XMC-2 Dual Subwoofer Setup

[Afford-HiFi]

Hey Everyone,

I just finished building two DIY Dayton Audio 15" subwoofers for my media room.  To power the subwoofers I am using a Crown XLS-2502 amplifier.

I have read through the XMC-2 manual but am a little confused as to what the proper settings should be for two subwoofers.  When I had one subwoofer I used the "center sub" channel and it was set to LFE.  What is the proper way to hook up two subwoofers?  Do I use the left and right subwoofer connections and leave the center sub left open? 

I appreciate any thoughts.

James

[ttocs]

When setting the Center Sub as LFE, only LFE is sent to the subwoofer connected to this output. No Bass Management will be sent to this output.

If you have speakers set as Large in the processor, AND the Center Sub is set as LFE, then Bass Management will be sent to the Large Speakers.

With two subwoofers, you can connect them to the Left and Right Subwoofer outputs and set the Left/Right Subs output as Dual Mono. If there is no subwoofer connected to the Center Sub output then Bass Management will be sent to the Dual Mono subwoofers and LFE will also be sent to the Dual Mono subwoofers.

Easy.

[davidl81]

Dec 9, 2020 23:10:59 GMT -5 Afford-HiFi said:

Hey Everyone,

I just finished building two DIY Dayton Audio 15" subwoofers for my media room.  To power the subwoofers I am using a Crown XLS-2502 amplifier.

I have read through the XMC-2 manual but am a little confused as to what the proper settings should be for two subwoofers.  When I had one subwoofer I used the "center sub" channel and it was set to LFE.  What is the proper way to hook up two subwoofers?  Do I use the left and right subwoofer connections and leave the center sub left open? 

I appreciate any thoughts.

James

Use the left and right sub connections and select dual mono for your subs.

[Afford-HiFi]

Hey Guys,

Okay I think I had something set up incorrectly then. I did try the two subs in the left and right but I wasnt getting any output on the right channel set up in that configuration. I will give it another try and report back. The way you are both talking I think I overlooked something quite easy.

Thank you both for the responses.

James

[ttocs]

Dec 10, 2020 20:39:18 GMT -5 Afford-HiFi said:

Hey Guys,

Okay I think I had something set up incorrectly then. I did try the two subs in the left and right but I wasnt getting any output on the right channel set up in that configuration. I will give it another try and report back. The way you are both talking I think I overlooked something quite easy.

Thank you both for the responses.

James

In this case then it's probable that the setting for Left/Right Subs is setup as Mono which only activates the Left Sub output. No sound from the Right Sub. 

To get sound from the Left Sub output and the Right Sub output the Dual Mono setting needs to be selected. I'm sure you've already looked at this, but just posting this for extra confirmation.

[Afford-HiFi]

Hey ttocs,

I currently have the subwoofers in the Left and Right outputs on the XMC-2.

If I set it as Mono only the left sub plays as you said in your last post.

However, if I set it to dual mono both subs play but the right sub is significantly louder than the left with both subs set to the same levels on both the XMC-2 and the Crown. Any suggestions on this?

James

[ttocs]

Dec 10, 2020 21:43:26 GMT -5 Afford-HiFi said:

Hey ttocs,

I currently have the subwoofers in the Left and Right outputs on the XMC-2.

If I set it as Mono only the left sub plays as you said in your last post.

However, if I set it to dual mono both subs play but the right sub is significantly louder than the left with both subs set to the same levels on both the XMC-2 and the Crown. Any suggestions on this?

James

If the Levels are the same in the Menu, then the difference is elsewhere in the chain.


I have two identical, long, subwoofer cables that I only for testing these days. I couldn't understand why the volume level on one sub was lower, seemed odd. Then I swapped the cables between the identical subs and the problem moved with the cable. I still don't know why there's audio getting through but at a lower volume level, but I stopped using it. So it could be a cable problem, or a connector is not able to fully insert. 

First step for me would be to swap the XLR's at the processor outputs to see if the Right Sub is still louder. If it is, then the difference is a cable, a subwoofer, or the subwoofer location.

To check the location theory, measure the Right Sub, then move it away and replace it with the Left Sub using the same settings and cable and measure again.

There's two subs, two cables, two DIFFERENT locations. If the subs are identical, and the cables are identical, and the settings are identical, then the odd man out is Location.

Question Everything.

[Afford-HiFi]

Hey ttocs,

Awesome write up! Thank you, I will give it a try tomorrow and see what I can come up with.

James