Pioneer SX-850 help (newbie)

Analog-Steve

New Member
I just picked up a Pioneer SX-850 receiver to go with my PL 530 turn-table. I'm having some problems with the 850 and am hoping for some help. It sounds fine when I play music without much bass. However, when there is some heavy bass, my subwoofer rattles like it's blown (it is not) or cuts out completely (only during the Bass strike). Also the signal light on subwoofer turns from green to red when the bass strikes. It's like it's not getting enough power/signal to deliver the bass. Any ideas?

I'm a newbie to vintage audio and would love any help troubleshooting.

Thanks,
Steve
 
WELCOME TO AK...

How is your sub hooked to the 850?

Have you tried to ajuist the gain on the sub?
 
I tried it with two different subs. One was powered, the other was passive. The problem persists even when I crank up the gain.
 
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What's the ohm rating on your speakers? What's the ohm rating of your passive amp? Are you connecting the active amp to the speaker outs? Does your Pioneer clip when you only have one set of speakers connected?
 
I just picked up a Pioneer SX-850 receiver to go with my PL 530 turn-table. I'm having some problems with the 850 and am hoping for some help. It sounds fine when I play music without much bass. However, when there is some heavy bass, my subwoofer rattles like it's blown (it is not) or cuts out completely (only during the Bass strike). Also the signal light on subwoofer turns from green to red when the bass strikes. It's like it's not getting enough power/signal to deliver the bass. Any ideas?

Sounds like you're getting what is known as woofer flutter, or very low frequencies caused by the tone arm picking up the vibrations from the woofers, kinda of like a feedback loop. It can also be caused by using a cartridge with the wrong compliance for the tonearm mass. Try engaging the low filter on the SX-850 when playing tracks with heavy bass or playing at high volume and see if that helps.
 
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