AMP > Subwoofer LFE vs RCA

[Kix1991]

Hi! I've finally gone ahead and pulled the trigger on an SVS SB1000 Pro and was reading up on how to set it up better but I've gotten a little confused with the crossovers between the low pass filters on the subwoofer and high pass filters on my amp.

As a background, here is my budget setup:

SMSL D300 DAC

SMSL A300 Amp (With 50hz High Pass filter)

Triangle BR02

SVS SB1000 Pro (INCOMING)


So far what I've read is that usually people recommend setting the high pass / low pass crossover at 80hz then moving it up/down to test what suits your system best.

So I basically wanted to ask - Is there going to be any issue with "double playing" the same frequency with my high pass filters set at 50hz (AMP-side) for my speakers, and setting my low pass filters (Subwoofer side) at 80hz?

Right now I don't have many cables so my only way of connecting my Amp's subwoofer out is to the LFE in on the SB1000, but is there a better way of doing this connection?

e.g. instead of connecting my DAC to my amp directly, connect my DAC to my subwoofer's line in and then line outputs from the subwoofer to my amp, and then Amp to the speakers? Sounds pretty convoluted (and extra cables will be expensive) but if the grass is greener on the other side, hey, I'm a sucker!

Unfortunately my amp doesn't have pre-amp RCA line outs - just the subwoofer out.

https://imgur.com/a/pD4lcQS

Just wanted to find out what you guys may have already tested and if it works better for you before I jump into this, or is the sub out on my amp to the LFE on subwoofer good enough?

Thank you all once again for sharing your many years of expertise here! This is my first setup so do pardon me if my questions don't make any sense.

 

[Kal Rubinson]

So far what I've read is that usually people recommend setting the high pass / low pass crossover at 80hz then moving it up/down to test what suits your system best.

Does this mean that your amp has only one frequency setting that it applies to both HP and LP filters simultaneously? Yes or No?

So I basically wanted to ask - Is there going to be any issue with "double playing" the same frequency with my high pass filters set at 50hz (AMP-side) for my speakers, and setting my low pass filters (Subwoofer side) at 80hz?

If Yes, then you should set the LP filter on your sub as high as possible to avoid interference with the imposed LP filter from the amp. The interference between them would be unpredictable.
If No, you could use either the LP in the sub or the one in the amp but not both.

 

[Kix1991]

Does this mean that your amp has only one frequency setting that it applies to both HP and LP filters simultaneously? Yes or No?

If Yes, then you should set the LP filter on your sub as high as possible to avoid interference with the imposed LP filter from the amp. The interference between them would be unpredictable.
If No, you could use either the LP in the sub or the one in the amp but not both.

Thanks for your input!

From what I can tell from the manuals, the pre-amp subwoofer output cuts off at 100hz, and I have an additional option to set a high-pass filter on speaker line outs fixed at 50hz.

If that's the case I assume my best option is to turn off LP in the sub leaving it at the 100hz outputs and at the same time turn on the high pass for speaker outputs at 50hz?

 

[Kal Rubinson]

If the HP output for the speakers is fixed at 50Hz, the logical thing would be also to set the LP in the sub at 50Hz but that's not certain. Unless you have instruments (calibrated mic and measurement software), you are best advised to start with that and play with the LP setting until it sounds best to you. Not ideal.

 

[Kix1991]

If the HP output for the speakers is fixed at 50Hz, the logical thing would be also to set the LP in the sub at 50Hz but that's not certain. Unless you have instruments (calibrated mic and measurement software), you are best advised to start with that and play with the LP setting until it sounds best to you. Not ideal.

Thank you so much Kal!


I've sent an email to the SVS guys and that's exactly what they've mentioned as well.

Noted on the limitations with having a fixed HP and LP and will definitely look for this capability in my amps going forward.

Very much appreciate you sharing your expertise here to a newbie like me.

"If possible, I would suggest not using the speaker level connections and use the RCA line level connections. This would mean using the sub out on the power amp to the L or R input on the SB-1000 Pro. Since the Triangle Borea BRO2 speakers have a natural low frequency roll off at 51Hz +/-3dB, I would utilize the 50Hz HP filter in the amplifier. The Low Pass filter in the subwoofer can be set at 50-60Hz (move up or down to your liking) and the slope set at either 12 or 18dB per octave."