My high pass filter experiment and a couple of questions

If you can run Balanced out to the poweramp and RCAs to the Sub simultaneously, why not try going back to balanced between the pre and power amp whilst continuing to use the M&K high pass.

@theophile , to put the high pass in between the pre and the amp and roll off the signal to the amp at 85 Hz the only way I can do that is by connecting to and from the high pass with RCAs.

However, I think I understand what you are saying:  connect the pre to the amp with balanced, and connect the high pass in between the pre and the sub with RCAs.  But that doesn't accomplish my goal, which is to isolate the amp from signal below 85 Hz.

@gdaddy1 , that's basically the route I went.  The high pass made my system more dynamic with my first preamp and a lower powered entry level tube amp, but as I moved up in equipment I remember a dealer referring to using a high pass as "putting another crappy box" in the signal path (only he didn't say 'crappy').  Also, I started using balanced intercoonects, so that alone ruled out using the high pass.

But just recently I got the itch/urge to experiment without speding any money.  I had previously been running my switchable amp in the 50 wpc triode more so a while ago I switched to 100 wpc ultralinear and kind of liked the change.  Then I got to thinking that since I already owned a high pass I haven't used since the '90s, why not hook that back up again and see what I think.  If more power to the speakers was a positive (the ultralinear circuit), maybe only feeding my amp 85 Hz and above would work a long the same lines, was my logic

And that's where I am right now

@grislybutter , I believe you are on to something with that.

@mitch2 , the high pass filter probably isn't all that good, and the subwoofer is ancient and probably obsolete.  Low bass is probably the weak link in my chain at this point in my life.

After my session this afternoon, I do not think that the high pass setup is the answer I am looking for.

If your sub doesn't make your system sound glorious you are just gilding lilies.

@erik_squires , there have been sessions with certain source materials that I honestly did feel my system sounded glorious, but I would also add that it was not because of my sub.  I truly believe that my sub is the weak link in my system.

@erik_squires , yes! My M&K sub and M&K high pass do, in fact, date back to the days of Dolby Prologic! (They are both ancient and obsolete.) I remember that back then the conventional wisdom seemed to dictate that if one wanted to use a sub for low bass, the logical choice for speakers would be "book shelf’s" as there would be less overlap of bass frequencies. That was the way it was explained to me, anyway. Back in those days, ’94 & ’95, M&K had this extremely helpful and pleasant and patient gentleman working for them named Doug Osborne. He must have spent hours taking my phone calls and answering my endless stream of questions. I actually did buy the high pass filter on his recommendation and I did like it in the system I was using it with, which was a B&K digital HT pre going into a Cary SLA 70 which started driving a pair of NHT "book shelf" speakers and then graduated to driving a pair of B&W 805 Matrixes. As I typed, I liked it a lot in that set up--it made for a much more dynamic presentation and I was quite impressed with the presentation.

As I typed in my OP, as my gear got bigger and better I moved away from it, and after this afternoon’s session, I don’t think going back was the answer I am looking for. The presentation seems slightly more "veiled" to me with the high pass installed again. Maybe the bass is a bit tighter, but as far as dynamics, I think the presentation may be less dynamic with the high pass than it was without it.

Thanks for the explanation of the dynamics involved (which would explain why I liked it with the first system I had it in). As far as plugging the speakers, the Revels did come with foam plugs, and so far, since recently aquiring the Revels, I have had them out for a while, put them in a for a while, took them back out for a while, and then put them back in shortly after starting my high pass "experiment."

I think what I am going to do is to take the high pass out of the chain, but continue to rum that part of the system (pre to amp) with the RCAs (and see how I feel about that, because I enjoy the less gain aspect) and start out leaving the plugs in. And then I will go from there.

Anyway, Eric, thanks for your perspective on this, and good to see you around again.

@grislybutter , actually, I think your first post about changing things all the time to find "happiness" was a serious concept. As far as the trade off going on with the highpass installed, I don’t think it’s worth it. What I think is that I need a new subwoofer. Ha ha, but seriously, that’s what I think. Seriously. However, although that may probably happen some day, not any day real soon. I now wish I would have bought some smallish sized three way floor standers, but the price was right on what I did buy, and floor standers in a small room, even small ones, might be problematic if they made too MUCH bass for that small room. At least with a sub I have the option to dial it down or up for whatever source material I am using.

@erik_squires

Yes, it’s still true

only going by the posts I read here on A’gon, I was getting the impression that the going thing now-a-days was to augment full range speakers with a pair of subs? (Which, back in the day that I bought my sub, I thought was considered a no-no.) I guess the folks running subs with full range floor standers these days are all pretty much utilizing some form of EQ or DSP?

Honestly not sure I followed your setup wiring or know your equipment. But I have a few thoughts. 

@james633 , it is as follows;

CDP IN to preamp via balanced (Kimber Silver Streak) interconnects/preamp IN to passive high pass filter via Kimber PBJ RCA interconnects.

FROM the high pass filter (and this is all via RCAs) : the treble pair of RCAs IN to the amplifier RCA inputs/the bass pair of RCAs IN to the sub's RCA inputs.

A couple of things I am keeping in consideration:

I don't think that the M&K LP-15 passive high pass filter is very high quality (and it is passive)

I am running balance interconnect out of the CDP TO the HP filter and a lesser grade of RCAs OUT of the HP to the amp

and the subwoofer is about 30 years old.