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Passive subwoofer too loud.

Hi,

I have two front speakers rated at 4 ohms and a subwoofer made by the same designer (unknown specs) that should go well with his fronts, but... the subwoofer is laughably loud.

 

The designer recently passed away so I cannot get any support. I am using the same amps to drive the fronts and the subwoofer so it should not be an amp gain issue.

The subwoofer has two 12 inch drivers. Each driver has its own inputs for speaker cable. So I am running one channel of my stereo amp (again sub has its own amp - same kind of amp as fronts) to one woofer on the sub and the other channel to the other woofer on the sub. Is that the issue ? Or,  I am wondering if the sub was internally wired in series when it should have been wired in parallel or vice versa? - Just trying to understand why it is so damned loud when the same guy designed it and knew that the amplifier that I would be using with it is a typical amp - no volume control.

I am so aggravated... hope someone can help.

brjoon1021
erik_squires
15,772 posts
 

Well, if it IS wired in parallel, you could try re-wiring it in series to reduce the output.

The best way to deal with this is going to be to get a separate amp with it’s own volume control though.


 

brjoon1021 OP
4 posts
 

Thanks Gentlemen,

A note of clarification (if helpful): I do have a separate amplifier for the subwoofer. It is a typical amp not having volume controls (not an integrated amp).

As an alternative solution: I do have a decent to good Onkyo receiver that is not currently being used. It could be the subwoofer amp. Would putting the receiver inline from the preamp via a line level be a good or better solution (not in how "good" a subwoofer amp the receiver may or may not be compared to my current amplifier - probably even trade) but as a solution compared to attenuating.

koestner
626 posts
 

Yes, that would work. If the Onkyo has a remote as most do you're in luck to change the sub level from your listening chair.

mlsstl
1,394 posts
 

The gain/input sensitivity of amps can vary quite a bit. Could be the separate amp you are using for the sub simply has more gain than the amp being used for the speakers.  

As noted earlier in this thread, the Schiit SYS is a $49 passive preamp that you could use to adjust the volume of the sub. Simply put it inline in between the sub amp's input and the source output. 

Also, remember that subwoofers are extremely sensitive to their placement in a room.  Too close to corners or a wall/floor boundary can increase their loudness, particularly at certain frequencies.  You might try moving the sub further away from a corner or wall placement and see if that helps. And this particular experiment is completely free!  

bi0drainx
34 posts
 

Can always use a minidsp and measure and EQ

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