Nothing ventured nothing gained. And there is an inexpensive fix..
Regards..
Using SUBWOOFERS internal crossover...
Just this week, I decided to try this hookup with my system. Pre out to sub line in....sub high pass line out to power amp. Power amp to speakers.
Schiit Freya preamp / VTA ST120 Dynaco Tube / Node2i / Gustard X16 DAC / KEF LS50 Meta / SVS 1000 subwith line in / high pass line out....
Feeding the signal through the sub and back to the power amp totally destroyed the sound imaging and stage of my system.
Large symphony music became small symphony music pieces. Piano solos lost all the air around the piano.
On one particular track, Rolling Stone "Symphony For The Devil".....When the power amp is directly into the LS50 speakers, the piano is way right of the right speaker. Its so freaky that you would swear there is another speaker to the right of you.
When the signal is routed through the subwoofer, the piano moves TO THE LEFT of the left speaker and seems to be coming from behind the stage! a total reversal of the image! And huge collapse of sound stage.
I tried it back and forth many times. Checked and rechecked my wiring. Used the PHASE control on the subwoofer in every conceivable position (Its variable on this subwoofer)...And the results are always the same. I had three other people listen to it to be sure it wasn't MY ears playing tricks on me.
I'm totally convinced that taking a great audio signal, and routing it through yet another piece of equipment and then back into the power amp and to the speakers is a bad idea. At least on this sub it is.
I have "barrel" RCA 80Hz High Pass filters that I can insert before the power amp feeding the LS50s......This does not do anything to imaging or sound stage....but with LS50 it muddies up the upper bass. The LS50, IMO, want to be played full range with a subwoofer and let the natural 50Hz roll off play into the sub with the sub crossed over at 70Hz.....Not so with my Magnapan MMGs....They love the bass totally removed under 80-Hz with these barrel connectors......But using the subwoofers crossover the same sound stage and imaging destruction exists....
Different speakers want different subwoofer set ups.
anyone else experience this situation?
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- 14 posts total
I agree with @russ69, seems like the high pass crossover was wired incorrect internally. |
I have GR research sub with that option available. In short, I had to run 2-meter cables to and from it. Didn't like the idea so I used a Velodyne SMS1 to feed the subs and then ran cables back to my amp from its outputs. Also, I have tried a Harrison Labs crossover that allows short runs of cables, but I like the SmS1 best, since I can use a mic for the room measurement and go from there. |
All subwoofer plate amps contain cheap OP amps, IC's, and other garbage parts in their high-pass filters. Use the low-pass filter on your sub(s), and a separate high-quality high-pass x/o (Pass, First Watt, Bryston, Marchand, etc.) on the loudspeakers. If you need only a 1st-order slope filter (6dB/octave), you can create one with a couple of parts installed on the input jacks of the amplifier driving the loudspeakers. Or buy the one Richard Vandersteen makes, using high-quality parts. |
- 14 posts total