Integrating Subwoofer with ProAc Speakers.... HELP

Hello Shsohis,

Check out the REL site. You will find step-by-step instructions on the set-up. Put your sub in the corner of the room. If you can use high-level inputs instead of the RCAs on the Strata do so. I could not get my ER-1 to intigrate with-out these two steps. Take your time and play the two should work well together.

I agree with Bojack...take your time and listen to a variety of music that you like...some source material will sound overwhelming in LF bass and other material will sound lean....adjust cut off and sub amplification level to give you the best balance for your room.

As a starting point, if your speakers are monitors ( no port ) then they will have a second order slope at the corner frequency or 3 DB point....if you Rel has the same filter setting in reverse (low pass second order)....then set your REL to about 10 to 30 Hz below this cut off. If your speakers have ports, then you will have a sharper cut off and you may set the sub closer to the 3 db point.

Alternatively you may use bass management (if you have this in a digital pre-ampilfier). Often you can use 4th order filters in this configuration and in this case you have even more flexibility with adjustments (although you will always be limited by the low end frequency reponse of your main speakers).

After tweaking adjustments and placement, a good match at a particular enjoyable sound level should almost always be achievable.

Unfortunately it will be a bit of a crap shoot to get sub and speakers to integrate together accurately at all sound levels as they are from different manufacturers and not necessarily designed to work together optimally. (Driver and cabinet design can affect how the speaker responds to increasing power levels. If the sub and speaker respond differently then adjustments to achieve a match at low SPL levels may be inappropriate at high SPL levels...again a compromise is needed.)

Let your ears decide

80 Hz is the low frequency effect (LFE) default xover setting in surround formats/receivers. I would begin w/setting the xover at 10-15 Hz below your ProAc's rated frequency response (which very well might be 80-90 Hz on such a small speaker as the Tablette), and live w/that for awhile. You might feel that an even larger gap sounds better. You'll come to realize that it often takes a variety of music over several days/weeks to really find what your ears tell you is the ideal xover point. Listening to familiar recordings, not just the "audiophile" or bass-heavy ones, is the best way to do this. And SPL meters can be useful but can also be more problematic in the long run. The REL manuals are excellent and easy to understand. If you don't have one, I'm sure that they are available.

I would suggest listening. There is no right or wrong answer when your own ears likes what it hears. Nothing is better than your own ears. Your room is different that most anyone who can give you an opinion.

the REL set-up is fairly easy. the options once you get close based on their suggestions are very few (5 frequency clicks I believe?) ....you will find more differences with the placement of the REL in your room, than any particular frequency.