Stereo 2.1 system (with active speakers and subwoofer) connection

  • Thread starter Eduardo Vinicius
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Eduardo Vinicius

Audiophyte
Hey guys,

I am planning on buying JBL 308P mkii monitors and lsr310s subwoofer just to have a nice sound quality for a 2.1 stereo system to listen to music in my home, but I am still kind of lost.
I wanted to know how this setup would be better connected, so I was thinking I could maybe get a DAC or a external soundcard for connection with speakers and then connect it to my notebook.
Or could I just get a dual 6 mm for input on the subwoofer and 3,5 mm for output in any audio source, like my notebook or smartphone? Is this even possible?
If it is possible, would there be any real differences in sound quality between these two setups and, if there is, any recommendations on DAC/external soundcard at an not too expensive range?
Thanks!
 
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Eduardo Vinicius

Audiophyte
Here are some prints of the connections in the subwoofer and monitors:

1565192894943.png



1565192909726.png
 
KEW

KEW

Audioholic Overlord
As a rule, you are better off keeping the signal digital until after it is out of your laptop (or PC). The reason is there are lots of sources of interference inside the laptop and analog signals are more easily corrupted.
I'm not sure how you would get from a laptop to a TRS connection. Ideally, your DAC could take care of that, but I am not familiar with pro audio and computer interfaces.
I'm sure someone will be along shortly to help on that count!

Last, you probably know this, but I am pretty sure that your sub actually has a real XO in it such that the signal out has removed the lowest frequencies from the signal going to the speakers! You want to run the signal through the sub before it gets to the speakers so the speakers don't have to attempt low bass that is at the limits of their capability - the sub can do that with comparative ease!
 
Last edited:
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Eduardo Vinicius

Audiophyte
Yes, I see... So I should keep the signal digital until after it is out of the source.
Thank you for the clarification!

And, yes, I am aware of that bass management option, pretty cool and useful! And there is "no problem" in that crossover setting, since the lower frequencies are non-directional.

Anyways, thanks again.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
Yes, I see... So I should keep the signal digital until after it is out of the source.
Thank you for the clarification!

And, yes, I am aware of that bass management option, pretty cool and useful! And there is "no problem" in that crossover setting, since the lower frequencies are non-directional.

Anyways, thanks again.
Yes, those are pro monitors, so you should stick to pro gear. What you need is a pro computer audio interface as shown in the instructions.

That rig will work best XLR or TLS balance to XLR or TLS balanced.

You can also add an external electronic crossover which would give you extra flexibility if you need it.
 
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Eduardo Vinicius

Audiophyte
So, I did a little more research and I am pretty convinced about buying a relatively simple entry level audio interface, I guess it will serve all my purposes and still give me a decent sound quality and with balanced outputs.
I was thinking about buying behringer UMC204HD, and then connect it through USB to my notebook, and then make the connections like this:

interface left TRS out ---> sub left TRS in
+
interface right TRS out ---> sub right TRS in
///
sub left XLR out ---> monitor left XLR in
+
sub right XLR out ---> monitor right XLR in

It would look like this illustration from JBL's manual, but with the interface instead of the mixer, and the interface connected to the PC:
1565374512513.png


What do you guys think about it??

Thank you all for the help and tips, appreciate it!
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
I have been looking at this. The unit you have selected is not ideal. You really need something with balanced outputs for that application as the leads are going to be relatively long for an unbalanced connection.

The speakers you have selected are for the small home recording studio market.

So you will end up with an interface that has mic inputs, phantom powering, midi interface etc, that you don't need

Ones that have balanced outputs are quite expensive.

I use one from RME but it is part of my digital audio work station.

Units like I think you need and want that are DAC volume and balanced outputs do exist but are very expensive. This is because this is really a niche market at this point.

Focusrite has some units that might do the trick for you.

I'm stating to think though that your best bet may be an older AV pre/pro from the say Marantz. So you should look at Ebay. You will need a pre/pro as receivers do not have balanced analog out.

You might want to give Sweetwater a call. They do have a very knowledgeable sales staff who may be able to recommend something that will meet your needs and budget.
 
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Eduardo Vinicius

Audiophyte
"Units like I think you need and want that are DAC volume and balanced outputs do exist but are very expensive. This is because this is really a niche market at this point." - Yes, that is what I was suspecting from the observation of prices I did on DAC volumes. I also looked a little bit on receivers, but they are just too expensive. So I basically thought that either I must go with a relatively simple audio interface or, instead, I must find some other device which is still unclear to me.

So, thanks for the help and tips! I will dig a little more into what you said.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
"Units like I think you need and want that are DAC volume and balanced outputs do exist but are very expensive. This is because this is really a niche market at this point." - Yes, that is what I was suspecting from the observation of prices I did on DAC volumes. I also looked a little bit on receivers, but they are just too expensive. So I basically thought that either I must go with a relatively simple audio interface or, instead, I must find some other device which is still unclear to me.

So, thanks for the help and tips! I will dig a little more into what you said.
A receiver is not what you need for your purposes. They do not have balanced outputs, you need a pre pro.
 
lovinthehd

lovinthehd

Audioholic Jedi
FWIW I run my LSR305s with an rca to xlr cable I made, works fine at the -10dB input sensitivity setting (what it's there for and per the manual is the setting you should use when using the sub no matter how you set the sub's sensitivity). Don't have the sub, tho myself, but run it off an old 2ch analog pre-amp. If I didn't have that I may well have gone the Behringer or Focusrite or similar pro gear route.
 
TLS Guy

TLS Guy

Seriously, I have no life.
A receiver is not what you need for your purposes. They do not have balanced outputs, you need a pre pro.
One question I should ask you> Have you bought those speakers yet? If not I suggest you don't. I am in favor of active speakers, but the domestic market is not geared for them. So with that choice you are buying gear not suited to your application. After a lot of research I see there is no cheap option for providing the best sound from that speaker set. To to the job properly will require a minimum expenditure of around $1000.00 to make those speakers a sensible investment. Even then I suspect you will be paying for a lot of facility you will never use.
 
E

Eduardo Vinicius

Audiophyte
FWIW I run my LSR305s with an rca to xlr cable I made, works fine at the -10dB input sensitivity setting (what it's there for and per the manual is the setting you should use when using the sub no matter how you set the sub's sensitivity). Don't have the sub, tho myself, but run it off an old 2ch analog pre-amp. If I didn't have that I may well have gone the Behringer or Focusrite or similar pro gear route.
Thank you for the report!
 
E

Eduardo Vinicius

Audiophyte
One question I should ask you> Have you bought those speakers yet? If not I suggest you don't. I am in favor of active speakers, but the domestic market is not geared for them. So with that choice you are buying gear not suited to your application. After a lot of research I see there is no cheap option for providing the best sound from that speaker set. To to the job properly will require a minimum expenditure of around $1000.00 to make those speakers a sensible investment. Even then I suspect you will be paying for a lot of facility you will never use.
Well, the speakers themselves I already bought, along with a pair of supports to put them on top.
So, the thing is that, when I was researching audio interfaces, I found out that there are a few ones from Behringer that are really cheap here in my country (Brazil) relative to other ones, such as a focusrite with more or less similar specifications, as strange as it may sound. And I thought that maybe the UMC204HD was a reasonable and sensible investment over the long term, since, well, who knows, I might end up deciding to start making music someday in the future in the next 10 years hahaha
So, it would fill my needs for processing the audio signal and make the connections, and there is also the price, which is not bad, and I don't think that the extra features I won't use will be a hindrance.
 

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