Subwoofer hookup
 

I need a bit of advice on my sub hookup. Currently I have my 2 James subs hooked up with a type of double banana cheater into the A speaker out of my Luxman integrated. My Focal Diablos are plugged into this cheater plug. I am about to change my interconnects and speaker wire to the Frey line of Nordost from the RedDawn line. Sometimes I like to listen to my Diablos without the subs and wonder if anyone knows whether I can hook the subs to the B speaker outputs. Then if I want the subs playing I can use A/B on the speaker selector or for just Diablos I can just select the A. My dealer recommended the cheater banana connector. Anybody have an opinion on this?

I can't say for sure but logically it sounds like it would work. I would suppose it really depends on the circuitry of the Luxman.

I assume you are using the controls on your subs for crossover and level etc?

I had a REL Sub and they prefer the speaker level connection. They want the sub to see the exact, same signal the main speakers see, which includes the characteristics of the speaker wire. So, try connecting the subs directly to the speaker binding posts. It should be easy to adapt the sub cable to accept spades or banana pins. I would avoid using the double banana adapters. :music::thumbsup:

Forgive me for resurrecting this thread , but I do not have privileges to start a new one and my question is similar. Some powered subs - Rel for example - are recommended to be connected to speaker lever inputs. So that means the sub will be getting an amplified signal. Why then does it need to be plugged in? Does it amplify and already amplified signal?? Wouldn't it make sense to use the output from the preamp?

Skypickle, all powered subwoofers that have speaker inputs use a step down converter before the signal goes to the sub amp. REL and others recommend using the speaker level input as noted above. You can try it both ways (one at a time) and see if you have a preference.

+1

I might add, many subs have both input types (low level and speaker inputs) as a convenience since not all preamps have multiple outputs. My McIntosh C2300 for instance has "main" XLR & RCA, plus two sets of XLR & RCA outputs so it makes my choice easy...RCA's. If your sub only had an RCA input, but your preamp only one output, you'd need to use an RCA Y cable to feed both your amp and your sub simultaneously. Not ideal. If your preamp has a second set of outputs, I'd at least try it both ways. It's a more direct path for the signal using a low level connection (XLR or RCA) to the sub. Pick the one that sounds best and offers the best level adjustment of the sub.

thank you. From my understanding so far, if a powered sub is connected to the main speaker outputs of the amp, it does not consume that much energy from the amp-it has circuitry to monitor the voltage without using much of the current. And if i want to spare my main speakers from trying to reproduce low frequencies, I can put a high pass filter between the interconnects and the main speaker terminals. Is this high pass filter something people actually build and use, or does it not really matter?

You would need a variable high pass filter and ideally, one with slopes selected to match your main speakers, outfitted with appropriate connectors, although you could probably get by with Phoenix connectors if space were an issue for the box. You'll need a power supply since this filter would be active, so you'll want a gain stage too. The easiest and really only way for a hack like me to obtain these features is to buy a true two way crossover.

When I speak of a high pass filter in my comments, I usually mean that it would be nice for us stereo guys if the sub manufacturer included the high pass (with appropriate capabilities) to match the low pass they usually give you.

Minimally, I'd want Linkwitz Riley, 12 and 24dB options, variable between, say 30Hz and 120Hz. Personally, I don't need a crossover that offers much more than 30 to 60Hz, but I can't imagine anybody building a crossover and not allowing for a higher frequency knee in the high pass section.
I'd also need balanced connections.

Since so few if any sub builders are offering that, it's down to one of a very few available stereo crossovers. There are no pro crossovers in my price range I'd trust to the job, either the cheap analog ones or the somewhat pricier digital crossovers I've looked at.

JL and Bryston seem the most appealing to me. Bryston builds the 10BSUB specifically for subs but I don't know much about it. I'd expect it to be excellent. The JL CR1 gets a lot of good reviews here and in the mags, same expectations.

The JL CR1 is $3k. Nelson pass makes the b5 and the b4 which are $1500
http://www.lowther-america.com/First...mplifiers.html

but he also makes the XVR-1
http://www.stereotimes.com/amp021513.shtml

If my sub has a built in low pass filter, would the maggie 3.7i benefit from such a device?

Resurrection of an old thread.

I looked at your link, to the Pass units, Mr. Pickle. If I were to look at the First Watts I'd want the B4 fitted with Linkwitz-Riley slopes. It looks like a good deal, but it's too late for me as I'm eager to get my CR1 as I ordered it Friday. It was impossible to get the qualities I was after without a crossover, it was that simple for me. I knew it from the start but I was chicken to spend the money. There was no further avoiding it.