Cambridge CXA80

[Samd]

Really pleased with mine coupled with CXN & C and driving Q Acoustics 3050s but Cambridge User Manuals are really quite poor. No mention at all about subwoofer so I sent text to them for advice on settings. Their reply was:

This would all be done on the subwoofer its self and not the CXA-80 which will send all signal below 200kHz to the subwoofer.

Does anyone out there speak cambridge please?

 

[davedotco]

I think that the Cambridge, like most stereo amplifiers does not do 'bass management'.

The sub out is simply that, a mono 'pre-out', it may or may not be rolled off above 200hz, not important anyway. It drives any modern sub which will have controls for level, phase and crossover frequency which are adjusted in the normal way.

Unlike AVRs, I believe the CX80 maintains a flat output from the speaker terminals, ie unmodified irrespective of whether a subwoofer is in use or not, so there are no settings to adjust on the amp.

Cambridges phrasing is poor as it could be read to mean that, when a sub is in use, all frequences below 200Hz are sent to the sub. Complete nonsense in all respects, ie not true and just plain wrong if it was.

 

[Samd]

Thanks. I had read their reply in line with your last para. Also they said 200kHz not 200Hz - a bit sloppy.

 

[davedotco]

Thanks. I had read their reply in line with your last para. Also they said 200kHz not 200Hz - a bit sloppy.

Your amp will always run full range, there are one or two stereo amps (Nad D3020) that cut the bass on the main outputs when a sub is being used but they are rare.

There are also a few subs around that allow you to filter the bass from the main speakers by passing the signal through the sub which cuts the bass to the main speakers, but again, quite rare.

There is some debate as to which method is preferable for music, ie leaving the main speakers full range or leaving everything below say, 75Hz to the sub. I feel it probably depends on the system though if maximising power handling is an issue, filtering the main speakers will probably help.

 

[Samd]

So on my system and many others, were I to introduce a subwoofer and set its crossover at 80Hz, the sub and main speakers would both be delivering sound below that level? If so does that matter? Is it an advantage? I would like to start 'experimenting' but need a little bit of knowledge before I start making non self-adjusting ****-ups!

 

[davedotco]

So on my system and many others, were I to introduce a subwoofer and set its crossover at 80Hz, the sub and main speakers would both be delivering sound below that level? If so does that matter? Is it an advantage? I would like to start 'experimenting' but need a little bit of knowledge before I start making non self-adjusting ****-ups!

Do you need a subwoofer?

What are you trying to get that you are not getting from your existing speakers?

Subwoofers are there to deliver sub-bass, for a lot of popular music of all kinds, there is often very little happening in that region. Even a lot of modern 'bass heavy' recordings have most of their energy above 80hz or so, something that a sub is really not going to help with, it helps a lot when you understand what a sub is designed to do.

A lot of systems that I hear use the subwoofer for 'effect', usually with the crossover and level set far too high, no accounting for taste but it sounds wretched to my ears.

In a hi-fi application the sub is designed to 'take over' as the bass in the main speakers roll off, in theory this gives the smoothest transition from the mains to the sub and is the way most music systems are setup. Done correctly the sub will add a sense of weight and solidity to the music, but of course only when such frequencies are present, for a lot of recordings the differences will be quite small.

 

[Samd]

Straight up I don't know! For years I managed with some old Mission (751s?)** for hifi and Yamaha Sound Projector for AV and having bought Cambridge/Q Acs I have had my ears opened! AV side is Denon 2300 with an automatic switch allowing stereo amp and AVR to use the floorstanders.

Thinking about getting a better subwoofer for AV and I was just wondering if it would also give benefit on the stereo side of things but also I like experimenting (read meddling!) Thanks for your help on this.

**and a Pioneer open reel!!

 

[davedotco]

Straight up I don't know! For years I managed with some old Mission (751s?)** for hifi and Yamaha Sound Projector for AV and having bought Cambridge/Q Acs I have had my ears opened! AV side is Denon 2300 with an automatic switch allowing stereo amp and AVR to use the floorstanders.

Thinking about getting a better subwoofer for AV and I was just wondering if it would also give benefit on the stereo side of things but also I like experimenting (read meddling!) Thanks for your help on this.

**and a Pioneer open reel!!

Subwoofers can be fun and very effective, particularly on movies.

When you are experimenting, be aware that your settings for movies and music will be very different, don't expect any sub to be able to do both without substantial re-adjustment.