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Dual Sub-woofers paired into two sets of speakers - connection option.

I have 2 sets of speakers connected to my power amp A and B speaker outputs.

I also have two SVS SB1000 pro sub woofers hooked up to my pre-amp mono sub out with a RCA Y-splitter.

The subs have speaker level left and right input.

I would like to hear the supposed advantages of stereo subs.

Would it be feasible instead of using the mono sub out to connect from each speaker to one of the sub speaker level in inputs? Speaker A would go to sub speaker level Right input, Speaker B would go to sub speaker level Left input.

This way I can still switch listening from Speaker A or B and still have subs.

Would I run into any problems if I had both speakers A and B active at the same time? (I'm inclined to think its OK as the sub speaker level Left and Right are designed to both take a signal at the same time if hooked up to just one set of speakers).

I'm thinking I'm OK but I'm always overly cautious when wiring up something that is unusual.

Thanks in advance to those more experienced than I.

Rob

tunehead

Showing 1 response by audiorusty

audiorusty
300 posts
 

Here is an excerpt from Barry Obers white papers on sub integration on stereo bass (subs).

STEREO BASS?

Oh, and to touch upon "stereo bass" for a moment... there almost is no such thing. Going back to vinyl, every stereo vinyl record cut in the last 60 years has mono bass. It has to. If the bass were 180 degrees out of phase L and R then there would be vertical modulation and the stylus would jump out of the groove. Therefore most cutting lathe electronics have a "compatalyzer" circuit, that dumps frequencies below 160 hz into mono (typically a single-order filter, therefore 6dB/octave). You MAY have out of phase bass (i.e. "low frequencies") on a CD, but precious few producers/engineers are savvy enough (or care enough to even bother, since, typically, what's the point?) to make use of those sort of tricks. There are some EDM dubstep dance trance psychedelia eurotrash electronica club music releases where there are bass tracks where there is stereo bass in the form of something like 24 Hz in one channel and 24.2 Hz in the other channel; therefore you get an air pressure differential which travels around the room. Cool! In the above example, the "traveling pressure differential wave" would take 5 seconds to go back and forth around the room. If you're a really bored or obsessive techweenie you can have a lot of fun with this - we played with this phenomena at Moog Synthesizer as far back as 1969. Expect to either make your listeners nauseous or to watch their heads rotate on their bodies not unlike the effect in the movie The Exorcist.

Basically there is no advantage to stereo bass.

As far the connections you are describing, here is what Barry has to say about speaker level connections.

Simply connecting a sub to existing mains speaker (or amp) terminals is the WORST POSSIBLE WAY to do this.EVERYTHING scientific and acoustic about this method is wrong, from the additive delay issues to the back EMF of the mains affecting the LF signal.

If you still want to try this connection, I think you will be okay, but I agree with Tony1954, I would consult SVS.

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