Connecting a sub to stereo amp (A&R alpha 7R) ?

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Hi

I was just wondering how the hell i would connect a sub to my soon to be arcam alpha 7R amp?

I intend to buy either a gale storm 8 (richersounds), or a KEF PSW1000. Are either of these subs any good for music when one of them will be paired up with my monitor audio bronze B2's?

thanks

[Knyght_byte]

ok, to connect sub to a stereo amp you need to do it with high level connection (using speaker wires, altho some subs use a cable that at the sub end terminates in a Neutrik Speakon connector), so make sure the sub has that available, not low level LFE (altho may have both available is fine).......

i commend you on your choice of speakers, B2's are very nice for the moolah, however i havnt heard either sub you mention myself so i cant comment..sorry......whats your total budget?

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Erm well, i don't have a budget for a sub at the moment. I was just wondering if it will be needed for my setup which will probably be the alpha 7r, monitor B2's (bi-wired), and some sexy cables. My source for the time being will be an emu 0404 soundcard with a custom high quality breakout cable, with a qed qunex 2 linking it to the amp.
I haven't even auditioned any equipment yet , but will ring up my sevenoaks tomorrow to setup a demo of the B2's.

I was only thinking of getting a sub as i have the logitech z5500 pc speakers at the moment, which are very bassy with the huge 200W 10inch sub, and very treble bassed satellites. I'm worried that the B2's won't give out enough bass for the DnB and Electronica parts of my music collection.

Should i be thinking of purchasing a sub?

My budget would be less than £100, and would be willing to go 2nd hand if i could get a better sub.

[SillySausage]

Originally Posted by adfinni

Should i be thinking of purchasing a sub?

My budget would be less than £100, and would be willing to go 2nd hand if i could get a better sub.

I would think that a £100 sub is going to ruin the hi-fi. It will not have enough control or deffinition to underpin the sounds coming from a very reasonable hi-fi.

You are falling into the trap that loads of bass = good hi-fi, when you'll more than likely only get fed up with the SQ after the initial listening.

I'd look towards the BK Gemini or XLS200 as a starting point, and even look at S/H, but looking much lower than that is wasting money imo.

I have Tannoy R3 floorstanders as main fronts, and with the XLS200 sub they sound superb.

Also, don't bother with fancy cables. Buy something that is capable for the job and nothing more. Can of worms this one, but there really is no need at all to spend a small fortune on cabling.

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Originally Posted by SillySausage

I would think that a £100 sub is going to ruin the hi-fi. It will not have enough control or deffinition to underpin the sounds coming from a very reasonable hi-fi.

You are falling into the trap that loads of bass = good hi-fi, when you'll more than likely only get fed up with the SQ after the initial listening.

Also, don't bother with fancy cables. Buy something that is capable for the job and nothing more. Can of worms this one, but there really is no need at all to spend a small fortune on cabling.

Thanks. That's all i needed to know. I know that a cheap sub will sound rubbish and boomy, and will most likely ruin the music. So forget that idea

With the cables i have mentioned, the gale bi-wires are cheap as chips at £12 for 4m, and according to hifichoice, they sound awesome for the small outlay.
The QED cable to connect my emu card to amp is 2nd hand at £23 instead of about £45, so im happy with that.
I don't intend to splash out on expensive cables... I am a student

[Knyght_byte]

the Bronze 2's will sound fine with D'n'B, they wont go amazingly low, but if setup correctly will give you a decent bit of bass, they are also quite well controlled at higher volumes so shouldnt be a problem.........you can always add a sub at a later date when money permits ;-)

keep an eye on the classified threads here on avforums, might be a bargain there......

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Originally Posted by Knyght_byte

the Bronze 2's will sound fine with D'n'B, they wont go amazingly low, but if setup correctly will give you a decent bit of bass, they are also quite well controlled at higher volumes so shouldnt be a problem.........you can always add a sub at a later date when money permits ;-)

keep an eye on the classified threads here on avforums, might be a bargain there......

Cheers. I have soo many different genres of music in my collection, i just can't wait to see what these little speakers will do. But i mainly listen to DnB, electronica, indie, rock, and trip hop at the moment.

I want to hear a much more neutral sound signature compared with my pc speakers (which isn't exactly hard ).

Forgot to ring sevenoaks today to arrange a demo of the B2's, so if i ring them tmorrow, i hope they can fit me in this week. But even if i do y the speakers, i have to wait for the damn ebay auctions to finish

[Knyght_byte]

well, i almost went with the Bronze 4's or 6's due to their nice energetic but for the money fairly neutral sound..........however i compared them to the Silver S6's by MA and because i love classical and jazz as well as d'n'b, trance and suchlike i had to go with the S6's, the S series has so much better treble control, the B series isnt bad, once u consider their cost, but the S's just said buy me, ok they cost a little bit more, but worth it......

now i own the GR10's as well and am in jazz heaven...lol

but dont worry, the Bronze 2's should keep you happy, just dont listen to the Silver or Golds in MA's lineup at the shop...or you'll be asking for the 12 months interest free credit form...lol
l

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Originally Posted by Knyght_byte

but dont worry, the Bronze 2's should keep you happy, just dont listen to the Silver or Golds in MA's lineup at the shop...or you'll be asking for the 12 months interest free credit form...lol
l

I think il demo the S1's too and student overdraft will say

I guess that the bass from the S1's is much better than the B2's ?

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Originally Posted by Knyght_byte

but dont worry, the Bronze 2's should keep you happy, just dont listen to the Silver or Golds in MA's lineup at the shop...or you'll be asking for the 12 months interest free credit form...lol
l

Well the RS1's are on sale for £315 at sevenoaks, so im demoing them as well as the B2's @ £175 on friday, paired up to some entry level arcam amp and cd player.

I just hope the RS1's don't blow me away

[Dom996]

I agree with Mr Sausage. A well balanced hifi is about music, coherence and timing. There are no surround effects or visual image, so all your focus is on just those 2 speakers.

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Well i got my B2's and they have more than enough bass. Sweet as