I received the 950/770 combo on 1/3/03. The first 20 days were a somewhat enjoyable experience but also a frustrating one. Initial problems I had with the remote were addressed by Outlaw and resolved, although I'm still working on it, however, the questions I had about the 950 and my Velodyne 1500 subwoofer were not adequately answered. I am posting this subject as a last chance to try to get my questions answered before I decide to send the 950 processor back. Any suggestions are welcome since my 30 days with the unit are up on FEB 3. The 950/770 combo replaces a Lexicon CP3 processor with the Acurus 250w/ch, Acurus 200w/ch x3, and Adcom 60w/ch, plus the Velodyne f1500 250w powered subwoofer, which was basically a 7 channel system. My initial impressions are that the sound quality is good but more 2 dimensional and less spacious with an obvious improvement in surround effects and separation, however the Lexicon did not include Dolby Digital, DTS, ProLogic 2. My speaker system consists of Mirage M5si front L/R, MCsi center, and matched mini speakers at the sides and back surrounds and a Velodyne V1215 subwoofer with the back surrounds. The problem is this: I feel like I have almost lost all manual control of the Velodyne 1500's volume control when connected to the 950 processor. With the Lexicon, I had the Velodyne's line level inputs connected to the Lexicon main speaker L/R outputs which allowed me to still adjust bass levels at the Velodyne. The problem I am having with the 950 is that
1. When the subwoofer's line level input is connected to the 950 subwoofer output I get popping sounds from the subwoofer unless the 950's channel calibration subwoofer level is set at -15 which is its' lowest level and the subwoofer volume is set at 2 1/2 which is close to turning the subwoofer off.( The subwoofer's internal amp volume level can range from 0 to 10). I am not able to turn the subwoofer volume up above these levels because the subwoofer starts to make the popping sounds and since I can't turn the subwoofer level up at the 950 or the velodyne there's been a noticeable decrease in bass impact and slam. The bass sounds anemic at times with movies that were totally impressive before. All levels were calibrated with the 950 at "00" reference volume level and a radioshack sound meter set at 72 Db c-weighting. I also tried to connect the subwoofer's line level to the 950's main front speaker outputs using "y" connectors (with the front speaker conf. set to large and subwoofer off and on) but I still hear the popping sound if I turn the subwoofer's volume up past the 2 1/2 setting. I have tried with the 950's analog bass management switch on and off. Bass impact and slam is critical for my enjoyment of movie soundtracks so I hope someone can shed light on this problem. I also hope my explanation of the problem is understandable.

Have you tried hooking your 1215 up to the sub out on the 950 to rule out the possibility that the 1500 isn't just blown. You mentioned that you used a Y connector to pull signal from the main output. When you tried that did the mains have the same popping as the sub? That would tell you if there was a signal problem.

Also feed one of your front mains with the sub output and listen for the popping from that output

It sounds like you have some problem with the subwoofer itself. The 950 can hang with the best of them, and it certainly will not cause pops in your subwoofer. I would investigate further, as what you are experiencing is NOT a characteristic of the 950. Try hooking the sub to other sources and see if it pops in those circumstances. A call to Outlaw wouldn't be a bad idea also, as they may have some suggesions to track down any potential problems.

Thanks for the suggestions gunslingers. After the problem was posted I tried one more thing. Instead of using the line level inputs from the Velodyne sub to the 950's sub output I used the speaker level terminals on the Velodyne. Basically I connected the main front speakers (Mirages M5si) to the Velodyne and from the Velodyne back to the 770 amps main speaker output. I bypassed the 950's sub output. FOR some reason connecting the Velodyne's line level inputs to the 950's sub output results in noticebly less bass output and its not as deep. I now hear more, deeper bass with the impact that I was used to and the overall sound has improved. I can also adjust the volume at the sub without increasing the frequency (occurance) of the popping sounds . However I still heard an occasional popping sound at the subwoofer when playing movies, some times with loud passages (explosions) and sometimes with not so loud passages. I have not heard the popping sound when playing music even at high volumes. The subwoofer sounds clear and powerful when playng my Cd's. I am going to substitute the sub with an identical one within the next couple of weeks to see if the popping persists. I'm still perplexed with this popping problem since it was not occuring with the lexicon.

Manuel,

If someone near you who owns a 950 could visit you with their 950, or if you could visit them with your 950, you could find if substituting another 950 solves your problem. Where are you located?

Will

[This message has been edited by Will (edited January 26, 2003).]

To Will (Gunslinger).
Thanks for the suggestion but I don't know anyone else who owns the 950 as yet. I live in Chicago.

To Keta (Gunslinger).
When I used the Y connector to pull signal from the mains output, the mains did not make the popping sound.

Manuel,
What a coincidence. I have never posted to a forum until now although I have been lurking here for many months. For Christmas I replaced my entire home theater with the 950/755 as the core. I kept my Klipsch 10" sub however. As movies became more dynamic in the bass, I had quite alarming pops with explosions and sudden loud noises. I had hoped that a new processor and dvd would solve this problem but it continued. It was clear to me that the bass cone or magnet was crashing into the cage with considerable force, in spite of reduced levels. I thought about a high pass filter to eliminate sub-sonic frequency or what I suspected was pure d.c voltage in a brief burst. My subwoofer cable is a Monster specialty cable that has an oddly configured splitter which plugs into both left and right subwoofer inputs. According to Monster this configuration increases bass impact and signal strength for more powerful bass. After removing this splitter I have yet to encounter a pop, even when replaying scenes which consistantly caused a problem. I figure that I was over-driving the sub with this cable. I like the sound better and I was possibly listening to some clipping all along. Hope this helps your situation some as I feel you would have better bass if you drove the sub with line level input instead of speaker level- especially for movies.

to Neal I have heard the pops thru the subwoofers line level inputs and thru the speaker level inputs although its less frequent with the speaker level inputs which is my current hook up. In my case I get better bass and am able to adjust the bass and maintain it at my prefered listening level at the subwoofer when using the speaker level inputs. I still get the occasional pop, most recently when playing the Mechassult XBOX video game. I have heard the popping with the movie Independence Day and Star Wars episode 11. When I use the line level input I had to lower the volume at the sub to avoid an increase in the popping sound. I've been away for 10 days and have not been playing any movies but I will start experimenting again. Thanks for the suggestion and any other ideas are most welcome.