Subwoofer for Ayre AX-7e?

@almarg wrote:

... An even better approach, IMO, would be to solder the wire from the sub’s negative input terminal(s) to the ground shell of an RCA plug, leaving the center pin unconnected, and inserting that plug into an unused RCA connector on the amp. 

That would result in a direct (essentially zero ohm) connection between the circuit grounds of the sub and the amp.

Hi @almarg - I don't believe that would work because the RCA grounds are not referenced to circuit ground. In fact they are totally isolated from one another, I verified this with a multimeter. The Ayre circuit is fully differential from input to output so I believe they treat the RCA ground the same as an inverting signal, which I'm guessing is why Ayre gear doesn't sound great with single-ended sources (a phase splitter or transformer coupling would better drive the balanced circuit, though at the cost of another passive/active stage).

The impedance from chassis to circuit ground is negligible - there's a single star grounding point in the middle of the PCB where the ground plane is exposed to the screw, which goes through a brass standoff to the chassis. I also had this impedance concern but I measured and it was in the 10's of milliohms, and there is no hum whatsoever. However if I were taking my mod further, yes, I would put a ring connector under that grounding screw, making direct contact with the ground plane, and wire that to a proper connector for the subwoofer output. My more elaborate plan was to do this, add a muting relay and hooking it up to a 1/4" TRS connector with 10 ohm series resistors isolate/protect against shorts. I decided it wasn't worth the trouble though. :) 

@audioconnection wrote:

The reason I disagree a single sub by the time he hears the bass for what op has paid for can easily overload that room spoiling or confusing what he already has right in the midrange balance, to begin with, it's still a can of worms. 
2 properly adjusted small subs work better than one but forward firing drivers tend to draw more attention away chuffing and mooing with artifacts. 

Hi Johnny - definitely a potential issue, but I have not had any of these problems at all with the REL in a few different setups. They do work better with a speaker that has reasonable extension (say, -6dB @ 60Hz) and a smooth rolloff, so you can keep the crossover point low. I am not sure if the OP's Epos fits the bill. Also remember that REL does not have any sort of high-pass for the mains, so they are expected to run full range. It is truly "bass augmentation" only.

ok
as an Ayre VX-R, then Twenty owner for many years..i always found the factory very responsive both via email and phone....i would touch base with them....

as one who has been acused of being a Vandersteen fan boy.. ( I own just 3 pair ), the model one transmission line will shock you with how low it goes and the definition is excellent 

my buck fifty

@tomic601 transmission lines are the bomb. I haven't heard the Vandersteen but have heard a couple of Bud Fried's old designs, as well as the Role Audio models. They have a tuneful bass quality that's unique to the alignment.

Agree it's always a good call to contact the manufacturer. Fairly certain the answer will be the same as what has been discussed here though. I scoured the internet and experimented a ton looking for alternative solutions, only to find Charlie Hansen in another forum outlining basically what I said above. Not much you can do to get around the circuit topology. *shrug*

taww

ya man, for sure...for a brief period a store i worked at in late 70’s carried Frieds
.....so right..they were good....we had them, Thiel and Shahinian....

well the circuit topology is a big part of the Ayre magic, along with lack of feedback...Charloe was not shy on posting, so my guess is you got tge approach right...RIP Mr. Hansen

good luck on your quest