Emotiva SE8 Subwoofer - This changes things...

Emotiva SE8 Subwoofer with High Pass Filter emotiva.com/pr...
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[@ujean56]

Have you heard? NASA will be standardizing all their linear measurements to chewbakas? You are so advanced in your technical references. Nice.

[@carlsitler9071]

Emotiva is by far the best bang for the buck from what I've seen.

[@lastwhtknight3002]

Elac has entered the chat. Andrew Jones sys hold my beer.

[@ten13offroad54]

@@lastwhtknight3002 Andrew left Elac from my understanding...

[@francisking5164]

I do have a subwoofer already. I agree 100% in your explanation of how adding a sub actually gets you a full range system from small book shelf speakers.

[@JonathanGurgul]

The high pass filter is something I literally just thought of last week as something that would be an excellent feature to have on a subwoofer. It eliminates the need for an inline passive crossover. Great idea!

[@RafaelPernia]

doesn't a crossover knob kinda does the same without all the hassle?

[@Desanusor]

@@RafaelPernia nope the filter sends back the source sound without the frequencies under 60,80 or120hz to the amp allowing your stereo speakers to be more efficient since they dont have those frequencies to handle (or waste energy trying) ! this allow your speaker to be way better at what they do best (most noticeable would be on tiny bookshelves).

[@AudioElectronicsChicago]

You are becoming famous and slowly you will start attracting the big companies to advertise for them

[@SnowCrashed1]

You should make a series of videos where you show how to setup a 2.0, 2.1, 5.1, turntable, etc. I find most of the content like that super dry and aimed at the high end audio crowd. You broke it down in a fun and easy way for people to understand

[@johngault-9597]

Just bought the Emotiva Airmotiv T2+ and SE12 based entirely on your reviews. Thanks brother man. Greetings from an Aggie living in India.

[@EnriqSandoval]

Dont change a thing. Absolute highlight of my day when you come out with reviews. Hilarious advertisements.

[@Audfile]

Got a pair. They are tight, articulate, powerful, and don't even try to go below 30. You just get pure clean music and you don't have to listen to an 8" having a hernia trying to play 28hz. They're great. You come in my room and can't even see them unless you search.

[@Newrecordday]

Good job Chief Audio Man!

[@erickessler6094]

Brother, OK I admit it... I am a bit overwhelmed technically and new to the audio hobby. So, I have some small book shelf speakers and an Emotiva BasX A3 for my LCR speakers. If I purchase this cool Sub ... Can it be connected "in your super cool preferred manner" for cross-over control (60, 80, 100hz) allowing me to set things up for my smaller bookshelf speaker to my Emotiva BasX A3? It seems like I must buy extra components in order to have that super cool cross-over set to 100hz? IF So ... what components & brands do you recommend? Sorry for the novice question... I guess I needed a drawing to study a little to get all this stuff. :) Cheers, Eric

[@cheapaudioman]

Hey, Eric. Thanks for the support. You'd need a "source" going into the sub "input" rca and then the "output" rca would go back into your amp to get the high pass crossover. A source could be a dac or a preamp.

[@erickessler6094]

@@cheapaudioman Thank you. Can you recommend a specific DAC or PreAmp that might work with my set-up? Say ... would a Sonos "Connect" or Sonos "Port" be a Source? They have a PreAmp RCA Output? Sooo, connections: out of the Sonos Port, into the SUB, then into the A3? Set the SUB to 100Hz and all the A3 output to the Bookshelf Speakers would be music only above 100Hz? Am I getting this right? Cheers, Eric

[@jonathanwyble4227]

Where the SE8's bass management really shines is with powered satellites in a PC/gaming nearfield setup. Because "desktop" nearfield satellites are virtually all powered, bass managed line level out is all you need. I have Drop BMR1s, and I'm thinking this is the sub to get for them -- that it is a good match in terms of sound quality, physical size and IO features. The BMR1s have a bass management feature (a "sub" switch that acts as an internal high pass), but I think this will work better and give me more control.

[@goldenrodfox]

A lot of receivers from the 70s/early 80's have preamp outs and poweramp in RCA usually linked together with a bent piece of wire. This would be perfect for exactly that situation. Put the high pass in between the preamp and poweramp and you're set!

[@PhillyDjHook]

Soon as he said *_RANDY_* I was all in. I clicked like 👍🏾, I subscribed and, I even donated money 💰.

[@avjake]

Seems like you are the kind of reviewer that Emotiva would appreciate.

[@booger4421]

Just ordered this through your link along with a set of B1+'s. Thanks for all the great info and entertainment Randy. Please don't change a thing!

[@TahoeNevada]

I have a pair of these for my smol home theater system in my apartment. Great for music, and for movies and gaming (my primary usage).

[@popculture70]

I bought a powered subwoofer, and then I bought another one. I set the frequency cutoff at 120Hz. Stereo subwoofers! I love it. Much cheaper than upgrading the amp, tons more power on kick drums and basses.

[@ruley73]

I love passive radiator designs. You get most of the tightness of the seal box, and most of the loudness of a ported box. It's the best of both worlds. 🙂

[@keithmoriyama5421]

Absolutely true... all speakers should use this design.

[@dgdave2673]

I have a XDA2 as the DAC feeding into an Emotiva X100a Mini amp. The DAC itself is fed from various sources, a high quality BT receiver, a Arylic S10+ streamer, previously a SBT. Interestingly both the DAC and the mini amp have volume controls. This is what I did. To add a sub I connected the line out from the amp ( which essentially can be used to daisy chain more amps) to the subs input. The DAC volume is set at 0.00 and the Amp volume at 12 o clock position. The sub crossover at 60 Hz and sub volume 9 o’clock position. This was a trial and error method to achieve a seamless blend of the sub into the stereo system. I am happy with my system. The subwoofer is Klipsch 12SWi ( wireless) sold at Costco for $150 on sale. This was the best way I could do it without running a long sub cable around the room.

[@surferdeac4640]

Thank you !!! For all the great enthusiasm. I’m sold on this Subwoofer!! Finally got a new aVr receiver onkyo nr-6100 was on sale. Replacement for my old onkyo 7.2 I believe maybe sr model that broke down about 5 yrs ago so I’ve been without for way to long !! Going to pair with two ES 10’s polk front audio speakers along with 4 Polk tL 1 surround satéllite speakers and and old rmz 6750 Polk center speaker that I will eventually replace with a good center speaker To tie into a new S95b tv that Im about to pull trigger on!!!! GOOD Stuff!!! 👍🏽🎼🎵🎼🎸🥁🎸

[@sgtjosozo]

What a good way of explaining bass management. At the price you could put two of em in your room if needed and still come out with $$$ in your pocket.

[@popculture70]

I did. It works great.

[@welderfixer]

This sub works great with my Sony SSCS front and center speakers in my El Cheapo HT. However, I did put 3" blocks under the feet to let the down firing woofer breathe over my carpeted floor. I also adjusted the gain on the sub until the level setting in my receiver set itself at 0dB when I ran Audyssey. I adjusted the crossovers in the AVR to 100hz after running Audyssey. The bass thump truly surprises my family and I at times. Getting the timing set as close possible to the front channels is key for best performance. Audyssey set the distance an extra foot further away than the fronts and that really blended in the bass for the most punch. I cannot tell that the sub woofer is in the room or playing. There is simply BOOMs and drums doing their thing.

[@dkindig]

I have a Pioneer Elite AVR with MCACC, and I found that tweaking my sub's gain control so that MCACC set the receiver's main sub level to 0 dB made a HUGE difference. The sub gain control went from the 30% position to the 70% position. I'm using an Adire Audio Shiva 12" sub with a very large xMax in a sealed enclosure and always felt like it was under-performing and struggling with bottoming/hitting mechanical limits with the gain at 30% position. Once I set gain on the sub amp to 70% all of that went away and the sub began performing like it's supposed to! I'm strongly convinced that the preamp channel for the sub was clipping trying to drive the sub to full output with the gain control at 30%. VERY important to adjust sub gain so that the calibration sets the preamp out at 0 dB! Added a Mini-DSP and now my sub is flat across the entire bandwidth and down 3 dB at 20 Hz.

[@welderfixer]

@@dkindig Very good set-up sir. My sub is set at about 70% also.

[@odwatchguy]

Thanks Randy for the very informative video. This is a different format having a speaker showing and setup discussion, I enjoyed it.

[@cheapaudioman]

Sat Speaker Shootout is coming soon I just didn't have anything awesome to compare this week

[@odwatchguy]

@@cheapaudioman The shootouts are fun, but sharing this information might help someone trying to get the best sound they can.

[@boomerspeed0124]

I have a 100w 10” Yamaha sub that has a 2 way hi/lo pass that you can wire to your mains.

[@dlloyd6300]

Point of clarification. While technically "sealed", a passive radiator sub will act like a ported sub, not like a truly sealed sub. The reason for this is that the passive radiator performs the same function that a port does. When you are building a subwoofer enclosure, you use software to calculate all of the dimensions and performance factors. You tell the software what frequency you would like to "tune" the enclosure to and it will tell you how large of a port you need to reach that design goal. The reason that the port size is important is that you are calculating the required mass of air inside of that port to your designed resonant frequency. Take that principle and the same thing is done with a passive radiator. What they do is that instead of using the air as mass, they mass load the passive radiator instead. The benefit of this is that a mass loaded passive radiator takes up much less space than the increase of volume required to have a traditional port. TLDR - Passive radiator subs give you the small footprint size of a true sealed sub, with the output benefit and characteristics of a ported sub. Also no possible port noise "Chuffing". Great content! Love to watch your channel and love seeing it grow!

[@cheapaudioman]

Thanks for the info. Much appreciated. I figured I’d get something wrong.

[@Pentenfi]

Let me guess, you have DIY experience? Because I learnt about this only when I built my first sub

[@dlloyd6300]

@@Pentenfi bingo. I had some real high end Infinity car audio subs that I was wanting to repurpose, so I went down that rabbit hole 😁

[@rohaltom]

Port noise sucks. More home theater subs should use passive radiators!

[@dlloyd6300]

@@rohaltom They really are a great solution. If they have any drawbacks, I don't know of any, other than they are naturally more expensive than a port to produce? But the fact that they are silent, reduce box volume, and can be tuned make them infinitely superior in my opinion.

[@bobtheman1]

Hi Cheap Audio Man, you provide a lot of good information in this video. But what really stood out to me is your explanation of how to set up a multi-volume system. Thanks!

[@korbindallas6727]

Yipeee, a breakfast video!! Time to watch, listen, and learn. Cheers!

[@ncironhorse8367]

I've been enjoying audio and HT as a hobby for the vast majority of the last 40 years starting with a GE phonograph player to my Totem Element series Metals and now I find myself rebuilding a new system looking to do it on the cheap. You have been a great source of information Chief Audio Man. I was so inspired from your Fluance RT-85 review that I ordered one. I'll be stepping down from a McIntosh MT-5 but, my priorities in life have changed and I am not wanting to spend an arm and leg on AV gear. I have a Technics 1210GR on back order but, I will likely not need it if the Fluance is as glorious as it seems it might be....any how, I never get tired of hearing you describe what each connection does (even though I already know). Thanks.

[@redstang5150]

Up until a couple years ago I had two 20 year old subs from Def Tech that have hi pass speaker level filters. With those I actually preferred to run my system as 5.0 (2.0 for music), setting the L+R to large with no sub out in the receiver which sends the LFE to the towers. The speaker wires then ran to the subs first and the towers connect to the subs. The cutoffs were then controlled from the subs. I'm not sure why, but I got more punch that way than using the RCA line level input to the subs.

[@stonefree1911]

What a refreshing way to look at quality audio equipment. The web is so full snobby know it all reviewers (many of which start with a "Z"...) that it great to just sip a cup of coffee and watch a real person express his thoughts on gear. Subbed.

[@1mctous]

My old NAD 3020 allows the line-level high pass filter because it has both pre out and amp in. Check your integrated amp to see if it has this.

[@erickessler6094]

Cheap Audio Man, Now I am getting excited about possible improvements to my Garage sound. In my garage I have: a Sonos Connect which has PreAmp RCA Outputs; small Polk T15 speakers; and an 15+ yr old Yamaha AV receiver. Currently I only stream music from the Sonos Connect to the receiver and out to 2 pairs of T15 speakers. I need BASE Improvements. :-) Would the Sonos Connect pre-amp perform the same thing a DAC in your discussion? IF I Do have this right???.... I must take the streaming music out of the Sonos Connect RCA jacks ... and into the SE8 SUB connections (setting the Sub to 100Hz for small speakers) ... , then from the SE8 RCA Outputs into my ole AV Amp INPUT (like for AUX-In or DVD, or some such)? Then follow your procedure to pre-set the Sonos Connect volume feed to ~85% and set my AV Amp as loud as I can stand... then ONLY control the garage volume in the future with the Sonos Connect controls??? Am I getting this right? Cheers, Eric

[@cheapaudioman]

you got it! thanks so much for supporting the channel

[@erickessler6094]

@@cheapaudioman Awesome! :) I will order the SE8 and can wait to play with it. I will use your link if you have one. Cheers, Eric

[@DJJASProductions]

Mini DSP makes for great bass management and very fine control of your subs or even other speaker at the same time.

[@cheapaudioman]

it sure does. good to have options like that

[@sheefa_brains]

These videos are truly great. A nice approach to audio with a bit of Ron Swanson humor.

[@Newport395]

Thanks for this video. I set this up today connecting the high pass filter to a Schiit SYS and it sounds awesome. Thanks again.

[@tawaunwilliams7002]

Good Job....technically a passive radiator is another form of porting...infact its much closer to being ported than being sealed...

[@basvanbeers7687]

I have TWO of them combined with 2 small speakers. VERY tight fun bass! I had too much sources to use them only with one source DAC to integrated amp on bass management. So I use the speaker connection on the subs. USE these parallel: so speaker connection on amp goes out to your speakers AS WELL AS to speaker connections on the subs. Do NOT route the speaker cable via the sub to the speakers.

[@Vijster1]

Why does it matter? You will be running the subwoofer in parallel to the speakers regardless of whether you plug the speaker to the amp directly or to the sub. Copper is copper.

[@LugsyTL]

@@Vijster1 connecting both speakers and the sub to same posts on amp, ensures same signal at same time. Plus easier to disconnect sub without rewiring main speakers.

[@JimmySlacksack]

the 'kay?' at 0:32 cracked me up! lol

[@rustyjeep2469]

Sweet sub. I’m a big fan of small, musical sounding subs for stereo systems. A lot of home theater subs will rumble your floor during an action movie just fine but sound like poo on actual music. I just scored a Pioneer SW8-MKII Andrew Jones 8” sub for the princely sum of $40. My Polk bookshelf speakers with ported cabs and 5 1/4” drivers have OK midbass, but adding the sub made a literal world of difference in my bedroom system, even with music you’d never think of as bass heavy.

[@LBCAndrew]

Ahh.. this must be one of your first youtube videos. you've definitely come a long way since this one.

[@Starscreamious]

2:00 this is the "americans will use anything except the metric system" meme

[@riccitone]

I don’t think I fully understood all three of these possible types of attenuation until this video. Not to mention, that not too many subs offer as many. So thank you so much for having made this an informative vid as much as a product feature vid! PS I also drank some coffee during your coffee break 🙏🏼 ☕️

[@leecaldwell1029]

I have Emotiva A100 running bookshelfs the source is my PC. I am super confused on how to connect this sub to my system. Right now 3.5mm - RCA PC to Amp. Amp to speakers. Thanks for the help!

[@ssokol91]

You had me at "Pantera very loud"...

[@Anand.Asrani]

Hey Randy ! Kudos for the effort ... Looks like a Superb ,fully functional Product .

[@joseph-ow1hf]

Oh yeah baby, this cheaper No Rez clone from Parts Express (Sound Barrier) really works to tame cabinet vibration and tighten up sound. You can cover major surfaces with one sheet ($25) but to hit all exposed wood you'll need 2 sheets. They do charge shipping ($10 for USPS) so plan ahead. A pretty worthy upgrade in my opinion. Noticeably cleaner bass now. Plus this is easy peazy. Had all done in 1/2 hr. from pulling sub to re-install. Only need hex key to pull the PR and a pair of scissors. From good to really good.

[@Michael-bj4sz]

hadn’t heard about this product, thanks for the introduction.

[@robertorodriguez2609]

amazon brought back the elac $130 sub, could be a good one to compare to the emotiva.

[@carlsitler9071]

I'm going the opposite direction. My Boston 10" sub is set with low pass off and my Klipsch RP-41s control the crossover. The remote for the RP-41s also control sub volume. DAC, amp, speaker and sub control all in one.

[@NeilBlanchard]

Carl - say more about the main speakers "controlling the crossover"?

[@carlsitler9071]

@@NeilBlanchard I'm sure there are a few reviews that explain what the RP-41s do. The Klipsch website should as well.

[@carlsitler9071]

I think I paid $175 for them at Best Buy.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@carlsitler9071 Okay.

[@bretthurlock4240]

Really enjoying the channel. Jumped on here after a power failure in my NAD. Really just looking for something to power my Vonschweikert VR1’s for tv and Bluetooth. Thinking the Aiyama A07 and T8 plus this sub might make me happy as long as the VR1’s are not too power hungry at 89db.

[@dicmccoy]

I really wish variable phase control was an industry standard. It's not like it costs an arm and a leg to include it. 0 - 180° switch is useless to me because I don't have the ability to set the distance (phase) on my integrated amp. In my room, the subs are right beside my mains, and both of my subs are out just a smidge over 90°. That's right in between 0° and 180°. If I ran this sub, there's a chance it could be out of phase. Emotiva and other companies, I really hope you're listening. Us 2 channel music listeners would love to have our subs in phase with our speakers.

[@ec6843]

If anyone is confused about connections, the user manual for the subwoofer is available by following the link in the video description, and then clicking on "Specs and Downloads." The user manual illustrates five examples of connection possibilities.

[@wardprocter2371]

Thanks Randy! You cleared up some of the questions I had about using bass mgmt. My worry would be that running the signal thru the sub would introduce unwanted coloration or interference at the amp? Just seems like you’d be adding a lot of wire between the source and the amp using this method. Any thoughts? Would like to see/hear a comparison with other budget subs, particularly the offerings from Fluance. Maybe a Saturday Sub Shootout is needed.

[@Eron55555]

Question. The Method 1 of connecting via speaker wires.. Does it lose anything from a tube amp? What I mean is does it re-amp the output from the amp thus losing the characteristics of the power amp? Or does it passthrough.

[@yuckysamson]

Whatever you do; never lose the blue tablecloth.

[@joseph-ow1hf]

Got one on order to support Merlin TSM-MMe in a desktop rig. If I like, will get another. Should have told 'em first learned about Emotive from the cheap audio chief.

[@cdyow]

Good stuff. First step on this journey for me might be moving to a bigger apartment.

[@gupdaddy]

For real. Also, another one for me would be separates?

[@andrewforsythe7240]

Good video on hook up and usage but how does it sound ? How does it compare to similarly prices units ? Thanks.

[@cheapaudioman]

sounds better than the 400 polk I had

[@andrewforsythe7240]

@@cheapaudioman I bet it does. Maybe a class leader . I have a 10 inch HSU Research and it is really good in a 16x21 ft. room with 10 ft. ceiling at highest point.

[@akersquarteracre8002]

Definitely looks like a great sub for music; powerful amp, sealed box, fast/accurate 8" driver, AND a passive radiator... very nice! Sealed subwoofers usually arent' cheap because of their extra power requirements. $300 retail seems to be about right for this one, I bet it sounds great pushed by 200W. Right now I'm getting ready to pull the $140 trigger on Dayton Audio's ported 12" SUB-1200 for my home theater to handle the lowest lows... 120W continuous power down to 25htz. Eventually I want to get sealed 8" or 10" subwoofers on both the front left and right channels to get the tight/accurate bass I want for music and movie effects. I'll put this one on my wish list, thanks Randy! Keep up the great reviews.

[@akersquarteracre8002]

@@Mekkablood I was ready to buy the infamous Polk PSW-10 $130 budget sub until I saw the specs and reviews on the Dayton. For about the same money, the Dayton seemed to be the better choice based on power and ability to hit lower frequencies. I'm curious, what didn't you like about this sub? Keep in mind, I'd love to put down a couple month's house payments on a SVS, but I'm on the opposite end of the spectrum and would be thrilled just to upgrade the junk I have now while spending very little money. I'd love to see Randy dive into more reviews about cheap subs, it would sure make the decision easier. Cheers and beers!

[@AmazonasBiotop]

"sealed with a passive radiator" It is like saying "sealed with a ported tube" They are tree different types of enclosures. Sealed, ported and passive radiator. So fokes do not get confused. :) Thanks for the review!

[@cheapaudioman]

I didn't see any holes in the enclosure But I appreciate the feedback

[@AmazonasBiotop]

@@cheapaudioman Yeah, you are right the enclosure type utilize passive radiator needs to be sealed.. Rather confusing.. :)

[@darkpatches]

@@AmazonasBiotop Really? The Bose unpowered subwoofers are passive and ported, right? What am I missing?

[@AmazonasBiotop]

@@darkpatches Read it again, please. You miss that sealed are a enclosure type and so are also ported/vented that are another type of enclosure type. The enclosure type here uses a passive radiator (and of course it need to be air tight). Sealed is a third enclosure type that is a box with a driver that also is air tight so the air pressure is acting on the woofer like a spring (with under and over pressure in the box generated by the woofer it self when it go in and out.

[@dlloyd6300]

You forgot bandpass, T-line, infinite baffle, and folded horn. There are also many different orders of bandpass designs. 😁😉

[@murraywebster1228]

Like your style……straight and honest!

[@EricRhodeslives]

Any simple tape loop on a preamp would also invoke the high pass filter. Would it not?

[@chrispdx5755]

Preamp-out/main-in would work, but tape loop is line-level so no volume control.

[@damienmonier4027]

Love this Emotiva sub! Bought one to pair with my powered bookshelf Audioengine A5's for a desktop setup. It really helped them out with clarity and resonance with its high pass filter. The Audioengines died shortly thereafter coincidentally from a common flaw to the originals (they were 8 years old, too.) Since I wanted to try something non-powered, I'm now pairing with a 300 dollar pair of Kef q150s and Vista spark stereo integrated amp @ 20wpc. Running with the high-level inputs now, but my wiring is different than what you explained in the video. I'm running two sets of speaker wires from the integrated amp: 1 pair banana plugs to the speakers, and one pair bare wire to the Emotiva sub. Out of the same posts on the amp. Still works for me. I want to try the high pass with the kef's but need another decent rca cable and I was a bit confused on the different volume situation going from my computer soundcard to the Vista amp, but you have cleared that up for me, thanks! A question I'm wondering is will it degrade signal quality to the amp if I'm controlling volume from my source, a windows pc? I was under the impression to leave windows volume at max and control all volume from the integrated to insure strongest/cleanest signal to amp. Thanks!

[@Jordy-is-niet-mijn-echte-naam]

Yo! How did you connect the sub to your audioengine monitors? Was it easy to do? Because there is no xlr in or out in the sub…

[@damienmonier4027]

@@Jordy-is-niet-mijn-echte-naam DAC RCA out to sub hi-pass in, then sub hi pass out RCA to Audioengine in with a RCA to 1/8" adapter.

[@Jordy-is-niet-mijn-echte-naam]

@@damienmonier4027 thx! Do you lose any quality with this method?

[@damienmonier4027]

​@@Jordy-is-niet-mijn-echte-naam Nope, will actually improve the sound by letting your sub take the lower frequencies at whatever crossover level you decide to set the high pass at, and then the A5's will have less distortion/a cleaner sound due to not needing to output sub bass.

[@Jordy-is-niet-mijn-echte-naam]

@@damienmonier4027 very nice, I’ll give it a try. Thx for the exclusive help 😉

[@NeilBlanchard]

Thanks for going through the setup. I gotta' say that this is quite different than I would have thought it would be. You are basically needing to stop using your existing amp? Talk about the high / speaker level inputs - do they have the high pass? I want to mention that there is a tradeoff for the sub taking over the bass - is integration, and phase accuracy. Due to the different distances from the sub to your ears vs the distance from the satellite woofers to your ears. If those are not the same distance, then there will be a group delay. And even though bass is close to omnidirectional - both channels will be form the one sub.

[@cheapaudioman]

there's a phase switch on there that can help get things in line. if using only the speaker level inputs the high pass won't work. It only works with using the rca inputs and outputs.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@cheapaudioman Right, thanks for clarifying. The phase switch gives you 2 out of about 360 to choose from. Music *is* sound in phase, so while it is better to hear all (as much) of the sound in a recording, getting it all close to in phase is then the next most important thing. And there is no perfect way to get bass into a room. I think bass is the hardest thing to do well in audio.

[@NeilBlanchard]

@@cheapaudioman Another related point - crossovers are the hardest thing to do in speakers; and just "splitting off" the bass from speakers and feeding it to the sub, is sometimes easier to do than others. The sound of the satellite are affected by more than just losing the bass. Some speakers / rooms are going to work better by just adding the subwoofer, without changing the main speakers. But as you discuss, other speakers will benefit from having to try to cover the bass. Here's the thing: speakers that cannot do bass below a certain point - are *definition* of a high pass filter. So adding a signal filter, and adding another volume control in the signal path may just be a complication, with mixed benefits and problems.

[@stevec.1319]

still hoping to hear a comparison shoot out, or a subwoofer tiered chart. Mute at this point as i already purchased this one, so hoping it does well...

[@joseph-ow1hf]

Got mine in. Like enough that will get another for stereo pair. My one criticism is that the thin cabinet vibrates a lot, which has to be coloring the sound. (although I'm not running them very loud) So I have some generic No Res on the way to see if that makes a difference. I really like the use of the PR instead of a port.. Quite musical, especially for the money. Years ago I had a Mirage 8" bi-pole design that was supposed to be fast and articulate to mate w/ Maggies. It was crap in comparison. A big heavy box, more than twice the money and sounded like garbage. It had very little output and would easily fall apart if pushed even a bit. My little desktop rig now sounds like a very good entry level hi end system.

[@Roof_Pizza]

Just a small point, not every manufacturer agrees with cutting off your mains 'artificially' high. REL and PS Audio for two. If you have entry level/budget stuff I guess you might tho. REL says to dial in your mains as best you can first before adding the sub and tweaking it to match the rest of your system. Anything higher than 80 and you'll be able to locate the sub and you don't want that.

[@geezer5236]

Love your takes. Bought my Q 3020s based on your take, thanks. Just an idea for checking base. Prince's " When Doves Cry". There is no base playing all the deep notes are by percussion so a good speakers won't muddy the beats and there is a lot going on drumwise. As an old drummer thought you'd appreciate it.

[@cheapaudioman]

Love When Dove's Cry. that's go to go on the test track

[@bacigalupi]

Randy! The Airmotiv SE8 8" Flex Subwoofer is nowhere to be bought. Sold out. What is your next recommendation? I’ve got the Elac Debut Reference Bookshelf Speakers after seeing your review, LOVE THEM, and am thinking of getting the emotive ta1. I really like the concept of bass management. Thanks!

[@skydwellingmusic]

I love your vids man. You're probably my favorite audio youtuber atm

[@Byeohazard]

I don't understand the 60, 80, 100 switch . Is it suppose to work along side the crossover dial?

[@jeffsloane8628]

Randy, if you are not going to start a work out regiment, please get a rotisserie table so you can easily rotate products on the sheet covered table. :-) I have an Alexa dot going into the RCA inputs of an Emotiva S8 with the cross over set to 80 hz, then RCAs out to an SVS sound base amplifier. It amplifies the mid bass to upper octaves to a set of Emotiva B1+ bookshelves. It took some time to set the level of the sub and SVS amp, which I did with the Octive RTA app on my iPhone, but now I just use my voice and tell Alexa to raise or lower the volume. Now I have clear full range sound in my bedroom with full voice control. Great review! Thumbs up! Potential Emotiva customers should also watch for their Emotiva bucks program as it lowers the cost of purchasing multiple Emotiva products. In a nutshell, the Emotiva S8 and SE8 subs bring bass management to single source systems with preamps and amps without that feature.

[@cheapaudioman]

Love it. Cool integration. I wish there was an Alexa device with a digital out as I don’t care for the DAC in the echo dot. There is an echo link that regularly goes on sale for $130. You’d still need a dot to talk to, but it does have an optical out and a better DAC in it and it show up on your Alexa network. So you could name it stereo and say “play Pearl Jam on the stereo” and boom. You’re rocking. Basically do the same think you’re sound with the link and now you have cd quality with a better DAC or even the out board DAC

[@jeffsloane8628]

@@cheapaudioman Thanks Randy. I've had my eye on those, but missed the price drop. I will definitely be adding one of those to one of my rigs. I'm also considering hitting up the used market for the original google chromecast audio because it had an optical out that could be plugged into an external DAC, or at the minimum to a DAC focused on audio quality.

[@joejoe2894]

Confused that there is a 3 position switch for the high pass filter 60, 80, 100 and also a knob for crossover 60 to 150. What is the difference between these two controls? Got Klipsch rp400m. Seems like great application. With small 4 inch woofers putting crossover higher than 100 might make sense (available on the knob) Headphone to rca coming out of tv to old yamaha integrated. Controlling volume through TV remote.

[@cheapaudioman]

One is for the Front channels or your "speakers" and one is for you subwoofer. The knob is for the subwoofer.

[@joejoe2894]

In what case would you not want the crossover settings to be the same between the front speakers and sub?

[@joejoe2894]

From what I gather researching on Google seems like the rule of thumb is sub at 70% of mains. So if the high pass is set at 100 for mains would turn the knob to 70 for starting point on the sub. If anyone reads this. . . Do I have it right? If a

[@cheapaudioman]

@@joejoe2894 that works just fine. I don’t think there is any one way that is right. Ideally they’d be about the same but in my room I have the low pass at 100 and the mains at 70 for the high pass. Comes down to preference really

[@joejoe2894]

@@cheapaudioman watched your take on between the ferns. . . Awsome. Keep it cheap and simple. Looking fwd to more videos and how it fits into getting the most out of my phone (I have amazon music) and TV (you tube) as the sources for my simple, 80s stereo system.

[@T_Burd_75]

You're the Chief Cheap Audio Man.

[@QXZ9027MKII]

O'boy that intro. 😳🤣🤣

[@madcrabber1113]

I have 2 old JBL PB10's that have speaker level inputs and outputs connected to r & l speakers with speakers running to the Sony DH190, using tone controls on the Sony which for the $ sounds wonderful. Emotiva stuff seems like a great company for affordable, quality products from what I have seen and read anyway. Thanks for the video.

[@joeygonzo]

Mechanical Dimensions: 11-3/4” high x 11-3/4” wide x 11-3/4” deep unboxed. 17" x 17" x 17" boxed. (add ¾” for grill; add 1-1/2” for feet) Feet: Permanently attached feet with anti-slip rubber pads. Weight: 19.2 lbs unboxed. 25 lbs boxed.

[@willisbush956]

Sounds cool, but in my listening room I frequently switch out speakers, one pair (Tekton Lores) that may not benefit from the bass boost this sub offers. A few others would, and the bass management feature is attractive. Unfortunately, if I hook up my system to take advantage of the bass management system for these, it wouldn't be easy to switch to not using it for the speakers that don't need it. Or am I wrong? Would letting the SE8 handle the bass from 60 hz down be better than allowing the Lores to work alone?

[@OHMAudioChannel]

Dayton Audio makes a 250w DSP subwoofer plate amp that has HPF built in as well as DSP tuning. The plate amp alone though costs almost as much as this complete subwoofer.

[@PramodFernandes]

Hi. I wanted your opinion. Is the Edifier T5 a good match to Elac Debut B5.2 driven by Marantz PM6007?

[@Silentheaven89]

I have a pair of vanatoo t0s and the se8 atm I'm using an RCA cable to connect them. Did I make a mistake? Should I have used an lfe cable instead?

[@joelrunyan1608]

The speakerlevel in / out has a high pass x over .. and is actually the best way to hook up a sub... but. Isn't the most convenient

[@joeygsaudiochannel3972]

Great Video Randy ! I like watching your videos in the morning while my Tubes warm up :-).

[@jimbrunsman1011]

Hoping people pay attention to Randy's advice. Adding a sub is huge in terms of musical enjoyment. Extremely pleased with my Emotiva BasX12 subwoofer mated to a pair of Klipsch R15PM powered monitors. Got both on Craigslist for ridiculously cheap and I'm getting sound so good I giggle several times a day. Made some recent tweaks that have made subtle differences. I'm a big believer in isolation especially for the desktop at high volume levels. It's easy to see the speakers vibrating the Mac mini and FX Audio DAC so I got some inexpensive Hudson Hi-Fi Isolation pads and everything is much more stable and sound tightened up a notch. Also trying a Blue Jeans cable between the monitors but too soon to know the effect since burn-in is a long way off. Sounds great already. Also added a Furutech line optimizer that is not fully burned in yet. It seems to add depth and dynamics. Also have an AudioQuest JitterBug installed. On good recordings, it sounds like a well recorded concert in here. I can FEEL the power and it is thrilling to discover all my favorite music reproduced so powerfully.

[@rickygonzalez1545]

why do you send the signal back out thru the other speakers thru the banana clip outs?

[@rich-wg5lb]

What are the orders of both high and low pass filters, xdB per octive Also I read in the manual that the speakers get the full range signal from the high level outputs. What good is the high pass filter if you can't apply it directly to the speakers Probably a first order, a single capacitor supplying a 6db per octave attenuation in the low level circuit.

[@strykerking]

I'm thinking Emotiva TA100 with BassX A2 power amp. Then I'd get the benefit of the low pass filter with the sub also, correct?

[@boomerspeed0124]

lol this could be one of my favorite videos of yours

[@enriquemendoza9350]

I got the klipsch reference 820F towers just recently. I want to pair them with some subwoofer at max $500 each. I mostly used them for movies 50% and sport events%25 , and % 25 music. What would you recommend. I currently got a pair of polks 10 inch but they rattle at 60% volume and they only go down to 36 hz frequency which manufactured claims.

[@leonardblush2557]

This seems like a sub that would be excellent with the legendary little NHT SuperZeroes (2.1). I sadly sold my originals years ago, but there was nothing quite so flat out fun as those little guys set up well out in the room and a well matched sub.

[@mikedinno8413]

If you use the LFE input on the sub don't you want to set the crossover on the sub to it's maximum and set the cross in the receiver?

[@welderfixer]

Yes sir that's the way to connect and set the sub if you have LFE output. My Emotiva SE8 is connected just that way. Then I ran Audyssey the set the Xover.

[@cheapaudioman]

yes. good catch

[@vicdickenson3869]

I’ve got Elac Debut References and a Cambridge AXR100. I want some bass management. So, get a DAC, RCA’s to sub. Then what? I’m so confused. Thanks

[@DesertValleySports]

I believe you'd have to have an amp with A/B switch and send the B to that sub. It seems like it doesn't have the "outs" to send to the speakers. Love this channel

[@superpeca]

Not just having two pairs of binding posts, you also need to have an option to use A+B and not just A or B...

[@PeterSz73]

Wrong, you can connect more than one pair of wires to one pair of binding posts. So even if you only had 'A' only, you can connect your speaker AND your sub to that one

[@danesh4018]

Hey Randy! Great video. Could you take the pre-outs on the TA-100 to the S8 and then the high level speaker outs on the S8 to your speakers? Wouldn’t that allow you to use bass management with the TA-100 as the source?

[@dlloyd6300]

Yay for AM content! Hey Randy, If you are ever driving through Little Rock let me know and you are more than welcome to swing by and demo my theater. Dolby Atmos 7.2.4 Yamaha 3080 driving Emotiva amps. Klipsch RF7-3's front with matching surrounds, 2 Rythmik 15 subs, and a 110" Epson 5030UB projo. I know its not in your review demographic but I'd love to let you sit in the hot seat for a listen if you were ever in the area.

[@cheapaudioman]

I used go go through little rock all of the time. Heck I stayed in a Hampton Inn there for a month after Hurricane Katrina

[@dlloyd6300]

@@cheapaudioman 😬That's a long time for any hotel! 😆 You could have stayed at my empty home because I volunteered with the Arkansas guard for 3 months to help with the recovery effort, mostly South of New Orleans in the Port Sulfur area. Hope you enjoyed The Rock while you were there. Not a huge city, but it has its charms. I fly to Dallas a lot and sometimes Tyler flying air EMS. Anyway, if you are ever coming through and I'm not working id love to let you run your playlist on my rig. Have a blessed day!

[@jkz98027]

Is the SVS SB1000 worth the extra $200? I'm not some audiophile nerd, just like nice music with occasionally a movie. My living room is pretty small, so don't need massive output.

[@michaelduffee6402]

If the Amp has a way to loop in an external EQ, can you connect the sub in that loop and achieve "bass management "?

[@michaelm.3231]

Randy they are out of the 8 inch but have the 12 inch in stock. If I use your link and then click on the 12 inch will you still get credit for sale.

[@joelabrie9081]

I’m torn on the high pass filter use in my case. Different equipment: NAD C368 integrated with built in high pass filter feeding power to KEF Q350 bookshelves and a 12” Fluance sub. When I enable the high pass filter it feels as though the KEFs lose all of the lower mid bass punch that I feel in my chest. When the high pass filter is on, the system sounds like it makes a huge u in its curve so lots of bass and highs and the mids are not impressive. So do I save wear on my speakers or get goosebumps from the lower mid bass production?!