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Seems tough to ensure only subwoofer is playing bass frequencies (& not the main speakers)

Given that the bass from main speakers will be qualitatively different than the bass from a subwoofer...  I do not want  them both playing the bass frequencies. Seeking help in this quest of mine to ensure only the sub plays the bass. 

**My Setup:**
- Source: Oppo UDP 205
- DAC : Black Ice Audio  Glass FX  (fyi: it has volume control)
- Integrated amp: Primaluna Dialogue Premium HP.  (no pre-outs, but has high level mono out and also HT bypass mode)
- Subwoofer: Velodyne DD+ 10 inch.  

Without the DAC in the picture, its pretty easy. The Oppo has bass management & dedicated sub output. This allows using the oppo for master volume control.

How can I use an external DAC (instead of whats built into the oppo) for both the  and continue to send bass frequencies to the sub but not the main speakers ? 

one thought i have is.. it will need introducing an external digital cross over as follows :

Oppo -> DAC -> Cross over -> Subwoofer & Integrated amp

In which case i suppose I would have to use the volume control on the DAC ?
roxito

Showing 3 responses by millercarbon

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
High level sub inputs use a resistor to drop the voltage down to line level. Because of this the extra connections present no load and the amplifier can drive them just fine. If the OP would study my system, which is highly recommended, he would see there is even a picture showing this exact resistor modded inside my amp to turn it into a line out to drive my subs. 

Exactly what he wants to do. Only minus the unnecessary and counterproductive crossover stuff he's so determined to mess up with.
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
In this case, the passive woofers from the ported main speakers produce qualitatively different bass than the high powered sealed subwoofer. I'd prefer to let 1 or more subs deal with bass... and let the mains deal with the rest.


A tough sell. aka stubborn. They ALL produce qualitatively different bass. The exact same sub produces qualitatively different bass simply by being put in a different place in the room. Did you not look at my system? Three different types of subs.  

You can lead a horse to water....

millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Actually you do want the mains playing bass. The easiest and best way to get really good bass is with a lot of drivers in a lot of different locations. Do a search for distributed bass array, DBA, or swarm subwoofer system. The two main speakers help contribute to that. What you really want is like this, five subs and two mains with great bass response. https://systems.audiogon.com/systems/8367 The last thing you would want to do is remove the bass from the mains and have just one sub try and do it all. Seriously. Hard to think of a worse idea. Leave your speakers full range, get a couple more subs. You will not believe how much better that will be.
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