active subwoofer upgrade without having sub out

[suttondesign]

Svs wireless

 

[anonyless]

Svs wireless

for the price of Svs wireless, i can add a little more and buy a DAC with balanced outputs. but I don't want to go that route

 

[waynel]

for the price of Svs wireless, i can add a little more and buy a DAC with balanced outputs. but I don't want to go that route

how many prongs are on the 3e A5 power cord? I've done a little googling and others have had some ground loop issues with this amp. Can you borrow another amp to try?

 

[anonyless]

how many prongs are on the 3e A5 power cord? I've done a little googling and others have had some ground loop issues with this amp. Can you borrow another amp to try?

2 prongs.
interesting - i have an old technics amp (class ab) available, but it has 2 prongs cable as well. i'll give it a try

 

[OldManMatt]

Even though I love my transparent devices like Hypex amps & RME dacs/preamps I do swap out or rotate a few no feedback tube amps/preamps.

With solid state pieces & no sub outputs I've never really had issues using rca Y-adapters for powered sub/power amp connections. I have 2 DIY tube preamps with only one main output & whenever I would use Y-connectors I would get added noise in the system. Sometimes in the form of ground noise & other times just a slightly added fuzz to the normally dead quiet background.

I didn't listen to valves all the time but when I did just knowing that little bit of noise was there would bug me..so I would just listen without a sub. But that sucks.

At some point on was on the SVS website looking at their demo/open box deals & I saw their Line Level or Speaker Wire to RCA converter. I didn't even know it existed even though I already owned SVS products. Anyway, I purchased it & have been very pleased with the device. I attach it to the power amps speaker outputs. It's a bit more expensive than other line level devices I've seen since. But it's enclosed, has banana plugs & rca jacks attached. SVS also provided some specs/data back when I bought mine. It was like $70 bucks.

I believe russound makes a cheap one & Kicker auto audio has a nice little enclosed unit for cheaper if I remember.

I know these devices were mentioned already but I figured I would share my very positive experience with one of these type devices.. specifically the SVS model. When going from a dac/preamp with a proper dual output & then using the line level device I do need to up the volume on my SVS sub a couple of db louder to get comparable output levels in bass.

Oh yeah, I've had or still have a SVS wireless device. I very much prefer the line level device. The wireless device has extra power cords, rca cords, the one I purchased was a pain in my opinion & placements couldn't be obstructed from each other. And I hate extra cords/cables.

 

[anonyless]

I know these devices were mentioned already but I figured I would share my very positive experience with one of these type devices.. specifically the SVS model. When going from a dac/preamp with a proper dual output & then using the line level device I do need to up the volume on my SVS sub a couple of db louder to get comparable output levels in bass.

Oh yeah, I've had or still have a SVS wireless device. I very much prefer the line level device. The wireless device has extra power cords, rca cords, the one I purchased was a pain in my opinion & placements couldn't be obstructed from each other. And I hate extra cords/cables.

hmm, okay but like i mentioned above, not going to spend money to solve an issue i didn't notice when i hooked up the Ultra, and an issue I workaround easily with connecting the SU1 DAC i already have on optical out, and it sounds great. I was looking forward of using the Ultra's DAC ..but no big deal. my next upgrade would be probably a DAC with balanced inputs - i think that would actually give me a real upgrade over "issue solving" with more equipment.

 

[waynel]

hmm, okay but like i mentioned above, not going to spend money to solve an issue i didn't notice when i hooked up the Ultra, and an issue I workaround easily with connecting the SU1 DAC i already have on optical out, and it sounds great. I was looking forward of using the Ultra's DAC ..but no big deal. my next upgrade would be probably a DAC with balanced inputs - i think that would actually give me a real upgrade over "issue solving" with more equipment.

I'm assuming you mean a dac with balanced outputs. Btw are you connecting to the dac with toslink or coax? I would think that toslink (optical) would break the ground loop.

Wayne

 

[anonyless]

I'm assuming you mean a dac with balanced outputs. Btw are you connecting to the dac with toslink or coax? I would think that toslink (optical) would break the ground loop.

Wayne

yes, balanced outputs. i'm connecting over toslink, and just now i connected the SU1 over USB and it sounds great as well (yes, the sub works now with USB output)

 

[waynel]

yes, balanced outputs. i'm connecting over toslink, and just now i connected the SU1 over USB and it sounds great as well (yes, the sub works now with USB output)

I forgot that you are connecting to a computer via USB, that might be the source of your ground loop. As an experiment you could try to hook everything up as intended and disconnect the usb cable to see if the ground loop goes away.

 

[anonyless]

I forgot that you are connecting to a computer via USB, that might be the source of your ground loop. As an experiment you could try to hook everything up as intended and disconnect the usb cable to see if the ground loop goes away.

my laptop isn't connected over USB - it's connected over Toslink input from SMSL PO100 DDC. but i'll give that a try

 

[OldManMatt]

My apologies...I read the thread title & scanned over most of the replies. My laziness & assumptions have been exposed. Good luck though

 

[TimW]

I forgot that you are connecting to a computer via USB, that might be the source of your ground loop. As an experiment you could try to hook everything up as intended and disconnect the usb cable to see if the ground loop goes away.

The USB connection the OP is referring to is the Wiim Ultra's output. The Ultra can output high-passed signal for main speakers from its analog, coaxial, toslink or USB port. It has no USB input. The OP can use any of these with their existing DAC, the toslink at least solves the ground loop issues.

@anonyless I suggest sticking with your current setup so long as the ground loop buzz is gone, a DAC upgrade shouldn't make any audible improvement. Have you tried playing with room equalization?

 

[anonyless]

@anonyless I suggest sticking with your current setup so long as the ground loop buzz is gone, a DAC upgrade shouldn't make any audible improvement. Have you tried playing with room equalization?

yes, that's one of the first reasons i bought the WiiM Pro and now upgraded to the Ultra. I'm using external Behringer ECM mic connected to USB "Mic Mate" to XLR adapter and to the phone as an external mic. works good, still playing with it - don't like the low frequencies being lowered so much (for example) when sub calibration is enabled.
a DAC with balanced outputs won't give me higher volume input into the A5 amp ? i thought about the SMSL DL200 which is reasonable priced and is also a headphones amp

 

[TimW]

DAC with balanced outputs won't give me higher volume input into the A5 amp

Not necessarily, usually the voltage gain is lower for balanced inputs vs single ended inputs so the volume would be the same. Does your system not get loud enough currently?

still playing with it - don't like the low frequencies being lowered so much (for example) when sub calibration is enabled

I wasn't happy with the Wiim room correction when I tried it, but you have taken the extra step of using an external mic! Do you have the ability to measure with REW, create filters using a target curve, and then apply the filters to the Wiim PEQ manually?

 

[anonyless]

Not necessarily, usually the voltage gain is lower for balanced inputs vs single ended inputs so the volume would be the same. Does your system not get loud enough currently?

it does. i'm just curious about using the balanced inputs of the A5 amp.

I wasn't happy with the Wiim room correction when I tried it, but you have taken the extra step of using an external mic! Do you have the ability to measure with REW, create filters using a target curve, and then apply the filters to the Wiim PEQ manually?

i managed to "install" REW on my Fedora (Linux) laptop , forcing it into using Pulseaudio and using the microphone. but it's a bit too "audio technical" for me right now. i might give it another try at one point.
funny thing about WiiM's room correction, when I first got the Ultra and didn't notice the ground loop sound, I ran it using its internal DAC (line out connected to amp) and got really good results - nice flat line, but it did lowered 41hz by 5.2db ..i need to add, this is a very "near field" setup, where i'm sitting infront of the speakers infront of a laptop, on a counter. the sub is 12inch sitting below the counter. i'm still adjusting its volume setting almost daily.

 

[anonyless]

@waynel have you seen by any chance this post ?

Wiim Ultra sub out creating a hum

If I connect my Ultra to just my RSL 10e sub - nothing else connected to the Ultra - I am hearing what at first I thought was a ground loop. So I put the Ultra and sub on a powerstrip that had nothing else plugged into it. Still humming. If I move the Ultra side of the sub cable to either line...

forum.wiimhome.com

TL;DR - exact same issue as i have, nothing helped, replaced Ultra under warranty and problem gone
oh and i tried flipping the prongs like suggested there - got to a point where there's no noise if the Ultra is disconnected from power - which is a good start, but nothing helped from here on, including replacing its electrical cable with a different one.