Active Subwoofer connections

[@Antibackgroundnoise]

The introductory sound of a rel subwoofer will live with you for the rest of your life. I remember smiling like a Cheshire Cat for hours. Thinking back, I can't believe I waited six months to find it a partner (stereo) The extra bonus of going duel on a high-level.. as well as the room sounding better, each stereo speaker now has its own bass control. Perfect solution where if one of the stereo speakers is not equal distance to its sidewalls.

[@mitchellchavis6430]

I use a Sumiko S.10 subwoofer wired with a speakon connector from the amp to a wireless Sumiko transmitter. I never hear the sub but feel deep base so it must be working. I have Magnepan 20.1 speakers and it was no easy task getting the sub to integrate with the speakers. You covered this topic quite a while back and that’s when I did my setup. Thanks.

[@killacallahan1]

It sounds like this guy Elac's are powered speakers. Because how does a streamer feed passive speakers? No mention of an amp in the setup. I Love what you do.

[@lexicon612]

Adding a proper bottom end to a pair of bookshelves, 2 sub's (stereo) using the exact same wires that power your Elac's going to each sub. imho. One will certainly add better bass to your system. Two sub's do it in spades. Two sub's will also add weight to your bottom end. Piano notes having weight. Nothing like it. Feeling bass guitar strums, incredible. Low level (RCA) is mostly for complex surround environment's and for convenience. Stick with high level if sound quality is the priority. Same stank your main amp sends to your main speaker's is the same stank you want your sub's to get. Maintaining continuity. Otherwise with low level inputs (RCA) the preamp determines what the sub sounds like, not the main amp.

[@xaviermontalban717]

Yeah, but the only solution is to buy something with a plate-amp that can do this

[@lexicon612]

@@xaviermontalban717 All powered sub's use their own version of a plate amp. damn near 100% of powered sub's have high level inputs. REL even designed their own unique high level wiring system, with audiophile's in mind.

[@xaviermontalban717]

@lexicon612 that's is definitely not true. Most have RCA, LFE inputs, but not all of them have the inputs that Paul describes here. The ones that do are expensive.

[@tothemax324]

Amp Stank, thats a new one lol. I found low level connection from pre a tad underwhelming in 2.2 channel.

[@36karpatoruski]

Is that where the stank face comes from?

[@tothemax324]

I 'stank' my 2 Rels straight from the speaker BP's and gave 90% of the Rel cable the chop. Thanks Paul.

[@lexicon612]

Sub's deserve their own set of cables. Jumping from the speakers terminals to the subs is a convenience thing. Mine as well use RCA's if you are looking for convenience. Best sound quality is the same length cables of the exact same cables your main speaker's use. I know, it cost more money. Do it anyway. Better yet one call to REL for them to tell you instead of some random in a comment section.

[@adotopp1865]

@@tothemax324 I don't know what skanking is

[@tothemax324]

@@lexicon612 This connection I adopt is also recommended by John Hunter of Rel kzbin.info/www/bejne/i32ZonSfp8ump5o

[@tothemax324]

@@lexicon612 This connection I adopt is recommended by John Hunter of Rel, the tube wont allow to paste link to the video

[@Natan9000]

Nice to see Kef ls50 meta in your office 😁😎🤓

[@ieonking1053]

!My amp has a output for a subwoofer that i use, and i have set it up so it sounds like the bass is coming from the main speakers, you can't hear the sub, i have a kef subwoofer and kef q150 main speakers and a blue aura v40 valve amp, the sound is amazing

[@Evil_Peter]

I think the take that it's best to use the speaker output for the subs is a bit redundant when we're talking about active speakers as the speakers won't be driven that way. I'd say that it's a given to just continue the low level output that he's using for his speakers to his new subwoofer. No need to make extra upgrades if it isn't planned for any other reason. Save that for actual upgrade time (if that need ever comes). There's also no problem integrating a sub so it's impossible to detect it (apart from there being more bass of course) with a low level signal going into it. Just spend time with the setup until you get it right.

[@paulv4337]

I am more apt to believe 2 very experienced engineers than the "opinions" of amatures. Personally I have 5 SVS SB1000s connected this way cross over set at 50Hz volume set where "I" like it. This is a 2 channel system in a dedicated 11' X 13' room and a pair of FR10s. For me its absolutely wonderful. Each to their own! Having been in the audio business for over 30 years I have tried many configurations and this makes "ME" the happiest.

[@Evil_Peter]

@@paulv4337 You're free to believe what you want, or have whatever opinion you want. You seem to forget that there are plenty of experienced engineers that don't think like Paul does though. Like SVS, that you use, which don't even put high level input on their flagship subwoofers (the SB16 series). The ones they put the most effort into. More importantly for the context you also use your own system as an example despite that you clearly don't use the same kind of system as the person asking the question, since you're using passive speakers. The entire point of this video, and my comment, was to comment around his situation. Not mine or yours since I also use passive speakers and thus it would be pretty dumb to use my system to tell him how to best take the next step in his system. So since I know how to stick to the context of a question I wasn't making my argument for how to best hook up a subwoofer but rather answering his question based on his parameters.

[@adotopp1865]

I think you are misunderstanding this method of connecting the sub. It doesn't drive the sub (the sub has it's own amp- it's an active one) REL supplies a 3 core cable which supplies the sub with a signal only from the speakers output connection on the hi-fi amp. It doesn't get Watts, as Paul said, just the signal which is amplified in the sub by the subs own internal amplifier to drive the Sub's driver cone.

[@Evil_Peter]

@@adotopp1865 I know it doesn't drive the sub, but the point of doing it this way is to get the sound signature of the power amp. That becomes irrelevant here when the guy is using active speakers, so there is no external power amp delivering a signal to the speakers, and the active speakers only have a speaker output that's for one channel (for the other speaker that doesn't contain the amp), so you obviously shouldn't use that for the sub. It was explained in the question that he could currently connect a sub with a low level output, or he had to sell his HiFi Rose streamer and get something else (and he didn't have any plans of upgrading otherwise). Hence the best solution right now is to just get a sub and integrate it into the system as he can now. There's no problem getting a sub to disappear using a low level signal so he can just do that for now and then upgrade when he has the money and urge to do that properly. It's just not good advice to tell someone to upgrade more than he has to when he can easily do that later if he wants. Change one thing and see what happens, don't change many things at once unless you're buying a new system.

[@adotopp1865]

​@@paulv4337You shouldn't put 'me' and 'I' in capitals or inverted commas because you are not quoting the words. The words 'I' and 'me' are part of your sentence here.

[@gtrguyinaz]

I prefer the sound of my preamp out… my preamp has 2 outputs so easy…

[@adotopp1865]

@@gtrguyinaz Yes this will be the full range output signal

[@MarcoRistuccia]

Got it. But, is it better to parallel cables from amps to speakers and sub, or cascade them by using the sub high level outputs to the speakers, basically putting the sub in the middle of the chain?

[@Oystein87]

Better to use low-level pre-out for subs and not add the extra step of converting from high to low-level before it gets to the amp

[@purplehazeffc]

@@Oystein87 That's 100% the opposite of what is mentioned here

[@Oystein87]

@@purplehazeffc Exactly. And it's the designed way to connect a sub. Using high-level is actually just ment to be a backup method for amps with no low-level pre-out. Like I said.. It adds a extra (and very unnessecary) step to the link.. And that's exactly what Paul and others say is a bad thint so it litteraly makes no sense in any way of doing it with a subwoofer when there are other and better ways of doing it🙈 This is one of the few things Paul actually gets wrong.

[@Oystein87]

@@clickbeetle2720 True😅😅 Haha! Well.. Some electronic music are mixed with bass going left and right etc. But you can still set up a sub in stereo using pre-out too so.. Does not need to be a mono dedicated sub ore-out. Can just use the regular full range pre-outs.. Some also have stereo sub pre-out so. But not all amps that have 2 sub pre-out have the option to configure them in stereo, so some are just a dual mono out. But the good ones mostly have the option to config them into stereo.

[@Oystein87]

@@clickbeetle2720 Yeah, among other stuff. Aha.. I have a surround reciver and also a integrated stereo amp that's built as dual-mono with 2 seperate torroidal power supplies. And that has a dedicated input to be used as a pure power amp (like with a surround reciver as in my case) as well and has 2.2 pass-thru options etc. Basicly pre-out and in plus 2 sub pre-out and in. And of course the normal inputs for CD etc. And has balanced input option for CD players and also a built-in phono pre-amp I have not tested woth option to choose both MM and MC pickups. So quite flexible stereo amp... My plan is to combine surround but also completely seperate the stereo part with that amp. But since both are the same brand it gets a little messy with choosing inputs with the remote so I taped the IR input on the stereo amp and onøy use it as a power-amp untill I upgrade the surround reciver. (That got longer than planned..)

[@stonefree1911]

Just call James at PSA and you will get your answers...

[@stevenholquin2127]

I Got a Klipsch RP/1600SW 16” Subwoofer 🔊 This Pig 🐷 Shakes The House

[@Rowuk2024]

All gain stages add something (distortion and noise), so how can using the speaker outs be better unless you do not have a volume controlled line out? Is not high end all about taking care of the big AND little things?

[@oliverbeard7912]

Hi.Agree,and "thumbs up" from me.Add to this that the input impedance is so high so as to deliberately ensure a negligible load on the power amp,you then are substantially limiting the main power amplifiers influence over the sound anyway. It's the subs internal amp that will dictate the majority of its sound.Even moreso with positioning and integration with the main speakers and room.

[@adotopp1865]

@@Rowuk2024 All gain stages add something (distortion and noise) Yes they do. It's the sound signature of the amp. The subs should integrate with the main stereo speakers so feed them the same signal.

[@adotopp1865]

@@clickbeetle2720 Yes of course

[@adotopp1865]

@@Rowuk2024 the volume control and filter will be on the sub obviously. Otherwise it's not a sub- it will be trying to play full range.

[@adotopp1865]

@@clickbeetle2720what would you call the traditional way. I've only had REL and used the traditional way with the REL cable

[@xaviermontalban717]

I came to this same conclusion. The problem is that most plate amplifiers that can do this are pretty expensive

[@karledwards2319]

Wouldn't it be better to use the low level subwoofer output from the receiver. If you use a full range high level output, your subwoofer amp should have a low pass filter to control where it takes over but your speakers will have a poorly defined lumpy low end role off, making it near impossible to get a smooth crossover. If you let the receiver do the crossover function, it will define where your high level main speakers cut off and your sub low level signal takes over, so they track together smoothly.

[@SydneyBuilder]

Can you get the same “stank 😂” by using speaker A and Speaker B switch on the amp? Is this a bad idea? Speaker A drives the bookshelf’s and Speaker B connection for the sub?

[@patrickgeorge141]

This usually devides the output so you have less for a and b. Say a 100 watt amp in a or b by themselves. With using both you only get 50 watts on a and 50 on b. Check your amps specs to see if this is so.

[@lexicon612]

PS Audio upper end amp's all have 4 outputs specifically for this reason. If yours only has 2 you run 2 wires from each output. Either piggy back banana's or crank down on bare wire and the other banana's. Speakers A and B switching are usually referring to a second zone. Mostly found in receiver's. Forget B just use A, 2 wires each.

[@leaveempty5320]

Almost as many 'phones as Putin.

[@Jack96993]

Three phones and still can't find Biden 😅

[@craigellsworth3952]

A set of Elacs with REL subs? Really?

[@Oystein87]

Best way is to use low-level pre-out like it's designed to. Using high-level adds a filter to convert it to low-level before it gets to the built-in amp. Using low-level pre-out removes that extra step. And less steps are better.. And makes no sense for it to be a good thing adding the extra step with subs and nothing else..