question about subwoofers freeing up mains

[hybridauth_Facebook_10205889565092773]

I have b&w602s hooked to a 320bee, and a ported 10" svs sub in the mail. I believe the dm602s roll off at 50hz. I have heard people say that using a subwoofer can really free up the mains.

I assume they mean that they somehow stop sending some frequencies to the mains and perhaps they even cut it off at the pre / amp, so the amp can focus on other things?

With my current amp I would just be running a y cable from the pre outs to both the amp and svs sub, so I am not freeing up the lower frequencies in my mains or amp, do people add crossovers? Is this a fuction of more high end amps? What are people referring to, and what should / can I do with my setup.

Thanks

Todd

 

[Gaz37]

I may be wrong but my understanding is that you run the sub off one pair of speaker outputs & the main speakers off the other, assuming your amp has two sets of outputs?

Otherwise I guess you'd need an external crossover.

But I may be totally wrong

 

[Anderson]

I may be wrong but my understanding is that you run the sub off one pair of speaker outputs & the main speakers off the other, assuming your amp has two sets of outputs?

Otherwise I guess you'd need an external crossover.

But I may be totally wrong

You can do that but it's not cricket, some subs can't anyway.

Either you use something like an AVR which can act as the crossover or some subs have RCA in and out. The idea with these subs is that you take your preout from your amp straight to the sub, the sun acts as xover, you run a RCA back to your amp power amp in and your done.

 

[Gaz37]

Ah, I told you I may be wrong lol.

"I know now why people cry but it is something I cannot do"

^ Fitting Terminator quote

 

[Anderson]

If this is your amp, and this is your sub I think you're in luck.

The sub will act as the cross over and you're inserting it between the pre amp and power amp stage of your integrated amplifier.

So RCA preout from amp to RCA input of sub, RCA out from sub to RCA input (not sure what this is called on your amp). If you look on the back of your amp there's a group of 4 RCA grouped together with 2 links between them, this is where you insert your sub.

You should then be able to adjust the crossover on the sub and by doing so you'll be 'freeing up your mains' because the sub will filter say everything below 60Hz to itself and sending everything else onto your mains.

So my imediate advice would be to read your manuals, you can download the sub manual online now and make sure you have to sets of RCA leads so you can get your sub hooked up properly. Also 1 metre RCA cables are probably not going to be your friend, you should be looking at 2-3 metre leads (depending on where you're placing yout sub anyway).

 

[Anderson]

Ah, I told you I may be wrong lol.

"I know now why people cry but it is something I cannot do"

^ Fitting Terminator quote

DO NOT EMPATHISE WITH THE MACHINES

 

[Gaz37]

Don't panic, nothing happened at 02.14, August 29th 1997.

Machines aren't all bad.

 

[hybridauth_Facebook_10205889565092773]

Makes sense thanks!

Most subs dont have outputs though right? I never saw that before...

 

[eggontoast]

Some do and some don't have outputs. Just one note, the rolloff frequency on the line outputs on the sub are not variable, they are fixed at 80Hz.

The above method may or maynot give the best results. Try different ways of connecting it and see which gives the best results in your situation.

1) try the above method of using the sub as a high pass filter.

2) try using a Y adapters as you originally suggested so you get the full frequency response to the front speakers.

See which gives you the best results, the latter might be better all depending on what you're trying to achieve.

 

[EvPa]

Some do and some don't have outputs. Just one note, the rolloff frequency on the line outputs on the sub are not variable, they are fixed at 80Hz.

This will depend on the manufacturer, for example ADAM Audio and Genelec subs' high-pass filters are set at 85Hz.

 

[eggontoast]

This will depend on the manufacturer, for example ADAM Audio and Genelec subs' high-pass filters are set at 85Hz.

If it's the SVS PB-1000 its set at 80Hz. But that wasn't the point I was trying to make though, I was saying they are fixed and do not vary with the rolloff control on the sub which was indicated above.