Passive DIY sub integration

[SaladDressing]

Hiya ^^

I am planning my first diy sub build rn (Dayton Audio RSS390HF-4), and am stuck on the integration into my existing setup.
Right now, my setup looks like this:

now, my sub build is passive, so I need an amp for it. It will stand right on my desk since this is a studioish setup and I don't have a rack nor the space for one.
I first thought of an nx1000d but like all the other pro amps i looked at it doesn't have a pre out to feed into my actives after dsp crossover. Also the loud fans would be really annoying.
Next I thought of the Dayton Audio apa1200 in bridged mode. i could feed it spdif from my pc directly and rca from my phono pre. Then from the Pre out where I map the high pass to to the actives and low pass to speaker output bridged into the sub. what doesn't sit right with me though is like this i don't really use my audient anymore really, only for headphone use which happens more rarely. Also it measures like shit and costs a shitload of money in the eu (900€). There's also the dayton sa1000 with active crossover but I don't want to know how badly that one measures.
So, go with the apa1200 or something else? If so, any recommendations? 1000w would be real nice though, for future maybe more power hungry sub builds too.

Thanks!

 

[Colonel7]

Hiya ^^

I am planning my first diy sub build rn (Dayton Audio RSS390HF-4), and am stuck on the integration into my existing setup.
Right now, my setup looks like this:
View attachment 240731
now, my sub build is passive, so I need an amp for it. It will stand right on my desk since this is a studioish setup and I don't have a rack nor the space for one.
I first thought of an nx1000d but like all the other pro amps i looked at it doesn't have a pre out to feed into my actives after dsp crossover. Also the loud fans would be really annoying.
Next I thought of the Dayton Audio apa1200 in bridged mode. i could feed it spdif from my pc directly and rca from my phono pre. Then from the Pre out where I map the high pass to to the actives and low pass to speaker output bridged into the sub. what doesn't sit right with me though is like this i don't really use my audient anymore really, only for headphone use which happens more rarely. Also it measures like shit and costs a shitload of money in the eu (900€). There's also the dayton sa1000 with active crossover but I don't want to know how badly that one measures.
So, go with the apa1200 or something else? If so, any recommendations? 1000w would be real nice though, for future maybe more power hungry sub builds too.

Thanks!

If you're in Europe get a Hypex FA502 plate dsp amp if you insist on 1000 watts. I suspect a FA501 would do just fine for your build bc chances are you'll reach a mechanical/compliance limit at lower wattage. If you don't want it in the sub cabinet just build a nice wood box for it.

 

[qec]

If you need an amp to drive it why not just put a plate amp on your sub? I recently built the Parts Express 8" sub with 250W plate amp that also has DSP support. You will end up with a much cleaner look. I'm sure the plate amp does not measure as well as Hypex module but for this application I don't think it matters.
Here is a link to the kit or you can just buy the parts:

Home

Powered Dayton Audio Reference 8" 250 Watt Compact Subwoofer Kit with Built-In DSPWith just a 10" x 8" footprint, the Dayton Audio Reference 8" 250 Watt Compact Subwoofer Kit is the perfect solution for providing high performance bass response without taking up much space. With Dayton Audio's...

www.parts-express.com

 

[SaladDressing]

If you're in Europe get a Hypex FA502 plate dsp amp if you insist on 1000 watts. I suspect a FA501 would do just fine for your build bc chances are you'll reach a mechanical/compliance limit at lower wattage. If you don't want it in the sub cabinet just build a nice wood box for it.

thanks for your reply! The 501 sadly doesn't have a dsp pre output to feed into the actives. The 502 on the other hand has a spdif output. Sadly my audient id4 doesn't have an spdif in though, so I'd need a seperate dac which I absolutely don't want. I could also spdif to usb and connect the audient, but then I'd probably loose recording funcionality and also have to change presets on the hypex whenever I listen with headphones (audient only has one input that being usb c).
So yeah I'll probably pass on the 502 too.

 

[SaladDressing]

If you need an amp to drive it why not just put a plate amp on your sub? I recently built the Parts Express 8" sub with 250W plate amp that also has DSP support. You will end up with a much cleaner look. I'm sure the plate amp does not measure as well as Hypex module but for this application I don't think it matters.
Here is a link to the kit or you can just buy the parts:

Home

Powered Dayton Audio Reference 8" 250 Watt Compact Subwoofer Kit with Built-In DSPWith just a 10" x 8" footprint, the Dayton Audio Reference 8" 250 Watt Compact Subwoofer Kit is the perfect solution for providing high performance bass response without taking up much space. With Dayton Audio's...

www.parts-express.com

View attachment 240744

yeah for subs measurements don't really matter but for my a7x it absolutely does when the signal they receive get put through a poorly designed active crossover or dsp(adc --> dsp --> dac)

 

[voodooless]

A MiniDSP 2x4 HD, MiniDSP Flex, or MiniDSP SHD may be what you need. Couple it with any sub amp you want, and you should be good.

 

[digitalfrost]

If you don't mind digitizing vinyl you could run the turntable into your PC, do all the crossover there and then use any amp for the sub. Would also allow you to apply room correction to the vinyl playback as well. That's how I have it. Of course that means taht PC must be on if you want to listen to vinyl.

 

[SaladDressing]

If you don't mind digitizing vinyl you could run the turntable into your PC, do all the crossover there and then use any amp for the sub. Would also allow you to apply room correction to the vinyl playback as well. That's how I have it. Of course that means taht PC must be on if you want to listen to vinyl.

hmm yes that would be an option, I could just run the turntable into the instrument jack of my id4. need to test it though since i don't know much about the quality of the adc inside

 

[qec]

Do you have evidence that the DSP in the Dayton plate amp is poorly designed or measures poorly? I would be curious to read more about that.

 

[anotherhobby]

For my diy passive subs I used a Crown XLS 1500. It's 525 wpc and cost me $250 shipped off ebay. It does have a fan, but it doens't come on very often and it's very quiet. It has a crossover, but not pass thru, so I used a miniDSP Flex like @voodooless suggested and it works fantastic. The miniDSP offers a more flexible solution than trying to find an amp with a very specific feature, and you ran run your turn table into the analog input, but I concede that they are a bit spendy for many people.

 

[digitalfrost]

hmm yes that would be an option, I could just run the turntable into the instrument jack of my id4. need to test it though since i don't know much about the quality of the adc inside

You'd need a multichannel interface then for the output, at least 4 channels.

Personally my setup looks like this:

- Turntable pre -> Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 -> PC
- PC -> RME Digiface USB -> 2x Topping D50 -> Amp Sats + Amp Subs

Just put the two interfaces to identical sampling rate and then in the sound options I click [x] Listen to this device.

 

[SaladDressing]

A MiniDSP 2x4 HD, MiniDSP Flex, or MiniDSP SHD may be what you need. Couple it with any sub amp you want, and you should be good.

the flex would be something but I'd need the balanced one and that's quite expensive at 750€ and I still need an amp afterwards. Also I'd basically render my id4 useless other than headphone use and recording :/

Do you have evidence that the DSP in the Dayton plate amp is poorly designed or measures poorly? I would be curious to read more about that.

nope but the implementation on the apa1200 is quite bad, you can finde the review here on asr. For the otehr plate amps I didn't find. They are cheaper though so I doubt they perform better.

For my diy passive subs I used a Crown XLS 1500. It's 525 wpc and cost me $250 shipped off ebay. It does have a fan, but it doens't come on very often and it's very quiet. It has a crossover, but not pass thru, so I used a miniDSP Flex like @voodooless suggested and it works fantastic. The miniDSP offers a more flexible solution than trying to find an amp with a very specific feature, and you ran run your turn table into the analog input, but I concede that they are a bit spendy for many people.

yeah it seems to be one hell of a device, bit over budget for me though. Maybe some other time

You'd need a multichannel interface then for the output, at least 4 channels.

Personally my setup looks like this:

- Turntable pre -> Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 -> PC
- PC -> RME Digiface USB -> 2x Topping D50 -> Amp Sats + Amp Subs

Just put the two interfaces to identical sampling rate and then in the sound options I click [x] Listen to this device.

ohh yeah true, there seems to be a trend here. my id4 mkii is obsolete :c only got it a year ago so upgrading already feels painful, also I very much like it

 

[voodooless]

If the flex is too expensive, consider a pro-audio interface that can also run standalone and has some DSP onboard. Secondhand may be an option too. Muto Ultralite MK5, 624 or A8 may be what you need.

 

[Chrise36]

You can use splitters to feed the sub. No need for dsp pre out. There is a powerful plate amp from ΒK elec in UK the BSPV500 500 wrms (1000 Peak) with eq.

 

[DVDdoug]

As an alternative to the MiniDSP you could get an active crossover for about $100 USD. It's easier to configure but it will take-up more desk space and it's only a crossover with adjustments for each band so you won't get equalization or other DSP features.

DSP is fairly common in pro amps but all of them I've seen only affect that amp. So you could easily have low-pass for your subwoofer but no control of the active monitors.

 

[SaladDressing]

You can use splitters to feed the sub. No need for dsp pre out. There is a powerful plate amp from ΒK elec in UK the BSPV500 500 wrms (1000 Peak) with eq.

but then my actives will play the bass too

If the flex is too expensive, consider a pro-audio interface that can also run standalone and has some DSP onboard. Secondhand may be an option too. Muto Ultralite MK5, 624 or A8 may be what you need.

ahh yes was just wondering if there are any products like the flex but with head out. Thanks! Will look through thomann.

 

[Chrise36]

but then my actives will play the bass too

ahh yes was just wondering if there are any products like the flex but with head out. Thanks! Will look through thomann.

No you can use inline filters for them. Or use the inbuilt filters if they have in the back.

 

[SaladDressing]

If the flex is too expensive, consider a pro-audio interface that can also run standalone and has some DSP onboard. Secondhand may be an option too. Muto Ultralite MK5, 624 or A8 may be what you need.

okay i found ultralite mk5, id44 or steinberg ur44c. wonder how the headphone out performs though. don't know which one though. Will probably try to sell my current interface then You will be missed

 

[SaladDressing]

okay i found ultralite mk5, id44 or steinberg ur44c. wonder how the headphone out performs though. don't know which one though. Will probably try to sell my current interface then You will be missed

alright after comparing specs the motu and steinberg fall out, they deliver waaayyyy less power than the id44. I need power cause of my power hungry HD6XX. Also the id44 looks the best imo. The money I'd have to spend on that + an amp is still pretty painful :') All that just for some sub integration.
Also purely spec wise from the manufacturers sitethe id44 seems to be as good - worse thgan the id4, so basically a downgrade in in measurements for some additional ports and dsp :')

 

[Chrise36]

Look at Harrison Labs FMODS to filter the low fr from the monitors and search for a sub amp with a pair of splitters.Shure has some filters too: