Towers with built-in subs... wiring?

dane_peterson

I was over at Best Buy Magnolia today, checking out the Martin Logans. (mmm mmm mmm, sound is so crisp) I stopped to look at the Definitive towers, and it got me to thinking... how do you wire them?
Obviously you do your speaker cable out, but then there's the line input. Do you do a split subwoofer line out? And what if the center channel also has a powered sub... what do you do in that circumstance?
I'm sure it makes perfect sense, I'm just stumped by it. I did a search and didn't turn up with any applicable info. Thanks for the help guys!

scottvamp

With speakers like my Polk RT1000p's, you can also use the "line level" method, which is as simple a using or making jumpers.

dane_peterson

Sorry for my negligence, but can you elaborate?

scottvamp

Thier are two sets of binding post. One for the speakers and one for the subwoofer. You can use the line in or just use a jumpers to get the signal to the sub. With the sub cable method you just daisy chain the cables. I did it with 4 subs and it worked fine.

dane_peterson

Gotcha, makes sense now.
So what about the line in? At Best Buy, they have one set of wires connected, as well as a line in. Does the line in provide full audio support as well, or only for the sub?

Skynut

I have used a special split rca for mine before. It takes the line out and split it three ways for use with three subs. You can also (on my speakers) send the lfe signal to a speaker and then out of that speaker into the next one. Each of my speakers has an LFE input and an output.

Now I have an SVS sub so all my tower and center subs run off line level.

ntg

I have rt2000i"s and was wondering about this.If I put the jumper back on and only run the one set of wires to the speaker does this bypass the biult in amp on the subs?

Skynut

The amp works either way but do not use the jumpers with the lfe input.

ntg

What I was thinking is run the mains without subs and try an svs.Could you run the mains on small and use the LFE for svs.

Skynut

If you wire the mains with speaker wire and the jumper; the sub in the speaker will produce the sound meant for that speaker.
Then run the lfe to the svs.

So the answer is yes.

ntg

Thanks Skynut,

All the talk here about the SVS's has got me thinking my subs sound boomy darn this bunch;)

I wish I could find someone close to compare mine with the SVS.
My next step is 2 Outlaw m2200's for my mains for music and then the sub.

Taurus574

Use the line level input. Unless ur LFE output on ur receiver has an adjustable low freq, it may not be crossed over at the desireable hertz and might give u less then desirable sound. I would use the LFE strickly for a sub only. I have the RT1000I's but my LFE output was at a fixed freq and I lost a lot of the BOOM from them when I did go the other route.

dane_peterson

Okay guys, got the speakers, now this is what I've determined:

I can run the Left and Right preouts from the receiver to the LFE, and it gives it a little more bass. Or I can run the SW preout, and it gives it a LOT of bass. Which would be the more preferred method... run the L/R preouts to LFE in addition to a subwoofer? Or run the SW preout and split the output to both channels? Will I lose any audio if I run sw outs to the towers and not the L/Rs?
Hopefully this makes sense... I'm nearly confusing myself.

Ruin

On my LSi25s, I run the sub out to the LFE inputs on both towers via a Y interconnect piece. I have removed the jumpers on the speakers so that the top acts as the true fronts and the bottom acts as two subs on a single sub output. For bass management I send anything below the front cutoffs to the subs along with the LFE channel. Works great for me.


Ruin

dane_peterson

Yeah.
I discovered these towers only have a hi in, no low except for the LFE. So maybe I'll do it that way. Then how bout for the center? It too has a built-in sub... should I just run the center preout to that one? I can't imagine splitting the sub audio 3 ways...

Ruin

I wouldn't split out the sub portion of the center myself. You might set its crossover a bit higher though since you probably don't want the extreme low end also coming from your center. At some point you are going to run into issues having the same low frequency coming from too many seperate sources.

Ruin

dane_peterson

That's why I'm thinking I just run the center preout instead of another split sub. Does that make the most sense?

Ruin

It does to me anyway.

R