B&W 603 and integration with sub (1 Viewer)

[MarkDD]

Torn between hooking the speakers up to the sub or using the one cable to the sub and let the AVR handle the bass mgmt. The sub is a b&w 600.

Please let me know the best practice.

1. Want less of a burden on the AVR 325.

2. Will I loose my .1 effects when watching DVD's if I hook up my B&W 603's to my sub.

3. I assume I still hook my center and surrounds up to the AVR, will they send info to the sub too?

I listen to 80% music and 20% dvd's.

Hints on crossover would also be appreciated.

Thanks much.

 

[JameelCH]

Mark,

I am not familiar with the AVR 325, so the following is what is generally available with all DD AV receivers.

Basically the choice here is to let the AV receiver manage the bass crossover or to use the sub crossover control. Try both and see which you like better. The sub crossover will allow you to explicitly set the crossover point. Many AV receivers have a fixed crossover (80 - 100 Hz)

If you set your main speakers as 'large' and the subwoofer to 'NO' in your receiver setup options then all bass+LFE will be directed to the main speakers, i.e. your B&W 603's. In this setup, you can wire a sub before the mains (i.e. in series) so that the sub plays the bass and sends the higher frequencies on to the mains. Ofcourse your sub needs to be able to handle both a left and a right speaker level input and output. You will not loose the .1 channel as the receiver will send it on the main speaker channels. The bass from your surrounds and center will also get sent to the main speaker channel if you set those speakers to 'small' also.

I have the B&W 603 S3 and have opted to let my receiver do the bass management. I have set all (6) speakers (in my 6.1 sysetm) to small. I have a DefTech Supercube 1 as the sub.

Jester

 

[MarkDD]

Which method requires less juice from my avr325? I want to let the sub take some of the power output.

Also, on another note (I may be very green on this), is there a setting on the sub to give me the sound as "it was intended". Just like setting the tone controls to off. I don't want anymore sub sound than what the musicians intended.

 

[JameelCH]

I do not think that either method will have any appreciable impact on how much 'juice' gets pulled from your receiver. Choose what sounds better to you.

Your receiver bass management sends all bass to the sub. From then oin it is a matter of balancing your sub with the rest of your speakers using a SPL meter - like the one from Radio Shack ~$20-30 - and a setup disk like Avia.

There are a couple of threads in this forum from a couple of days ago that talk about how to balance the sub with the rest of your speakers.

Jester

 

[Steve_Ma]

I have the 603 S2s, an ASW1000 sub and a Marantz SR7000 AVR.

I believe Jester is right in that neither connection method should inordinately stress the AVR's capabilities to any significant degree. I believe, however, that using the LFE connection to the sub is slightly more efficient.

I experimented and took measurements ad-nauseum with both ways of connecting my mains/sub. I also experimented with various placements and crossovers as well. Getting a Test Disk and doing all this really taught me a lot about my room, equipment, and the room’s bass response. I’m kind of a freak about accuracy (on a budget). I now have a lot more confidence in my setup as a result. While your room/equipment might give very different results, I learned:

1. The LFE out connection (with all speaker set to small and the sub = yes) clearly gave ME the flattest overall response. My AVRs x-over was fixed at 100hz, in case it matters to you.
2. The actual audible difference between an 80hz crossover and a 100hz crossover is over-stated, in my opinion. Maybe I just have an untrained ear.

Good Luck,
--Steve