better once broken in? I'd be curious to see data on that claim.

-Joe

------------------
Remember the Intellivision?
http://www.gotmaille.com/nostalgia/

Nostalgia,

That twisted pair cable with Neutrik Pro-Fi ends sounds interesting. Would I be able to get some details on this? I would like to try a DIY sub cable. If I do, perhaps I can compare side by side between this and Analysis Plus and post a message about it.

Thanks.

Sure. When I get home, I'll start a new thread with some pictures in the Outlaw to Outlaw section.

All I did was take some MTX twisted pair interconnects I had lying around and snip off the ends. I then bought the Neutrik Pro-Fis and soldered them on. Cake and pie.

-Joe

------------------
Remember the Intellivision?
http://www.gotmaille.com/nostalgia/

Okay, I know I am opening up the dreaded cable topic, but just how does a cable get "broken in?" I mean, how does the molecular structure of the wire change after the first "X" amount of hours it is used so that it is controlled to be "better?" What type of quality control does the wire manufacturer have to make sure that the new cables always behave the same way as they are "breaking in?" Do the electrons really notice the difference? I have a 16' run to my sub, the cost of exotic cables would cost more than the sub, well maybe not more than the sub but you get my drift.

Alejate,

a simple way to settle this argument is to get 2 pairs of same speaker cable and use one pair for a while. Then switch it with the unused pair and see if there are any differences. I have not had the urge to do this because I am content with the cables I have now and if they only get better as time passes (theoretically), I’ll just take that as a bonus.

I do not have the full understanding of speaker cable aging process but even if I do, I’m not sure what I’ll do with it unless I am an audio cable designer working for some John Doe company. However, what I do care to know is which cable will optimize the performance of my audio system and which will be a waste of money. If I am a Ferrari owner, I would make sure the tires on it is compatible which will give the tractions needed to accelerate and turn fast as the car is designed to. On the other hand, if I own a Honda Civic (good car for the price) I wouldn’t spend $2K plus on tires and expect it to run like Ferrari. Optimization is the key here.

By the way, I did hear such terms as copper “oxidation” and “skin-effect”. I’m not sure if those terms are related to your argument.

Oxidation is not part of the "break in" period. I liked your car reference, but again you don't initially change the tires on the day of purchase of the Ferrari. So what is this "break in" period for wires since they have no moving parts nor do they give up any of their property, (you know, laws of matter)? Not questioning different qualities of wires, just the break-in period concept. May be this needs to go to a different thread since it's starting to get off the original topic. And then, what about the break-in period for the wires in the pre amp, and the amp, and the speakers, and the sub's amp and speaker, ... . How long do you wait for all these wires to break-in? How will you know when your speaker wires are broken in since you are not even sure your connecting cables are broke in yet?