How to add sub(s) to my desktop system

[thefsb]

I have a MOTU M4 connected with 1/4" TRS to XLR cables to old Genelec powered monitors.

I'm now producing music involving, among other things, synths and bass guitar, and would like to have some sub bass. Hence I'm thinking of adding a sub. But how?

If I were to get a sub like this 12" Monoprice https://www.monoprice.com/product?p_id=9723

then I'd need four new cables. 2 x 1/4" TRS to RCA connects the M4 to the sub's LINE IN. Then 2 x RCA to XLR connects the sub's LINE OUT to the Genelecs. It's probably fine although it seems kinda gross.

Are there better ways to do this?

 

[Wayne A. Pflughaupt]

Not with that sub.

I’m not sure I’d want a $99 sub in my full-range signal chain anyway. My soundcard only has a single set of outputs like yours, but my sub has inputs but no outputs. I just used a pair of splitters to send one side of the soundcard to my active speakers and the other to the sub. I used REW to blend the sub to the speakers’ natural roll-out.

Sure, you don’t get the bass management on the speakers that way, but that’s not an issue unless you listen at ear-bleeding levels. If that’s your thing, get a high-quality electronic crossover to put in place after the soundcard. I sure wouldn’t let that sub do it.

Regards,
Wayne A. Pflughaupt

 

[Killingbeans]

Are there better ways to do this?

Probably not if your mind is set on that particular sub? There's plenty of subs out there with TSR and/or XLR inputs/outputs.

Are you on a super tight budget?

I'm normally a cheapskate, but $100 for a powered 12" subwoofer just seems like something that will give you one kind of headache or another in the future.

 

[thefsb]

I'm open to suggestions. I don't know anything about subs. Except that Genelec are a lot of $$

 

[AnalogSteph]

I'm normally a cheapskate, but $100 for a powered 12" subwoofer just seems like something that will give you one kind of headache or another in the future.

I mean, even a half-decent 12" driver alone is around 50 bucks from Parts Express, and up to 100 is by no means splurging. The power supply caps in the thing must be China's Finest, which in the past have typically been good for about 8 years.

Reading up on it, the Monoprice sub does seem one hell of a deal for the price. It must be using some sort of PA woofer so will drop off early, but still delivers quite respectable levels (measurements and EQ no doubt required). Looks like a 2-conductor power cord, too.

Using a sub with unbalanced I/O would totally screw up the connections in the present setup though, quite probably introducing all kinds of group loop issues. One could try incorporating not one but two Behringer HD400s but it would be quite a mess.
Feeding the sub in parallel may be more doable although soldering may be required, since I'm not sure whether you can buy all of the necessary cabling off the shelf (you need a splitter and an unbalanced cable using just hot and shield and leaving cold alone altogether). With this approach, the sub would be turned up until it's louder than the main monitors, and the frequency response sorted out via measurement / REW / EQ. If you have the space, I would even consider two of these massive beasts for a two-sub setup (since the more subs you have, the better your chances at smoothing out FR across the room).

The one problem I can see is the lack of a phase control. Ideally what you want for one of these is an extra set of outputs and a software crossover with phase / delay adjustment and EQ. (Cobble something together with Virtual Audio Cable and CamillaDSP perhaps? You could take some cue from here.)

The kind of pro subs that I'd be considering are $300-400 a pop, and 10" or 8". I might give the $200 Mackie CR8S-XBT a shot but wouldn't be expecting any miracles.

 

[thefsb]

This JBL LSR310S 10 inch is very popular at Sweetwater. $350. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LSR310S--jbl-lsr310s-10-inch-powered-studio-subwoofer

It provides connectors that make wiring fairly straightforward.

 

[thefsb]

At B&H on the other hand, KRK 10s is a little more popular than the JBL. https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/KRK10S2--krk-10s-10-inch-powered-studio-subwoofer