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Bass management with stand alone preamps

In researching an upgrade to separate preamp from an av pre pro (marantz 8802a) I’ve noticed that 1) most include no bass management 2) some include dual preouts but no bass management 3) some have a basic sub preout but no bass management.    Are subs not popular in the two channel arena?  I know in years past they were considered anathema but like every other issue in society views seem to have changed.  Interested in how people typically integrate and if NOT running the mains with a high pass filter is common.  Seems part of the point is to take that out of the amp and speaker and direct all that effort to the sub. If this has been beaten to death in another thread feel free to redirect. I have JL F212V2 subs which don’t have high level connections like REL appears to have.  
esthlos13
millercarbon's avatar
millercarbon
12,531 posts
 
Yeah most separate preamps omit that because people getting into separates tend to be chasing ultimate performance which tone controls are not. At all.

Stepping up from a receiver you’ll do well to look at integrateds as the next logical step and far more sound quality for the money than separates. Just get one with a single pre-out. All you need.

Subs definitely help but most still have not figured out the answer is several not one. At low frequencies you get a lot of bass modes, which is actually good, you want more, as more is smoother. So its actually better to run the main stereo pair full range, using whatever bass output they have to contribute to that smoothing. Then use four subs spread out asymmetrically around the room. These four can be anything from four speakers with one amp to four separate powered subs, or anything in between. Search for Swarm or distributed bass array and read the threads to see how deliriously happy we all are who have taken this approach.


soix
8,775 posts
 
Here are a couple.  Also, Micromega make preamps with dual sub outputs that can be used with an DSpeaker Antimode 2.0 for bass management.  

http://www.dspeaker.com/en/products/anti-mode-x4.shtml

http://lyngdorf.com/mp-50/
esthlos13 OP
90 posts
 
 Thanks for the replies. For clarity the marantz is a prepro ( I have all my equipment listed in the virtual systems) and from reviews I’ve read holds its own as a two channel preamp but I have been interested in how bug a jump it would be from my current setup to say a levinson 585 integrated  and then from that to a separate levinson pre and amp combo.  The integrated is significantly cheaper, on audiogon probably 1/3 to 1/4 the cost of a comparable pre/ amp combo not factoring in an extra power cable or two and more interconnects.  If one should room isn’t perfect/ treated is this all a waste of $ until ?
erik_squires
15,824 posts
 
Parasound P7 and others include it.
mike_in_nc
1,124 posts
 
Audiophile preamps with full bass management are relatively rare. Some have been mentioned by others. A few more are

  • Anthem STR Preamp (also STR Integrated)
  • miniDSP SHD
  • Classe Delta Pre, not yet released. (Its predecessor, the Classe CP-800, has bass management for 1 or 2 subs.)
  • Trinnov Amethyst (warning: has a fan)
  • Legacy Wavelet
  • NAD C658D (though the bass management firmware may not have been released yet)
As noted, many audiophiles (not me) think that DSP, bass management, or any type of tone controls limit the sound quality. In my opinion, the newest DSP products are quite good, and in many practical situations, the benefits far outweigh any drawbacks.
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