Hi,

I have an HSU VTF-3 MK3 subwoofer. There are physical settings (knobs) on the sub and I'm not sure what to set them at. Please advice.

Volume: I have the volume set half way. Should I set it to max or could that hurt it?

Phase:
0 Degree or
180 Degree.
It is set to 0.

Bass Extension:
1 port open or with turbo 18Hz
2 ports open with no turbo 25Hz
I have it set to 2 ports open with no turbo since I don't have the turbo attachment.

Cross Over Frequency:
30Hz - 90 Hz
I have it set to 90 Hz

Cross Over
Out
In
I have it set to IN

Thanks,
Danny

The volume setting at half way is fine - that's the typical starting place for sub calibration. If you found yourself applying significant adjustment in the 990's menu, you might think about adjusting up or down. Setting the volume too high at the sub won't necessarily hurt it, but it could lead you to set a significant negative channel trim - this can lead to a subwoofer signal that is too weak to trip the sub's auto sensing trigger, leaving the sub turned off when you want to be using it.

The typical approach to setting the phase control is to play a test tone and toggle between the two. Whichever position produces the loudest sound is where you leave it. The 990's manual test tone can be used for this purpose.

I'd recommend setting the Cross Over to "Out" (which bypasses the sub's crossover). This is because the 990 is already providing bass management, and applying a second crossover (especially at 90Hz, where it lands very close to the crossovers you are likely to select in the 990) gives you two crossovers both operating in the same range. At best, this causes a dip in frequency response as the two crossover slopes combine. At worst, having a lower crossover at the sub than at the 990 will actually create a small hole in frequency response.

The HSU sub's are not toys to easily break my friend. How about reading the manual for a change? Believe it or not, it does help.

That's harsh. Give the guy a break - we all were new to this hobby once.

I did read the manual. I wanted to make sure I had the right settings. This is my first home theater system.

Thanks gonk for your help. I changed the crossover to out.

Glad to help, cugine - and glad to have you in the saloon.

Agreed, gonk. If I recall an earlier post of yours, getech, you were stuck on how to actually get DVD-Audio out of your wonderful Pioneer DVD player ( hmmm - oh yeah, this post ) - a question that surely the Pioneer's manual, nor the Outlaw 990's manual could ever hope to answer (although pg. 21 of the latter seems clear to me...) - a question so incredibly nuanced and complex that surely even a simple Google search ( e.g., like this one ) would almost certainly be entirely insufficient - and yet, despite the enormity of your problem, you happily received some great help from the people in this forum.

So, if I were you, I might take it easy on the other people asking for help - and just return the favor if you can.

Brian,

Very well stated with excellently documented proof. I would hire you if you were an attorney.

FWIW, I love that sub. Have the same model. I have it set up with volume at about 10:00, crossover OUT, phase at O.

Oh, and I have it set at one port open, using the supplied foam plug to obstruct the other. Goes deeper this way, and I really don't need the additional volume gained with two ports. I don't have the turbo either.