Subwoofer

[diwakarv]

Hi Guys,
I am looking to add sub woofer to my audio system which is

1. Focal Electra 1027 BE
2. CJ ET3 SE
3. CJ classic sixty

I am looking at SVS ultra 13 which doesn't have speaker level inputs. My plan to is to RCA split ET3SE ( pre amp output) and feed sub
through it. Has anybody tried to go this route, any sound degradation in overall sound quality due to split ? OR
should I look another sub woofer with speakon inputs ? Any suggestions ?

[admin]

I'm not sure if you would want to go through the sub with RCA cables, but what about a high end Y-splitter instead? The SVS ultra 13 is a very nice sub, you may find no degradation in sound quality doing it either method so I don't think I would eliminate it from the running just because it doesn't have a speaker cable inputs.

[jasper]

First I want to say this looks like a fantastic system and I'm sure it sounds great! I have an ET3SE and a Classic 60SE and love them. I also had a pair of JM Lab Utopias that I replaced with Quad 2905's because of my room mostly and I have since become a total Quad convert, especially with CJ electronics. But with your speakers that go down to 38hz, With the right subs the whole system will go to a whole new level. There is a bunch of information down deep that you will quickly get addicted to and the subs will bring out harmonics throughout all frequency ranges. I've had outstanding results with REL's. They are not a true sub and you can read up on that. Instead they can be hooked up through your amps with a neutron connector so the sound of your amps is carried through the whole system and they can blend perfectly. I have 2 pair of REL's; G2's and S3's. The G2's are big and are in another system at my lake house with Acoustic Zen Crescendos in pretty large room. The S3's are with my Quads in a smaller room. The Quads go down supposedly to about 39z so I played around with the crossover and settled at 43hz while adjusting the volume repeatedly until it blended to my liking. With the REL's they crossover much lower than a true sub, so you'll hear those wonderful Focals to their full range then the subs that will blend through your amp. That's where it gets personal and my advise is play around a lot with the crossover and volume until the sound gets to your liking. This could be a process taking several hours over a period of many days but don't give up. There will be a point where you can find the sweet spot. That is if you get them positioned properly and with both of my systems I found them best behind and outside of my main speakers and angled to point either inside or outside the speaker. So positioning is critical as well and another prolonged process but keep going until they don't boom and sound clean, then adjust volume and crossover. Guess by now you've understood my thought is you've got to have a pair. I know it costs twice as much but its worth it. Using 1 REL IMHO is not worth it. If you get all this right it is absolute bliss like bathing in waves of clean base that rattle the deepest part of your soul! I'll follow this thread along for a while if you have any questions or comments.

[diwakarv]

Thanks guys for the reply.
Jasper, I agree with you on getting a pair of subwoofer. It is not just the cost but space is an issue as well.

I will update the thread whichever I go.

Thanks again

[jasper]

Look forward to hearing how it turns out! I went with the S3's because they were the right size for the space I was putting them and they still left me a little room to adjust placement. That was really important and I'm glad I did. Don't miss the extra power or air moving capacity of the larger models and with 2 playing at once I think its OK to downsize power and volume to reduce the footprint. Best of luck and I'll keep an eye out for your reply once you decide. Happy listening.

[f1jim]

I would always encourage those hooking up a sub to do it through the line level outputs of the preamp and not through the speaker hookups. You are on the right track.
f1jim

[diwakarv]

Using SB 13 ultra with focal Electra 1027 BE ( stereo setup) for a month now. It is fast and loud enough to catch up with my highly efficient speakers. It adds a different dimension to music, Incredible.
It took about 20 hours of playing time to break in and after that , it opened to completely different level.