Subwoofer for Ayre AX-7e?
I also am using the AX-7e in my office with a pair of Zu Omen Bookshelf speakers and HSU VTF-1 subs.Hi Bob, Doesn’t that mean you have to adjust the volume control on the sub whenever you change the volume of the signals provided to the main speakers, to keep them at the proper level relative to each other? Best regards, -- Al |
Thanks for all of the feedback and suggestions. It’s a fair point that the M5s are the weak link. They’ve served me just fine in the mid/upper freqs for the last 12 years and so I’ve really wanted to fill out the low end in a way that wasn’t going to amount to new speakers. But the Vandersteens sound like a serious top-to-bottom upgrade so perhaps I need to approach it more holistically. I just don’t want another set of speakers, however amazing, that still leave me wanting substantially more bass. I don’t have new mains AND a sub in the bank account right now. |
Hi @jazztherapist, I have an AX-7e with a REL T-9 and it sounds great, but has some serious caveats that have been pointed out here. 1. The speaker inputs of the REL are isolated and do indeed work with the Ayre's balanced outputs, as well as other tricky ones like Class D amps. However you need to connect the ground wire of the REL to the chassis on the Ayre, NOT a negative speaker terminal. I wound up drilling a hole in my Ayre chassis to install a binding post. This was a serious PITA because the Ayre bottom chassis is stainless steel which unlike aluminum is very hard. It's doable with the right drill bit (cobalt) and some drilling fluid, but not a lot of fun. Plus you are mangling the chassis, but whatever, it's just a small hole that is easily patched with a screw. (I can show you a picture.) 1b. After I drilled the hole, I realized a much easier solution was to use one of the screws that secure the XLR jacks. These are grounded, and actually this cheap Radio Shack binding post I had lying around was the exact same screw size/thread, and I could have just screwed it in there. Oh well... it kind of blocks one of the XLR inputs that way anyway. 2. This wiring setup works, HOWEVER, if you turn off the Ayre, you will get a fairly loud hum from the REL. This is because the Ayre outputs are floating and not referenced to ground at all. I haven't figured out a way to get around this short of modifying the Ayre with a dedicated output for the sub with a muting relay. Referencing the speaker outputs to ground with a high-value resistor would probably muck up the sound to some degree. Anyway, my solution is to leave the Ayre powered up at all times, which sounds better anyway... Other than these major inconveniences, I highly recommend REL with the AX-7e - the T-9 blends seamlessly with even difficult speakers (I heard you can even use it with Maggies!), and it should go well with your Epos. I've used them with Merlin TSM's as well as multiple Role Audio and Silverline speakers with satisfying results. Placement is easy (just follow REL's recommendation of tucking it in the corner) and as long as you follow their conservative "augmentation" approach of keeping the x-over point and level low, it will not only not interfere with the mids and highs, but actually make them sound better by balancing out the spectrum. I am not sure I agree with the recommendations to upgrade to a specific speaker based solely on the match with your Ayre. It sounds like Ayre + Vandersteen is a nice combo but there are a lot of considerations and personal tastes involved. If you really want to turn this into a speaker hunt, this is a totally different discussion that I'd be happy to chime in on too! But on your original topic, hopefully the above info helps. :) Cheers, @taww http://taww.co |
