A couple of options for balanced high pass filters. Harrison Labs Parametric Patch Board or Marchand. I am using the Harrison Labs units with 50 Hz filters.
My high pass filter experiment and a couple of questions
Prior to this "experiment" I was running my Maranztz SA10 with balanced Kimber Silver Streak to my Cary SLP05 and from there I was using balanced Kimber Silver Streak to my Cary V12; from my SLP05 I was going out of the RCA outs with some old Monster Cable to my ancient M&K MX-100.
Back in ’95 I bought a M&K LP-15 passive high pass filter and I liked it with the gear I was then using, but as the gear got bigger and better and I also started using balanced interconnects I quit using it.
A few days ago I dug it out and I left the balanced connections from CDP to the pre the same, but from the pre I went with some Kimber PBJ RCA (because I don’t have any Silver Streak RCA that is long enough) from my pre into the high pass filter, and from the high pass I went with Kimber PBJ RCA to my amp; I hooked up the Monster Cable (that I had been going from the pre to the sub with) to the high pass filter and went to the sub with that.
Initially I kind of liked it, but tonight I wasn’t so sure. (It almost seems as if I am prone to INITIALLY like any change I make.)
I have a lot less gain and a lot more real extate available on the volume knob of my pre. That part I do like. I assume that is because I am going into my amp with RCA connection versus balanced and less voltage?
The high pass filter does have a treble control and a bass control. Initially I was reticent to use it any way except with both controls turned all the way to full. However, I did find that by playing with the treble control a smidge I could take the hard (bright) edge off of certain (not all) CDs. I left the bass control turned all the way to full because I am thinking it is supposed to do the same thing that the level control on the sub is doing, so why defeat that on the sub?
Another question is: since the LP-15 is theoretically supposed to roll the bass off at 85 Hz and the Revel M126Be’s I am now using are supposed to be trying to go down to 54 Hz, if those speakers are only being sent 85 Hz and above from the amp, this should make them an easier load to drive? I would think that their sensitivity doesn’t change, but now the impedance should not have to dip as low?
And still another question(?) does balanced from CPP to pre and RCA from pre to high pass and then to amp seem problematic? And I suppose I should consider upgrading the PBJ RCAs to Silver Streak RCAs?
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@theophile , to put the high pass in between the pre and the amp and roll off the signal to the amp at 85 Hz the only way I can do that is by connecting to and from the high pass with RCAs. However, I think I understand what you are saying: connect the pre to the amp with balanced, and connect the high pass in between the pre and the sub with RCAs. But that doesn't accomplish my goal, which is to isolate the amp from signal below 85 Hz. |
I went down this 'High pass' road once. In the begining it made perfect sense. Then Then I started thinking about how my precious audio signal was being run through all this additional wiring and electronics molesting the signal along the way. Affecting the phase? Losing dynamics in the lower register? I began to question this direction. Did it really sound better after all this? Was I gaining anything or just adding complexity? I pulled it all out and never went back. Much prefer a clean, minmalist signal route. Less is more.
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@gdaddy1 , that's basically the route I went. The high pass made my system more dynamic with my first preamp and a lower powered entry level tube amp, but as I moved up in equipment I remember a dealer referring to using a high pass as "putting another crappy box" in the signal path (only he didn't say 'crappy'). Also, I started using balanced intercoonects, so that alone ruled out using the high pass. But just recently I got the itch/urge to experiment without speding any money. I had previously been running my switchable amp in the 50 wpc triode more so a while ago I switched to 100 wpc ultralinear and kind of liked the change. Then I got to thinking that since I already owned a high pass I haven't used since the '90s, why not hook that back up again and see what I think. If more power to the speakers was a positive (the ultralinear circuit), maybe only feeding my amp 85 Hz and above would work a long the same lines, was my logic And that's where I am right now |
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