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Amp level versus line level inputs for subwoofers

I'm trying to learn something about subwoofers and have noticed that some subwoofers have a choice of input type. Could someone please explain the difference between these two types of inputs and the relative advantages and disadvantages of each?

Basically, I think a sub with both types of inputs can receive its signal from either the system's preamp or its amp. I assume that if the signal comes from one amp or mono amps, the sub would then retain more of the sonic characteristic of the main amplifier and less from its own internal amplifier.
peterayer

Showing 1 response by raquel

raquel
841 posts
 
REL and a number of other sub manufacturers (and manufacturers of speakers with powered woofers) swear that best sound is achieved when sourced from the speaker outputs of the main amp - they claim that the sound is more coherent, as the sub picks up the "flavor" of the main amp. On the other hand, many hi-end manufacturers believe the amp input is a dirty source that is inferior in every way to a line-level input.

The answer will be system-dependent, i.e., best sound quality would be ensured by providing both line-level and amp inputs (presumably, this is not always done due to cost).
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