>> "Answer: external amplifiers."
Why on earth would you want your mains being slammed with 6 hz from a powerful external amplifier? Serious question. There's tons of infrasonic material out there today. You're killing headroom, adding distortion, introducing the risk of damaging speakers, it's just not a good thing. No serious home theater is going to do this.
>> "Flagship receivers can also do a fine job."
They do not do such a fine job when pushed, no, even nicer ones. Even with extremely efficient speakers such as pro cinema, even when crossed over at 80 hz, all it takes is like a -10 on the volume and it's going to be compressing. Now imagine what's going to happen when you're using less efficient speakers and trying to reproduce infrasonics. It's not going to work too well. At all.
I specifically mentioned a nice processor because as mentioned before, you can do things like this once you get into Trinnov or whatever. I have yet to see factory verbiage saying a typical receiver whether it be cheap or flagship will reroute the LFE to the mains, it's all second hand forum posts or whatever as the source. I don't believe it always works like that but even if it did, I think it's really stupid to voluntarily do that in a nicer system, just doesn't make any sense at all.
LFE vs High-level subwoofer connection, for FIDELITY
Simple as it sounds. What subwoofer connection method offers higher fidelity, and why? The LFE, 75 ohm unbalanced RCA cable. Or high-level, speaker wire to the binding posts of the amp. I am running 2 KEF KC92 subwoofers to a Soul Note A-2 Ver. 1 amplifier.
Grok Ai states it matches your speakers tonal balance, timing cues, and sonic signature, because it shares the same signal path through the amplifier that your speakers sound travels through. It’s also a great way to get tube or amp sound into your bass region. My LFE outputs from my Khozmo Acoustics pre-amp, bypassing the amplifiers elite and favorable sound. The PS audio subwoofer had not been released yet or I’d have swoope those up, instead of the KEFs.
Also, has anyone heard that it is straining or damaging to a truly balanced, direct coupled amplifier to use high level inputs? This was mentioned to me and I can’t recall how reliable a source it came from.
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I do have to ask... the people who are all worried about fidelity and wants to use a high level input from their amp.... why not use a Jensen transformer? Your typical factory subwoofer with high level inputs only runs it through a resistor then into the low level inputs. It's a cheap solution to be honest, but people are addicted to the marketing. If you truly cared about fidelity you'd use a Jenson transformer then plug it into the low level input. It's going to be much more clean and linear. Only problem is that it costs $450. I've yet to see a single person use these but this is going to be the superior solution if you want what you say you want.
https://www.jensen-transformers.com/product/sp-2sx/
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>> "Here’s a screenshot filtered below 100Hz. There’s a fair amount of energy down there." If you analyze the intro which doesn’t have other instruments you’ll see what I’m saying. Notice that peak at 82 hz? That’s a low E. If you cross reference the guitar tabs, you’ll see that they play an open E string sometimes. That’s as low as this guitar is going to play on this track. The stuff below it is just junk, it’s registering as low as 1 hz on the intro, just not reality... distortion artifacts or something, it’s never going to go away if there’s anything playing at all. Most of what you hear on a guitar is going to be the second harmonic. Seeing the biggest fattest spike start up at 164 hz isn’t a coincidence.
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Just the right channel: I hear a lead guitar solo, maybe rhythm, and cymbal that shows far in the high frequency. If there's sheet music showing otherwise, let me know. Besides, play the 80Hz test tone when in doubt. That's really the objective, to try to localize 40Hz-100Hz, because as mentioned earlier, music has stereo effects and dynamics that are lost if the signal is sent in mono to a subwoofer.
Theory does not seem to reflect reality which probably includes boost and intended or unintended artifacts during mixing. You'll be surprised even with rock you'll see lot of sub 40Hz bass despite how low some instruments theoretically go.
The range in question is near 40Hz-100Hz and speakers, particularly full range, are best suited in this range. Many subwoofers crack above 150Hz.
That was definitely a consideration to also eliminate unrelated ground loops, etc.
Movies used to be mixed in full range without subwoofers. I've seen it in Pioneer literature somewhere. Denon has updated literature here: https://manuals.denon.com/AVRX4800H/NA/EN/DRDZSYimemaleu.php |
" I have yet to see factory verbiage saying a typical receiver whether it be cheap or flagship will reroute the LFE to the mains, it’s all second hand forum posts or whatever as the source. " Now you have: Yamaha RX-Z9 User Manual, Page 78: Bass Out (Bass out) LFE signals carry low-frequency effects when this unit decodes Dolby Digital or DTS signals. These low- frequency signals can be directed to both front left and right speakers, and to the subwoofer (which can be used for both stereo reproduction and sound field programs). Choices: Both, SWFR, Front "Select Both to direct LFE signals to the subwoofer. Front L/R low-frequency signals are directed to both the subwoofer and front channels, and all other low- frequency signals are directed in accordance with other speaker settings." Select SWFR if you connected a subwoofer. The unit directs all LFE and low-frequency signals in accordance with other speaker settings. • Select Front if you have not connected a subwoofer. The unit directs all low-frequency and LFE signals to the front speakers (even if you have previously set Front to Small in Speaker Set). • Select Large if you have large front speakers. The unit directs the entire range of the front left and right channel signals to the front left and right speakers. • Select Small if you have small front speakers. The unit directs the low-frequency signals of the front channel to the speakers selected with "Bass Out". https://www.manualslib.com/manual/443477/Yamaha-Rx-Z9-Av-Receiver.html?page=78#manual |
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