2. cables
  3. 167869-11005

I really could use some help here.....

This is a hopefully finely detailed question that gives the people who are seriously trying to help me all the info they need to answer this question which is about cables, routing and speaker connections. Hopefully I can explain it well enough that someone can tell me what I have done.

The connections are ONLY RCA jacks and banana clips. That's all. Let me describe how I have wired things.

Source signal is from an OPPO Digital BDP-105 running to the CD input on my preamp via RCA jacks. Simple.

The signal leaves my preamp via Preamp Out connectors, also RCA jacks, and runs to my Sunfire SDS-12 subwoofer which has two line level RCA jacks for input so you can make use of the hi pass filter built in. That is the easy part, here is where it gets tricky ( for my understanding anyway...this is where I need your help in understanding the circuit I created  and if it makes any difference at all ).

The signal leaves the Subwoofer via the RCA jacks using the Subwoofer Out connections and goes to my RCA jack inputs on my amplifier ( all this makes sense to me so far, here is where I need help understanding )...the amplifier has banana clips for the connections to the speakers. RIGHT THERE, I change things. I have Monitor Audio speakers that can be bi-wired or bi-amped and when I bought them, the fellow through in a pricey set of cables allowing me to do that ( this is BEFORE I added the subwoofer to the system  ) so the signal finally leaves my amp via 2 banana jacks and arrives and terminates at my speakers in with 4 banana jacks and plugged in using the bi-wire configuration. Am I clear in describing this, Christ I hope so.

If I am, can anyone tell me what that that circuit looks like sonically, what's going on with all the other connections, what the Hell am I hearing? 

In short, I originally had just normal preamp/amplifier connections then bi-wire straight to the speakers.

Now I have introduced that subwoofer pathway into the signal path between preamp and amplifier? I'd love serious explanation on what that did, if anything, to the signal. My hope was that it was going to make the subwoofer and amplifier more in sync than if I'd run a separate connection from my second Preamp Out to the subwoofer. This way it's all in one signal path. So, is this the optimum way to set this up? Or have I screwed this up somewhere and it should be connected a different way?

Thank you so much!

For others, please stop calling my gear "junk" and I should sell it all and by REL. You're not helping any and you're giving a bad reputation to Audiogon people who are seriously trying to help me.

Components
1993 B&K Sonota ST-202+ amplifier fully refurbished
1993 B&K Sonata Pro-10 MC preamp
2008 Monitor Audio Silver RS8 speakers
OPPO Digital BDP-105 Blu ray player
2018 Sunfire SDS-12 subwoofer

I hope I've given enough information for people smarter than me to tell me if I have things connected in the best fashion and I'm hoping someone will take a few moments to answer.

Thank you.

j


Please do not pop in to suggest I spend $6,000 on all new gear while insulting me. This is what I have to work with so that's how it will stay. Thank you.

stereoisomer

Showing 6 responses by stereoisomer

stereoisomer OP
41 posts
 
Adding the subwoofer made a HUGE difference. As I understand it ( correct me if I am wrong  ) adding  the subwoofer this way and using its controls to set the internal crossover at 60Hz stops the amplifier from trying to power the speakers below that entirely. Now, the subwoofer is the only thing powering lower frequencies leaving the amplifier to handle 60Hz and up.

I could tell immediately I'd done something very, very good. The sound from the RS8's now sounds like silk with no strain at all. To ME, anyway.

I guess my root question is...I didn't bother or forgot to change the speaker cable from amp to speakers back to a more normal connection or just leave it in that bi-wire setup? I don't think I'm hurting anything but I am no longer sure the system is still bi-wired.

But yes, I love the sound with the subwoofer added this way. Thank you for replying!

j
stereoisomer OP
41 posts
 
yogiboy,

A better question for me might be...is my system still even bi-wired? It WAS, for a fact, before I added the subwoofer in the signal path. But now the Preamp Outs route to the Subwoofer In and the Subwoofer Outs route to the amplifier ( which means I've already altered the signal some ) and the signal out from the amplifier speaker posts is still in the bi-wire configuration. But, is it really still bi-wired since I put that subwoofer in the path between the preamp and amplifier? Or did doing that essentially remove the bi-wire effects even though the speaker posts and speakers are still configured like a bi-wire system?
stereoisomer OP
41 posts
 
You guys are all awesome. Thank you ALL for your answers in this thread. I THOUGHT I knew what was going on, THOUGHT, but it's nice, really nice, to my thought confirmed by so many people who took the time to reply or message me.

This was really starting to bug me a bit...the not knowing for sure part...thanks again to everyone who helped me out!

j
stereoisomer OP
41 posts
 
Frankly and Totally Honestly, this is the best damned thread I've read on Audiogon in a long, long time. I had little to do with it, I just tried my best to post the question as thoroughly and intelligently as possible.

YOU, EVERYONE WHO REPLIED, were courteous, interested, polite, brought up aspects I hadn't even thought of....this was just a great thread to read no matter who started it. I have tons of information to think over ( including relocating the subwoofer next to the speaker....BTW, yes, I DID find another SDS-12 for a steep discount so I decided to throw a bit more money into it by adding it ), every reply helpful, no one hateful, dismissive or contemptible. Thank you ALL for replying with such care and detail. When that second subwoofer arrives, I'll come back and let you all know how it sounds....and probably ask some new questions as well.

Thanks again to everyone.

j
stereoisomer OP
41 posts
 
@tomic601 

Thank you. It was clear there wasn't a danger of a short or miswiring danger but when I saw the jumpers in place, I thought "Hmm. I bet that defeats something." Thank you, again.

j
stereoisomer OP
41 posts
 
One final question. I noticed that I goofed originally  ( this will sound really  bad  ) but O was checking things over today and noticed that I'd never removed the jumpers from either speaker.

It ran just find, sounded great, there wasn't a smell of burning electronics ever but leaving the jumpers on like that possibly altered the whole bi-wire concept. So, while apparently not inherently dangerous to the components, I should probably ditch those jumpers, correct?
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