Sub Question. One higher quality sub or two lesser quality? (Rythmik vs HSU)

Starting with one to get that right first makes a lot of sense. That’s the engineer in me speaking.

I have a single powered sub setup using a Klipsch SW 308 with a pair of kef ls50s. Connection is line out from Audio Research sp16 preamp to sub using dual phono rca Y connector to merge channels. Simple and Sounds good. The miniDSP approach mentioned above would be interesting to try.

Klipsch sw 308 has one forward facing active driver and dual passive radiators one to each side. That provides 3 different wave launch geometries in the room out of a single sub and allows the sub to be smaller as well. So you get something along the lines of Bass array approach benefits out of a single compact box which works for me in that I like to keep things simple.

mapman

Starting with one to get that right first makes a lot of sense. That’s the engineer in me speaking.

I agree with you on that!

... Connection is line out from Audio Research sp16 preamp to sub using dual phono rca Y connector to merge channels.

Aren't your preamp's outputs wired internally  in parallel? If so, doesn't making one output mono make all of its outputs mono?

@cleeds

The Audio Research SP16 has two stereo main outputs. One goes to main amps which remains in stereo and the other to the sub. So that is not an issue.

I’ve learned a lot from Duke (audiokinesis) here over the years in regards to acoustics and sound dispersion in particular and factored that into my choice of a sub with three drivers facing three different directions.


Actually I just checked and one correction.....the Klipsch sub has stereo l/r rca phono plug inputs, so I am actually not using a Y connector there these days with the ARC pre-amp which has the extra stereo main output for it. Glad I checked. I used to have it set up in a different system in another room where I split a single sub output off the integrated amp into dual plugs for both l/r input to this sub using a Y connector..

mapman

The Audio Research SP16 has two stereo main outputs. One goes to main amps which remains in stereo and the other to the sub.

I understand that. On many ARC preamps, the main outputs are internally wired in parallel. That would mean you'd get mono out of both outputs even if you only wired one for mono. It looks like the SP16 is an exception.

@cleeds

sp 16 may or may not be exception. As I indicated I am not merging output with a Y connector with the ARC as I mistakenly indicated initially so in fact I have not encountered that scenario.

I suppose one would know for sure pretty quickly if one tried that.