LFE or Line in?

Kingkwas
Kingkwas Posts: 92
in Subwoofer Hookup & Bass Management
Which way should I connect my subwoofer for best performance? Is there a difference?

Have a 5.1 setup with a Marantz AVR.

Thanks!
AVR: Marantz SR 5011
L/ R: Polk Audio 703 LSiM (Bi Amp'd)
C: Polk Audio 255c - LS
R: Def Tech
Sub: PSW 505 (12 inch)
DVD: Oppo UDP 203
TV: 2016 Sony XBR 75X850D
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Comments

  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,592
    LFE
    Political Correctness'.........defined

    "A doctrine fostered by a delusional, illogical minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a t-u-r-d by the clean end."

    President of Club Polk

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  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    Yeahp.
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    I can’t see your setup in the mobile layout, but normally the difference is that the LFE is a direct, unfiltered input that bypasses crossover and sometimes even volume. Line in will be filtered by crossover, phase, and volume. Since the avr is going to do all these functions, LFE is recommended.
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room 5.1.4:     Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
    Bedroom 2.1     Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
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  • GlennDog
    GlennDog Posts: 3,120
    Is LFE recommended when your rig pulls double duty? (HT and 2 channel)
    Presently connected to Line In

    In my rig, I don't use the Pre/Pro unless I'm watching movies.
    I use a dedicated pre with HT pass-thru when listening to 2.1

    TIA . . . no hi-jacked thread intended!!
    AC Regenerator PS Audio PerfectWave Power Plant 10
    Source Lumin U1 Mini into Lampizator Baltic 4 DAC
    Pre Cary SLP-05
    Power Rogue M180 Dark monos
    Mains Salk HT2-TL
    Rythmik F12
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  • rooftop59
    rooftop59 Posts: 8,121
    Well, both my rigs are dual purpose and I end up using some strange configurations to get it right. In the bedroom where I have a two channel preamp that is only on for music and a HT receiver for everything else, I actually use both inputs. The preamp goes to the line in, the AVR goes to the LFE. So you might want to try that, but it depends on a number of other factors, such as are your speakers set to run full range?
    Living Room 2.2: Usher BE-718 "tiny dancers"; Dual DIY Dayton audio RSS210HF-4 Subs with Dayton SPA-250 amps; Arcam SA30; Musical Fidelity A308; Sony UBP-x1000es
    Game Room 5.1.4:     Denon AVR-X4200w; Sony UBP-x700; Definitive Technology Power Monitor 900 mains, CLR-3000 center, StudioMonitor 350 surrounds, ProMonitor 800 atmos x4; Sub - Monoprice Monolith 15in THX Ultra
    Bedroom 2.1     Harmon Kardon HK3490; Bluesounds Node N130; Polk RT25i; ACI Titan Subwoofer
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  • jeremymarcinko
    jeremymarcinko Posts: 3,785
    edited September 2018
    LFE is also a discrete channel in movie mixes. If you go left/right line in your missing some of the soundtrack. Without LFE you only get the front channels mix. If you go LFE and select “double bass” the the subs get the front L/R and the LFE mix.

    Okay that might be confusing. The subwoofer out of an AVR or HT processor will be the LFE channel and can have L/R mixed in with “double bass.”

    The subwoofer out of a preamp or two channel integrated/receiver would just be the L/R obviously and still would go to the LFE input. Only if you don’t have a dedicated subwoofer out should you use the L/R input.
    Oh, Listen here mister. We got no way of understandin' this world. But we got as much sense of this bird flyin in the sky. Now there is a lot that bird don't know, but it don't change the fact that the world is happening to him all the same. What I am tryin to say is, is that the course of your life, well its changing, and you don't even see it- Forest Bondurant
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  • Kingkwas
    Kingkwas Posts: 92
    Thanks everyone. I actually had the LFE in use.

    Does that mean all the buttons on the back of the sub don’t work? The Marantz is in control?
    AVR: Marantz SR 5011
    L/ R: Polk Audio 703 LSiM (Bi Amp'd)
    C: Polk Audio 255c - LS
    R: Def Tech
    Sub: PSW 505 (12 inch)
    DVD: Oppo UDP 203
    TV: 2016 Sony XBR 75X850D
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  • mlistens03
    mlistens03 Posts: 2,767
    Not necessarily... in my Polk LSi subs, the LFE disables the internal crossover and possibly the phase switch (not sure on the last one), but the volume still functions.
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