Conrad johnson pv10b to M&K subwoofer


Is there a way to connect pv10b preamp to MK 150thx sub? I believe the MK does not have any speaker line input, only RCA. Can i use the tape out on pv10b?

Please help.

Thanks.
caweran
You can't use the tape out because it isn't controlled by
the volume control, so the output would be fixed.

You can use a pair of "Y" adapters from the main
outputs. It will change the output impedance some, but I've
done this many times with excellent results. Your M&K sub
will need to have separate right and left inputs for this to
work correctly.
No. All you are really doing is adding an extra set of outputs to the preamp with a "Y" adapter.
If your CJ PV10B preamp is tube, it may not be a great impedance match with the M&K MX-150 THX sub, as it only has a 15kohm input impedance, this is more suited to solid state preamp that have lower output impedances than tube preamps.

Cheers George
As Mofi indicated, you won't hurt anything by using a y-adapter. Here is one such adapter. There are others that are available in the form of short lengths of flexible cable.

The impedance considerations George referred to can affect tonal balance under some circumstances, at least slightly. I couldn't find specs or measurements on the output impedance of the PV10B, or on how that impedance varies as a function of frequency (which is important, but is usually unspecified). And the input impedance of whatever power amp you are using is also a factor. As are the lengths of the cables from the preamp to both the power amp and the subwoofer, and the capacitance per unit length of those cables. I did, however, find the following statement about the PV10B, which provides some degree of confidence:
Cathode follower outputs in both stages provide low output impedance, making the PV10B compatible with nearly all installations, including those requiring long lengths of interconnect cable.
So my guess is that if the input impedance of your power amp is not particularly low (e.g., as long as it is not much less than say 25K), and if the lengths of either of the cables from the preamp would not be unusually long, you'll probably get good results. If any adverse sonic effects occur, the most likely symptoms would be rolloff (weakness) of the deepest bass (due to the impedance issue) or of the extreme upper treble (due to the cable capacitance issue; the signals received by the main power amp may be affected at high frequencies by the capacitance of the interconnect cables to the sub as well as the capacitance of its own interconnects).

In any event, you won't hurt anything.

Regards,
-- Al
Caweran, you can use the tape output on the 10B but keep in
mind it is a fixed level output (as mofimadness mentioned)
so when you increase the volume of the 10B it will not
increase the volume of the sub. As mentioned above just use
Y adapters to split the signal on the 10B's outputs

By the way I too have a MK sub and love it. Made in America
it produces natural bass that is very musical.
...Sell the 10b and buy the latter Classic. Pretty much the same unit with an extra set of outputs, with some extra costs upgrade options.
Caweran-

I would certainly sell the MK and buy an REL sub. Simply, these are the best on the market. Most musical and very easy to integrate into any system. Happy Listening!