Forum Home » Sound Reinforcement » LAB Subwoofer » Achieving Clean Kick Drum
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #320820 is a reply to message #320808 ] |
Thu, 08 May 2008 09:33   |
 |
 Dave Rickard
Messages: 1628
Registered: April 2004
Location: The Wild West |
Has No Life |
|
|
| Dennis Malek wrote on Thu, 08 May 2008 07:40 |
I'm not dreaming, I'm not tripp'in, I'm not making the news, just reporting it exactly as it happens.
(snip)
I do believe, any one of you standing side by side with me listen to this will say the same things I say hands down.
|
Probably true. That's the mystery of this situation. 
I don't know if it would just muddy the waters, but perhaps try a third amp in your tests. Some totally different model.
Dave
D&L Music
Dealer disclosure- Yorkville group
The wrong piece of gear, at the right price, is still the wrong piece of gear.
For every complex problem there is a solution which is simple, clean, and wrong.
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #321835 is a reply to message #320808 ] |
Sun, 11 May 2008 19:22 |
 |
Andy Peters
Messages: 5800
Registered: April 2004
Location: Tucson, AZ |
Has No Life
Contrarian |
|
|
| Dennis Malek wrote on Thu, 08 May 2008 06:40 |
Hello Ivan
I have no special affair with MX-1500A amps, all I can say is what I'm experiencing and paying special attention to describe it accurately.
I'm not dreaming, I'm not tripp'in, I'm not making the news, just reporting it exactly as it happens.
Now I realize sound is sound and peoples ears hear sound differently. But I do believe, any one of you standing side by side with me listen to this will say the same things I say hands down. I don't want this situation. I paid $1300.00 for these two 3402's and I want the darn things to sound good.
I just don't know where to go next? I guess I will replace the speaker wire, eliminate the 100 FT pre-amp snake, and look for a surrogate PLX-3402 on my next tests in search for the solution.
I have not tried running both subs on one PLX in stereo mode and see if it changes anything?
|
Check the PLX DIP switch settings and report back.
-a
"Any sufficiently advanced incompetence is indistinguishable from malice."
"Your band isn't good enough for my PA."
"On the Internet, nobody can hear you mix a band."
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322032 is a reply to message #321835 ] |
Mon, 12 May 2008 14:31 |
Dennis Malek
Messages: 22
Registered: March 2008
Location: Houston, Texas |
Here Often |
|
|
Hello Andy,
DIP switch settings on PLX-3402's are as follows:
SW1=OFF, SW2=OFF, SW3=ON, SW4=ON, SW5=ON, SW6=ON, SW7=ON, SW8=ON, SW9=OFF, SW10=OFF
I have a crossover 25 Hz High Pass Filter engaged instead of the QSC 30/50 Hz High Pass Filter on amps.
Please let me know if you see any switch i should change. Thanks very much for the help.
Dennis
Dennis Malek
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322096 is a reply to message #322032 ] |
Mon, 12 May 2008 17:40 |
|
Dave Rickard
Messages: 1628
Registered: April 2004
Location: The Wild West |
Has No Life |
|
|
| Dennis Malek wrote on Mon, 12 May 2008 13:31 |
Hello Andy,
DIP switch settings on PLX-3402's are as follows:
SW1=OFF, SW2=OFF, SW3=ON, SW4=ON, SW5=ON, SW6=ON, SW7=ON, SW8=ON, SW9=OFF, SW10=OFF
I have a crossover 25 Hz High Pass Filter engaged instead of the QSC 30/50 Hz High Pass Filter on amps.
Please let me know if you see any switch i should change. Thanks very much for the help.
Dennis
|
Seems OK, but I would turn SW1 on to engage the internal limiters. 3&8 are irrelevant unless 2&9 are engaged.
1. Is the gain on channel 1 full-on, and channel 2 gain full-off?
2. This is pretty basic but...how are you connecting the sub to the bridged PLX? What cabling and connection points?
[Updated on: Mon, 12 May 2008 19:58]
Dave
D&L Music
Dealer disclosure- Yorkville group
The wrong piece of gear, at the right price, is still the wrong piece of gear.
For every complex problem there is a solution which is simple, clean, and wrong.
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322363 is a reply to message #322032 ] |
Tue, 13 May 2008 12:22 |
Mike {AB} Butler
Messages: 1686
Registered: April 2004
Location: Lynchburg, VA |
Has No Life |
|
|
| Dennis Malek wrote on Mon, 12 May 2008 15:31 |
Hello Andy,
DIP switch settings on PLX-3402's are as follows:
SW1=OFF, SW2=OFF, SW3=ON, SW4=ON, SW5=ON, SW6=ON, SW7=ON, SW8=ON, SW9=OFF, SW10=OFF
I have a crossover 25 Hz High Pass Filter engaged instead of the QSC 30/50 Hz High Pass Filter on amps.
Please let me know if you see any switch i should change. Thanks very much for the help.
Dennis
|
(Reprinted from the PLX manual)
Parallel input mode
WHAT IT IS
The "Parallel Input" switches let you
operate the amplifier in parallel
mode, delivering the same signal to
both channels without using a
Y-cable. Each channel drives its own
speaker load, with independent gain,
filtering, and clip limiting.
Set switch positions 4, 5, and 6 "ON"
to couple the inputs together. Turn
the switches off for stereo,
bi-amping, or other 2-channel
modes. The yellow PARALLEL LED
indicator on the front panel warns you
when the switches are set to parallel.
There's possibly your problem - having parallel and Bridge mode on at the same time. I tend to run without the Parallel switches on when I run in bridge mode (just the single switch #7). I would try that first.. just to be sure.. I have never used the "y" feature when I operate in bridge mode.
If someone can correct me on this, I would appreciate it..
Regards,
Regards,
[Updated on: Tue, 13 May 2008 12:30]
Mike Butler
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322388 is a reply to message #322096 ] |
Tue, 13 May 2008 13:32 |
Dennis Malek
Messages: 22
Registered: March 2008
Location: Houston, Texas |
Here Often |
|
|
Channel 1 Gain = 3/4 Full(CW). Channel 2 Gain = completely Off (CCW)
Sub wiring is 12 AWG by 25 FT long. Speaker wiring on speaker output binding post connectors of amplifier. Amplifier Channel 1 '+' wired to '+' on sub speaker input and amplifier channel 2 '+" wired to '-' on sub speaker input.
Dennis Malek
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322395 is a reply to message #322363 ] |
Tue, 13 May 2008 13:56 |
Dennis Malek
Messages: 22
Registered: March 2008
Location: Houston, Texas |
Here Often |
|
|
Good Day,
I understand what you are saying about DIP witches 4,5,6 for Stereo or Parallel Input configuration of the amplifier. I have been confused as well for Bridge Mono Mode of where these switches should be set.
Page 11 of the QSC PLX manual describes the Bridge Mono Mode and shows switches 4,5,6 to be in the "ON" Parallel Mode position when using Bridge Mono Mode. This is the reason that I have them this way. I also DO NOT want STEREO mode when in Bridge Mono Mode so believed the way I set them to be correct.
Anyone Input Please?
Dennis Malek
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322464 is a reply to message #322395 ] |
Tue, 13 May 2008 17:33 |
Gary Perrett
Messages: 123
Registered: June 2004
Location: northern minnesota |
Has No Life |
|
|
Yes but in the stereo mode with an input only on the first input you are feeding NO SIGNAL to the other channel as you are with the parallel mono selection.
I'd take Mike's advice and go with the "stereo" input scheme and nO input to the other channel.
Be well
Gary Perrett
Twilite Zone Productions
We the few who have done so much, for so long, with so little, now feel we can do everything with nothing...
|
|
| | |
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322833 is a reply to message #322545 ] |
Wed, 14 May 2008 15:57 |
Dennis Malek
Messages: 22
Registered: March 2008
Location: Houston, Texas |
Here Often |
|
|
I set the gains on the amplifiers (both the tops amp and the sub amps) so that neither over power the other. It ends up the tops amp (Mx-1500A) gains are set at 12:00 or 1/2 way and the sub amps(PLX-3402's) gains are set slightly under 3:00 or 3/4 way which provided a good system balance.
Dennis Malek
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322835 is a reply to message #322833 ] |
Wed, 14 May 2008 16:01 |
Mike {AB} Butler
Messages: 1686
Registered: April 2004
Location: Lynchburg, VA |
Has No Life |
|
|
Dennis,
Not sure if I understand.. but are you saying it all works better now?
Regards,
Mike Butler
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322836 is a reply to message #322464 ] |
Wed, 14 May 2008 16:04 |
Dennis Malek
Messages: 22
Registered: March 2008
Location: Houston, Texas |
Here Often |
|
|
I'll try it
Dennis Malek
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #322866 is a reply to message #322835 ] |
Wed, 14 May 2008 17:59 |
Dennis Malek
Messages: 22
Registered: March 2008
Location: Houston, Texas |
Here Often |
|
|
No,
The bass is still muddy with the PLX-3402's. I was just trying to answer the amplifier input signal voltage level variation that was brought up on the two different amplifier's input requirement to recognize full output capability.
Dennis Malek
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #323167 is a reply to message #322545 ] |
Thu, 15 May 2008 16:21 |
Dennis Malek
Messages: 22
Registered: March 2008
Location: Houston, Texas |
Here Often |
|
|
Hello,
I'm running no where near full output on either the tops amp or the subs amps. And I have Tons of bass. About to drop the lights off the ceiling, it just is not clear bass, very muddy with no punctuation when using the PLX-3402's. Substituting the MX series amps the clarity is returned.
Dennis Malek
|
|
|
| Re: Achieving Clean Kick Drum [message #323386 is a reply to message #323167 ] |
Fri, 16 May 2008 10:29 |
Mike {AB} Butler
Messages: 1686
Registered: April 2004
Location: Lynchburg, VA |
Has No Life |
|
|
| Dennis Malek wrote on Thu, 15 May 2008 17:21 |
Hello,
I'm running no where near full output on either the tops amp or the subs amps. And I have Tons of bass. About to drop the lights off the ceiling, it just is not clear bass, very muddy with no punctuation when using the PLX-3402's. Substituting the MX series amps the clarity is returned.
|
.. and I'm saying that you most likely have a polarity issue of some kind. Here is the email from Bob Lee of QSC stating that the MX-1500 does have a backwards tip/ ring input, and WHY.
http://srforums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/m/8457/360/?srch=Q SC+Inverted+input#msg_8457
Dennis, the point is simple. If you can't get the 2 amps to perform at least CLOSE to each other on the same sub, bets are you have something inverted somewhere. I and others have stated we have successfully used PLX amps in sub setups (not to say a linear supply amp might not be a bit better BUT!! There should not be the "night and day difference" you are experiencing.. just a minor difference.
Try inverting the polarity of either your sub or the input signal.. and it should sound like your issue with the PLX amp.
Regards,
Mike Butler
|
|
|
| Pages (4): [ 3 ] |
  |
Goto Forum:
Current Time: Fri May 16 22:48:16 CDT 2008
Total time taken to generate the page: 0.01749 seconds |
Forum Home
Login
Forum Search
Register
FAQ
