seperates/full range question

organ · February 2003

I finally decided on what pre and amp I'm going to run my LSi9 with. The pre will be a Nad C160 (stereo pre) and the amp will be a NAD C270. The problem here is that you can only run full range signals to the speakers they're connected to. I don't want to use my sub to cut the bass because I bi-wire. Is it ok to run the LSi9 LOUD on seperates(full range)? The PSW650 will play just the lower bass the 9's can't reach.

Thanx

Maurice

bigsexy1 · February 2003

yes

Dr. Spec · February 2003

Originally posted by organ
The problem here is that you can only run full range signals to the speakers they're connected to. I don't want to use my sub to cut the bass because I bi-wire. Is it ok to run the LSi9 LOUD on seperates(full range)? The PSW650 will play just the lower bass the 9's can't reach.

Organ, forgive the questions, but I want to make sure I understand your post.

1) Are you saying that the NAD preamp lacks a digital bass management circuit and there is no option but to send all speakers a full range signal?

2) Are you then saying the only way to redirect bass from the mains to the sub would be with a speaker level connection which you want to avoid because you bi-wire?

3) What is the source of this "lower bass", and how do you propose to direct it to the 650?

Doc

organ · February 2003

Venom and bigsexy,
thanx for the reply.

Doc,
Sorry I didn't make my post clear. Yes, the pre-amp has no bass management. It's a straight forward and basic design. The good thing is that it has two sets of pre-outs. I will use one set for the amp and the other set for the subwoofer and use the low pass crossover on the sub.

I hope this clarifies everything. And how about your opinion? We already have two people giving me a go.

Maurice

Dr. Spec · February 2003

Sorry I didn't make my post clear. Yes, the pre-amp has no bass management. It's a straight forward and basic design. The good thing is that it has two sets of pre-outs. I will use one set for the amp and the other set for the subwoofer and use the low pass crossover on the sub. I hope this clarifies everything. And how about your opinion? We already have two people giving me a go.[/B]

Ahhhh.....I see the light now. Two identical L/R pre-outs eh? That's really neat!

So you will be running one pre-out set to the NAD amp, and the other set directly to the PSW650 L/R filtered inputs and adjusting the low pass filter on the sub accordingly. Very smart indeed!

In order to make this work without creating a hump or a hole in the FR, I recommend running a bass FR sweep on the LSi9's to see exactly how deep they can go before they start rolling off. Then set your filter point on the PSW650 accordingly to take over at that point. Then run another sweep with both the 9's and the 650 in the loop and evaluate/fine tune as needed.

As for your original question (now that I understand what you are trying to accomplish), what type of full range source material are you planning to run through the 9's, and how loud is "LOUD"?

Doc

organ · February 2003

Let's see....the CD player will be the only thing hooked up to it and maybe the Xbox for some games. Most of the time I listen to classical/operatic metal. So that's a choir, orchestra and a band which can get pretty complex and contain deep bass. If I'm not listening to that stuff, I listen to metal, black metal, death metal, speed metal, etc. These are European bands which have superior production compared to American metal bands. So the bass drums can get pretty deep and extremely fast. Sending all these signals full range to the 9's is what worries me. So far my Oink is cutting the bass at 80hz and they're playing just fine.
I'm not sure how loud(db) I listen to my music. My guess would be 80+db. And when I really want to rock out, maybe 90+. So do you think it's safe to run my LSi9's that loud on seperates?

Thanx

Maurice

Dr. Spec · February 2003

Well they are far from fragile speakers, and you are using quality amplification, so I would have to say yes - safe at those volumes.

If you hit some really bass intensive stuff at high volumes and the bass driver farts or pops, turn it down right away.

I believe someone else (ATC maybe?) blew a bass driver in the 9 recently on some heavy bass stuff - so be cautious. They're only 6" bass drivers after all.

Dr. Spec · February 2003

Well there ya have it from the horses mouth. Be careful with the LSi9. What I meant by "far from fragile", is that it's obviously a high quality speaker that is rated for up to 200 watt amps.

It's a 5-1/4" driver, to be exact - I was giving it the benefit of the doubt. :-)

Whatever happened with Polk CS on that ATC?

With a rated -3 dB point of 50 Hz, I'd be surprised if they hung on to 35 Hz, even with the typical non-anechoic room gain. If I was going to guess, it would be closer to 45 Hz as a starting point for the 650. Only one way to tell - break out the tone generator and the SPL meter and crack a beer.

phuz · February 2003

Originally posted by ATCVenom
I have given it the pair my best red carpet treatment and all I got in return was a rattle in my ear.

If you call what you did your "best red carpet treatment" I would hate to see what you consider abuse.

organ · February 2003

Wow thanks a lot for the replies guys. I'll make sure I becareful when listening at high volumes.

Sorry Doc, no beer for me. I like to "burn" before serious listening sessions if you know what I mean.....pppffffft...aaaaah.

Maurice

gidrah · February 2003

Organ: That should work great. I'm probably going to be doing something similar in the near future as my pre also has dual outs. I wish it had 3. 2 for bi-amping and 1 for sub.

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Pesky Rotels!

seperates/full range question

Comments