2. tech-talk
  3. 178786-46

Asymmetric pre outs - sound quality issues?

I have, of course, pre-outs left and right channel going to my amp but I also have a subwoofer that has a mono input. If I use one of my other sets of pre-outs on my preamplifier, the left or right channel, to go to the subwoofer, will that cause any issues with sound coming from my front mean two speakers since one of the channels won’t be connected to the subwoofer?  I guess what I’m asking is will the signal going to the front two channels very any if one channel has another output going to the subwoofer? The preamp is a Herron 1A/166. 

last_lemming
blisshifi's avatar
Ag insider logo xs@2x
blisshifi
1,175 posts
 

It should not. The impedance and output that goes to the subwoofer is minimal, and electrically, there should be no imbalance. That said, where you put your sub and how you integrate it with your system with regards to gain, phase, crossover, and DSP is critical, or else it could cause the system to sound unbalanced. 

ditusa's avatar
ditusa
1,883 posts
 

No problem!

Mike

erik_squires
16,040 posts
 

You really want both L and R bass signals to reach the sub, but a simple Y connector could end up summing all of the preamp’s output depending on whether the outputs are buffered separately or not.  My guess is they are not buffered so you'll need something to sum the output without shorting the outputs together.

They make sub summing cables that have enough built in impedance to keep that from happening.

Otherwise, blisshifi is correct. One solution to all of this is to use something like a miniDSP to both equalize and sum the bass from your pre.

More to discover