How to Connect Studio Monitors to Receiver?

[StompStomp]

Hello Everyone! My name is StompStomp and I am an electronics dunce.
Please help me.
I have a pair of (powered) Rokit 6's and a (powered) Rokit 10s subwoofer. I was originally driving them from a Squeezebox connected to the subwoofer, but now I want to connect them up to my HK 3490. But I am a dunce and am quite nervous (read ignorant) about doing it correctly.

Do I simply connect the Pre-Outs on the receiver to the subwoofer?

If so, would using a Mogami RCA/XLR adapter cable make any improvements/differences over just going straight RCA? The distance isn't certain yet, but most likely will be somewhere between 3 and 12 feet.

If I am completely off-base (dunce!), please explain how to make this connection in terms a dunce might possibly comprehend!

Thanks so much!
StompStomp

P.S. Apologies if this isn't the exactly correct forum for this question.

 

[j_garcia]

That receiver has a dedicated sub pre-out (which is not crossed over). It also has a preamp out for the mains, once the bridge is disconnected from the main amp in (will say on the back main in or something similar). Then go RCA straight to the speakers. I don't think you will benefit from going RCA to XLR since you would be starting with RCA anyway; the signal won't be improved any by using an adapter and at 12' it probalby wouldn't make any difference anyway.

 

[StompStomp]

Thanks for the information, j_garcia.

One more question. There are two different ways to hook this up, please tell me if either is better.

1. Connect mains pre-out to subwoofer, let subwoofer feed the 2 main speakers.

2. Connect one of the dedicated subwoofer pre-outs to the subwoofer (using a splitter at the subwoofer to feed the 2-channels), and connect the mains pre-out to the main speakers.

Thanks again for your help!

 

[MidnightSensi]

Connect the pre-out left to the left monitors and pre-out right to the right monitor (I agree with j_garcia about using RCA cables), and the subwoofer to your pre-outs on the subwoofer.

 

[j_garcia]

There wouldn't be a real benefit to running the speakers from the sub since the sub likely has a fixed high pass to them. Though that does give you a crossover, if it is too high, it might not be beneficial to the speakers. In either case, you will need to dial in the crossover for the sub to blend with the mains, and as a result of that I would opt for no crossover to the mains becaue that will lower the x-over to the sub (hopefully) and let the speakers just do their thing.

 

[StompStomp]

There wouldn't be a real benefit to running the speakers from the sub since the sub likely has a fixed high pass to them.

Actually, the sub is variable, 50-130Hz...


Though that does give you a crossover, if it is too high, it might not be beneficial to the speakers. In either case, you will need to dial in the crossover for the sub to blend with the mains, and as a result of that


I would opt for no crossover to the mains becaue that will lower the x-over to the sub (hopefully) and let the speakers just do their thing.

Can you explain that last part please? I am not following it...

Thank you

 

[MidnightSensi]

Your receiver will control the crossover between your monitors and your subwoofer. Refer to your manual and look for the section on setting the crossover.... a good starting place is about 80Hz. Now, on the back of your subwoofer either hit 'crossover bypass' (if available) or turn the crossover all the way up to 130Hz. The reason for doing this is because you don't want the crossover slope of your receiver getting interference by your subwoofer crossover. So, that gets it out of the way. You are bypassing the crossover on your subwoofer and using the crossover in the receiver instead.

 

[j_garcia]

Can you explain that last part please? I am not following it...

Thank you

The crossover is variable, but that variability only applies to the SUB, it will not affect the speaker outs. That means there is a non-adjustable crossover on the feed to the speakers from the sub, and if it is something high such as 100Hz, then it may not be the optimum crossover point for the speakers. Did they come as a set or are recommended to work with each other? It very well could be 80Hz though...

Your receiver will control the crossover between your monitors and your subwoofer. Refer to your manual and look for the section on setting the crossover.... a good starting place is about 80Hz. Now, on the back of your subwoofer either hit 'crossover bypass' (if available) or turn the crossover all the way up to 130Hz. The reason for doing this is because you don't want the crossover slope of your receiver getting interference by your subwoofer crossover. So, that gets it out of the way. You are bypassing the crossover on your subwoofer and using the crossover in the receiver instead.

Unfortunately, this is a stereo receiver and it does not have a built in crossover for the sub, despite having a sub pre-out.

 

[StompStomp]

Did they come as a set or are recommended to work with each other?

Since the sub is a Rokit 10s and the mains are Rokit 6's, I would assume they were designed to work together, and the literature of course recommends the marriage. Although I don't see much interest in them in these forums, the Rokits seem like OK speakers...


A Curiousity Question:
I mentioned the Mogami XLR-RCA adapter previously and both j_garcia and MidnightSensei agreed that I should just go straight RCA, as I shall (and I appreciate the recommendation very much!). Just a few minutes ago, I read on the Mogami site that this Mogami adapter is unbalanced. Out of curiousity, if I were to plug this adapter into my sub, using the XLR input which the sub expects to be balanced, would it work? I am guessing not, because if I understand correctly, balanced cables send a signal differential, while unbalanced cables send the straight signal, and I would think they were incompatible.

 

[StompStomp]

The crossover is variable, but that variability only applies to the SUB, it will not affect the speaker outs. That means there is a non-adjustable crossover on the feed to the speakers from the sub, and if it is something high such as 100Hz, then it may not be the optimum crossover point for the speakers. Did they come as a set or are recommended to work with each other? It very well could be 80Hz though...

Aha, I just found out in the manual that there is an internal 80-Hz high-pass filter built into the subwoofer for the full-range monitors.

Do you still recommend that I hook the mains up to the receiver rather than to the subwoofer?

Thanks again!

 

[j_garcia]

In that case, it sounds like it will be fine to wire them through the sub.