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Help with setting up Edifier MR4 with Magnat 200A subwoofer and Focusrite Scarlett 18i8

Wojtek.Stec

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Oct 15, 2024
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Poland
Hi
Short story: yesterday while throwing out the trash I have found a dumped subwoofer. I took it home tried and then gave myself a high five as I became a owner of a new (free) gear :)
Now I need a little help with the connection. The trio is:
Magnat 200A subwoofer
Edifier MR4
Focusrite Scarlett 18i8

pictures with rears attached

I guess I go out from Focusrite stereo OUTS into LINE IN on subwoofer but what then? How do Edifiers connect with that? From subwoofer I have only a raw cables as a outputs.

Not much info about this Magnat subwoofer online but from the manual guide I got some info about I/O:

(There were no pictures available in that manual, sorry )

Line inputs (6)

For connection to the low-level outputs of the receiver/amplifier. Ref. fig. 2 and 3.
High-level inputs (5)
For connection to the high-level (speaker) outputs of the receiver/amplifier.
Ref. fig. 1.
High-level outputs (4)
For connecting the satellites using the high-level inputs. Ref. fig. 1



Still Im confused...
 

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Scarlett Line out 1+2->MR4 and Scarlett Line out 3+4->Sub would be ideal, if you can use the Scarlett software and e.g. Equalizer APO to set up proper subwoofer integration with LPF for the sub and HPF for the Edifier.

Otherwise, you may be able to use splitter cables to connect both the sub and MR4 to Scarlett Line out 1+2 in parallel.
 
Thanks for replying.
This subwoofer has a crossfade knob, so maybe there is no need use EQ APO for integration? I may leave MR4 on their own (reaching down to 80Hz) and only suplement them with right amount of sub?

Regarding 3+4 OUT from Scarlett - I usually use one of these two outputs for my guitar (record dry and also route OUT to my hardware for reamping) so that would be a bit downgrade if I had all my OUTS from Scarlet used for speakers, so maybe I will lean towards splitter to connect both the sub and MR4 to Scarlett Line out 1+2 in parallel ...OR maybe in Scarlett I could collapse stereo signal to mono on both 3 and 4 OUTs and thus have OUT 1+2 stereo (for Edifier MR4) and OUT 3 mono for subwoofer and OUT 4 mono for guitar reamp? How about that? :)

Back to splitter. What kind of crazy splitter would that be?

And last question: is it OK to send MONO signal to subwoofer?
 
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This subwoofer has a crossfade knob, so maybe there is no need use EQ APO for integration? I may leave MR4 on their own (reaching down to 80Hz) and only suplement them with right amount of sub?
Correct, though better integration can be achieved using DSP.

How about that? :)
That'd be pretty neat!

Back to splitter. What kind of crazy splitter would that be?
If you want to buy it, this:
51hZyghGa9L._AC_UF894,1000_QL80_.jpg

Plus 2x this:
5c2da45787596201605245a2e8b92592ba4e0d0c_original.jpeg

Plus 2x this:
RCA_Cables_1024x1024_clipped_rev_1_645b1b81-938f-4ba0-b3ba-dddb200ba447_950x.jpeg

A more elegant solution could be achieved via DIY.
 
Regarding 3+4 OUT from Scarlett:
in Scarlett software dedicated to my interface I can split outputs 3+4 on two independent mono outputs - line out 3 for dry guitar and line out 4 for subwoofer BUT this line 4 out would have to be further spitted with Y adapter into two mono signals in order to feed this subwoofer properly. Picture of adapter I am thinking of is attached.

The question: Is it OK to feed subwoofer with a mono signal regardless that that subwoofer was designed to receive separate L+R?

1735835075189.png
 
The question: Is it OK to feed subwoofer with a mono signal regardless that that subwoofer was designed to receive separate L+R?
Most probably yes... it needs to sum both inputs somewhere internally anyway. In the absolute worst case the unused input needs a shorting plug.
 
In the absolute worst case the unused input needs a shorting plug.
Thanks for answer. About that unused input - ther will be none. My subwoofer has two inputs L+R so I plan to collapse stereo signal to mono internally in software and send out this mono signal via one mono output on my interface, then split it into two separate mono signals and feed into the both L+R inputs on subwoofer. Why? Couse when I try to feed only one of the inputs on subwoofer I get nothing or terribly loud signal. It need to be fed through both inputs.

But maybe that shorting plug ...could it help? Could I then send to the subwoofer only one cable and no need of splitting to two cables?
 
When you connect both left and right the subwoofer sums them internally which gives a 3dB boost if the bass content on both channels is the same. If you do the summing first and then send it over a single RCA you'll simply need to turn up the volume pot on the sub a little from where it would be with stereo (which is arbitrary anyway). The shorting plug is not a good idea and you should rather leave the other input disconnected (usually the sub will tell you which one to use on it's own for LFE). Subwoofers typically have a pretty low input impedance so there'll be next to no noise picked up.
 
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