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Sub-woofer connection question

Hi all,

I have a Music-Hall a15.3 integrated amp and a JL Audio 8" "Dominion" powered sub-woofer.

The sub-woofer has speaker-level inputs (R & L, + & -) but also has line-level RCA inputs.

The amp has an RCA out as well as (of course) speaker-level out.

So I can connect the RCA out of the amp into the RCA in of the sub-woofer, but I can also piggy-back off the amp’s speaker connections to the sub-woofer’s speaker-level inputs.

I am not sure which method is better. I called Music-Hall and the guy (maybe it was Roy Hall but I am not sure) told me "I don’t like sub-woofers... just do what ever the sub-woofer manufacturer says".

But the JL Audio manual does not specify one method over the other.

I am new to sub-woofers, so I was hoping maybe somebody on the forum might be able to help.

Thanks in advance,

Eric Zwicky
Richmond VA


ezwicky
yogiboy's avatar
yogiboy
5,464 posts
 
That sub has no high pass filter,so anyway you decide to hook it up the speakers will still be running full range.
ezwicky OP
26 posts
 
That's what I was wondering about, and why I tried the speaker-wire connection first.  I was hoping that if I used the sub in parallel with the satellites, that the highs and mids would go one way and the lows would go the other way (to the sub).

I guess that shows my ignorance of how these things work...

I connected it this morning back to the RCA R&L method and I guess I will keep it that way out of simplicity.

Thanks for the replies,

Eric


loomisjohnson
1,903 posts
 
agree with the above--unless the amp has inboard bass management you're not likely to hear a huge difference between the connection methods; however i'd opt for the rca out, as there's some sense that the rca cables will provide superior shielding/noise resistance.
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almarg's avatar
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almarg
9,670 posts
 
But the JL Audio manual does not specify one method over the other.
Actually, it does. On page 16 of the manual it states as follows:
Speaker Level Inputs: This feature is included for convenience when needing to connect the Dominion™ to a receiver or integrated amplifier that only offers speaker level outputs. The use of this feature is only recommended when no suitable line-level signal is available.
One reason for that recommendation might be that the "grounded/isolated switch" the sub provides, which can be useful if hum issues are present, affects just the RCA inputs and not the speaker-level inputs.

On the other hand, it is possible that the 10K impedance of the sub’s RCA inputs might be too low to be sonically optimal for the integrated amp’s pre-outs. (The output impedance of the pre-outs does not appear to be specified). Also, some people believe that in general it is best to provide the same signal to a sub as to the main speakers. So it would be preferable to evaluate it both ways.

Regards,
-- Al

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