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Amp for use w/ REL Stentor III?

Hi all,

I recently took delivery of a REL Stentor III sub (damaged in shipping, thanks UPS!). Unfortunately, unlike the pic on REL and Sumiko's website, there are NOT dual left/right input jacks for either XLR or Neutrik inputs! I am told that this pic is of a prototype and this feature never made it to production. Major bummer...

The problem is that my amp (Ayre V-5) is balanced differential output so it is impossible to hook up the REL as a mono summing sub. I have called Sumiko and Ayre and neither had any bright ideas except to buy another Stentor(!). So my question is: Are there any amps out there that are as pure as the Ayre (corny, I know, but it IS a really good amp) but with common grounds at the speaker binding posts? I prefer SS and balanced inputs if at all possible. Equipment is Wadia 830, MD Etude, ARC LS12, homebrew monitors of flat 4ohm load.

Thanks for your suggestions and happy holidays!
karls
karls OP
332 posts
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I tried using the Ayre's RCA and XLR grounds as suggested by several people including Sumiko, but to no avail (hum from the REL). I've escaped without damage so far, but don't want to keep messing around until I blow something up. From talking with Sumiko, it sounds as though there were circuitry problems getting the separate stereo inputs to sum properly, which is why they're not on the production units. And the REL only has a mono RCA input, so no dice there either. Maybe this will be solved on the MkIV...
msa
35 posts
 
Did you try floating the ground on the Rel power line?
onhwy61's avatar
onhwy61
5,300 posts
 
If the Stentor only has a mono line level input, then can't you use a "Y" adaptor?
karls OP
332 posts
 
Y's can be used for splitting, but summing is more difficult and I personally wouldn't try it, certainly not without some inline resistors at the very least.
bhouser
112 posts
 
Karl-

An update on my Pass x-250 & REL situation-

I tried the balanced input on the Storm to no avail. Connected as Sumiko recommended, there is hardly any low-level output from the sub at all. I have to assume from this that the Pass is not a differential amp??

However, reconnected in the standard Hi-level Speakon input with the cables setup as I described (black to chassis ground) seemed to do the trick. I am going to call Sumiko back to verify, but this at least outputs levels that I thought it should.

I still have some fiddling to do - I also upgraded my Anthem AVM-20 to version 2.08 with the new DSP chip, and I am not sure where the biggest changes in sub operation came from - the new amp or the new programming. (I know - I made too many changes at once....)
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